Music

Even if we are not concertgoers, we live in the world surrounded by music.
We come into contact with music all our lives. When we are little, we listen to lullabies sung by our mother and soon we try to sing some songs ourselves. When we reach school age many of us take some music lessons at a music school. If we have musical talent, in a few years we can learn to play a musical instrument fairly well. Many children start playing the piano or a wind instrument, such as the recorder, the pipe, the flute, the clarinet, the oboe or the bassoon, or they blow a trumpet, play the accordion or a string instrument (the violin, the viola or the violoncello). From time to time they show their skill at playing the instrument at a concert which is held for their patents. They often play to the piano accompaniment of their teacher. Later, under the influence of recorded pop music broadcast by the radio and TV their affection and taste may change. Teenagers often start to play the guitar, the banjo, the bass, the drums or the keyboard and many of them dream of founding a band and giving concerts to a large audience. At the age of 16 or 17 many young people also take dancing lessons and develop a liking for dance music. But most of us remain ony listeners to music.
Large towns offer a better opportunity to enjoy performances of both serious and pop music. They often invite renowned symphonic orchestras witr outstanding conductors and hold music festivals, such as the Prague Spring Festival Which has been held every year since 1946. These orchestras usually have in their repertoire music by noted composers of alll styles and periods. We can also listen to church, oorgan and chamber music, operas, operettas and musicals. Stars of pop, jazz and rock music usually give their concerts in large concert halls or sports stadiums.
People in the country and in small towns do not usually have such a wide choice unless artists and orchestras from large rowns are invited. Festivals of country music and brass band music are sometimes held and at Christmas time carols are often heard. If there is a choir (male, female, children's or mixed) people go to listen to its perfomance.
At any time of the day we can listen to recorded music of all genres on the radio. Young people like to buy or exchange cassettes, LPs or compact discs by their favourite singers and composers. They often watch music programmes on TV and the Top of the Pops.