2. 22. Types of music

Are you sure you know all types of music? Read the text and see for yourself.

I. CLASSICAL MUSIC. There is a tendency to use classical music with particular reference to the music of the past, up to and including the 19th century. However, the term also includes music being written now, and we may speak of modern classical music. Classical here refers to genre, not period.

II. LIGHT CLASSICAL is used of short classical works which are easy to listen to, either because the composer's aim was simply to entertain.

III. SERIOUS MUSIC. It is sometimes used as a synonym of classical music. Serious music is a wider concept than classical music. It includes classical music, folk music and jazz.

IV. LIGHT MUSIC. It includes light classical music, popular tunes and songs from different sources, both traditional and new, dance music, film music and so on.

V. JAZZ. Popular music first played by Negro groups in the Southern USA in the early 20th century characterized by improvisation and strong rhythms, called traditional jazz; similar music played by large bands for dancing, a later variation much influenced by the blues to produce an unhurried emotive style called modern jazz.

VI. POP MUSIC is modern music of an uncomplicate character, played mainly on electric guitars and drums often with a singer.

VII. DANCE MUSIC is music used for dancing including jazz and pop music.

VIII. BACKGROUND MUSIC is any music played softly as a background for conversation, etc. Some people put on records as background music when friends come to see them and such music is increasingly heard in public places in Britain: hotel foyers, airports, supermarkets, etc.

IX. CHAMBER MUSIC is orchestral, written for a chamber orchestra, but the category also includes works for smaller groups of instrumentalists or vocalists or soloists.

Exercise

How can you characterize each type of musi?.

What is your favourite type of music? What music is popular now?

2. 23. Walt disney's world

Read the text and learn how some of Disney’s characters appeared.

I think you know the name of Walt Disney. To many people in our century his name means the world of cartoon. W. Disney has created a lot of short cartoons and many longer films. His name is very famous, and not only in America.

Walt Disney was born in Chicago on December 5, 1901. Then his family left that city in the North of America for a place in the South. When Walt Disney grew up, he began to draw pictures and create cartoons, and one day he had an idea to make a mouse the main character of the cartoons.

He told his wife, Lilian, about this. He saw this mouse char­acter as a funny friendly little thing, who could speak, dance and sing and who, in fact, could live like a man. "That's a good idea," Lilian said. "Call him Mickey." So that is what Disney called him. In 1928 the audience saw Mickey Mouse on the screen for he first time Mickey became very popular and soon Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse were famous stars.

Then came other characters: Donald Duck, Pluto, and many, many more. Some of them are bright, some are not, but all of them are usually kind and friendly. And Disney's main characters are always clever. In fact Disney has created a special animal world full of optimism ['optimizm] and success.Disney's stories end happily. All his films are easy and nice to watch. The audience always feels comfortable and enjoys his cartoons very much.

One day an idea came to Disney. He wanted to create a special place, a special land for children and parents to have fun together. So he built Disneyland. Disneyland is in California near Los Angeles.

It is a place for children of all ages. It is also a place for their parents to return to the world of childhood because that is what happens when they spend a day at Disneyland, At Disneyland you can have a voyage on a boat, you can take a train, you can travel to the stars, take a trip to the mountains, meet all the Disney characters... or just sit in the sun and eat ice-cream!

Exercises

1. Divide the text into two parts and name them.

2. Could you tell :

a) what you know about Walt Disney?

b) how Mickey Mouse came onto the screen?

c) why Disney's cartoons are so popular with the audience?

d) what you know about Disneyland?

3. Tell your groupmates about:

a) your favourite W. Disney's cartoon;

b) your favourite Russian cartoon.