Exam preparation reading, translating, retelling. Учебное пособие по английскому языку для студентов музыкальных вузов

Министерство культуры Российской Федерации Нижегородская государственная консерватория им. М. И. Глинки Кафедра иностранных языков

И. А. Юсупова

EXAM PREPARATION:

READING, TRANSLATING, RETELLING

Учебное пособие по английскому языку для студентов музыкальных вузов

Издательство Нижегородской консерватории Нижний Новгород

2021

UNIT 1

The Baroque period

Baroque music is a style of Western art music composed from approximately 1600 to 1750. This era followed the Renaissance, and was followed in turn by the Classical era. The word «baroque» comes from the Portuguese word barroco meaning misshapen pearl, a negative description of the heavily ornamented music of this period. Later, the name came to apply also to the architecture of the same period.

The Baroque period is divided into three major phases: early, middle, and late. Although they overlap in time, they are conventionally dated from 1580 to 1630, from 1630 to 1680, and from 1680 to 1730.

The Florentine Camerata, a group of humanists, musicians, poets and intellectuals in late Renaissance Florence, gathered under the patronage of Count Giovanni de Bardi to discuss and guide trends in the arts, especially music and drama. They rejected their contemporaries’ use of polyphony and instrumental music, and discussed such ancient Greek music devices as monody, which consisted of a solo singing accompanied by a kithara. The early realizations of these ideas marked the beginning of opera, which in turn was a kind of catalyst for Baroque music. Claudio Monteverdi furthered the transition to the Baroque period by developing two individual styles of composition — the heritage of Renaissance polyphony (prima pratica) and the new basso continuo technique of the Baroque (seconda pratica).

The middle Baroque period in Italy is defined by the emergence of the cantata, oratorio, and opera during the 1630s of the belcanto style. This style is one of the most important contributions to the development of Baroque as well as the later Classical style.

Baroque music forms a major portion of the «classical music» canon, being widely studied, performed, and listened to. Composers of the Baroque era include Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Alessandro Scarlatti, Domenico Scarlatti, Antonio Vivaldi, Henry Purcell, Georg Philipp Telemann, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Arcangelo Corelli, Tomaso Albinoni, François Couperin, Johann Pachelbel and others.

The Baroque period saw the creation of tonality. During the period, composers and performers used more elaborate musical ornamentation, made changes in musical notation, and developed new instrumental playing techniques. Baroque music expanded the size, range,

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and complexity of instrumental performance, and also established opera, cantata, oratorio, concerto, and sonata as musical genres. Many musical terms and concepts from this era are still in use today.

Exercise 1. Give English equivalents to the following phrases:

эпоха Барокко, в свою очередь, тот же период, под покровительством, современники, своего рода катализатор, наследие, отмечен появлением, широко изучается, исполняется и слушается, изобретение тональности, ввести музыкальные жанры.

Exercise 2. Give Russian equivalents to the following phrases: approximately, misshapen pearl, overlap in time, to discuss and guide trends in the arts, consist of, further the transition, most important contributions, a major portion, elaborate musical ornamentation, changes in musical notation, be still in use.

Exercise 3. Fill in the missing words:

composition style ancient terms ornamented technique playing guide negative into

1)a _____________ description;

2)heavily ________________ music;

3)divided _______;

4)___________ trends in the arts;

5)_________ Greek music;

6)basso continuo _________________;

7)individual styles of _______________;

8)the belcanto ___________;

9)instrumental ____________________ techniques;

10)musical ___________.

Exercise 4. Fill in the missing fragments:

a)the size, range, and complexity

b)as well as the later

c)realizations of these ideas

d)by developing

e)three major phases

f)saw the creation

g)from this era

h)a solo singing accompanied by a kithara

i)came to apply also

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1.Later, the name ____________________ to the architecture of the same period.

2.The Baroque period is divided into __________________: early, middle, and late.

3.They discussed such ancient Greek music devices as monody, which consisted of ______________________________________________.

4.The early ______________________________ marked the beginning of opera.

5.Claudio Monteverdi furthered the transition to the Baroque period

__________ two individual styles of composition.

6.The belcanto style is one of the most important contributions to the development of Baroque ____________________ Classical style.

7.The Baroque period ___________________ of tonality.

