Why the spectacular celebration for Beethoven's birthday? This remarkable composer's works continue to capture the imagination of millions even 250 years later. His pieces are played more often than those of any other composer. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony influenced music listening in the 20th century. The playing time for a CD was set at 74 minutes because it would fit the longest recordings of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. This allowed people to enjoy the musical masterpiece in its entirety on one CD. An instrumental version of the theme from the last movement even became the anthem of the European Union.
Beethoven's Sixth Symphony has become the rallying music of environmental activists because the work expresses a love of nature. Last November a concert was held in an elephant park in Thailand, where a pianist played passages from the work. The concert was part of the Beethoven Pastoral Project. The United Nations and others planned it to help promote climate protection.
Who knows how Beethoven's music will be used in the next 250 years? But there is not doubt it will be enjoyed!
Info Cloud
Variation on the theme of 一樣東西的不同版本
Hello, and welcome to info Cloud. I heard the funniest comedy routine on YouTube the other day. It's about working as a waiter in a Mexican restaurant.
Oh, I know that joke. Customers ask about what's in different dishes but each is just a variation on the theme of the exact same ingredients put together.
Exactly. What's a taco, tortilla, cheese and meat or veggies, a burrito or a chimichanga, tortilla cheese and meat or veggies.
Let's talk more about the expression variation on the theme of something. Basically it means doing something different with something familiar.
Right. This is a common concept in music. You repeat a part of a song over and over but you make small changes and that makes all the difference.
Usually, when we say something is a variation on the theme of something else, it means it’s a different way of doing something familiar.
I just finished a great book. It was a collection of stories that were all variations on the theme of boy-meets-girl but none of the stories were romance stories.
You know, Mexican food in a way it's like music - it's all about fantastic variations on a theme.
今天要介紹的這個用語相當特別，在亞洲比較少聽到，那就是 Variation on the theme of，意思就是一樣東西的不同版本。例如，男孩遇見女孩的主題可以在不同的小說當中出現不同版本的故事，你可以說: This novel is a variation on the theme of boy-meets-girl. 這部小說就是一種男孩遇見女孩的故事。還有一個例子是，肉絲和青菜可以做出很多菜色，你可以說: They are the variations on the theme of meat and vegetables. 這一些菜都是肉絲和青菜的不同組合。
Language Lab
spectacular adj. 非常壯觀的、讓人感到驚嘆的
causing wonder and admiration : very impressive
- That was a spectacular circus performance.
那場馬戲團表演真的實在令人讚嘆。
- The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular.
從山頂看到的景觀真的是太壯觀了。
- We watched the New Year’s fireworks display, but it wasn’t as spectacular as last year’s.
我們去看跨年煙火秀，但是感覺沒有像去年的那麼令人驚嘆。
spectacularly adv. (某個動作或舉動) 讓人感到驚奇或是印象深刻地
- The young gymnast was able to perform her routines spectacularly.
那位年經的體操選手能夠把動作表演地讓人感到驚嘆。
remarkable adj. 會引人注意的 (因為非常優秀、特別或驚奇的)
unusual or surprising : likely to be noticed
- The young child’s piano performance was absolutely remarkable.
那位小朋友的鋼琴表演實在是太讓人驚奇了。
- It was remarkable to see a mother cat taking care of a baby squirrel.
看到一隻母貓照顧松鼠寶寶真的很特別又驚奇。
- The student might get good grades on his tests but there is nothing remarkable about his essays.
那位同學的考試成績也許很好，但是他的作文沒有讓人有特別的印象。
rally v. 為了一個共同目標或意象團結或聚集在一起
to meet publicly to support or oppose something : to come together for a rally
- The townsmen rallied together to protest against the pollution caused by the local factory.
鎮裡的人們聚集在一起，抗議當地工廠所製造的汙染。
- The general rallied the soldiers and promised them the victory.
將軍把士兵們聚集在一起，並承諾他們會戰勝。
rally n. 大型的集會
a public meeting to support or oppose someone or something
- During the week, right before the election, there were political rallies everywhere.
在選舉的前一個禮拜當中，到處都在舉行競選大會。
- After Margaret attended her first student rally, she became more interested in social movements.
Margaret 自從參加了她的首場學生集會後，就開始對社會運動有興趣。
passage n. 一首曲子裡的樂段
a usually short section of a piece of music
- The musician played a passage on the piano and asked us to guess the name of the song.
音樂家在鋼琴上彈了一個樂段，然後要我們猜猜曲名。
passage n. 文章裡的段落
a usually short section of a book, poem, speech, etc.
- The teacher asked one of his students to read a passage from the book.
老師請了一位學生來唸出書裡的一個段落。
passage n. 走道、走廊
a long, narrow space that connects one place to another
- The children explored the old castle and found a dark and narrow passage.
小朋友在古堡裡探險時，找到一個又暗又窄的走廊。
passage n. 身體裡面的通道
a narrow space that people or things can move through
- The man has trouble breathing because there is something wrong with his nasal passage.
這個人呼吸有困難，因為他鼻道有問題。
