Before you read the text

1. Practise aloud.

establish – establishment, orchestrate – orchestration, celebrate – celebration, represent – representation, inscribe – inscription, arrive – arrival, annotate – annotation; prefer – preferable, die – dead, compare – comparable – incomparable, remark – remarkable; Europe – European, fugue – fugal, fate – fatal, victory – victorious, triumph – triumphant, origin – original, symbol – symbolical, symphony – symphonic, dance – dancelike; vital – vitality; capitulation – recapitulation, solo – soloist; heroic – unheroic; brief – briefly, rare– rarely

2. Pronounce correctly.

galaxy, symphony, type, title, emperor, march, series, variation, section, theme, ballet, idea, realization, aspect, unification, scherzo, crescendo, finale, Morse code, signal, expression, chorus, adagio, ode, culmination, fanfare, allegro, realize, characterize, associate, punctuate, individual, dynamic, heroic, general, extensive, final, idealistic, mechanical

3. Read the sentences and translate them paying special attention to the italicized words.

1.Paganini was a brilliant violinist. 2. In his ripe age he was a composer rather than a performer. 3. His purpose was to create a new type of symphony. 4. Shostakovich was satisfied with his symphonies except the first two. 5. Perhaps our orchestra will play Beethoven’s “Eroica” some day. 6. It is suggested to read more about the composer whose work you play. 7. This title is more preferable than that one. 8. There are three movements in the composition. 9. We owe to Mozart many works of a genius. 10. Somebody is knocking at the door. 11. The music expresses the struggle and victory over adverse forces. 12. I will do all in my power. 13. A brief description of the work sometimes gives a false idea about it. 14. His friend’s letter awoke him to the sense of duty. 15. Late in December Englishmen wish each other “Merry Christmas”. 16. The mistake is obvious. 17. Some melodies are quoted from preceding works. 18. I must agree you are right in many respects. 19. The piano playing was punctuated by the charming sounds of the violin. 20. The symphony “Wellington’s Victory” by Beethoven contains English melodies.

6. Look through text A and tell a few words about it contents.

7. Read text A carefully.

Text a ludwing van beethoven

The other name in the brilliant galaxy of the West-European composers is that of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven lived and created a bit later than Mozart – in the second half of the 18th century and in the first half of the 19th century (He was born in 1770 and died in 1827).

Beethoven also worked in almost all music genres. But his preferable one was the genre of symphony.

Beethoven wrote only nine symphonies, but established the character of the symphony as an “individual creation”, rather than as an “example of a type”. His first two symphonies (op.21, in С, 1800; op.36, in D, 1802) already show, if compared with those of Haydn and Mozart, a greater seriousness of purpose, a more dynamic vitality, and a more advanced orchestration. The later ones, except perhaps the no.4, stand out as masterworks of symphonic literature.

“Eroica” is Beethoven's Third Symphony in E-flat, op. 55, composed in 1804. It was written in homage to Napoleon, but Beethoven withdrew the planned dedication when Napoleon assumed the title of Emperor, changing the title from “Sinfonia grande: Buonaparte” to “Sinfonia eroica...” (Heroic Symphony Composed to Celebrate the Memory of a Great Man”). The programmatic idea suggested by the title and the original dedication is realized only in the most general way, except for the slow movement, called “Funeral March”, in which the dead of the Napoleonic wars (and symbolically, the dead of all wars) are commemorated. The last movement is a series of three variations, also including fugal sections, all based on a dancelike (entirely unheroic) theme which Beethoven had used in three other compositions: in the ballet “The Creatures of Prometheus” (1801); in the Contredanses (1802) and in the “Eroica Variations” (1802). Extensive use of the theme is also made in initial variations and in fugal sections.

“Fate Symphony” is a nickname sometimes applied to Beethoven's Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67 (1807). It owes its origin to the story that Beethoven characterized the four opening notes by saying “Thus knocks fate at the door”. Expanding this idea, program annotators have seen the symphony as a musical representation of the struggle and final victory of Beethoven (or of mankind) over the adverse forces of fate. Among Beethoven's symphonies it is the finest realization of his incomparable powers of unfolding an idealistic drama in the most concise and convincing language.

A remarkable aspect of the symphony is the unification of the scherzo and the last movement. The scherzo, after an ominous passage of slow kettledrum beats played pp, leads in a sudden crescendo directly into the triumphant finale, preparing in a similar manner the recapitulation of the triumphant theme.

This symphony is also called “Victory Symphony”. The nickname was coined during World War II, when the opening theme of the first movement became associated with the Morse code signal for V(...–). This name was only briefly popular, and is rarely if ever used today.

“Pastoral Symphony” is Beethoven's Symphony no. 6, in F major, op. 68, published in 1809. Thе five movements portray, according to Beethoven's inscriptions: (1) Awaking of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Country; (2) A Scene at the Book; (3) Merry Meeting of Country Folk; (4) Thunderstorm and Tempest; (5) Song of the Shepherds, Glad and Thankful Feelings after the Storm. It is interesting to note that Beethoven expressly distinguished this work from the more obvious type of program music of his day (battle pieces, etc.) by the remark: “Expression of feelings rather than tone-painting”.

“Wellington's Victory” is a “battle symphony” by Beethoven (op. 91, 1813) written in celebration of Wellington's victory over Napoleon. It consists of English and French fanfares, settings of “Rule Britannia” and “Marlborough s’en va-t-en guerre”, the Battle (punctuated by the English and French guns), a Charge, and, in the second part, a Victory Symphony containing a quotation of “God Save the King”. It was originally written for a mechanical instrument invented by Maelzel, but was orchestrated by the composer.

Although many composers (e.g. Bruckner, Dvorak, Haydn, Mozart) have written as many as nine symphonies, the most celebrated is Beethoven's last symphony, also known as the “Choral Symphony”. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, in D minor, op.125, is written in 1823-24. It uses in the last movement a chorus (and four soloists) in addition to the orchestra. The formal plan of the symphony is: 1. Allegro (sonata form); II. Scherzo with trio; III. Adagio (A, B, A’, B, A”Coda – A’ and A” are variations of A); IV. Introduction (with quotations of themes from the preceding movements), Allegro assai (with chorus on Shiller's “Ode to Joy”). In many respects this work may well bе considered the culmination of Beethoven's symphonic writing.

Proper Names

Napoleon Buonoparte [nq’pouljqn ,bounq‘pa:t]

Napoleonic [nq,pouli‘Onik]

Prometheus [pre'miTju:s]

Arthur Wellesley Wellington (1769 - 1852) ['a:Tq 'welsli 'wqliNtqn] – English Field-Marschal. Under his command the English army won a victory over Napoleon by Waterloo ['wO:tqlu:]

Britannia [bri'txnIq]

“Marlborough s’en va-t-en guerre” ['mLlbqrq sAN vA'tAN ger]

Maelzel ['meltsql]

“God Save the King” was the National anthem of England

Johannes Frederick Schiller [jou'hxnqs 'fredrik 'SIlq]