Artistic and Cultural Life in Britain

Artistic and cultural life in Britain is rather rich. It passed through several stages in its development. The Saxon King Alfred encouraged the arts and the culture. Under him Latin works in Old English were translated. Art, culture and literature were developed during the reign of Elizabeth I. It was the time when William Shakespeare lived. During the reign of Queen Victoria the country became very powerful. As a result of industrialization and international trade the country saw another cultural and artistic heyday.

The development of arts and culture was interrupted by the World Wars.

Immigrants who have arrived in Britain from all countries of the Commonwealth since 1945 have brought their cultures and arts with them. Monuments and traces of past are everywhere in Britain. There are buildings of all styles and periods in the country, especially in big cities. A great number of museums and galleries display interesting finds from all parts of the world.

London is one of the leading world centres for music, drama, opera and dance. Many British playwrights, composers, sculptors, painters, writers, actors, singers and dancers are known all over the world.

The theatre has always been very strong in Britain. Its centre is London, where successful plays can sometimes run without a break for many years, the musical " Cats", for example. British theatre has a fine acting tradition. Broadway in the USA, when looking for its next musicals, pays close attention to London productions. In short, British theatre is much admired.

Cinema in Britain is often regarded as not quite part of " the arts" at all — it is simply entertainment. Though cinema-going is a regular habit for a much larger number of people than is theatergoing.

Classical music in Britain is a minority interest. Few classical musicians become well-known to the public. Despite this, thousands of British people are dedicated musicians and many public libraries have a well-stocked music section. Several British orchestras, soloists, singers, choirs, opera companies and ballet companies have international reputation.

Since the 1960s popular music in Britain has been an enormous and profitable industry. Many worldwide trends have come out of Britain, and British " pop" artists are famous for their popular music and folk music.

Many people in the literary world say that British literature at the end of the 20th century has lost its way. The last British author to win the Nobel Prize for literature was William Golding, in 1983 But many others disagree with this opinion. " The Lord of the Rings" is called the greatest book of the 20th century, and Tolkien is called one of the greatest writers.

The vast majority of the books that are read in Britain can't be classified as " serious" literature. But at the very end of the 20th century Joanne Kathleen Rowling with her famous Harry Potter appeared. And nowadays a lot of children and adults read her books about Harry Potter with great pleasure.

Painting and sculpture are not as widely popular as music is in Britain. There is a general feeling that you have to be a specialist to appreciate them, especially if they are contemporary. Small private art galleries are rare. Nevertheless, London is one of the main centres of the international collector's world. The two major auction houses of Sotheby's and Christie's are world-famous.

1. What stages in the development of arts and culture in Britain do you know? 2. What did immigrants from the Commonwealth bring with them in 1945? 3. What is one of the leading world centres for music, drama, opera and dance in Britain? 4. What do you know about the theatre in Britain? 5. What do you know about the cinema in Britain? 6. What do you know about music in Britain? 7. What do you know about literature in Britain? 8. What do you know about painting and sculpture in Britain?