Text 5 music

Exercise 1. What role does music play in people’s life? Why is music such a popular genre of art?

Exercise 2. Read and translate the text and do some exercises according to it.

Notes: to be inclined - быть склонным

income - доход

inner-city area - бедный район

Music is an art form in which the medium is sound. Music theory is studied with the opinion that music is usually pleasant to hear. However the existence of some modern music genres such as death metal and grindcore indicate that even the harshest sounds can be considered music if the listener is inclined so.

In Europe and North America, there is often a divide between what types of music are viewed as a “high culture” and “low culture”. “High culture” types of music typically include Western art music such as Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and modern-era symphonies and solo works, and are typically heard at formal concerts in concert halls and churches, with the audience sitting quietly in seats.

Other types of music such as jazz, blues and country are often performed in bars, nightclubs, and theatres, where the audience may be able to drink, dance, and express themselves by cheering. Until the later 20^th century, the division between “high” and “low” musical forms was widely accepted as a strict distinction that separated out better quality, more advanced “art music” from the popular styles of music heard in bars and dance halls.

However, in the 1980s and 1990s, musicologists argued that this distinction is not based on the musical value or quality of the different types of music, but on the social class of the performers or audience of the different types of music. For example, whereas the audience for Classical symphony concerts usually has above-average incomes, the audience for a rap concert in an inner-city area may have below average incomes. Even though the performers, audience, or place where non-“art” music is performed may have a lower status, the music that is performed, such as blues, rap, funk, punk, or ska may be very complex and sophisticated.

Music can be divided into genres in many different ways.

Exercise 2. a) Give English equivalents of the following words:

средство, быть склонным, симфония, концертный зал, качество, исполнитель.

b) Make up your own sentences with the underlined words.

Exercise 3. You’ve come across several music styles in the text. Do you know something about them?

1. Say four-five sentences about one of the styles.

2. Say five sentences about your favorite music style. Explain why you like it.

Exercise 4. Answer the following questions.

1. What is the medium in music?

2. What is the opinion prevailed about music?

3. Is there any division between the musical styles?

4. What is the main difference between “high” and “low” musical forms?

Exercise 5. Discuss in your group the next questions:

1. My view of “high” and “low” music

2. The place of music in my life.