Music (8)

Music (8)

Music

Music is 1 an arrangement of sounds in patterns to be sung or played on instruments: What sort of music do you like? 2 the written signs that represent the sounds of music: Can you read music?

A large group of musicians playing classical music together on different instruments is an orchestra. They are directed by a conductor. Music is composed (= written) by a composer and musicians learn to read music in order to play it. There are different types of classical composition, for example a symphony (= a long piece of music for an orchestra) or an opera (= a piece for the theatre where the words are sung).

Pop music

Pop is 1 modern music that is most popular among young people: a pop group. 2 a short sudden sound like a small explosion: There was a loud pop as the champagne cork came out of the bottle.

I like most kinds of music, including pop, rock, hip hop and reggae. My favourite band/group is “Alphagarden”. I’m one of their biggest fans. I love the singer because he has such a great voice! The drummer and guitarist play well too. All their songs have good lyrics (= words) and the tunes (= melodies) are very catchy (= easy to remember). Last year they released an album (= a collection of songs on one CD) which became a big hit (= was very successful). They don’t play live (= with people watching), but next year they are going on tour (=performing in various places). I already have tickets to go to a concert.

Ex. 1 Explain the words in bold type.

Ex. 2 Complete the sentences.

1. A ___ plays records in discothèques.
2. A small record is called a ___.
3. Records are kept in ___ to preserve them from dust.
4. A long-played record by a pop group is a(n) ___ .
5. In a pub records are played on a ___ .
6. The rhythm of the music is called the ___ .
7. The words of a song are called the ___ .
8. The melody of the song is the ___ .
9. The speed of the music is the ___ .
10. A song which is a great success is a ___ .
11. A large outdoor gathering of people to hear pop singers and musicians is called ___ .
12. A musical entertainment given in a public by bingers or players is a ___ .
13. A disc ___ on which sound has been registered is a ___ .

a) album	e) beat	h) disc-jockey	k) hit
b) juke-box	f) tune	i) lyric	l) single
c) sleeves	g) tempo	j) pop festival	m) concert
d) record

Ex. 3 Match the styles of music with their descriptions

1. A serious and emotional type of music; listening to it needs some musical education.	a) jazz
2. A type of music based on old traditions; it reflects the lives and life problems of the people of the country.	b) rock
3. A type of music in which the singer doesn’t sing but speak the words of a song.	c) classical
4. A type of music which has a strong beat and parts for performers to play alone.	d) rap
5. A type of music which consists of simple tunes with a strong beat.	e) folk

My Favourite Singer

   Liza Smythe is a successful British singer. Her smiling face appears on the covers of international magazines, and every year she goes on tour to many different parts of the world to perform concerts for millions of fans.

   However, life used to be very different for this bright young star from Liverpool. “Eight years ago”, says Liza, “I lived in a small terraced house with my parents and three brothers. It was very hard! We didn’t have much money, so I used to work as a cleaner at the local hospital to make ends meet. I used to buy my clothes from second-hands shops. I was quite plump then, because I liked eating chips and chocolate. I didn’t use to go to clubs because they were very expensive. I learnt all the words to every pop song and people hired me to sing at parties. My friends liked my voice a lot, so they persuaded me to send a cassette to a record company. That’s how it all started for me. Three weeks later I received a phone call from the company and my life changed completely”.

   Liza’s life has changed a lot since those days in Liverpool. “I think I’m very lucky to lead the life I do today. It’s not easy because I don’t practically have free time. Still, I have a lovely family and a very promising career. What else could I ask for?" , she says.

   Today Liza lives in a large house with a big garden just outside London with her husband and young daughter. She is slim now, and looks very elegant in her designer clothes. She is constantly on a diet and goes to the gym every day to keep her body in shape. In her free time Liza goes to the theatre or to parties.

Ex. 1 Match the words to their definitions.

1. successful	a) the front or back part on the outside of the book or a magazine
2. a cover	b) to entertain people by dancing or singing
3. lucky	c) something that costs a lot of money
4. to perform	d) when something good happens to you by chance
5. expensive	e) you achieve what you have been trying to do

Ex. 2 Mark these sentences “T” (True) or “F” (False)

___ Liza Smythe is an American singer.

___ She is very popular all over the world.

___ Liza was born in a poor family.

___ She  has a part time job of a waitress at a café.

___ Liza could sing very well and people asked her to sing at parties.

___ Nowadays Liza’s life is very pressed.

___ The  singer is unmarried now.

___ Liza does her best to look great.

Ex. 3 Answer the questions.

1.     Where can we see Liza’s smiling face?

2.     What kind of life did Liza have  eight years ago?

3.     How did she look like?

4.     Who advised Liza to send her cassette to a record company?

5.     What kind of life is the singer leading now?

6.     What does she do to be slim, elegant and healthy?

Ex. 4 Ask questions to get the following answers.

        1. ___ ? – She was born in Liverpool.

        2. ___ ? – Liza has three brothers.

        3. ___ ? – She worked as a cleaner at the hospital.

        4. ___ ? – She bought her clothes from second hand shops.

        5. ___ ? – Her friends persuaded her to send a cassette to a record company.

        6. ___ ? – She is slim and elegant now.

        7. ___ ? – She goes to the theatre or to parties.

Ex. 5 Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the text.

1.     Liza Smythe is a ____ singer.

2.     Her face ___ on the ___ of the international  magazines.

3.     Every year she ___ to different parts of the world.

4.     She used to work as a cleaner to ___ .

5.     Liza bought her clothes from ___ .

6.     She was ___ because she was eating ___ .

7.     People ___ her at parties because she had a lovely ___ and knew the words to every pop song.

8.     It’s not easy to ___ as she does now.

9.     She is slim now because she is constantly ___ and goes to gym to ___.

Ex. 6 Write a biography of your favourite pop star. Use the following questions:

·        When and where was he/she born?

·        Write about his/her early life.

·        How did he/she become famous?

·        What records has he/she made?

·        Has he/she made any film or TV programmes?

·        Has he/she got married?

·        Has he/she changed during his/her career?

·        Is there any else interesting that you want to say about him/her?

Ex. 7 Listen to the text and tell about Elvis Presley using the table.

                                                      Elvis Presley

Date	Place	Events
1935	Mississippi	Born on the 8th  of January
1948		Got a guitar; moved to Memphis, Tennessee
1954	A recording studio “Sun Records”	Got acquainted with Sam Phillips; made his first single “That’s All Right, Mama”
1955	New York	Appeared on TV
1956	Hollywood	Made his first film “Love Me Tender”; made many hit records
1958	Germany	Joint the American army
1977	Memphis	Died of a heart attack on the 16 th of   August in his mansion at Graceland.