8.Baroque music expanded ____________________of instrumental performance.

9.Many musical terms and concepts _________________are still in use today.

Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach was born to a very talented musical family. Many of his family members and ancestors were also musical composers and performers. His father, Johann Ambrosius Bach was a violinist and trumpeter. At the age of 10 Johann Sebastian became an orphan and began living with his older brother. He began studying and performing music at Ohrdruf, where his brother worked. Later, in 1703 he became the court musician in the chapel of Duke Johann Ernst in Weimar.

A few years later in 1723 Bach was given the opportunity to become the musical director of St. Thomas Lutheral Church in Leipzig, where he instructed children both in singing and Latin.

Bach composed music weekly for the two churches. His style was known to be very open. He often improvised at the keyboard and his music had a sort of fluency in contrapuntal invention. Most of his compositions had detailed notation, but he left some works open as far as their interpretation, such as The Art of Fugue. Throughout his life he was exposed to a lot of German music, and it influenced him greatly.

Bach had a very close relationship with Lutheran liturgy, and consequently, a major proportion of his music was considered to be sacred music. Johann Sebastian Bach’s compositions immensely contributed to what is known as the Baroque music.

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Two of his most famous works include the St. Matthew’s Passion and the Art of Fugue. He wrote many organ works and composed many preludes, fantasias, toccatas, chorale preludes and fugues.

Bach also wrote many works for the harpsichord and also composed orchestral and chamber music, including pieces for solo instruments, such as sonatas and partitas. In addition, he composed vocal and choral works, and every week performed a specially composed cantata at the Thomaskirche.

What Bach was probably best known for, was his talent as an organist and his compositions for the organ. He was one of the greatest composers of his time, and was admired by many famous composers, including Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin.

Exercise 1. Match the words with their synonyms:

Exercise 2. Give the derivatives to the words in brackets:

(music) _______________ family

began (perform) _______________ music contrapuntal (invent) _______________

most of his (compose) _______________

a close (relate) _______________

his most (fame) _______________ works his talent as an (organ) _______________

Exercise 3. Answer the following questions:

1.What kind of family was Bach born to?

2.What did his father do?

3.When did Bach become an orphan?

4.Who did he live with?

5.What job did he get in 1723?

6.What was known about his style of music?

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7.What kind of music influenced Bach greatly?

8.Why did Bach write many sacred compositions?

9.What works did he write for the organ?

10.What other compositions did he create?

11.What was Bach best-known for?

12.Which composers was he admired by?

Exercise 4. Retell the text.

Toccata and Fugue in D minor

The Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565, is a piece of organ music written by Johann Sebastian Bach. The piece opens with a toccata section, followed by a fugue that ends in a coda. To a large extent, the piece conforms to the characteristics typical of the north German organ school of the Baroque era with divergent stylistic influences, such as south German characteristics.

The piece exhibits a typical simplified north German structure with a free opening (toccata), a fugal section (fugue), and a short free closing section. The Toccata begins with a single-voice flourish in the upper ranges of the keyboard, doubled at the octave. It then spirals toward the bottom, where a diminished seventh chord appears, built one note at a time. This resolves into a D major chord. Three short passages follow, each reiterating a short motif and doubled at the octave. The section ends with a diminished seventh chord which resolves into the tonic, D minor, through a flourish. The second section of the Toccata is a number of loosely connected figurations and flourishes; the pedal switches to the dominant key, A minor. This section passes over to the third and final section of the Toccata, which consists almost entirely of a passage doubled at the sixth and comprising reiterations of the same three-note figure, similar to doubled passages in the first section. After a brief pedal flourish, the piece ends with a D minor chord.

The subject of the four-voice fugue is made up entirely of sixteenth notes, with an implied pedal point set against a brief melodic subject that first falls, then rises. Such violinistic figures are frequently encountered in Baroque music and that of Bach, both as fugue subjects and as material in non-imitative pieces. Unusually, the answer is in the subdominant key, rather than the traditional dominant. Although technically a four-part fugue, most of the time there are only three voices, and some of the interludes are in two, or even one voice (notated as two). Although only simple triadic harmony is employed throughout

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the fugue, there is an unexpected C minor subject entry, and furthermore, a solo pedal statement of the subject — a unique feature for a Baroque fugue. Immediately after the final subject entry, the fugue resolves to a sustained B flat major chord.

