Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music invented in the late 1950s by a group of middle-class students and musicians living in the Copacabana and Ipanema beachside districts of Rio de Janeiro. The name could be translated as "the new beat" or "the new way". In Brazil, it became well known through the record "Chega de Saudade", performed by João Gilberto and composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes. The record was released in 1958. Samba Samba is one of the most famous of the various forms of music arising from African roots in Brazil. The name samba most probably comes from the Angolan semba (mesemba) - a religious rhythm. Samba developed as a distinctive kind of music at the beginning of the 20th century in Rio de Janeiro (then the capital of Brazil) under the strong influence of immigrant black people from Bahia. The most popular names were Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Grupo Fundo de Quintal, Jorge Aragão, and Jovelina Pérola Negra. Nowadays, samba is still one of the most popular musical genres in Brazil. Ex. 8. Answer the questions. 1. How can classical music be defined? 2. What does the term “classical music” refer to in the English language? 3. What is the narrow use of this term? 4. Where did the origins of blues lie? 5. What does the phrase “the blues” mean? 6. Name blues performers. 7. What is soul music like? 8. When and where did it appear? 9. Where are the roots of country music? 10. What genres does the term “country music” embrace? 11. What can the term “reggae” denote? 12. Who popularized reggae? 13. What is rumba? 14. What kind of music is bossa nova? 15. How can the term “bossa nova” be translated? 16. Where does the name “samba” come from? 17. What influence did samba experience? Ex. 9. Identify performers with musical styles.
Ex. 10. Summarize what you have learnt about musical genres. Which of them appeals to you most of all? Why? Ex. 11. Name world-famous composers. Who is your favourite composer? Why? Have you heard of Ralph V. Williams, Benjamin Britten, Gilbert and Sullivan? Read the text about them and fill in the gaps with the given words. Ralph V. Williams Affect, ancient, evoke, folk, harshness, inhumanity, melodic, melodist, paradise, trivia. R. V. Williams used the ___ tunes of the peasantry which, he thought, expressed the spirits and traditions of his people. He was much ___-ed by the ___ of industrialization and war. His music is an escape to a Garden of Eden, though it is not a ___ of gaiety and ___. His Symphony № 5 written during the Second World War ___s the ghastly truth of man’s ___. He was namely a ___, his love of ___ tunes was part of a ___ approach to music.
Benjamin Britten Brand, challenge, copiously, dramatic, enjoy, explore, masterpiece, set, versatility, widely. B. Britten composed quickly, ___ and practically, ___-ing most forms and mediums of music. His major achievements have been in the field of ___ or vocal music. In large opera houses his operas Peter Grimes, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Billy Budd ___ comparison with anything written today. Britten’s ___ is demonstrated in his many works for children. Both Let’s Make an Opera and Noah’s Flood, a miracle play ___ to music, are almost exclusively written for performance by children. The strength of Britten’s music has prevented it being ___-ed “old-fashioned”, and indeed his reputation, both at home and abroad, is probably higher than that ___-ed by any English composer during his lifetime. The War Requiem is ___ regarded as one of the ___-s of the 20th century.
Gilbert and Sullivan
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