Three Weeks in Vienna, A Singer's Account of the Premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
by Susan L. Haugland
These lesson ideas are designed to accompany the reading of Three Weeks in Vienna - providing students with a further understanding of the time period and events surrounding the premiere of the Ninth Symphony, the music itself, and the composer, Ludwig van Beethoven.
Fact Finding As You Read
Objective: Students will be able to identify specific details regarding four major areas of the story.
Ideas: Students can place answers in chart, outline, or diagram form.
Setting: season, year, place
Characters: soloists, composer, musicians, biographer, others
Problems: location, music, disability, other
Solutions: location, music, disability, other
Objective: Students will demonstrate an understanding of the sequence of events leading up to and including the premiere of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.
Ideas: Students can create posters or complete a worksheet in which they order the sequence of events.
Objective: Students will demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental symphonic form and how Beethoven's Ninth Symphony follows or deviates from that form.
Ideas: Students can define vocabulary words relating to symphonic form. Charts can be created by students to visually show the characteristics of sonata-allegro form as well as the other movements.
Click here for a sample chart of sonata-allegro form.
1st Movement: Sonata-Allegro Form
2nd Movement: What was so radical about Beethoven's 2nd movement in the Ninth Symphony? (2nd movements were always the slow movement in a symphony. Beethoven used a scherzo, literally meaning "joke" as his second movement.)
3rd Movement: Slow. Show form.
4th Movement: Recaps first three movements, then develops its own theme. Show form.
Extended Research
Ideas for further research projects
Timeline of Beethoven's Life
Discover why Beethoven was considered a revolutionary as a composer.
Survey public knowledge of Beethoven's music.
Discuss the differences that may have occurred had Beethoven lived in our lifetime.
Compare and contrast the music of Beethoven with that of another composer, or compare and contrast Beethoven's First Symphony with his last
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