英语专业晨读美文-人物篇 9 Poet of Piano—Chopin

[00:00.99]Poet of Piano—Chopin
[00:03.83]Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish-born composer and renowned¹ pianist,
[00:11.16]was the creator of 55 mazurkas, 13 polonaises, 24 preludes²,
[00:17.29] 27 etudes, 19 nocturnes, 4 ballads³, and 4 scherzos.
[00:23.95]Frederic Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, Poland,
[00:28.55]on February 22, 1810, to a French father and Polish mother.
[00:33.58] His father, Nicholas Chopin,
[00:36.31]was a French tutor to many aristocratic Polish families,
[00:39.92] later accepting a position as a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum.
[00:44.85]French by heritage,
[00:46.21]and desirous of finding musical acceptance
[00:49.06]from a less traditional audience than that of Vienna,
[00:51.79]Chopin ventured to Paris. Interestingly,
[00:55.39]other young musicians had assembled in the city of fashion
[00:58.57] with the very same hope.
[01:00.32]Although Chopin did play in the large concert halls on occasion,
[01:04.36] he felt most at home in private settings,
[01:07.10]enjoying the social milieu⁴ that accompanied concerts for the wealthy.
[01:11.25] He also enjoyed teaching,
[01:13.00] as this caused him less stress than performing.
[01:15.84] Chopin did not feel that his delicate technique and intricate melodies
[01:20.44] were as suited to the grandiose⁵ hall
[01:22.85]as they were to smaller environments and audiences.
[01:26.02]News of the war in Poland
[01:27.98]inspired Chopin to write many sad musical pieces
[01:31.81] expressing his grief for "his" Poland.
[01:35.31]Among these was the famous "Revolutionary Etude.
[01:38.71]" Plagued by poor health as well as his homesickness,
[01:42.42] Chopin found solace⁶ in summer visits to the country.
[01:46.03]Here, his most complex yet harmonic creations found their way
[01:51.17]to the brilliant composer's hand.
[01:53.47]The "Fantasia in F Minor⁷", the "Barcarolle",
[01:57.40]the "Polonaise Fantasia", "Ballade in A Flat Major,"
[02:01.78]"Ballade in F Minor", and "Sonata⁸ in B Minor"
[02:06.59]were all products of the relaxed time Chopin enjoyed in the country.
[02:11.29]As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris,
[02:15.01] Chopin retired⁹ to Scotland with friends.
[02:17.97]Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution,
[02:21.13] his melancholy¹⁰ attitude did not improve
[02:23.98] and he sank deeper into a depression.
[02:26.72]Likewise, his health did not rejuvenate¹¹ either.
[02:30.08]Chopin returned to Paris
[02:32.48]as his health deteriorated¹² further.
[02:34.45]Surrounded by those that he loved,
[02:36.75]Frederic Francois Chopin died at the age of 39.
[02:40.90] He was buried in Paris.
[02:42.98]Chopin's last request was that the Polish soil
[02:46.70] in the silver goblet¹³ be sprinkled over his grave.

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 preludes   

n.开端( prelude的名词复数 )；序幕；序曲；短篇作品

参考例句：

• In the moribund patient deepening coma are the usual preludes to death. 病人弥留之际，加深的昏睡通常是死的前兆。 来自辞典例句
• She preludes her remarks with a jest. 她开始讲话时先说一个笑话。 来自互联网

3 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

4 milieu   

n.环境；出身背景；(个人所处的)社会环境

参考例句：

• Foods usually provide a good milieu for the persistence of viruses.食品通常为病毒存续提供了一个良好的栖身所。
• He was born in a social milieu where further education was a luxury.他生在一个受较高教育就被认为是奢侈的社会环境里。

5 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

6 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

7 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

8 sonata   

n.奏鸣曲

参考例句：

• He played a piano sonata of his own composition.他弹奏了一首自作的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• The young boy played the violin sonata masterfully.那个小男孩的小提琴奏鸣曲拉得很熟练。

9 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

10 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

11 rejuvenate   

v.(使)返老还童；(使)恢复活力

参考例句：

• The mountain air will rejuvenate you.山里的空气会使你恢复活力。
• Exercise is perhaps the most effective way to rejuvenate your skin.锻炼可能是使皮肤恢复活力的最好手段。

12 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。

13 goblet   

n.高脚酒杯

参考例句：

• He poured some wine into the goblet.他向高脚酒杯里倒了一些葡萄酒。
• He swirled the brandy around in the huge goblet.他摇晃着高脚大玻璃杯使里面的白兰地酒旋动起来。