Music in our live

Active vocabulary

Task 1. Read and translate the text, be ready to retell.

Music is one of the oldest arts. People probably started singing as soon as language developed. Many ancient peoples, including the Egyptians, Chinese, Babylonians, and the other people of India, used music in religious ceremonies. The first written music dates from about 2500 B.C.

Nowadays music takes many forms around the world. There are two chief kinds of music: classical and popular. Classical music includes symphonies, operas, and ballets. Popular music includes country music, folk music, jazz, rock music, etc.

Music plays a major role in other arts. Opera combines singing and other drama. Ballet and other form of dancing need music to help dancers. Film and TV dramas use music to set mood and emphasize the action.

Music plays an important part in cultures and social activities. Nearly all peoples use music in the religious service to create a state of mystery and awe, a feeling of distance from the daily world. Many people perform music for their own satisfaction. Singing in a choir or playing a musical instrument in a band can be very enjoyable. Music provides people with a way to express their feelings.

Nowadays there exist lots of musical currents and directions which are represented by different groups and solo singers. Let's mention some of the most famous ones.

Pop music - area of musical art having commercial character with mass media and poetic language, entertainment, supposing ease of recognition. It has arisen in the 19^th century as reaction to the complicated forms of "serious" music. Intensive development has received from the beginning of the 20^th centuries. It is distinguished by traditional "old" popular music and the "new" pop.

Blues - a genre of the Afro-American musical folklore and a jazz carrying melancholy and despondency. It formed in the beginning of the 20^th century. The blues tradition is submitted practically in all basic jazz styles. The blues reflects deeply personal experiences sated with dramatic nature and an internal conflict, contains also elements of humor, irony, social satire.

In the middle of 80s in Chicago appeared a new kind of dancing music - house music. Now it seems usual and habitual, however then it was really extraordinary. This music was created for dances and played by new electro-musical instruments. The Chicago DJs for the first time tried to mix singles of group Kraftwerk with sound devices giving cardinally new sounds. House music has roots coming of disco. In a word – music for happiness. The structure of a classical house is rather simple and the tempo isn’t so fast. House tracks, as a rule, are filled with bright and beautiful passages, major chords and simple, but remembered melodies.

Rock-n-Roll - the earliest form of modern pop. It appeared in the middle of 1950 in the musical attitude representing the simplified variant of a rhythm-and-blues with elements of country music. For rock-and-roll as a whole the structural basis, sounding of several electro guitars, a piano, saxophone, brief melodic phrases, elementary enough text, a strongly pronounced dancing basis is characteristic. Performers of rock-and-roll were white musicians (Elvis Presley, Bill Hejli, Whether Jerry Lewis), as well as black ones (Chuck Berry). As the pair dance which received wide popularity in 1950s it differs with extreme expressionism, choreographic supports and deliberate negligence in relation to partner.

Task 2. Answer the questions about music:

1. What is music? 2. What is the most traditional way to listen to music? 3. What is Karaoke? 4. What are the main musical genres? 5. What role does music play in other arts? 6. What do you prefer: ballet or opera? Why? 7. If you have a chance to visit a famous concert, what composer will you choose? 8. Is there any difference between modern musical styles and classical music?   Task 3. Talk on one of these topics: 1. Rock and pop music. 2. Music in Your life. 3. Different Kinds of Music

Task 3. Memorize and dramatize the dialogue; act out a similar dialogue.

Dialogue “Rock and pop music”

A:	Do you like to listen to music?
B:	Sure.
A:	What kind of music do you prefer?
B:	It depends. Mostly I like rock and pop music. But sometimes I am in the mood to listen to the classical or country music. And what about you?
A:	As for me, I listen to all kinds of music, even to music my parents listen to. For example, the Beatles, a British pop group.
B:	Sorry for interrupting you. I also like the Beatles. Their music is based on rock-and-roll exported from the USA by singers like Elvis Presley, but it is very different from anything, which has come from the American side of the Atlantic.
A:	Yes, you are right. It was the birth of the new pop culture. It influenced the musical culture of most countries of the western world. By the way do you remember their names?
B:	Of course, I do. George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr. And do you know the names of any other British singers?
A:	Naturally. Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, Elton John.
B:	We’ll have an opportunity to discuss music next time. Sorry, but I must go. Good-bye.
A:	See you.

Task 4. Read and translate the text