The Reading / Listening - Beethoven - Level 3

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been played in Vienna to mark the 200th anniversary of its first performance. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in Austria's capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked for much of his life. He composed many of his most famous works there. The anniversary performance earlier this week was conducted by the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A member of the choir told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up…when you're singing."

The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It is also one of the most played and most widely-recognized classical works. The symphony's final part – the fourth movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo voices and a choir. An adapted version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is loved and played by orchestras worldwide. In Japan, it is sung each December by a choir of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese choir, called Beethoven's Ninth, "a wonderful message of love". She added that it "moves from the darkness to the light".

Try the same news story at these easier levels:

    Beethoven - Level 0,  Beethoven - Level 1   or  Beethoven - Level 2

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14kv70d1keo
  • https://www.dw.com/en/beethovens-ninth-symphony-200-years-on/a-68919265
  • https://theconversation.com/beethovens-ninth-symphony-at-200-revolutionary-work-of-art-has-spawned-two-centuries-of-joy-goodwill-and-propaganda-221734


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Warm-ups

1. BEETHOVEN: Students walk around the class and talk to other students about Beethoven. Change partners often and share your findings.
2. CHAT: In pairs / groups, talk about these topics or words from the article. What will the article say about them? What can you say about these words and your life?
       Beethoven / Vienna / premiere / masterpiece / composer / anniversary / conductor /
       music / classical / joy / choir / orchestra / singers / peace / love / darkness / light
Have a chat about the topics you liked. Change topics and partners frequently.
3. CLASSICAL MUSIC: Students A strongly believe classical music is the best thing to listen to; Students B strongly believe otherwise. Change partners again and talk about your conversations.
4. MUSICIANS: What are the good and bad things about these musical roles? Complete this table with your partner(s). Change partners often and share what you wrote.

 

Good Things

Bad Things

Composer    
Conductor    
Pianist    
Drummer    
Violinist    
Guitarist    
MY e-BOOK
ESL resource book with copiable worksheets and handouts - 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers / English teachers
See a sample

5. ANNIVERSARY: Spend one minute writing down all of the different words you associate with the word "anniversary". Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them. Together, put the words into different categories.
6. MUSIC GENRES: Rank these with your partner. Put the best genres at the top. Change partners often and share your rankings.

  • Classical
  • Opera
  • Ambient
  • Jazz
  • Rap
  • Electro
  • Pop
  • Country

 

Vocabulary

    Paragraph 1

      1. mark a. The yearly celebration of a special event, like a wedding or birthday.
      2. anniversary b. The first showing or performance of something, like a movie or play.
      3. performance c. Do something special to remember an event  that happened in the past.
      4. premiere d. A group of people who sing together.
      5. masterpiece e. Something amazingly well made or very beautiful.
      6. choir f. A special event or party for someone's birthday or other happy occasion.
      7. celebration g. When someone does something (like singing or dancing) to show their skills in front or others.

    Paragraph 2

      8. recognized h. Something that is very good or brings a lot of happiness or joy.
      9. revolutionary i. When something is changed to fit a new situation or purpose.
      10. solo j. A song that is important to a country or group of people.
      11. adapted k. When someone or something is known because of their skills or character.
      12. anthem l. Something that brings big and important changes to how things are done or tought about.
      13. represent m. To symbolize something or someone.
      14.

wonderful

 n. When someone does something alone, without others.

 

Before reading / listening

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if 1-8 below are true (T) or false (F).

  1. A performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played in Germany.  T / F
  2. The premiere of the Ninth Symphony was in 1824.     T / F
  3. Beethoven spent a long time living in Austria.     T / F
  4. A chorister was happy to be in the choir and sing a message of love.     T / F
  5. The article says the Ninth Symphony is the best piece of music ever.     T / F
  6. It was common to have choirs in classical music 200 years ago.     T / F
  7. An annual chorus of 10,000 singers sings Beethoven's Ninth in Japan.     T / F
  8. A singer in a choir said the Ninth Symphony was dark.     T / F

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

  1. mark
  2. premiere
  3. works
  4. whole
  5. wonderful
  6. recognized
  7. final
  8. adapted
  9. worldwide
  10. moves
  1. modified
  2. entire
  3. known
  4. first night
  5. last
  6. advances
  7. commemorate
  8. globally
  9. compositions
  10. marvellous