A multi-sectional coda follows, marked Recitativo. Although only 17 bars long, it progresses through five tempo changes. The last bars are played Molto adagio, and the piece ends with a minor plagal cadence.

Hans-Joachim Schulze, one of Bach’s disciples, describes the force of the piece in the following words:

«Here is elemental and unbounded power, in impatiently ascending and descending runs and rolling masses of chords, that only with difficulty abates sufficiently to give place to the logic and balance of the fugue. With the reprise of the initial Toccata, the dramatic idea reaches its culmination amidst flying scales and with an ending of great sonority».

Exercise 1. Fill in the missing prepositions:

1.The piece opens ____ a toccata section, followed ____ a fugue that ends ____ a coda.

2.The piece conforms ____ the characteristics typical ____ the north German organ school ____ the Baroque era.

3.The piece exhibits a typical simplified north German structure

_______ a free opening.

4.It then spirals ________ the bottom, where a diminished seventh chord appears, built one note ____ a time.

5.This resolves ____ a D major chord.

6.This section passes ____ ____ the third and final section ____ the Toccata.

7.The subject ____ the four-voice fugue is made ____ entirely ____ sixteenth notes.

8.Unusually, the answer is ____ the subdominant key.

9.Immediately ____ the final subject entry, the fugue resolves ____ a sustained B flat major chord.

10.Here is elemental and unbounded power ____ impatiently ascending and descending runs and rolling masses of chords.

Exercise 2. Mark the following statements true or false:

1. The Toccata and Fugue in D minor was written by Johann Ambrosius Bach.

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2.The piece conforms to the characteristics typical of the north German organ school of the Baroque era.

3.The Toccata begins with a double-voice flourish in the upper ranges of the keyboard.

4.The second section of the Toccata is a number of loosely connected figurations and flourishes.

5.After a brief pedal flourish, the piece ends with a D major chord.

6.The subject of the four-voice fugue is made up entirely of eighth notes.

7.Such violinistic figures are frequently encountered in Baroque music and that of Bach.

8.Although only 17 bars long, the coda progresses through four tempo changes.

9.The piece ends with a minor plagal cadence.

10.With the reprise of the initial Toccata, the dramatic idea reaches its culmination.

Exercise 3. Give the description of another Baroque piece of music.

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UNIT 2

The Classical Era

The dates of the Classical period in Western music are generally accepted as being between about 1750 and 1820. However, the term classical music is sometimes used in a colloquial sense as a synonym for Western art music, which describes a variety of Western musical styles from the ninth century to the present, and especially from the sixteenth or seventeenth to the nineteenth.

The Classical period falls between the Baroque and the Romantic periods. The best-known composers from this period are Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Franz Schubert. Other notable names include Luigi Boccherini, Muzio Clementi, Antonio Salieri, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, and Christoph Willibald Gluck. Ludwig van Beethoven is also regarded either as a Romantic composer or a composer who was part of the transition to the Romantic.

Franz Schubert is also something of a transitional figure, as are Mauro Giuliani, Friedrich Kuhlau, Fernando Sor, Luigi Cherubini and Carl Maria von Weber. The period is sometimes referred to as the era of Viennese Classic or Classicism, since Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, Antonio Salieri, and Ludwig van Beethoven all worked at some time in Vienna, and Franz Schubert was born there.

Classical music had a lighter, clearer texture than Baroque music and was less complex. It was mainly homophonic — melody above chordal accompaniment. Variety and contrast within a piece became more pronounced than before. Variety of keys, melodies, rhythms and dynamics (using crescendo, diminuendo and sforzando), along with frequent changes of mood and timbre were more commonplace in the Classical period than they had been in the Baroque. Melodies tended to be shorter than those of Baroque music, with clear-cut phrases and clearly marked cadences. The orchestra increased in size and range; the harpsichord continuo fell out of use, and the woodwind became a self-contained section. As a solo instrument, the harpsichord was replaced by the piano (or fortepiano). Early piano music was light in texture, often with Alberti bass accompaniment, but it later became richer, more sonorous and more powerful.

Importance was given to instrumental music — the main kinds were sonata, trio, string quartet, symphony, concerto, serenade and divertimento. Sonata form developed and became the most important

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