Chapter 2 of Stories of Great Musicians is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stories of Great Musicians is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers. To play with only one would be far more wonderful." The young musician showed no surprise. Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness. He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
Chapter 2 of Stories of Great Musicians is here in full — 454 sentences across 91 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.”
free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
From this reading “Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.”
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading “One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.”
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.”
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading “The young musician showed no surprise.”
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading “He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.”
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading “Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.”
In this reading “To play with only one would be far more wonderful."”
In this reading “The young musician showed no surprise.”
In this reading “One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
free from obscurity and easy to understand; the comprehensibility of clear expression
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
plural of “key” — metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
someone who plays a musical instrument (as a profession)
From this reading The young musician showed no surprise.
not any; not one
From this reading The young musician showed no surprise.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
on one occasion
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
and nothing more
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
a keyboard instrument that is played by depressing keys that cause hammers to strike tuned strings and produce sounds
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
participate in games or sport
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The young musician showed no surprise.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The young musician showed no surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He afterward asked that the keys of the piano might be covered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading Using only one finger he began at once to play with great clearness.
precisely as stated
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
in the company of; together with
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One day the emperor said in jest to little Wolfgang, "It is not very difficult to play with all one's fingers.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading To play with only one would be far more wonderful."
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young musician showed no surprise.
Chapter 2 of Stories of Great Musicians by Kathrine Lois Scobey holds 454 sentences, grouped into 91 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 454 sentences of Stories of Great Musicians, unabridged, divided into 91 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stories of Great Musicians by Kathrine Lois Scobey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 454 sentences, grouped into 91 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 91 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 91 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Stories of Great Musicians by Kathrine Lois Scobey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2684 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37353 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37353, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 223 minutes of reading across 537 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories of Great Musicians section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Stories of Great Musicians to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Stories of Great Musicians, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
