arts and culture Flashcards
the Proms
eight-week summer season of orchestral classical music in various venues (including the Royal Albert Hall)
organised by the BBC since 1927
last night of the proms is the most well-known concert broadcast on TV
Henry Purcell
organist at Westminster Abbey
wrote church music, operas and other pieces, developed a British style distinct from that elsewhere in Europe
George Frederick Handel
spent many years in the UK and became a British citizen in 1727
wrote water music for King George I and music for the royal fireworks for George II
also wrote Messiah which is sung by choirs, often at easter
Gustav Holst
the planets, a suite of pieces themed around the planets of the solar system
adapted jupiter, part of the planets suite, as the tune for i vow to thee my country, a popular hym in british churches
Sir Edward Elgar
born in worcester
best known work is the pomp and circumstance marches
- march no 1 (land of hope and glory) is usually played at the last night of the proms at the royal albert hall
Ralph Vaughan Williams
wrote music for orchestras and choirs
strongly influenced by traditional English folk music
Sir William Walton
wide range of music, from film scores to opera
wrote marches for the coronations of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II
best known works are probably facade, which became a ballet, and balthazar’s feast, which is meant to be sung by a large choir
Benjamin Britten
best known for his operas, which include peter grimes and billy budd
also wrote a young person’s guide to the orchestra, based on a piece of music by purcell
founded the Aldeburgh festival in Suffolk
famous festivals
Glastonbury, the Isle of Wight Festival and the V Festival
National Eisteddfod of Wales
annual cultural festival which includes music, dance, art and original performances largely in Welsh
Mercury Music Prize
awarded each September for the best album from the UK and Ireland
Brit Awards
annual event that gives awards in a range of categories
theatreland
London’s West End
longest initial run of any show in history
the mousetrap by Dame Agatha Christie
strong tradition of musical theatre
in the 19th century, Gilbert and Sullivan wrote comic operas, making fun of popular culture and politics
- HMS Pinafore, the Pirates of Penzance and the Mikado
Edinburgh Festival
takes place every summer in Edinburgh
series of different arts and cultural festivals
- biggest and most well known is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (showcase of mainly theatre and comedy performances or experimental work)
Laurence Olivier Awards
annually at different venues in London
named after British Actor Sir Laurence Olivier, later Lord Olivier
well known galleries
London: National Gallery, Tate Britain, Tate Modern
Cardiff: National Museum
Edinburgh: National Gallery of Scotland
Turner Prize
established in 1984, celebrates contemporary art
four works shortlisted every year and shown at the Tate Britain before the winner is announced
recognised as one of the most prestigious visual art awards in Europe
previous winners: Damien Hirst, Richard Wright
Thomas Gainsborough
portrait painter painting people in country or garden scenery
David Allan
Scottish painter known for painting portraits
one of his most famous works is called the origin of painting
Joseph Turner
influential landscape painter in a modern style
artist who raised the profile of landscape painting
John Constable
landscape painter most famous for his works of Dedham Vale on the Suffolk-Essex border in the east of England
pre-raphaelites
important group of artists in the second half of the 19th century
detailed pictures on religious or literary themes in bright colours
holman hunt, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Sir John Millais
Sir John Lavery
successful Northern Irish portrait painter
painted the Royal Family
Henry Moore
English sculptor and artist
best known for large bronze abstract sculptures
John Petts
Welsh artists, best known for his engravings and stained glass
Lucian Freud
German-born British artist
best known for his portraits
David Hockney
important contributor to the pop art movement of the 60s
cathedrals from the middle ages
in Durham, Lincoln, Canterbury and Salisbury
norman castle keep
white tower in the tower of london
architecture in the 17th century
Inigo Jones took inspiration from classical architecture to design the Queen’s House at Greenwich and the Banqueting House in Whitehall in London
later, Sir Christopher Wren helped develop a British version of the ornate styles popular in Europe in buildings like the new St Paul’s Cathedrawl
architecture in the 18th century
simple designs became popular
Scottish architect Robert Adam influenced architecture in the UK, Europe and America
- designed inside decoration as well as the building in great houses like Dumfries House in Scotland
- ideas influenced architects in cities such as bath, where the Royal Crescent was built
architecture in the 19th century
gothic style became popular again
houses of parliament, st pancras station, town halls in cities like Manchester and Sheffield
architecture in the 20th century
Sir Edwin Lutyens designed New Delhi to be the seat of government in India
after WWI, responsible for war memorials like the Cenotaph in Whitehall
- site of the annual Remembrance Day service
modern British architects
Sir Norman Foster, Lord Richard Rogers and Dame Zaha Hadid
landscaping and garden design
in the 18th century, Lancelot Capability Brown designed the grounds around country houses so that the landscape appeared to be natural, with grass, trees and lakes
Gertrude Jekyll worked with Edwin Lutyens to design colourful gardens around the houses he designed
annual Chelsea Flower Show showcases garden design from Britain and around the world
designers
Thomas Chippendale (furniture in the 18th century)
Clarice Cliff (Art Deco ceramics)
Sir Terence Conran (20th century interior designer)
Mary Quant, Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood (fashion designers
British writers winning the Nobel Prize in Literature
novellist Sir William Golding, poet Seamus Heaney, playwright Harold Pinter
country’s best-loved novel in 2003
the lord of the rings
Man Booker Prize for Fiction
awarded annually for the best fiction novel written by an author from the commonwealth, Ireland or Zimbabwe
awarded since 1968
past winners include Ian McEwan, Hilary Mantel and Julian Barnes
Jane Austen
English novelist
Pride and prejudice, sense and sensibility
concerned with marriage and family relationships
Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist, Great Expectations
Robert Louis Stevenson
Treasure Island, Kidnapped, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Thomas Hardy
author and poet
focus on rural society
far from the madding crowd, jude the obscure
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Scottish doctor and writer
best known for his stories about Sherlock Holmes, who was one of the first fictional detectives
Evelyn Waugh
satirical novels
Decline and Fall, Scoop, Brideshead Revisited
Sir Kingsley Amis
English novelist and poet
wrote more than 20 poets
most well known is Lucky Jim
Graham Greene
novels often influenced by his religious beliefs
The Heart of the Matter, The Honorary Consul, Brighton Rock, Our Man in Havana
JK Rowling
Harry Potter series
Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf
hero’s battles against monsters
poems from the Middle Ages
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales
poem called Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
sonnets
poems that are 14 lines long
John Milton
Paradise Lost
William Woodsworth
inspired by nature
Sir Walter Scott
poems inspired by Scotland
