Text 6 a few words about an orchestra

Exercise 1. Read the text and do the test below it.

An orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well.

A smaller orchestra (of about fifty players or fewer) is called a chamber orchestra.

A full size orchestra (about 100 players) may sometimes be called a "symphony orchestra" or "philharmonic orchestra"; these prefixes do not necessarily indicate any strict difference in either the instrumental constitution or role of the orchestra, but can be useful to distinguish different ensembles based in the same city (for instance, the London Symphony Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra). The actual number of musicians employed in a particular performance may vary according to the work being played and the size of the place. A leading chamber orchestra might employ as many as fifty musicians; some are much smaller than that.

Brass band is a rather small orchestra generally consisting entirely of brass instruments (trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, tuba), most often with a percussion section. Ensembles which include brass and woodwind instruments (clarinet, flute, saxophone, oboe, bassoon) can in certain traditions also be termed brass bands, but are usually more correctly termed military bands, concert bands, wind bands or wind ensembles. The repertoire of such bands is usually military marches, waltzes or jazz compositions. The repertoire of the symphony orchestras are classical compositions composed for ballets and operas.

There is one more type of orchestra - folk orchestra. It consists of string-pizzicato instruments (balalaika,domra) and reed instruments (accordion).

Exercise 2. Choose the right variant.

1. The number of the chamber orchestra players ma be …

   1. fifty;

   2. about one hundred;

   3. more than one hundred.

2. The number of musicians depend on

   1. the relations between the musicians:

   2. the wish of the conductor;

   3. the size of the place where they should perform.

3. The brass instruments are …

   1. trumpet, flute, trombone, tuba;

   2. saxophone, trumpet, tuba, French horn;

   3. trumpet, tuba, trombone, French horn.

4. A military band may consist of …

   1. only brass instruments;

   2. only woodwind instruments;

   3. brass and woodwind instruments.

5. The instruments of the folk orchestra are …

   1. string - bow instruments;

   2. folk instruments;

   3. all the sections of instruments.

Text 7 the development of rock and roll

Exercise 1. Read the text and be ready to de the test.

The massive popularity and eventual worldwide view of rock and roll gave it a social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in movies and in the new medium of television, influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. It later gave birth to the various sub-genres of what is now called simply ‘rock music’. Rock music is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody, accompanied by the guitar, the drums, and the bass. Rock music has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll (The Beatles, Rolling Stones) and rockabilly (Elvis Presley), which evolved from blues (Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington), country (Frank Ferera - a Hawaiian guitarist) and other influences. In its purest form, rock-n-roll has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Early rock-n-roll drew from variety of sources, primarily blues, R’n’B, and country, but also traditional pop, jazz and folk.

In the late 1960s, rock music was blended with folk music to create folk rock (Bob Dylan), blues to create blues-rock (Jimi Hendrix) and with jazz to create jazz-rock fusion (King Crimson), and without a time signature to create psychedelic rock (Pink Floyd). In the 1970s, rock incorporated influences from soul, funk, and Latin music. Also in 1970s, rock developed a number of subgenres, such as soft rock (Elton John), heavy metal (Iron Maiden), hard rock (Queen, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin), progressive rock (Deep Purple, The Who, Genesis) and punk rock (Ramones, Sex Pistols). Rock subgenres that emerge in the 1980s included hardcore punk (Suicidal Tendencies - 2000) and alternative rock (R.E.M., The Cure). In the 1990s, rock subgenres included grunge (Nirvana), Britpop (Radiohead), indie rock (Sonic Youth) and nu metal (Linkin Park, Slipknot). In the early 2000s, pop punk began to regain popularity. Media institutions began to label this scene as emo despite the fact that emo was originally an underground offshoot of 80s hardcore rock. As the name suggests, the lyrics in many emo songs are often about depression and troubled relationships (My Chemical Romance).

Exercise 2. Choose the right variant

1. The feature that makes rock music differ from other styles is …

   1. usage of harsh sounds

   2. a social impact

   3. the number of the players

2. The instruments used in rock-n-roll are …

   1. drums and bass

   2. bass, two guitars, drums

   3. bass, drums and guitar

3. The rock-n-roll music …

   1. is simple and primitive

   2. is very complex

   3. consists of three chords

4. Rock-n-roll music evolved from …

   1. rock style

   2. blues, country and jazz

   3. rockabilly

5. Originally emo appeared in …

   1. the 21^st century

   2. the 80s

   3. the 90s