centuries after his death. He was born in Salzburg, Austria, in 1756. Before the age of four, he had

shown great musical talent. His father then decided to let him start taking harpsichord lessons. The

boy s reputation as a musical talent grew fast. At five, he was composing music. Form that time on,

Mozart was performing n concerts and writing music. By his early teens, he had mastered the

piano, violin and harpsichord, and was writing symphonies and operas. His first major opera was

performed in Milan in 1770, when he was only fourteen. At fifteen, Mozart became the conductor

for an orchestra in Salzburg. In 1781, he left for Vienna, where he was in great demand as both a

performer and a composition teacher. His first opera was a success. But life was not easy because

he was a poor businessman, and his finances were always in a bad state. His music from the next

decade was not very popular, and he eventually fell back on his teaching jobs for a living. In 1788

he stopped performing in public, preferring only to compose. He died in 1791 at the age of

thirty-five. Although he lived only a short life, he composed over 600 works.

1. Which of the following is true of Mozart? D

2. How long has Mozart s fame lasted? A

3. Which of the following is true of the four-year-old Mozart? B

4. What could Mozart do at the age of six? C

5. Which of the following is not mentioned as one of Mozart s accomplishments while he was in

his early teens? C

IV. Speaking Out

Model 1 Do you like jazz?

Laura: Hey!

Bob: Hello!

Laura: Do you like jazz, Bob?

Bob: No, not much. Do you like it?

Laura: Well, yes, I do. I m crazy about Wynton Marsalis.

Bob: Oh, he s a piano player, isn t he?

Laura: No, he s a trumpet player. So, what kind of music do you like?

Bob: I like listening to rock.

Laura: What group do you like best?

Bob: Er, The Cranberries. They re the greatest. What about you? Don t you like them?

Laura: Ugh! They make my stomach turn!

SAMPLE DIALOG

A: Do you like classical music?

B: No, I don t like it at all.

A: What type of music do you like?

B: I m a real fan of pop songs.

A: Who s your favorite singer or group?

B: Jay Chou. What do you think about him?

A: I can hardly bear pop songs. They are all noise to me.

Model 2 Do you like punk rock?

Max: What kind of music do you like?

Frannie: Well, I like different kinds.