After You Read the Story

Checking understanding Match, the beginning of each sentence with its proper ending:

1 Classical music

2. Perhaps tlie Negro's greatest contribution to American music

3. Such composers as Gcrshvin, Stravinsky, Ravel

4. Many foreign musicians 5; In recent years there been interest in

a) collecting and recording the foik songs from remote regions.

b) has been jas.s.

c) have been influenced by American jaz^.

d) was rs''^,Hi;t over from the continent.

e) gave ''.ssons, travelled about has giving concerts, and awakened an interest in music.

Discussion

1. What music was brought over to the US from the continent?

2. How were folk songs composed?

3. Whose songs are now part of the nation's musical heritage?

4. How was jazz born?

VWT IX

Louis armstrong (1900 - 1971)

The h'lack man with the wonderful smile finished singing, mopped his forehead, raised the ' "-;nipe£ to his lips and player. .The music was Jazz. It was an ^cftiftg^and happy music, and sbon everyone was smiling and feeling good, clapping and swaying to his rhythm. He finished playing and the crowd roared and applauded.

That was Louis Amstrong, one of the most famous and best loved jazz musicians of all time. Armstrong did a great deal to popularise this type of music. Jazz was created by black Americans from Afri­can drumbeats, work songs, blues, spirituals, and especially the lively marching-band tunes so popular right after the Civil War-

The cradle city of jazz was New Orleans- Louis Armstrong was born there on July 4, 1900- He loved music from a very early age and would follow street bands at parades just to hear the music-One of^tbe teachers that Louis liked a lot was a music teacher named Mr. Davis, who had formed a band in the school. Louis soon was asked to join the band. Mr- Davis gave him bugle and cornet lessons, and the boy had never been happier. He learned quickly and was soon made the leader.

Because his family was poor, he had to earn money, doing odd jobs. He managed to save enough money to buy a battered old comet. He began to practise and listen to music every chance he got. Louis got his first real job playing when he was sixteen.

H& also began to play with Fate Marble on the riverboats that went up and down the Mississippi. With the Marble band he first learned how to read music and also got the chance to play jazz for many who had never heard it before. Louis was becoming known as the best player around New Orleans.

In 1924 he got his own band, and some of the best music he ever played was recorded during this period. Louis did all sorts of new musical things. He began travelling all over the world with his band. Music was his whole life-On his seventieth birthday a great tribute was paid to Louis. A number of jazz clubs had a birthday celebration. Many famous sing­ers and musicians came and performed in his honour. Everyone ac­knowledged that he -was truly the "King of jazz". The world will

never forget the musician who did so much to make people happy and bring the people of the world closer together.