This multimedia series gives you an introduction to the life and work of the Classical music composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven’s greatest hits include Moonlight Sonata, Für Elise, “Ode to Joy,” and his famous Fifth Symphony. You might not recognize these titles, but you’re sure to know the melodies. You hear them today in movies, television, ring tones—and orchestral concert halls.
In Part 1, you’ll be introduced to Beethoven by listening to an audio story followed by a slides to help you get to know more about his life and work. Then Parts 2 through 4 will explore three of his most famous symphonies.
Bigger than You Might Expect
There’s a lot to cover when teaching about Beethoven and his music. The resources in this set contain information about composer Ludwig van Beethoven, and listening activities relating to three major symphonies (the 5th, 6th and 9th.) The activities are designed for grades 4 and up, and may be presented by the classroom teacher or music specialist.
The listening activities in this player were originally created to support the National Symphony Orchestra’s Young People’s Concert Beethoven Rocks! Some of the clips reference the concert— specifically the “Ode to Joy” sing-along practice track— but this will not impact most classroom uses.
Did you know two hundred years ago, Ludwig van Beethoven was the world’s most popular rock star? And guess what? He’s still BIG!
Ludwig van Beethoven (pronounced LOOD-vig VAHN BAY-toh-ven) was born in a small city in Germany in 1770. Little Ludwig started playing the piano when he was very small—so small he had to stand on the piano bench to reach the keys. When his father heard him play, he knew right away that he would be a big star.
To get to know the basics on Beethoven: First, listen to the audio story in the player below. If there were parts you found interesting (or may have missed), listen to the clip again. While you listen, click through the Slideshow. It has information about Beethoven’s life. When you're done with this section, move to the next slideshow.
Beethoven: Meet Mr. Big
Musical Terms You Should Know
Symphony: A long work for orchestra in three or four smaller parts called “movements.”
Motif: A short rhythmic or melodic idea that is repeated in a composition.
Sonata: A musical composition for one, two, or three instruments in three or four movements.
String quartet: A group of four musicians, usually two violins, a viola, and a cello.
After you have listened to the story and read the slides, talk or write about these ideas:
In this section, learn about the famous “da-da-da-DUM” motif in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and the composer’s basic tools including beat, rhythm, and pitch. To guide and extend the learning...
Did you know two hundred years ago, Ludwig van Beethoven was the world’s most popular rock star? And guess what? He’s still BIG!
Part of the reason for that is his famous 5th Symphony. Seriously, it is so famous it even got sent into outer space, so that aliens can find it. In this media player you will learn about the famous “da-da-da-DUM” motif in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 and get to know the composer’s basic tools including beat, rhythm, and pitch.
Listening to Beethoven's 5th: Pitch & Rhythm
Listening to Beethoven's 5th: Motif & Keys
Those four notes and that short-short-short-long pattern sound simple enough, but in Beethoven’s music, they build into a big, majestic theme that people haven’t been able to get out of their heads for two hundred years.
Beethoven plays around with a few key tools that are in every composer’s toolbox. What are they? How did he use them? As you listen to the excerpt on the next slide, think about these questions...
All music starts with a beat, a steady clock-like tempo that paces through the music. What is the basic beat of the 5th Symphony?
The rhythm is the series of short and long notes that lay on top of the beat. What rhythm do you hear? Can you follow it by tapping your fingers along with the music?
Music has high notes and low notes and where the note is placed is called the pitch. The pitch can move in steps to the next note right beside it, up or down— like when you sing “do-re-mi.” It can also jump or leap to a note several tones away -- like this: “do-mi-do -- do-so-do.” What does Beethoven do with pitch?
“da-da-da-DUM” is the big motif in Beethoven's Fifth. Each time the motif returns, it changes a little bit. It could be faster or slower; higher or lower—or it could be reversed. That’s the thing with a motif—it is a musical idea that returns or repeats— as a variation.
Sometimes the music is moved around the orchestra, so different instruments add their voices. What instrumentation did Beethoven use as the motif repeats throughout the piece?
