This lesson suits intermediate learners. After listening, scroll down and test your knowledge with our quiz.
Learning notes
Language objective
How to talk about contemporary and classical music
Phrases we can use to talk about contemporary music:
- There's a cool band doing 80s covers this weekend.
- I'm keen to catch their gig!
- I love all those classics I can bop along to. It’ll be a blast!
- Hey mate, have you heard that new album by Tash Sultana?
- It's got such a chilled vibe, perfect for a lazy Sunday arvo.
- I’m really into them, I’m always bobbing away with their music.
Phrases we can use to talk about classical music:
- Classical music is timeless and has a rich history.
- I went to a performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra performance last night.
- The orchestra performed a stunning symphony.
- The conductor was amazing!
- The precision and dynamics of the orchestra were impressive.
- What a moving work!
Colloquial expressions:
To strike a chord means to strongly connect with someone's emotions or experiences.
To hit the right note means to do or say something that is exactly appropriate or well-suited for a particular situation.
If you are keen to catch a gig, you are very interested and excited about attending the performance or concert.
To bop along means to move or dance in a lively and rhythmic manner in response to the music.
If you are having a blast, you are having a great time.
Vocabulary:
A chord is a group of notes.
Classical music is music from the past that is well-known and still loved. It is usually played on classical instruments such as the violin, piano etc.
A conductor is a person who directs an orchestra, choir, or other musical group during a performance.
Contemporary music is music that is currently being created and popularised.
A cover is a new interpretation of an existing song performed by a different artist or group.
Musical genres are musical categories or traditions, such as pop, rock, jazz, or hip-hop, classical, jazz and so on.
In music, a ‘piece’ is an individual song or composition. When a piece is recorded on an album, we call it a track.
Something that is timeless has not dated (does not feel old) and is still loved
A repertoire is a collection of songs or pieces of music that a musician can play.
(Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript)
SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.
My name is Josipa, and I think you are going to love this episode because we will learn to talk about a timeless universal language that everyone can understand.
Yes, you've got it. We are going to talk about music.Does that strike a chord with you?
If something strikes a chord with us, it creates a strong and personal connection. And we can use this phrase when talking about anything, not just music.
We can use it when experiences or words really touch us and bring back memories or familiar feelings, just like a beautiful chord, a group of notes, played on a musical instrument.
And talking about musical instruments, our producer from Melbourne, Dory Wang, met with a very special person who knows a lot about it.
Ben Northey
My name is Ben, I'm a professional conductor of orchestras and I'm the Principal Conductor in residence at Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, so that's my main job here in Melbourne.
Ben sounds fun, and I can’t wait to hear what a professional conductor really does. I’m sure there’s more to his job than just waiving his hands in front of an orchestra.
We’ll hear from him and Dory later, now it’s time to for us to expand our English skills and practise phrases that can help us talk about music.
As you will hear, Allan and Claire have hit the right note, that is, they have done something exactly right - they’ve prepared a set of phrases that fits perfectly with our topic today.
The phrase ‘to hit the right note’ means to do or say something that is exactly appropriate for a particular situation.
Let’s first hear how they are talking about going to see a live performance.
Allan
Hey, there's a cool band doing 80s covers this weekend. I'm keen to catch their gig! Do you want to come along?
Claire
Sure, I’d love to. I love all those 1980 classics I can bop along to. It’ll be a blast!
Allan
Awesome Claire, it’s going to be epic!
I’d love to join Allan and Claire to hear that exciting band. The band there talking about will be performing a repertoire of songs from the 1980s.
A repertoire is the collection of songs that musicians can play. But before I ask them if I can come along, let’s look into the phrases they used.
There's a cool band doing 80s covers this weekend.Allan
"80s covers" are songs that were popular in the 1980s that are being performed or recorded by a different artist or band.
In music, a cover is a new interpretation of an existing song performed by a different artist or group.
I'm keen to catch their gig!Allan
If you are keen to catch a gig, you really want to go to a concert: you are very eager to attend.
A “gig” is a live performance by a musician or group.
But it can also mean a temporary, often informal, job. For example, if I have just started a casual job delivering food I could say, “I’ve started doing some food-delivery gigs.”
But let’s go back talking about music.
A gig is usually used for bands, while concert is often used for classical music, theatre and musicals.
I love all those 1980 classics I can bop along to.Claire
Classic tunes are popular songs from the past that are well-known and still well- loved.
To bop along to music means to dance along in time to the music to the music.
It’ll be a blast!Claire
If you are having a blast, you are having a great time.
Now, let’s hear how Allan and Claire talk about contemporary music, that is, music that is currently being created and played.
Claire
Hey mate, have you heard that new album by Tash Sultana?
Allan
Yeah, I gave it a listen. I love it. It's got such a chilled vibe, perfect for a lazy Sunday arvo.
Claire
Totally agree! I’m really into them.
Plenty to learn from this dialogue, so let’s get straight to work.
Hey mate, have you heard that new album by Tash Sultana?Claire
This is a casual way of asking someone if they are aware of or have listened to a recently released album, a collection of songs, by an artist called Tash Sultana.
It's got such a chilled vibe, perfect for a lazy Sunday arvo.Allan
If something has a chilled vibe it is very calming and relaxed.
And when something is “perfect for a lazy Sunday arvo" it is an ideal fit for a leisurely Sunday afternoon, when people often want to relax .
Totally agree! I’m really into them.Allan
If you are really into something, you really like it a lot.
