Научно - исследовательская работа "Музыка Британии"

Научно-исследовательская работа ученика 9 «А» класса

МАОУ «Лицей № 5 г. Губкина» Агаркова Николая

по теме « Музыка Британии».

If you did a musical tour of Britain, you might get some surprises. Electric guitarists and pop singers are not the only musicians to be heard. There are many strong, local traditions of music still very much alive today.

Let’s start in the north, in Scotland. The national instrument is the bagpipe. Not everyone likes the sound it makes, but to the Scots, bagpipe music is the most exciting in the world. For centuries, up to the First World War, Scottish pipers led the soldiers into battle, played for their royal masters, and at weddings and funerals. The bagpipers are still very popular, and every town has a pipe band.

We are in England. Music is always to be found in the village church, where the choir sings the old hymns which every schoolchild learns. Here also, in the pub, you may meet a singer of old folk songs, or a troupe of dancing Morris men.

But now we must go west, for we will find the best choral music in Wales. The Welsh have always been famous for their singing.

London, like all the great cities of Britain, has a long tradition of classical music. Every night English and international musicians perform in the concert halls and opera houses. London is one of the great classical music centers of the world.

I’m a young guy, and I didn’t attend music school. I am not very fond of classic music, though I can’t help admiring popular classical patterns like “Toreador” from Bise’s opera “Karmen”, Ravel’s “Bolero”, Thaikovsky’s “Seasons”. Of course I like modern music transmitted on radio stations, TV, Internet. I like pop, rock, dance music. I prefer catchy music, with nice melody. I hate rubbish, tuneless, annoying music. I always thought that the music of Britain contains the music of “The Beatles”, “The Queen”, “Duran Duran”, Elton John. But when I first heard the highlight of the music of “The Phantom of the Opera” I was admired with it. I got interested in the author of this music. His name is Andrew Lloyd Webber.

A. L. Webber was born on March 22, 1948 in London in the family of professional musicians. His father William Lloyd Webber was a professor of composition in the Royal music school. His mother Jean Lloyd Webber taught violen and fortepiano. No wonder Andrew got interested in music since early childhood. At 3 he played the violen, at 6 the piano. He began composing his own music, It was more exciting than to peform anybody’s. At home he heard various music: classical, popular. He was influenced by different music styles. He liked Prokofyev, Shostakovich, Dvorzak, Mendelsson. But it didn’t stop him to be a fan of the king of rock-n-roll Elvis Presly, Little Richard and famous Everly Brothers. He was very much admired with the performance “My Fair Lady”. In 1956 Andrew entered the Westminster school-one of the most respectful schools in London. He was interested in midaged history and architerfure. Successfully finishing the Westminster school he enterd the Oxford University. He was going to become an architech. But he was destined to choose another way. He met a young poet Tim Rice. And this historical event put the begining to one of the most talented and succesful creative duets in the history of musical theatre.

His most famous creation is “The Phantom of the Opera”.

The life of Christine Daae, soloist of the Paris Opera House, was a mystery. Her beautiful voice appealed to the hearts and minds of people. But there was something strange in her: sometimes she disappeared from the Opera House or she acted as if an unknown force led her. Strange things happened at the Opera House but the company knew whose fault it was: the Phantom of the Opera. Christine loved Raoul de Chagny but she understood that they had no future because a French aristocrat could not marry a girl whose parents had been humble people.

But Raoul believed that his love for Christine could break the prejudices. He learned that not only prejudices prevented Christine from dating him: a ghost who lived in the basement of the Opera House and loved her was her musical teacher. This Phantom had great power over her and guarded her carefully.  

The Phantom lived in the basement of the Paris Opera House. People who entered the basement couldn’t find the way out. Who was he? A ghost, a living being, a monster? Only Christine knew that the Phantom was an unhappy man who had been born so ugly that he had to cover his face with a mask. He travelled around the world and learned many things, he knew many fascinating stories and legends and he was a great singer. At last the Phantom decided on kidnapping Christine and made her marry him. When Christine disappeared Raoul understood who did it: it was the Phantom. Raoul rushed to the basement and was captured by the Phantom. In the long run the Phantom understood that Christine would never love him. He freed Christine and Raoul. They left Paris forever and lived alone in a quiet place. The Phantom died in the basement of the Opera House alone and lonely.    

No musical has been more popular with theatergoers than “Cats”. Based on a collection of poems by T. S. Eliot, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, it is the longest-running show in world history.

The idea to turn the book “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats” (by T. S. Eliot) into a musical came to Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1972 when he picked up the book at an airport. As he read it, he remembered that his mother used to read it to him.

Ten years later, he got his friend, Trevor Nunn, to help him turn the poetry book into a musical. When Nunn and Webber went into a rehearsal, all they had were parts of songs, and they didn’t have a story to support it.

However, Valerie Eliot (T. S. Eliot’s window) found an old sheet of paper with eight lines about Grizabella. It was the very thing that could tie the whole show together.

As the opening night came closer, the creators were still worried. They wanted the show to have something that was very memorable.

That night, Andrew Lloyd Webber went home and-overnight-one of the theater’s most famous songs was born.

The song was “Memory”; but at the time, it hadn’t any lyrics or anything. It was just a melody. They searched for a lyricist who could made the song work and fit well with Eliot’s lyrics that made up the rest of the show.

The original production opened at the new London Theatre, in the West End on May 11, 1981. It was a phenomenal success in spite of the fact that many critics gave it less than complimentary reviews. Eight years later it celebrated both its birthday and another important event: it had become, after 3358 performances, the longest-running musical in the history of British theatre.

On June 19, 1997, “Cats” became the longest-running show in the history of Broadway.

Since then “Cats” has been played to packed houses in approximately 250 cities in 20 countries around the world and has been translated into ten languages. It is estimated that “Cats” has been seen by almost 50 million people!

The show’s most famous song, “Memory”, has now become one of the most successful songs in musical history. Since the original recording by Elaine Paige in June 1981, it has been recorded by over 160 artists. Another hit is, of course, Macavity.

“Cats” won seven Tony Awards, including the Best Musical. “Memory” has become a classic song and has been recorded more than 600 times!  

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Plan.

1. The  role of music in our life

2. Music tour round Great Britain

3. The biography of A. L. Webber

4. « The Phantom of the opera»

5) «Cats».

Материалы, использованные в реферате.

1) И.Я.Ш. №4-6, 1998,статьи  «Scotland», « Wales», « England».

2) Статья об  Э.Л.Уэббере с Интернет-сайта

3) Книга для чтения в 9-11 классах, текст «Phantom»

4) Газета « English»,№25,2003 статья « Cats»

5) Грампластинка « Шотландский хор»

6) Аудиокассеты « Классическая музыка», « Призрак оперы», « Кошки».

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