Beethoven's 5th Symphony (excerpt)
Beethoven purposefully painted pictures with his music in the Pastoral Symphony. Think about the nature you have around you, or places you have visited or seen on television-- like the woods, national parks, farm land and other places with trees, birds and rivers.
As you listen to this music, try to pick out the ways Beethoven created sounds of nature. Can you describe specific images to musical fragments (parts of the music)? For example, there might be musical fragments, or parts, that sound like birds, trees, creeks, sunshine, and other parts of nature.
In our audio story, we take a closer look at two parts of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony. One is a happy scene, called “Peasants’ Merrymaking,” when the farmers gather in a field for an afternoon of eating, dancing and relaxing. The other scene is “Storm”-- in which Beethoven paints a musical picture of a storm that brews in the distance, coming closer until it is right overhead.
Listening to Beethoven's 6th: The "Pastoral"
During the first half of the story, you’ll hear music that sounds like people having a party. It starts slowly as people arrive, and picks up as the dancing begins. In the audio story, you’ll learn about how Beethoven used pitch and rhythm to illustrate these ideas.
One way to think about pitch is that it travels in steps, jumps, or leaps. During the "Peasants’ Merrymaking" section, listen for the parts when pitches travel in easy steps and small jumps. You can also...
Listening to Beethoven's 6th: "Peasants’ Merrymaking" (excerpt)
In the second half of this exercise, the music changes from the happy mood of the "Peasants Merrymaking." The storm starts slowly, and then builds. Think about any storms you have seen-- do you remember seeing clouds in the distance, then getting closer? What happens as a storm gets closer?
During the "Storm" section, listen for pitches that take great leaps instead of small steps or jumps. Besides changes in pitch, think about how Beethoven used other tools to make this musical idea come to life:
Listening to Beethoven's 6th: "The Storm" (excerpt)
This activity helps students hear the sounds of nature incorporated into Beethoven’s score for the “Pastoral” Symphony. Students learn how Beethoven utilized musical dynamics and imagination to illustrate nature, focusing on two selections, “Peasants’ Merrymaking” and “Storm.”
(continued)
Beethoven's 6th Listening Activity
(continued)
If time allows, ask the winners to share specific “clues” from the music that helped them decide. Correct answers are: (1) a calm, sunny day in the country; (2) a storm brewing in the distance; (3) dancing peasants; (4) a heavy thunderstorm overhead. Students should listen for violins sounding like rain; the timpani for thunder; and cellos for the sound of wind.
The Ninth Symphony is as big as Beethoven gets.
If you have read Meet Mr. Big, you already know that Beethoven became more and more deaf over time. By the time he wrote this symphony, he was near the end of his career—and he was also completely deaf.
What challenges did Beethoven overcome to write it?
Listening to Beethoven's 9th: Finding Joy
Here are some things to think (and talk) about during and after you listen to the Finding Joy audio story:
Beethoven's 9th (excerpt)
Beethoven made the big decision to add voices as nearly-equal members of the orchestra. Now you can add your voice to Beethoven’s music! The audio story lets you hear the music and melody together. We've also got clips of just the music so you can sing on your own!
If you want to join in, here are some tips for a great experience:
Read the lyrics aloud first so you can become familiar with the words before singing.
Listen to the recorded song once or twice. You don’t have to sing the whole thing; just sing along with parts as you go, adding new lines as you get more comfortable.
Remember to use good singing technique.
"Ode to Joy" (piano)
Narrator
Susan Stamberg
Writer
Doug Cooney
Audio Producer
Richard Paul
Producer
Kenny Neal
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in a small city in Germany in 1770 and started playing the piano when he was very small—so small he had to stand on the piano bench to reach the keys. When his father heard him play, he knew right away that he would be a big star.
Meet great composers, explore the vast musical world of the orchestra, study the science behind the instruments, and discover how classical music is anything but boring.
Get inside the mind of a composer—from a popular song, to a Broadway musical, to a symphony, how does a composer write music?
You might see some of these instruments when you come to the Kennedy Center, watch a performance by your school band, or at any other concert you attend! Click the slides to learn more about some of the most frequently spotted instruments in each family.
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