四、阅读理解。
主题群:文学、艺术与体育 子主题:音乐发展 语篇类型:说明文 难度:★★
[2025南京市鼓楼区期中]CLASSICAL PERIOD The term “classical” is often used to tell the difference between serious music and popular music. The symphony developed in this period. In the late 18th and the early 19th centuries, there were two famous composers. Mozart was a talented composer and performed all over Europe at six. He wrote the famous opera The Magic Flute. German composer Beethoven was completely deaf for the last few years of his life but continued to compose some of the greatest music works in the world. Symphony No.9 is one of them. His late works moved toward the Romantic period.
ROMANTIC PERIOD From the early 19th century, composers started using new harmonies(和声) and forms to create music full of different emotions(情绪). Composers cared more about creating dramas, painting pictures in sound, or telling stories. The Russian composer Tchaikovsky was unhappy in his personal life, which brought great emotional depth to his music. He wrote many well-known works, including the famous 1812 Overture.
MODERNIST MUSIC In the 20th century, there were great changes in serious music. The music composed by Stravinsky was difficult for people to understand. Stravinsky’s The Firebird
caused a sensation at its first performance in Paris in 1910. It was a big success. The music was so different and powerful that it made the young composer famous across Europe. Austrian-American composer Arnold Schoenberg created new methods of musical composition. His work, Pierrot in the Moonlight, published in 1912, showed the despair and anxiety about life.
COMPUTER MUSIC Computers can help composers write music. The composer can use an electronic instrument(电子乐器) to enter the melodies into the computer, where they can be stored, changed, and printed out.
1. What may “caused a sensation” mean according to the text?
A. was forgotten at once B. was a piece of modern music
C. was easy to understand D. created great excitement and surprise
2. According to the passage, what information can be put on the timeline?
A. The Firebird；Mozart B. Symphony No.5；Stravinsky
C. The Magic Flute；Chopin D. Symphony No.9；Arnold
3. What is the best title for the passage?
A. The Great Composers B. Composers’ Role in Music
C. A Brief History of Musical Styles D. How Composers Create Music
