SAT写作经典例子之贝多芬_SAT写作

SAT写作经典例子之贝多芬

　　The year 1801 marked the onset of Beethovens tragic affliction, his deafness, which became progressively worse and, by 1817, total. Public performance eventually became impossible; but his creative work was not restricted. Beethoven never married; however, he was stormily in and out of love all his life, always with women unattainable because of marriage or station. His personal life was further complicated when he was made the guardian of his nephew Karl, who caused him much anxiety and grief but to whom he nevertheless remained fondly attached.

　　Beethoven died, after a long illness, in the midst of a fierce thunderstorm, and legend has it that the dying man shook his fist in defiance of the heavens.

　　Compositions

　　By the 19th cent., Beethovens work could already be divided into three fairly distinct periods. The works of the first period include the First and Second Symphonies; the first three piano concertos ; the first group of string quartets ; and a number of piano sonatas, among them the Pathique and the Moonlight Sonata .

　　Although the compositions of the first period have Beethovens unmistakable breadth and vitality, they are dominated by the tradition of Haydn and Mozart.

　　Beginning about 1802, Beethovens work took on new dimensions. The premiere in 1805 of the massive Third Symphony, known as the Eroica , was a landmark in cultural history. It signaled a definitive break with the past and the birth of a new era. The length, structure, harmonies, and orchestration of the Eroica all broke the formal conventions of classical music; unprecedented too was its intention to celebrate human freedom and nobility. The symphony was originally dedicated to Napoleon, who at first symbolized to Beethoven the spirit of the French Revolution and the liberation of mankind; however, when Napoleon proclaimed himself emperor, the disillusioned composer renamed his work the Heroic Symphony to celebrate the memory of a great man.