After you have read the text

1. Answer the following questions about the text.

1. What is the real name of Duke Ellington?

2. When and where was he born?

3. When did he turn fully to music?

4. What was his first job as a musician?

5. Why is December of 1927 a magnificent date in the life of Duke Ellington and his band?

6. When did Ellington's band tour Europe for the first time?

7. What were the reasons of Ellington's success to quote Gunther Schuller?

8. How long did Ellington’s band stay in existence?

9. How did Ellington write his compositions?

10. Who was his co-author?

11. In what song was Duke the first to use the human voice as an instrument?

12. What innovations of Duke Ellington testify his great contribution to the shaping of the 20th-century music?

13. In what musical genres did he leave a rich legacy?

14. How did Stanley Dance, the author of the book about Ellington, characterize him?

15. Why is Duke Ellington compared with Mozart, Bach, Haydn?

16. Which government awards did Ellington receive?

17. At what age did he die?

18. What compositions of Duke Ellington do you know and play?

2. Learn the following information.

– Blues is a style of jazz, both vocal and instrumental, introduced in the first decade of the 20th century. The principal sources of the blues appear to be Negro work songs and spirituals, but the earliest traceable example is probably the “Memphis Blues” (written in 1909; published in 1912) by the Negro musician W.C. Handy. The most persistent characteristic of the blues is a 12-measure pattern, instead of the 8- and 16-measure patterns of ragtime. The blues are further characterized by a smoother, less percussive rhythm and a slower tempo than ragtime. The name is obviously related to the “blue notes”, i.e., the third and the seventh scale degrees which are used either natural or flatted, and which are frequently played deliberately out of tune.

– Spirituals are religious songs of the American Negroes, often based on Biblical stories of promise and redemption, such as the crossing of the river Jordan, Daniel's deliverance from the lions’ den or Moses’ leading the children of Israel to the Promised Land. They are sung in four-part harmony derived from the standard hymns, but with certain native characteristics, such as a preference for pentatonic melodies and a frequent use of syncopation. Negro institutes such as Fisk University, Hampton, and Tuskegee have been instrumental in furthering the tradition of singing spirituals, and the concert tours of their choral groups have made available this type of music sung in an authentic style.

3. Insert the words given below in the correct form into the sentences.

1. The ... jazz player Luis Armstrong did his best to popularize this type of music. 2. On his 70th birthday ... of jazz clubs paid tribute to Luis Armstrong all over the world. 3. The ... greeted the renowned performer warmly. 4. Music teacher Mr. Davis saw a ... musician in Armstrong when he was twelve. 5. A lucky ... brought them together. 6. The author ... the suggestion of the manager to publish his book piecemeal. 7. I am sorry that I ... to listen to the great pianist when he had been on tour in our city. 8. A ... meeting of a kind and talented teacher can work wonders to the child. 9. He became known all over the world thanks to his ... talent of improvisation. 10. Though he died very young George Gershwin left a rich musical … 11. Singing native tunes was a single … for Negro slaves brought to Northern America from Africa. 12. The Rolling Stones had to do many … in their band. 13. Gershwin’s museum established by Ira Gershwin testifies how high he … the memory of his younger brother. 14. In old England it was taken for … that noble people played some musical instruments perfectly. 15. The jury of the festival appreciated the … of his performing.

fail, revere, budding, outlet, granted, inherent, decline, accomplished, sophistication, a great deal, circumstance, fortuitous, replacement, audience, legacy

4. Select the correct meaning of the words.

1. be in existence a) бесчисленный

2. turn out b) быть на виду

3. flock c) выпускать /произведение/

4. civilian d) существовать

5. duke e) вливать, вселять

6. secure f) закреплять, получать

7. countless g) многообещающий

8. pose h) джунгли

9. jungle i) сумерки

10. infuse j) герцог

k) штатский, гражданский

l) потерпеть неудачу

m) формулировать, ставить вопрос/

n) Юпитер

o) стекаться, двигаться толпой

5. Review text A orally.

6. Discuss your impressions of Ellington's music with your friends

7. Read and retell text B.