Exercises

1. Practise reading the words from the text. Learn their Russian equivalents.

giant, to bow, bow, delectable, dreary, infinite(ly), to signal, to slither, tumultuous, unison

2. Find in the text the words and phrases with the following meanings:

1) noisy; 2) to cry; 3) bewildered; 4) violently; 5) beauty; 6) chaos; 7) sorrowful (2 words) ; 8) often; 9) to seize, to get hold of; 10) delightful; 11) to applaud; 12) in this way

3. Define the lexical items:

1. twanging, to twang; plucking, to pluck;

2. to have a peep at sth; to be about to do sth; to be clean above one’s head; to make much of sth; to get the hang of sth.

Pick out any two of the items from point “b” and make up 2 sentences by rephrasing them.

4. Study vocabulary items 35-37 (see Glossary).

5. Study the pictures:

Wood-wind instruments

BRASS INSTRUMENTS

Position of players in a modern orchestra

6. Interpret the sentences:

“…Those brass instruments didn’t think Smeeth had much of a chance.”

“…odd bits of magic kept floating Back into his mind...”

7. you must have noticed that the performance of Brahms’ symphony is described, as it were, on two planes. One of these is Mr Smeeth’s somewhat naïve perception. Yet, some parts of the description, certainly, reflect the author’s superior knowledge and appreciation of the music, so that we get a kind of double-picture. Find in the text:

1. the extracts that reflect Mr Smeeth’s perception,

2. the extracts given on behalf of the author.

Text 6 provides a pattern of describing a piece of classical music. Listen to “Intermezzo” by F.Mendelssohn and answer the questions.

“Intermezzo” by Felix Mendelssohn

(From ‘Incidental Music to “a Midsummer Night’s Dream”)

I. Who is the author of the piece of music you’ve just heard? What do you know about the composer? What musical form is being analysed?

II. What is the general mood of the excerpt? (The music is plaintive/lyrical/dynamic/foreboding/vigorous/cheerful…)

III. How many melodic phrases can you identify in the intermezzo?

IV. Listen to Phrase 1 and answer the questions:

1. Is the theme introduced in the opening bars or is it preceded by an introduction?

2. Which instruments begin to perform the theme?

   1. brass b) stringed c) woodwind d) percussion

3. Which instruments join them eventually?

a) brass b) stringed c) woodwind d) percussion

4. According to what principle is the melodic phrase composed?

   1. one section replaces another in performing the theme b) the predominance of the strings

V. Listen to Phrase 2 and answer the questions:

1. How does it begin?

a) it begins with the apprehensive sounds from the violins b) with an infinitely tender melody performed by the brass section

2. What principle determines the melodic structure of Phrase 2?

a) that of a permanent major-minor key-change b) that of dialogue between the violins and the woodwind instruments

3. Which instruments mark the climax of the extract?

a) the violins b) the clarinets c) the flutes

VI. Listen to Phrase 3 and answer the questions:

1. Which instruments are prominent in this phrase?

a) violas and cellos b) violins and the woodwind

2. Which instruments provide an accompaniment for the prevailing instruments?

a) violins and the woodwind b) flutes and bassoons

3. Which instruments are heard in the finale?

a) the strings b) the brass

4. Which instruments are heard at the culmination point of the finale?

   1. violins b) flutes c) French horns

VII. What feelings does the music evoke in the listener? What images does it create in the listener’s mind?

Intermezzo – a short piece of music played between the main parts of an opera or a longer piece of music.

Mendelssohn, Felix (1809-47), German composer, one of the leading figures of early 19th-century European romanticism.

Born Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy on February 3, 1809, in Hamburg, he was the grandson of the noted Jewish philosopher Moses Mendelssohn. (The name Bartholdy was added to his surname when the family inherited property from a relative of that name, but he was always known by his original name.) As a child he converted with his family to Protestantism. Mendelssohn first appeared in public as a pianist at the age of 9 and performed his first original compositions when 11 years old. His masterly overture to A Midsummer Night's Dream was composed at the age of 17; the famous “Wedding March” and the rest of his incidental music to the play were written 17 years later. A revival of public interest in the works of Johann Sebastian Bach was directly attributable to Mendelssohn, who in 1829 conducted the first performance since Bach's death of his Passion of St. Matthew.

Mendelssohn appeared as a pianist and conductor throughout Europe, making frequent trips to England. His romanticism shows most clearly in his use of orchestral color and in his fondness for program music depicting places, events, or personalities. Structurally, Mendelssohn's music adheres to classical forms. It is lyrical and graceful, always clear, and never revolutionary.