DID YOU KNOW?

· Piotr Tchaikovskywas given money every year so he could work without worry. The money was from a rich lady, Madame Nadezhda von Meck. She had one rule: Tchaikovsky couldn’t meet her and thank her. He could only write to her. She wrote back. Over the years they wrote more than 3000 letters. But Madame von Meck stopped the money and the letters when Tchaikovsky was 50. She never explained why.

· There are more than 480 fan clubs for Elvis Presley all over the world. This is more than for any other musical star. This is surprising because he only once sang outside the USA – in Canada in 1957. On 17th August, 1977 the day after he died, more than 20 million Presley records were sold.

· Madonna is the sixth of 8 children. She went to a church school in Rochester, Michigan. She studied dance at university for one year. Then she went to New York to become a star. She now has a large business, Madonna Inc., employing hundreds of people. The company sells her music and films. She makes more money than any other female performer in the USA.

· Britney Spears chose the clothes she wore on her first video. The makers of the video wanted her to wear a bright running suit, but she wanted to look like a school-girl and her video went straight to number one all over the world.

…The one stage work by Purcell to which nobody could deny the name of opera is, one of the great musicodramatic masterpieces of all time. It was written for a girl’s school at Chelsea, probably in 1689, but it fired Purcell to incomparable feat of melodic invention, dramatic truth and effectiveness, harmonic eloquence, originality and sharp characterization. The music combines the highest technical skill with the greatest expressive beauty in a way only genius of the first order can achieve…

Ex.13.Read the following text, answer the questions after it and summarize it.

George Gershwin (September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was anAmerican composer.He was born inBrooklyn, New York to RussianJewishimmigrant parents, the secondof four children. George wrote most of his works togetherwith his elder brotherlyricist Ira Gershwin.Gershwin composedboth for Broadway and for the classicalconcert hall. Healso wrotepopular songswith success.

Many of his compositions have been used on televisionand many are recognizedjazzstandards; the jazz singerElla Fitzgerald recorded many of the Gershwin's songs on her 1959 Gershwin Songbook(arranged byNelson Riddle), and the very greatest singers and musicians haverecorded Gershwin songs, most notablyFrank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Judy Garland, Nina Simone and countless others.

Gershwin was influenced very much byFrench composersof the earlytwentieth century.Upon meeting composerMaurice Ravel,Gershwin asked him of the possibility of becoming a student of composition under the master. Ravel is said to have replied, "Why should you be a second-rate Ravel when you can be a first-rate Gershwin?" Ravel was already quite impressed with the ability of Gershwin, commenting, "Personally I find jazz most interesting: the rhythms, the way the melodies are handled, the melodies themselves. I have heard of George Gershwin's works and I find them intriguing." The orchestrationsin Gershwin's symphonic works often seem similar to those of Ravel; likewise, Ravel's two piano concertos evince an influence of Gershwin. He also asked Igor Stravinsky for lessons; when Stravinsky heard how much Gershwin earned, he replied "How about you give me some lessons?"

Gershwin's own Concerto in F was criticised as being strongly rooted in the work of Claude Debussy, more so than in the jazz style which was expected. The comparison didn't deter Gershwin from continuing to explore French styles. The title of An American in Parisreflects the very journey that he had consciously taken as a composer: "The opening part will be developed in typical French style, in the manner of Debussy and the Six,though the tunes are original."

Gershwin was intrigued by the works ofAlban Berg, Dmitri Shostakovich, Igor Stravinsky, Darius MilhaudandArnold Schoenberg.RussianJoseph Schillinger'sinfluence as his teacher of composition was substantial in providing him with a method to his composition. After the posthumous success ofPorgy and Bess,Schillinger claimed he had a large and direct influence in overseeing the creation of the opera; Ira completely denied that his brother had any such assistance for this work. In analysis, Schillinger's student Vernon Duke found that while many of Gershwin's works certainly were reviewed by Schillinger, Porgy does not seem to be one of them.

What set Gershwin aside was his ability to manipulate forms of music into his own unique voice. He took the jazz he discovered on Tin Pan Alley into the mainstream by splicing its rhythms and tonality with that of the popular songs of his era.

1. What kind of music did Gershwin create?

2. Who influenced Gershwin as a composer and in what way?

3. Why was Gershwin's Concerto in F criticized?

4. What did great composers of the XX-th century think of Gershwin creative work?

5. What is George Gershwin famous for?