Contemporary music is modern and reflects current trends and styles, from K-pop and rock to indie and electronic, and so much more - contemporary music is constantly evolving.
Classical music, in contrast, has stood the test of time. This means that although it was written in the past, people still love it and still listen to it.
I know Claire is a big fan of classical music, not sure about Allan though. Let’s find out,
Claire
Have you ever listened to classical music?
Allan
Not really. What's so special about it?
Claire
Classical music is timeless and has a rich history. I went to a performance by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra last night. The conductor was amazing!
Allan
Sounds interesting. What piece did they play?
Claire
They performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. It was stunning. The precision and dynamics of the orchestra were impressive.
As I thought, Allan like me, is not very familiar with classical music. So, we have to learn from Claire.
Classical music is timeless and has a rich history.Claire
"Timeless" means something that still feels current and relevant even though it might be old. So, timeless music is not affected by the passage of time.
People still love to listen to it even though it was written a long time ago. We can say it has stood the test of time.
So, when talking about music, we can say that a piece of music is timeless if people still listen it and enjoy it even though it was written a long time ago.
What piece did they play?Allan
In music, a piece is an individual song or composition. And do you know the difference between a song and composition?
Songs typically include lyrics, that is, they have words that are meant to be sung with vocals. If a piece has vocals, it means that someone is singing.
Songs usually have a melody, and lyrics can sometimes tell a story.
But we can use the word composition to refer to any type of musical work, whether or not it has lyrics. If it doesn’t have any, we can call it an instrumental piece.
Compositions are not limited to a particular genre but can include anything from experimental or electronic music, to pop songs to symphonies, to solo pieces.
Symphonies are larger musical pieces written for and usually played by a full orchestra, while solos are musical performances by a single instrument or voice.
Claire said she went to the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.
That's one of the best-known compositions in classical music and one of the most frequently played symphonies.
Classical pieces like this one are also called ‘works’. For example, after listening to this symphony you could say, “What a moving work!”
If a work is moving, then is it strikes a chord with us, it touches our feelings. And, I guess it is a lot of work to write and play something like that!
Do you remember what Claire said about the orchestra’s performance?
The precision and dynamics of the orchestra were impressive.Claire
This means that the orchestra played with great accuracy and control, and that their ability to vary how loud and softly the instruments played was impressive.
This is very important when so many artists are playing together in an orchestra, and it is often the conductor who makes all the difference, because he or she are conducting and directing how the different instruments are played.
Our producer Dory Wang spoke to Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Conductor in Residence, Ben Northey. This is what she asked him first,
Dory
What does a conductor really do?
Ben
Well, it's weird isn't it, because people might see a conductor on TV, or in a movie, and they just waive their arms around in front of an orchestra, and everyone thinks. "What are they doing? What's going on? How's that possibly making a difference to the music?"
It does look kind of weird, I have to say, but there's a language that we're using that's non-verbal. It's interesting talking to your audience about this because it's about body language, and that's big part of communication, isn't it?
Conductors, we communicate without words all the time. Sometimes I'm standing in front of an orchestra of a hundred musicians together and they have to make music as one thing, as one orchestra not a hundred individuals.
And to do that, sometimes they need a conductor to follow. So, I'm like a unifier; I'm someone who brings the orchestra together.
I do that by giving them the tempo, or the speed of the music. So, with my right hand I'm beating time. I mark the beats of a bass with my right hand.
And then I can also show many other things that affect the way they play such as the dynamics, the louds and the softs of the music, all kinds of different articulations of notes, so, shorts and longs and smooth, and you know, the kind of angle of phrases - all kinds of things you can show as a conductor.
I'll tell you one thing: going to a live concert is different to listening to music on your device.
Dory
Why?
Ben
Because you are sharing the experience with other people at the same time. So, that collective experience of hearing the music together and feeling the same things, perhaps at the same time, and just seeing musicians make music in real time.
It's a totally different thing, you know, seeing how music is made. Like, when we have children, for example, come along and see the orchestra for the first time. Some of them have never understood how the sounds are made.
They don't understand there's people behind those instruments, and that's the best thing about the music, it's the humanity of the music that comes through the instrument, and then we're communicating with each other as human beings.
And, that's what I love about the connection of the live concert. There's nothing like that, it's magic, it's different. You always walk away inspired, you know, you feel better about the world. It's like you have a good feeling, a good experience.
Dory
So, what's your favour music genre and what do you enjoy the most about it?
Ben
Well, I love classical music because that's my job. I love classical music because of the emotional response I get from it, and I find it really interesting and intellectually challenging. It makes my mind work.
But, I also, sometimes don't want to listen on that level. I just want to hear something that's going to relax me. So, I might listen to some soft piano jazz music or something or my kids, they love electronic music that's all computer games.
Sometimes we listen to that in a car and we're all kind of bopping away to the music. So, every music has got the place where I think it works.
And, even the non-Western musical works is vast. And, it's area where I don't understand everything about, so I'm learning about it, you know, Indian classical music or all of the Asian classical cultures, like Chinese music.
We are doing many more of these collaborations, First Nations indigenous music here in Australia, we are all on this discovery together about different music.
That's what I see music as doing. It can bring us together, so it has a social function; it builds understanding between cultures because we all share music.
for previews, updates and to provide feedback.
A big thank you to our educational consultant Professor Lynda Yates and, our guest Ben Northey.
Paul Nicholson and Lily O'Sullivan voiced the characters of Allan and Claire.