3. PHRASE MATCH: (Sometimes more than one choice is possible.)

  1. mark the 200th anniversary of
  2. The premiere of Beethoven's
  3. He composed many of his most
  4. sing this wonderful message
  5. You're lifted up
  6. one of the greatest pieces of
  7. The symphony's final part –
  8. Ode to Joy is the anthem
  9. a choir
  10. The Ode represents peace and
  1. music ever written
  2. of the European Union
  3. when you're singing
  4. of 10,000 singers
  5. of love
  6. its first performance
  7. international understanding
  8. famous works there
  9. the fourth movement
  10. masterpiece

Gap fill

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
much
member
lifted
mark
whole
premiere
works
celebration

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been played in Vienna to (1) _____________________ the 200th anniversary of its first performance. The (2) _____________________ of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in Austria's capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked for (3) _____________________ of his life. He composed many of his most famous (4) _____________________ there. The anniversary performance earlier this week was conducted by the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A (5) _____________________ of the choir told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the 200-year (6) _____________________. She said: "It's the (7) _____________________ world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're (8) _____________________ up…when you're singing."

Put these words into the spaces in the paragraph below.
widely
sung
pieces
choir
version
message
revolutionary
peace

The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of the greatest (9) _____________________ of music ever written. It is also one of the most played and most (10) _____________________ -recognized classical works. The symphony's final part – the fourth movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was (11) _____________________ 200 years ago because it used solo voices and a choir. An adapted (12) _____________________ of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is loved and played by orchestras worldwide. In Japan, it is (13) _____________________ each December by a choir of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents (14) _____________________ and international understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese (15) _____________________, called Beethoven's Ninth, "a wonderful (16) _____________________ of love". She added that it "moves from the darkness to the light".

Listening — Guess the answers. Listen to check.

1) played in Vienna to mark the 200th anniversary of ______
     a.  its first perform dance
     b.  its first performers
     c.  its first performance
     d.  its first perform ants
2)  The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in ______
     a.  Austria's capitals city
     b.  Austria's cap it all city
     c.  Austria's initial city
     d.  Austria's capital city
3)  He composed many of his most ______
     a.  famously works there
     b.  famous work there
     c.  famous jobs there
     d.  famous works there
4)  A member of the choir told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the ______
     a.  200-year celebration
     b.  200-year celebrates
     c.  200-year celebrating
     d.  200-year celebrate shun
5)  It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful ______
     a.  message of love
     b.  message of lovely
     c.  message of loved
     d.  message of loves

6)  The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of the greatest pieces of ______
     a.  music ever wrote
     b.  music ever written
     c.  music ever writing
     d.  music ever writ ten
7)  This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo voices ______
     a.  and a chair
     b.  and a choir
     c.  and a chore
     d.  and a char
8)  It is loved and played ______
     a.  by orchestral worldwide
     b.  by orchestrates worldwide
     c.  by orchestrate worldwide
     d.  by orchestras worldwide
9)  a singer in a Viennese choir, called Beethoven's Ninth, "______"
     a.  a wonderful messages
     b.  a wonderful messaged
     c.  a wonderful messaging
     d.  a wonderful message
10)  She added that it "moves from the darkness ______"
     a.  to the right
     b.  to the bright
     c.  to the light
     d.  to the alight

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been played in Vienna (1) ____________________ 200th anniversary of its first performance. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece (2) ____________________ a theatre in Austria's capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked (3) ____________________ his life. He composed many of his most famous works there. The anniversary performance earlier this week (4) ____________________ the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A member of the choir told the BBC (5) ____________________ was to sing in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful (6) ____________________. You're lifted up…when you're singing."

The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of (7) ____________________ of music ever written. It is also one of the most played (8) ____________________-recognized classical works. The symphony's final part – the fourth movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it (9) ____________________ and a choir. An adapted version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is loved and (10) ____________________ worldwide. In Japan, it is sung each December by a choir of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese choir, called Beethoven's Ninth, "(11) ____________________ of love". She added that it "moves (12) ____________________ to the light".

