Unit 1. Classical Music

The man that hath no music in himself,

Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds,

Is fit for treason, stratagems and spoils;

The motions of his spirit are dull as night…

… Let no such man be trusted.

(from “The Merchant of Venice” by W. Shakespeare)

1. Are you a music lover? What role does music play in your life? Express your ideas in a 2-page composition “Music in My Life”.

2. Comment on the excerpt from “The Merchant of Venice” given above. Do you agree that one can’t trust a person who is indifferent to music?

3. Study vocabulary items 1-33 (see Glossary). Prepare 5 Russian sentences for translation with any of the items.

4. Insert the proper word in the necessary form:

Recital – evening – prom

1. Yesterday we were at Chopin’s ___. 2. I like going to the ___ because the atmosphere is very informal. 3. “Oh, Joe! He was so much impressed by that organ ___!” 4. Frank gave a small ___ at home and everybody present performed something.

Item – work – piece

1. The programme consists of ___ by Bach, Vivaldi and Chopin. 2. The first ___ of the programme is “Spanish Dance”. 3. I liked this ___ most of all. 4. I was deeply impressed by the chamber ___.

Part – movement

1. I enjoyed the second ___ of the concert more than the first one. 2. The symphony is in four ___. 3. The piano ___ was played by some second-rate musician. 4. I liked the first ___ of the concerto best.

5. Insert the necessary word from the box:

part tune music movement score work item melody

1. He had arrived by the second ___ of the concert, well-groomed as usual, but obviously annoyed at something. 2. This stupid song has a haunting ____. 3. Your son, Mrs. Boldwin, is a very pleasant child, but unfortunately he has no ear for ___. 4. The orchstra couldn’t start because the whole ___ was stolen. 5. He is a marvelous guitar player, although he cvan’t read ___. 6. The theme of the first ___ is very lovely. 7. I enjoyed the violin ___ most of all. 8. I knew that there would be ___ by Mussorgsky, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky, but I didn’t expect them to include Strauss as well. 9. The first ___ of the programme was Beetthoven’s Piano Concerto № 5. 10. The beautiful ___ made her cry.

6. Translate the given sentences from Russian into English:

Concert – concerto – recital – show

1. В концерте принимали участие как знаменитые, так и молодые неизвестные исполнители (a performer). 2. Вивальди написал этот концерт за 2 года до своей последней поездки в Рим. 3. Я знаю, что Вам нравится 2-й концерт Рахманинова для фортепиано с оркестром. 4. Если не ошибаюсь, это 5-й концерт Баха для флейты (flute) и двух виолончелей (cello). 5. Нас пригласили на вечер скрипичной музыки. 6. Тебе понравился концерт? – Да. Особенно выступление местной рок-группы.

Part – movement – item – number – work

1. Мои впечатления от 1-й части симфонии были испорчены плохой игрой (performance) оркестра во втором отделении концерта. 2. Первым номером нашей программы прозвучит увертюра Бетховена из оперы «Фиделио». 3. Эдди обещал принять участие в концерте. – Надеюсь, не этот номер со змеями? 4. Программа включает в себя песни Шуберта, отрывки из фортепианных сонат Бетховена и другие номера.