Module 4 Music born in America.docx

Reading and Vocabulary(1)Work in pairs. Look at some words about music from the passage. Do you know what they mean?breakdancing; disco; DJ; graffiti; hip hop; improvisation; microphone; percussion; pop; rap; record; reggae; rock; soul; turntable; vocals All You Need to Know About Hip HopPart 1graffiti art What is hip hop and how did it start?Hip hop is an American cultural movement which started in the 1970s at block parties in New York, especially in a district called the Bronx. There are four main aspects of hip hop: breakdance and graffiti art plus two types of hip hop musicDJ-ing and rapping. Rapping is also known as MC-ing (coming from the term master of ceremonies). The DJs at block parties in the 1970s played a lot of soul music and they noticed that people preferred the percussion breaks in the songs because they were the best parts to dance to. So they started repeating the percussion breaks. This is a technique used by DJs in Jamaica. There were a lot of Jamaicans in New York who brought the idea with them. At first, they played a lot of reggae.Part 2breakdancing What was the big breakthrough?DJ Herc, one of the most popular Jamaican DJs at the time, noticed that New York audiences didnt really like reggae music, so he started playing other kinds of music, including rock and disco music. The percussion breaks were usually short, but Herc and other DJs made them longer by using two records on two turntables, side by side. Some of the DJs began speaking and shouting while the music played. Shouting DJs became known as MCs. And so the style of music known as rap was born. At the beginning, MCs often performed for hours, repeating words and phrases and then improvising. Later, they experimented with different vocal and rhythmic approaches, using rhyming words, often words from African-American culture. At the same time, people started breakdancing at block parties.MC Dark Star remembers the first time he heard a rap singer. The moment I heard it, he said, I knew it was a completely new kind of music.Part 3DJs Why was hip hop so successful?There are two main reasons. Firstly, its cheap and easyyou just need two turntables and a microphone. Anyone can be an MC, using songs which have already been recorded.Secondly, people were bored with the pop music of the daydisco music and rock music were both in decline in the mid-1970s. However, disco music had a strong beat, and it was easy to dance to. Hip hop took advantage of that and provided a kind of disco music for people who hated disco!Part 4How did rap singers record their songs?rap artists The first time that rap artists recorded their music, musicians recorded the backing tracks (the music without the singing) in the studio and the rappers added their vocals later. The next generation of rappers recorded their vocals at the same time as the musicians.New York was the capital of hip hop during the 1980s, and the style was known as East Coast rap. The style soon spread to other parts of the United States. There were a lot of West Coast rappers based in California. In Miami, Florida, a new style developed, strongly influenced by Cuban and Puerto Rican music.In the late 1980s, hip hop spread across the world, to Japan, India and many parts of Europe, especially France, Belgium and Italy. In England, a new music form emerged, called trip hop, a mixture of jazz, hip hop and electronic music (for example, music played on computers).Reading Practice Look at the title of the passage. What do you think the passage will be about?Music Born in Hong KongFrom a region of seven million people has arisen some of the greatest pop music in the world. As well as attracting huge audiences in its Hong Kong home, Cantopop has spread offshore, and its stars are known in Beijing, London and New York. Music born in Hong Kong is booming.In most of the world, pop music is a sign of friction between generations. But Cantopop expresses only harmony and virtue, and Hong Kong is blessed with the most conventional music scene in the world. The stars dont wear fancy clothes. The women wear clean blouses and the men wear pressed slacks. Theyre so neat and well-behaved that any mom would want their kids to watch them. And the consensus of most people is that the music is very good. But it is . well, different from anywhere else.Their fans expect regular makeovers. You cant budget for looking good, you just need a blank cheque and a fashion consultant. Singer Kelly Chen changes her image once every three months. But she claims she isnt vain.As a bonus for their fans, nearly every Cantopop singer also acts in the movies, from Jackie Cheung to Faye Wong. Andy Lau regularly stars in tough guy roles and romantic comedies, and their movie DVDs and VCDs sell worldwide.Hong Kong stars work hard, and the pace is hot. Some make ten movies a year, others record four CDs as well as keeping to a tight schedule of concerts and TV shows. Last year 20-year-old Nicholas Tse released five albums, and his spokeswoman says that he just has to meet the deadline. Otherwise, he will soon be abandoned by his company and his fans. When new albums come out, the stars are marketed like consumer products, as teenagers spend their allowance on the latest songs. Its far from being a part-time job.The fans are devoted to their stars. Online they swap information about their super heroes. They yell their names at concerts and beg for autographs. The Kings of Cantopop are Jacky Cheung, Aaron Kwok, Leon Lai, and Andy Lau and their fame is their pension, and they wont quit the concert stage for the rest of their lives. But the new talent isnt far behind. They include Hacken Lee, Andy Hui, Leo Ku, and Edmond Yung. Sammi Cheng easily sells a million albums a year. Their fans find the music clean and refreshing, and the songs are easy to sing in karaoke bars.Cantopop isnt just a type of pop music but a musical empire. Any music which has millions of fans around the world must be doing something right.Read the passage and answer the questions.1. What kind of music was each artist famous for? 2. What else do you know about other musicians mentioned in the passage?Cultural Corner Americans Who Changed the World of MusicLouis Armstrong was one of the most influential artists in the history of music. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1901, he began playing music at the age of 13 and was a pioneer of the improvised jazz solo. Before Armstrong, jazz musicians all used to improvise at the same time. Armstrong developed the idea of playing individual solos. His nickname was Satchmo, which was short for Satchel Mouth, because of his large mouth, which looked like a satchel (a large bag). He died in New York City in 1971.Robert Johnson was a blues singer and guitarist who has been called the father of rock and roll. He was born in 1911 in Mississippi. Johnson wrote very poetic and sad blues songs. His music has influenced generations of modern rock musicians, including Eric Clapton and the Rolling Stones. He only recorded his songs twicethe first time in 1936 in a hotel room in San Antonio, Texas. Even so, he managed to record 29 songs. John Hammond, a black music expert who organised the recordings, said,I wanted black music to make an impression on white audiences and we got some great blues, jazz and gospel artistsand Robert Johnson was the greatest. Johnson died at the age of 27 in 1938.Woody Guthrie was a folk singer who was