Comprehension questions

  1. Where did Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premiere?
  2. Where did Beethoven create a lot of his most famous works?
  3. What is the nationality of the conductor mentioned in the article?
  4. Who told the BBC she was happy?
  5. What did a singer say happens to her when she is singing?
  6. What movement does the second paragraph talk about?
  7. What wasn't commonly used in classical music 200 years ago?
  8. Where is Ode to Joy an anthem?
  9. How many singers sing each year in a Japanese choir?
  10. What did a singer say Beethoven's Ninth moved from?

Multiple choice quiz

1) Where did Beethoven's Ninth Symphony premiere?
a) London, England
b) Munich, Germany
c) Vienna, Austria
d) New York, USA
2) Where did Beethoven create a lot of his most famous works?
a) Vienna
b) Munich
c) Berlin
d) Budapest
3) What is the nationality of the conductor mentioned in the article?
a) German
b) Italian
c) Finnish
d) Austrian
4) Who told the BBC she was happy?
a) a violinist
b) Beethoven's great-great-great granddaughter
c) a conductor
d) a member of the choir
5) What did a singer say happens to her when she is singing?
a) She gets nervous.
b) She cries.
c) She's lifted up.
d) She falls in love.

6) What movement does the second paragraph talk about?
a) the third movement
b) the fourth movement
c) the second movement
d) the first movement
7) What wasn't commonly used in classical music 200 years ago?
a) conductors
b) drums
c) sheet music
d) voices and choirs
8) Where is Ode to Joy an anthem?
a) the United Kingdom
b) the European Union
c) the United States
d) Japan
9) How many singers sing each year in a Japanese choir?
a) 20,000
b) 10,000
c) 5,000
d) 1,000
10) What did a singer say Beethoven's Ninth moved from?
a) darkness
b) noise
c) confusion
d) hate

Role play

Role  A – Classical
You think classical is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): opera, rap or electro.
Role  B – Opera
You think opera is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): classical, rap or electro.
Role  C – Rap
You think rap is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): opera, classical or electro.
Role  D – Electro
You think electro is the best music genre. Tell the others three reasons why. Tell them what is wrong with their genre. Also, tell the others which is the worst of these (and why): opera, rap or classical.

After reading / listening

1. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionary / computer to find collocates, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words...

'joy'

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • and 'love'.

  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________
  • ________________

    • • Share your findings with your partners.

    • Make questions using the words you found.

    • Ask your partner / group your questions.

    2. ARTICLE QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

    •Share your questions with other classmates / groups. •Ask your partner / group your questions.

    3. GAP FILL: In pairs / groups, compare your answers to this exercise. Check your answers. Talk about the words from the activity. Were they new, interesting, worth learning…?

    4. VOCABULARY: Circle any words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

    5. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

    • mark
    • capital
    • life
    • earlier
    • member
    • lifted
    • ever
    • final
    • version
    • December
    • peace
    • darkness

    Student survey

    Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

    (Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

    Discussion - Beethoven

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    1. What did you think when you read the headline?
    2. What images are in your mind when you hear the name 'Beethoven'?
    3. What do you know about Beethoven?
    4. What do you know about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony?
    5. What do you think of classical music?
    6. Why is Beethoven's Ninth Symphony such a classic?
    7. Who is the greatest composer ever?
    8. What do you think of singing?
    9. What music lifts you up?
    10. How do you feel when you sing?

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    1. Did you like reading this article? Why/not?
    2. What do you think of when you hear the word 'symphony'?
    3. What do you think about what you read?
    4. What's the greatest piece of music ever written?
    5. What do you think of your country's national anthem?
    6. Would you like to see a choir of 10,000 singers?
    7. What song or music is a message of love for you?
    8. Is classical music the best thing to listen to?
    9. Are classical composers better than today's singer-songwriters?
    10. What questions would you like to ask an expert on Beethoven?

    Discussion — Write your own questions

    STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

    (a) ________________

    (b) ________________

    (c) ________________

    (d) ________________

    (e) ________________

    STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

    (f) ________________

    (g) ________________

    (h) ________________

    (i) ________________

    (j) ________________

    Language — Cloze (Gap-fill)

    Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been (1) ____ in Vienna to mark the 200th anniversary of its first performance. The (2) ____ of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in Austria's capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked for (3) ____ of his life. He composed many of his most famous (4) ____ there. The anniversary performance earlier this week was conducted by the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A member of the (5) ____ told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the (6) ____ world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up…when you're singing."

