托福机经听力加试拉格泰姆音乐Ragtime Music原文及试题 Now listen to part of a lecture in a music history class. P: Often times we talk about the popularity of music, but we don't always think about the role that the instruments play in their popularity. To give you an idea of what I mean, just take Ragtime music for instance. Without the piano, Ragtime music certainly wouldn't have evolved in the late 1800's the way that it did. I mean...characteristics like the keys, and the chords, made the piano suitable for playing the separate parts of the music: the melodies, rhythms, harmonies, at the same time. So, with one hand you could play the melody, while playing the harmony with the other. All the while maintaining the rhythm, all characteristic of Ragtime music. In other words, the piano allowed musicians to create the lively sound of Ragtime music unlike any other instruments of their time. And for about 20 years, Ragtime music was America's most popular music, particularly the piano rag, although some people didn't exactly embrace ragtime, young people in general especially liked it. S: Kind of like Rock and Roll in the '50s? P: Without a doubt. I mean of course Ragtime in 1900 didn't sound at all like Rock and Roll did in 1950, but I'd say that's a parison. Ragtime generated the same kind of excitement that other kinds of music like Rock and eventually Rap did. S: Really? Well, with Rock an
