Class 12 English Chapter 18 Music and Creation Exercise & Grammar

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Class 12 English Chapter 18 Summary: Music and Creation

The entire chapter Music and Creation centers around the life of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the best musicians that ever lived. The documentary goes into how Beethoven was able to compose such wonderful music up until he went completely deaf, even finding a way to turn his own suffering into something that has survived the ages in front of our eyes.

Born in Bonn, Germany, Beethoven was the son of a musician and demonstrated extraordinary musical gift at an early age. He attended Church School and played many musical instruments such as organ, violin, and piano. He then settled in Vienna — where he became known as a pianist and a composer. But at the age of 27, Beethoven started to lose his hearing, which he first experienced as high-pitched tones. His health declined over the years, forcing him to live privately, out of the public eye.

Beethoven was profoundly affected personally by this hearing loss. He never attended social gatherings, never trusted his friends, even thought of suicide. However due to his passion for music and his strong personal values, he never quit. Yet, he believed that life still had something to offer him – so he kept composing; as Michael G. Beil, among other people, points out in his book Beethoven: the composer and his music: "not even deafness could quench his creativity"

Beethoven became completely deaf later in life, yet wrote the majority of his greatest music while completely neglecting the world of sound. He was, of course, extremely deaf but so much so that he could never be distracted by the sounds of music from outside as he was focusing solely on what was in his mind. He became a symbol of human resolve because of his resilience and dedication.

This chapter also provides a comparative study of Beethoven along with the other great artists who lived through disabilities, for example Milton and Van Gogh. His story exemplifies how adversity can ignite creativity and inspiration and how passion and stubbornness alone are sufficient to navigate through the direst of straits.

The chapter also includes vocabulary and grammar exercises related to music, instruments, and types of music/*features/genre. It also provides students an opportunity to think about mental health, resilience, and how music can be restorative.

In the end, Music and Creation is not merely the story of Beethoven — it is a story of the human spirit, of art in oppression and how some of the greater creations spring from the depths of limitation.