    The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It is also one of the most played and most (7) ____-recognized classical works. The symphony's (8) ____ part – the fourth movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo voices and a choir. An adapted version of Ode to Joy is the anthem (9) ____ the European Union. It is loved and played by orchestras worldwide. In Japan, it is (10) ____ each December by a choir of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese choir, (11) ____ Beethoven's Ninth, "a wonderful message of love". She added that it "moves from the darkness to (12) ____ light".

    Which of these words go in the above text?

    1. (a)     plays     (b)     played     (c)     play     (d)     playable    
    2. (a)     premier     (b)     premium     (c)     premature     (d)     premiere    
    3. (a)     many     (b)     much     (c)     any     (d)     whole    
    4. (a)     jobs     (b)     duties     (c)     works     (d)     symphony    
    5. (a)     choir     (b)     chore     (c)     chair     (d)     choral    
    6. (a)     whole     (b)     all     (c)     every     (d)     total    
    7. (a)     wide     (b)     widen     (c)     width     (d)     widely    
    8. (a)     final     (b)     finalist     (c)     finals     (d)     finally    
    9. (a)     as     (b)     of     (c)     by     (d)     on    
    10. (a)     sing     (b)     song     (c)     sung     (d)     sang    
    11. (a)     spoke     (b)     said     (c)     called     (d)     stated    
    12. (a)     a     (b)     the     (c)     whole     (d)     their

    Spelling

    Paragraph 1

    1. mark the 200th aivnsarnrey
    2. its first rrfeecmpoan
    3. The rmperiee of Beethoven's masterpiece
    4. Austria's pcaalit city
    5. the world-famous Italian tondcrcuo
    6. sing in the 200-year cnaebrlieot

    Paragraph 2

    1. lasilcsca works
    2. This was yuatvlrrenoio 200 years ago
    3. played by rctehsaros worldwide
    4. The Ode perneesrst peace
    5. a singer in a Viennese rciho
    6. it moves from the arssnkde to the light

    Put the text back together

    (...)  life. He composed many of his most famous works there. The anniversary performance earlier this
    (...)  and international understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese choir, called Beethoven's Ninth,
    (...)  The Ninth Symphony is believed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever
    (...)  week was conducted by the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A member of the choir told the BBC how happy
    (...)  city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked for much of his
    (...)  sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up…when you're singing."
    (...)  performance. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in Austria's capital
    (...)  written. It is also one of the most played and most widely-recognized classical works. The symphony's final part – the fourth
    (...)  worldwide. In Japan, it is sung each December by a choir of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents peace
    (...)  "a wonderful message of love". She added that it "moves from the darkness to the light".
    (...)  a choir. An adapted version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is loved and played by orchestras
    (...)  movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo voices and
    (..1..) Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been played in Vienna to mark the 200th anniversary of its first
    (...)  she was to sing in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to

    Put the words in the right order

    1. has   Ninth   Vienna   .   Symphony   been   Beethoven's   in   played
    2. the   first   its   Mark   200th   performance   .   anniversary   of
    3. Vienna   is   city   composer   where   lived   .   the   the
    4. He   composed   of   there   .   his   famous   many   works
    5. said   you're   lifted   you're   singing   .   She   up   when
    6. pieces   music   ever   .   the   of   of   greatest   One
    7. of   widely-recognized   one   works   .   the   classical   It's   most
    8. the   of   the   anthem   It   Union   .   European   is
    9. singers   .   of   choir   10,000   a   It's   sung   by
    10. It   darkness   the   from   moves   the   to   light   .

    Circle the correct word (20 pairs)

    Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has been played in Vienna to hark / mark the 200th anniversary of its first / fast performance. The premiere / premier of Beethoven's masterpiece took place at a theatre in Austria's initial / capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. Vienna is the city where the German composer lived and worked for many / much of his life. He composed many of his most famous jobs / works there. The anniversary performance earlier this week was conducted by / of the world-famous Italian conductor Riccardo Muti. A member of the chair / choir told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the 200-year celebrate / celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up / down…when you're singing."

