After you have read the text

1. Answer the following questions about the text.

1. What direction of musical development does Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart represent?

2. When and where was Mozart born?

3. What role did his father Leopold play in his musical education?

4. At what age did Mozart reach his success?

5. Where did Mozart go on tour in his childhood?

6. What was Mozart's first employment?

7. Why did Mozart give up the well-payed post at the Court of Salzburg Archbishop?

8. At what age did Mozart die?

9. How many works does the list of Mozart's compositions include?

10. What can you tell about the first opera of Mozart?

11. What does Mozart’s opera “Abduction from Seraglio” signify?

12. How can you describe the music of this opera?

13. How is Mozart's opera “Don Giovanni” estimated throughout the ages?

14. What is your fаvоuritе passage in this opera?

15. When and where was Mozart’s opera “The Marriage of Figaro” produced first?

16. How do musicologists characterize thе plot and the music of “The Marriage of Figaro”?

17. Why did the opera “The Magic Flute” presage Beethoven's approach to music?

18. What is the opinion of musicologists concerning Mozart's symphonies?

19. Do you agree to the statement that Mozart is the most performed composer of all times?

20. What is your favourite work written by W.A. Mozart?

2. Learn the following information.

– The tones within the octave are called c, d, e, f, g, a, b. The French (Italians) use the Guidonian syllables: ut (do), re (re), mi, fa, sol, la, si, with dieses (diesis) for sharp and bemol (bemolle) for flat.

– An interval is the distance in pitch between two notes. If the notes are sounded successively, it is a melodic interval; if sounded simultaneously, a harmonic interval. The smallest interval of our musical system is the half tone or semitone, of which there are twelve to the octave. The distance of two half tones is called a whole tone or a simply tone, of which there are six to the octave. The major scale consists of five whole tones and two half tones.

– Scale is a succession of notes, arranged in ascending or descending order. The basic scales of most music heard today are the major and minor scales, both consisting of seven different notes forming five whole tones (w) and two half tones (h). The major scale is in the arrangement w w h w w w h, the minor scale w h w w h w w. Starting from c, the tones of the major scale (C major) are: c, d, e,^f, g, a , b,^c, those of the minor (C minor), c, d,^eb, f, g,^ab, bb, c' (brackets indicate half tones).

3. Choose the correct word.

1. “The (Achievement, Abduction, Adaptation) from the Seraglio” is a comic opera written by Mozart to libretto by G.F. Bretzner. 2. Figaro punishes Count Almaviva for his (amorous, accessible, alternate) ambitions. 3. In this work he (disenchants, enthralls, anticipates) a new performing style. 4. Charming music (causes, covers, commissions) to forget the imperfection of the plot. 5. It is not a (counterpoint, account, counterpart), it is an original. 6. The introduction of the flute into the composition (enhanced, embodied, engaged) its expressiveness. 7. Shostakovich regarded his Second and Third Symphonies as (illustrious, immense, immature) experiments. 8. Mozart sometimes dedicated his work to the strongs in order to (indicate, ingratiate, instruct) them. 9. Sаlieri felt (irrisistible, intolerant, irreplaceable) charm of Mozart's music. 10. Mozart's symphonies (persevered, presaged, participated) a new approach to this music genre. 11. Charming humor (replaces, quotes, prevails) in Mozart's early works. 12. The composer expresses his emotions with utter (shape, sincerity, stream). 13. Mozart's creative activities were (cut short, conjured up, corresponded with) by his death at the age of 35. 14. It is (necessary, excessive, needless) to dispute Mozart’s greatness. 15. There was an (account, array, ardour) of different interpretations of Mozart's works.

4. Select the correct meaning of the words.

1) confusion a) посвящение

2) courtship b) приглашение

3) archbishop c) легкость

4) dedication d) появление

5) looseness e) подход

6) lightness f) рассказывать

7) poverty g) намереваться

8) appearance h) ухаживание

9) indicate i) слабость

10) relate j) ненужность

11) reduce k) бедность

12) intend l) показывать

m) сомневаться

n) сокращать

o) епископ

p) архиепископ

q) графство

r) беспорядок, путаница

5. Annotate text A orally.

6. Give your impressions about W.A. Mozart.

7. Read and retell text B.