2015-05-26
767
English and American Music
People in Great Britain and the USA are fond of music. Their tastes differ but there are so many groups, musical theatres, orchestras, singers that they can satisfy every taste.
It is almost a tradition with English and American families to visit concert halls on weekends. A lot of music festivals are held in towns and cities of these countries. Choral festivals, for example, were born 300 years ago in England and now they are as popular as before.
The most famous festival in Wales is Eisteddfod. It is a competition in poetry and singing which takes place every summer. It lasts a week. In the 20th century Great Britain became the world centre of pop music. Such outstanding groups as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd brought undying fame to the music of the British Isles.
American music appeared as a result of the combination of different music traditions brought by immigrants from various countries. For Europeans American music means jazz, spirituals, blues. At present American pop music is an essential part of show business. It strongly influences the music life of the world.
Задание 2. Прочитайте и переведите диалоги
- Have you ever heard Ted playing the electric guitar?
- Never. I haven’t even heard he can play it.
- Yes, he can. And people say he is quite good at it. He has recently organized a heavy metal band with four boys in it.
- Has he? That’s amazing. Have any of them ever studied singing and playing?
- Never. None of them have. I doubt if they can even read music. They just listen to a song and get it right down. They have natural talent.
- Have they given any concerts?
- Yes, they have. They have already become fairly popular in their neighborhood.
Задание 3. Выучите тему наизусть