    The Ninth Symphony is belief / believed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It is also once / one of the most played and most widely-recognized classical works. The symphony's finally / final part – the fourth movement – is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo / solid voices and a choir. An adapted vision / version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is loved and playable / played by orchestras worldwide. In Japan, it is sang / sung each December by a choir on / of 10,000 singers. The Ode represents peace and international understand / understanding. Heidrun Irene Mittermair, a singer in a Viennese choir, called Beethoven's Ninth, "a wonderful message of love". She added that it "moves from the darkness to the dusk / light".

    Talk about the connection between each pair of words in italics, and why the correct word is correct. Look up the definition of new words.

    Insert the vowels (a, e, i, o, u)

    B__th_v_n's  N_nth  Symph_ny  h_s  b__n  pl_y_d  _n  V__nn_  t_  m_rk  th_  200th  _nn_v_rs_ry  _f  _ts  f_rst  p_rf_rm_nc_.  Th_  pr_m__r_  _f  B__th_v_n's  m_st_rp__c_  t__k  pl_c_  _t  _  th__tr_  _n  __str__'s  c_p_t_l  c_ty  _n  th_  7th  _f  M_y,  1824.  V__nn_  _s  th_  c_ty  wh_r_  th_  G_rm_n  c_mp_s_r  l_v_d  _nd  w_rk_d  f_r  m_ch  _f  h_s  l_f_.  H_  c_mp_s_d  m_ny  _f  h_s  m_st  f_m__s  w_rks  th_r_.  Th_  _nn_v_rs_ry  p_rf_rm_nc_  __rl__r  th_s  w__k  w_s  c_nd_ct_d  by  th_  w_rld-f_m__s  _t_l__n  c_nd_ct_r  R_cc_rd_  M_t_.  _  m_mb_r  _f  th_  ch__r  t_ld  th_  BBC  h_w  h_ppy  sh_  w_s  t_  s_ng  _n  th_  200-y__r  c_l_br_t__n.  Sh_  s__d:  "_t's  th_  wh_l_  w_rld  t_  _s  t_  b_  _bl_  t_  s_ng  th_s  w_nd_rf_l  m_ss_g_  _f  l_v_.  Y__'r_  l_ft_d  _p…wh_n  y__'r_  s_ng_ng."

    Th_  N_nth  Symph_ny  _s  b_l__v_d  t_  b_  _n_  _f  th_  gr__t_st  p__c_s  _f  m_s_c  _v_r  wr_tt_n.  _t  _s  _ls_  _n_  _f  th_  m_st  pl_y_d  _nd  m_st  w_d_ly-r_c_gn_z_d  cl_ss_c_l  w_rks.  Th_  symph_ny's  f_n_l  p_rt  –  th_  f__rth  m_v_m_nt  –  _s  c_ll_d  _d_  t_  J_y.  Th_s  w_s  r_v_l_t__n_ry  200  y__rs  _g_  b_c__s_  _t  _s_d  s_l_  v__c_s  _nd  _  ch__r.  _n  _d_pt_d  v_rs__n  _f  _d_  t_  J_y  _s  th_  _nth_m  _f  th_  __r_p__n  _n__n.  _t  _s  l_v_d  _nd  pl_y_d  by  _rch_str_s  w_rldw_d_.  _n  J_p_n,  _t  _s  s_ng  __ch  D_c_mb_r  by  _  ch__r  _f  10,000  s_ng_rs.  Th_  _d_  r_pr_s_nts  p__c_  _nd  _nt_rn_t__n_l  _nd_rst_nd_ng.  H__dr_n  _r_n_  M_tt_rm__r,  _  s_ng_r  _n  _  V__nn_s_  ch__r,  c_ll_d  B__th_v_n's  N_nth,  "_  w_nd_rf_l  m_ss_g_  _f  l_v_".  Sh_  _dd_d  th_t  _t  "m_v_s  fr_m  th_  d_rkn_ss  t_  th_  l_ght".

