Step by Step 3000 第2册 Unit7:Leisure time(2)

Part 2. Mozart's music still alive today.

Keywords. anniversary, composer, celebrations, music houses, classical style, gifted musicians, travel, operas.

Vocabulary. requiem, royalty, patron, orchestra, symphony, G minor, command, organ, enrich, ongoing.

A. You're going to hear a passage about Mozart, a great music composer.

While listening, focus on the music pieces he composed during his life. Do the matching exercises.

This year the world marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

There have been celebrations of the composer's work all year long.

On December 5th, music houses around the world observed the anniversary of the composer's death.

That music is from Mozart's Requiem, a work the composer did not complete before his death.

A requiem is music written in honor of some one who has died.

Many people consider the music and its subject matter to add to the mystery surrounding Mozart's death.

Could it be that the composer sensed his approaching death from fever and wrote Requiem in his own honor?

There is no doubt, however, that the music of Mozart has more to do with life and happiness than with sadness or mystery.

Mozart wrote and performed music in the second half of the 18th century.

During this period, European musicians performed for kings, queens and other royalty.

Musicians often depended on wealthy people called patrons to support them.

Mozart, along with his friend Joseph Haydn, became the best example of the classical style, the important performance music of his time.

Today, people often the word "classical" to describe other kinds of music written for and performed by an orchestra.

Some music critics consider Symphony 25 in G Minor to be the first work showing Mozart's full ability.

He was 17 when he wrote it. See what you think of this young man's skills.

The word "effortless" is often used to describe the musical composition of Mozart.

Music came so natural to the child, born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756.

Wolfgang was the last of the seven children born to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl.

Five of the children died while babies.

Only Wolfgang and his older sister Maria Anna survived.

Both were extremely gifted musicians from a very young age.

The children travelled with their parents and performed across Europe.

Wolfgang's father was a well-known violin teacher.

The year Wolfgang was born, Leopold published a popular book on violin playing.

Soon Wolfgang started to show an unusual command of many instruments.

By the age of 8, he played the piano, sometimes with his eyes covered.

He also played the organ and violin very well.

He showed an understanding of music of a much older person.

Travelling enriched the education of the young Mozart.

His father worked in many of the great cities of 18 century Europe.

The family visited London, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Paries.

Mozart married Constanze Weber in Austrian Capital in 1782.

He described his wife as having "plenty of common sense and the kindest heart in the world".

Constanze had six children, but only two survived.

They were happy together, although their life was sometimes difficult.

In Vienna, Mozart wrote his greatest operas, musical plays performed with an orchestra.

His works were performed in other cities as well.

His marriage of Figaro was so popular in Prague that he was asked to write an opera especially for a music house there.

The opera he composed was Don Giovanni, considered by many to be his best.

The opera is based on the story of the lover and fighter, Don Juan, by the Spanish writer Tirso de Molina.

In this scene, the spirit of a man Don Giovanni had killed long ago returns to the world of the living to seize him and drag him down to hell.

Events have been held all over Europe and in the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth.

Salzburg alone held about 500 events to celebrate the famous composer.

Vienna spent about 60 million dollars in public and private money for its Mozart celebration.

In reality, there is an ongoing Mozart celebration all the time.

Mozart's music is performed around the world.

Mozart died on December 5th, 1791. He was only 35.

He had composed more than 600 pieces of music.

Some experts consider Mozart the greatest composer of all time.

Near the end of his life, Mozart composed the 41 symphony.

After his death, it came to be known as Jupiter, possibly in praise of its style and expression.

Critics consider it one of Mozart's truly great works and a beautiful expression of the classical style that he helped to define.

Listen, and consider that what you have heard on our program represents just a few of Mozart's best works.

B. Now listen again. This time focus on some numbers or dates and the relevant information.

Supply the missing information.