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A Musical Genius
For many people Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is the
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|
| most
(0) influencial figure in the history of western
classical | INFLUENCE |
| music.
His (1) ..... talent was already clearly evident as a | ORDINARY |
| young
man, (2) ..... surviving a somewhat unconventional |
MERCY |
|
(3) ..... during which his eccentric father would often force | BRING |
| him
to take music lessons in the middel of the night. | |
| |
| The
young Beethoven's ability won him the admiration of the | |
| leading
contemporary musical figures. Throughout the 1790s | |
| he
worked hard to secure the interest of wealthy patrons. | |
| Such
patronage (4) ..... him to concentrate on becoming a | ABLE |
| successful
composer. | |
| |
| Whatever
his awe-inspiring musical (5) ....., however, his | ACHIEVE |
| personal
life was something of a disaster. His day-to-day | |
| (6)
..... with people invariably turned out to be rather | RELATE |
turbulent.
Although he apparently fell in love with a number
| |
of
society women, the identity of the girl who lay closest to
| |
| his
heart remains (7) ..... to this day. | ELUDE |
| |
| However,
just at the point when Beethoven was beginning |
|
| to
reap the rewards of his early endeavours, he had to come | |
| to
terms with the crushing (8) ..... that his increasing | REALISE |
| deafness
was (9) ..... . From that point on, his music | CURE |
| displayed
a (10) ..... change in style, becoming both heavier | STRIKE |
| in
tone and larger in scale. | |