VOA慢速英语2015 地球回声:用金属创造的音乐

Resounding¹ Earth: Creating Music from Metal 地球回声:用金属创造的音乐

Sometimes you can feel the ring of a bell from your head to your feet. Take that idea and expand it and you may have an idea of what American composer Augusta Read Thomas has done. It is called “Resounding Earth” where different metals and over 100 bells from a wide mix of cultures and historic periods are used to create music.

Award-winning American composer Thomas says this is the sound of the Earth.

"I have been always attracted to bell-like sounds. The title “Resounding Earth”. Resounding Earth on the one hand, we are talking about resounding earth. The earth is full of metals that all of mankind has turned into instruments. We are going to play them from all around the world together on one stage."

Augusta Reed Thomas says her composition is like a United Nations of resonances².

"These are Indian Noah bells or Khadki."

On a recent Sunday, the members of Third Coast Percussion³ were setting up the instruments to practice “Resounding Earth.” The Chicago-based group was invited to perform the piece at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. 

Peter Martin is one of the four musicians.

“We have bells that come from India, we have gongs that come from Thailand. We have other bells that come from all over the European continent. Literally⁴ every continent, I believe, is represented in the instrumentation."

Some are locally found objects.

"It is a spring coil from heavy machinery⁵; makes beautiful sound. It is not built to be a musical instrument but makes beautiful sound."

All together, “Resounding Earth” includes over 350 metal objects, ranging from tiny cluster bells to huge Chinese gongs.

Augusta Reed Thomas developed the piece while working with the Third Coast percussionists.

"It was very challenging just being able to figure out the distinctive⁶ sound qualities of each one of the instruments and to be able to play them in a way to balance them across each other.  That was both difficult for ourselves as performers but also for the composer herself who was trying to craft the piece."

Peter Martin says the 35-minute opus –- piece of music was many years in the making, and every move of the players was carefully planned.

The work has four movements. One is scored, or musically written, just for the 26 Japanese rins or singing bowls, creating a restful, thoughtful sound.

Eighteen Burmese spinning bells, traditionally played by monks⁷, are a central part of another movement.

"It's also re-sounding earth to take what is in the earth and re-sound it. And in that sense, it is really giving it back to the earth, giving it back to the people. It has been a very beautiful journey."

The composer and the players say they would love to take the music to all the places where the bells were made and share their sound with people around the world.

Words in This Story

resounding – adj. producing a loud, deep sound that lasts for a long time

composition– n. the way in which something is put together or arranges

gong – n. a large metal disc that makes a deep ringing sound when it is struck with a padded hammer

distinctive – adj. having a quality or characteristic that makes a person or thing different from others

opus  - n. a piece of music written by a major composer

score – v. to write or arrange music for a specific performance

1 resounding   

adj. 响亮的

参考例句：

• The astronaut was welcomed with joyous,resounding acclaim. 人们欢声雷动地迎接那位宇航员。
• He hit the water with a resounding slap. 他啪的一声拍了一下水。

2 resonances   

n.共鸣( resonance的名词复数 )；（声音） 洪亮；（文章、乐曲等） 激发联想的力量；（情感）同感

参考例句：

• This system can set up acoustical resonances. 这种系统能产生共鸣。 来自辞典例句
• New supershortlived particles are called resonances. 新超短寿命粒子叫做共振态粒子。 来自辞典例句

3 percussion   

n.打击乐器；冲突，撞击；震动，音响

参考例句：

• In an orchestra,people who play percussion instruments sit at the back.在管弦乐队中，演奏打击乐器的人会坐在后面。
• Percussion of the abdomen is often omitted.腹部叩诊常被省略。

4 literally   

adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实

参考例句：

• He translated the passage literally.他逐字逐句地翻译这段文字。
• Sometimes she would not sit down till she was literally faint.有时候，她不走到真正要昏厥了，决不肯坐下来。

5 machinery   

n.(总称)机械，机器；机构

参考例句：

• Has the machinery been put up ready for the broadcast?广播器材安装完毕了吗？
• Machinery ought to be well maintained all the time.机器应该随时注意维护。

6 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

7 monks   

n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The monks lived a very ascetic life. 僧侣过着很清苦的生活。
• He had been trained rigorously by the monks. 他接受过修道士的严格训练。 来自《简明英汉词典》