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A Musical Genius
For many people Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) is the
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| most
(0) influential 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 |
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(3) ..... during which his eccentric father would often force |
BRING |
| him
to take music lessons in the middle of the night. |
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| The
young Beethoven's ability won him the admiration of the |
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| leading
contemporary musical figures. Throughout the 1790s |
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| he
worked hard to secure the interest of wealthy patrons. |
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| Such
patronage (4) ..... him to concentrate on becoming a |
ABLE |
| successful
composer. |
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| Whatever
his awe-inspiring musical (5) ....., however, his |
ACHIEVE |
| personal
life was something of a disaster. His day-to-day |
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| (6)
..... with people invariably turned out to be rather |
RELATE |
turbulent.
Although he apparently fell in love with a number
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of
society women, the identity of the girl who lay closest to
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| his
heart remains (7) ..... to this day. |
ELUDE |
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| However,
just at the point when Beethoven was beginning |
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| to
reap the rewards of his early endeavours, he had to come |
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| 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. |
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