Download A Feast for the Ears

A Feast for the Ears
Any large city in the United States can provide musical choices to satisfy every
taste. Performances of jazz, pop and rock bands, symphony orchestras, opera,
chamber music, blues, folk, country and blue grass music, and musical theatre have
become a part of the daily offering at concert halls across the country.
As was the case in American graphic art, this rich musical heritage is also the
product of many influences. Strongest has been the interaction — and often
conflict — between Europe's classical traditions and the vitality of regional and
ethnic idioms. In fact, many of America's most talented composers have worked
in popular forms.
Historians give the honor of being America's first native composer to Francis
Hopkinson of Philadelphia (1737-1791) a leader of the American Revolution and a
close friend of George Washington, the first president. Music experts, however, credit
William Billings (1746-1800) with being a revolutionary force in early American
song.
Most American composers and performers of serious "art" music, however,
remained dominated by European musicians and traditions throughout the 19th
century. Edward MacDowell (1861— 1908) stands out among the serious American
composers during this period. With the best training Europe had to offer, MacDowell
established his reputation on both sides of the Atlantic as a brilliant pianist and
composer of romantic works. Ragtime's greatest composer was Scott Joplin
(1868-1917), who wrote two ragtime operas and believed his music stood the test
of comparison with European classical music. Historically, however, ragtime is
perhaps most important for its association with the blues. And out of the blues came
jazz, America's greatest and most original contribution to the world's music.
The blues, which developed from African folk songs and Christian religious music ,
is typically a lamenting song with an undercurrent of resignation and often humor.
The greatest of the early recorded singers were often women, including Gertrude
"Ma" Rainey (1886-1939) and Bessie Smith (1900-1937). Among the most
popular modern blues musicians were Muddy Waters (1915-1984) and B.B. King.
Jazz emerged as blues and Dixieland musicians refined their instrumental styles.
One of jazz's central features is improvisation.
By 1920, jazz had spread from the South as black musicians moved to Chicago
and New York City. The most influential of the early jazz musicians was Louis
Armstrong (1900-1971) a trumpeter. Born in New Orleans, one of the early centers
of jazz, Armstrong was also the first well-known male jazz singer. Another major jazz
leader of the same generation was Duke Ellington (1899-1974). A pianist
bandleader, composer and arranger, Ellington had a major impact on jazz
composition and playing.
For most people around the world the sound of American music is the sound of
rock and roll. First popularized in the 1950s by white musicians performing mixtures
of southern gospel, "country music" and black rhythm and blues, rock and roll quickly
became a second language for American youth. Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was the early
"King of Rock'n'roll", selling over 500 million records and the first rock musician to
be given near-mythological status by young enthusiasts around the world.
The 1960s also saw the rise of the "Motown" sound — irresistible Detroit rhythm and
blues. Among its greatest stars is Diana Ross. Still another southern style that began
to gain wider popularity was country music and blue-grass music — a mixture of
folk, country and blues — also gained a broad audience through the music of Bill
Monroe and others.
Rock and roll seemed to lose its almost revolutionary momentum in the 1970s
and 1980s. In 1985 millions of Americans contributed to Live Aid, an effort by top
pop and rock musicians to raise money and supplies to combat widespread starvation
in Africa.
Tasks:
1.
Answer the following questions?
1. What can any large city in the USA provide? 2. What is American music by its
heritage? 3. Who is the first American composer? 4. What traditions dominated in
American music in the 19 th century? 5. Who was Ragtimes' greatest composer? 6.
Who were the greatest early recorded singers? 7. How did jazz come into being? 8. When did
jazz spread throughout the USA? 9. Who were the major jazz leaders? 10. When did rock
and roll emerge in the USA? 11. Who is the "King of Rock'n'roll"? 12. What campaign was
mounted in 1985?
2.
Give Russian equivalents to the following English word combinations:
at concert halls; musical heritage; brilliant pianist; classical traditions; give the honor to;
serious "art" music; folk songs; stand the test of comparison with; modern blues; black
musicians; country music; jazz singer; have a major impact on jazz composition; top
pop musicians; protest songs; blue-grass music; to combat widespread starvation; to lose
the revolutionary momentum; singer-composer; country music.
3.
Retell the text, using expressions given in Task 2.
4.
Speak about your favorite band (jazz, pop or rock); or your favorite performers and
composers.
5.
Translate into English:
Сфера коммерческой музыки США чрезвычайно обширна. Наиболее значительная
часть относится к области популярной музыки, представленной в основном вокалом в
стилях крунинг, мюзиклом.
Многообразно развивается джазовое искусство:наряду с традиционными формами
джаза, получили развитие новый джаз, свободный джаз, фьюжн, джаз-рок. Попмузыка возникла на основе таких стилей как ритм-энд-блюз, рок-н-ролл, отчасти
соул.
Поп-музыка стала одной из форм функциональной досуговой музыки, а также
важнейшей формой самовыражения молодежи. Многочисленные солисты и рокгруппы прошли в своей эволюции несколько стадий развития, впитав в себя
элементы джаза, академической и авангардной музыки. С конца 60-х годов начала
80-х годов существовали параллельно и сменяли друг друга такие направления как
калифорнийский рок, фолк-рок, тяжелый рок, хеви металл. Проводятся фестивали
рок-музыки. Поп-музыка захватила радиовещание и телевидение, студии грамзаписи
и видеозаписи.