    Punctuate the text and add capitals

    beethovens ninth symphony has been played in vienna to mark the 200th anniversary of its first performance the premiere of beethovens masterpiece took place at a theatre in austrias capital city on the 7th of may 1824 vienna is the city where the german composer lived and worked for much of his life he composed many of his most famous works there the anniversary performance earlier this week was conducted by the worldfamous italian conductor riccardo muti a member of the choir told the bbc how happy she was to sing in the 200year celebration she said its the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love youre lifted upwhen youre singing

    the ninth symphony is believed to be one of the greatest pieces of music ever written it is also one of the most played and most widelyrecognized classical works the symphonys final part  the fourth movement  is called ode to joy this was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used solo voices and a choir an adapted version of ode to joy is the anthem of the european union it is loved and played by orchestras worldwide in japan it is sung each december by a choir of 10000 singers the ode represents peace and international understanding heidrun irene mittermair a singer in a viennese choir called beethovens ninth a wonderful message of love she added that it moves from the darkness to the light

    Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

    Beethoven'sNinthSymphonyhasbeenplayedinViennatomarkthe200
    thanniversaryofitsfirstperformance.ThepremiereofBeethoven'smas
    terpiecetookplaceatatheatreinAustria'scapitalcityonthe7thofMay,1
    824.ViennaisthecitywheretheGermancomposerlivedandworkedfor
    muchofhislife.Hecomposedmanyofhismostfamousworksthere.Thea
    nniversaryperformanceearlierthisweekwasconductedbytheworld-
    famousItalianconductorRiccardoMuti.AmemberofthechoirtoldtheB
    BChowhappyshewastosinginthe200-yearcelebration.Shesaid:"It'st
    hewholeworldtoustobeabletosingthiswonderfulmessageoflove.You'
    reliftedup…whenyou'resinging."TheNinthSymphonyisbelievedtobe
    oneofthegreatestpiecesofmusiceverwritten.Itisalsooneofthemostpl
    ayedandmostwidely-recognizedclassicalworks.Thesymphony'sfina
    lpart–thefourthmovement–iscalledOdetoJoy.Thiswasrevolutionar
    y200yearsagobecauseitusedsolovoicesandachoir.Anadaptedversio
    nofOdetoJoyistheanthemoftheEuropeanUnion.Itislovedandplayedb
    yorchestrasworldwide.InJapan,itissungeachDecemberbyachoirof10
    ,000singers.TheOderepresentspeaceandinternationalunderstandin
    g.HeidrunIreneMittermair,asingerinaViennesechoir,calledBeethove
    n'sNinth,"awonderfulmessageoflove".Sheaddedthatit"movesfromt
    hedarknesstothelight".

    Free writing

    Write about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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    Academic writing

    Classical music is the best thing to listen to. Discuss.

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    Homework

    1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.
    2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find out more about this news story. Share what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
    3. BEETHOVEN: Make a poster about Beethoven. Show your work to your classmates in the next lesson. Did you all have similar things?
    4. LIGHT: Write a magazine article about music always being written to turn darkness into light. Include imaginary interviews with people who are for and against this.
    Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Write down any new words and expressions you hear from your partner(s).
    5. WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? Write a newspaper article about the next stage in this news story. Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.
    6. LETTER: Write a letter to an expert on Beethoven. Ask him/her three questions about him. Give him/her three of your opinions on classical music. Read your letter to your partner(s) in your next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

    A Few Additional Activities for Students

    Ask your students what they have read, seen or heard about this news in their own language. Students are likely to / may have have encountered this news in their L1 and therefore bring a background knowledge to the classroom.

    Get students to role play different characters from this news story.

    Ask students to keep track of this news and revisit it to discuss in your next class.

    Ask students to male predictions of how this news might develop in the next few days or weeks, and then revisit and discuss in a future class.

    Ask students to write a follow-up story to this news.

    Students role play a journalist and someone who witnessed or was a part of this news. Perhaps they could make a video of the interview.

    Ask students to keep a news journal in English and add this story to their thoughts.

    Also...

    Buy my 1,000 Ideas and Activities for Language Teachers eBook. It has hundreds of ideas, activity templates, reproducible activities for:

    • News
    • Warm ups
    • Pre-reading / Post-reading
    • Using headlines
    • Working with words
    • While-reading / While-listening
    • Moving from text to speech
    • Post-reading / Post-listening
    • Discussions
    • Using opinions
    • Plans
    • Language
    • Using lists
    • Using quotes
    • Task-based activities
    • Role plays
    • Using the central characters in the article
    • Using themes from the news
    • Homework

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    Answers

    (Please look at page 26 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

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