Four of the greatest musicians伟大的音乐家

刘德福

本文介绍了四位历史上伟大的音乐家。

主题语境：著名音乐家 篇幅：282词 建议用时：5分钟

1 As the saying goes，“Without music， lifewould be a mistake.”Music is very important inour lives and here are four of the greatest musi?cians in history.

Ludwig van Beethoven （1770—1827）

2 Born in Bonn， Germany， Beethoven neverheld an official position in Vienna. He supported himself by giving concerts， teachingpiano lessons， and the sale of his compositions. The last 30 years of Beethovens life werefilled with a lot of hard times， the first of which was his deafness. Beethovens music greatlyinfluenced the next generation of musicians.

Johann Sebastian Bach （1685—1750）

3 Bach， the father of modern music， was born in Eisenach， Germany. His parents diedwhen he was nine years old， and in 1695 he went to live with his brother JohannChristoph， who was an organist （风琴手） in Ohrdruf. He stayed there until 1700. Sevenyears later， he moved back to Weimar， where he served as a court （宫廷） organist for nineyears. His music greatly influenced classical music.

Frédéric Chopin （1810—1849）

4 Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola， Poland. He showed a talent for the piano at avery young age. Chopin began composing when he was still a child， but some of his earlyworks were lost. He gave his first public concert in 1818. Chopin was considered as theleading musician of his time.

Franz Schubert （1797—1828）

5 Schubert was born and died in Vienna. Unlike most of his predecessors （前辈），Schubert was not a great performer. He never had much money， but he was very productive.He wrote his first masterpiece when he was only sixteen. However， he died young， beforehis talents had even been known.

Reading Check

1. Which word can best describe the last 30 years of Beethovens life？

A. Cozy.  B. Tough.  C. Poor.  D. Successful.

2. What can we know about Bach？

A. He is“the father of classical music”.

B. His later years were full of hardships.

C. His parents passed away when he was young.

D. He showed a talent for the organ at an early age.

3. Whose first public concert was held in 1818？

A. Beethovens.  B. Bachs.

C. Chopins.  D. Schuberts.

Language Study

Useful expressions

productive 多產的

masterpiece 杰作

support oneself by 通过……谋生

give concerts 举办音乐会

be filled with a lot of hard times 充满艰辛

show a talent for the piano 对（弹）钢琴很有天赋

some of ones early works 某人早期的一些作品