THIS IS AMERICA - Classical Music Today

THIS IS AMERICA - Classical Music Today
By Jerilyn Watson

Broadcast: Monday, March 14, 2005

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VOICE ONE:

Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA, in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. Our subject this week is classical music with a modern American sound.

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VOICE ONE:

Jazz and blues¹ are American inventions. But most Americans were happy to get their classical music from Europe. After all, classical music is the name for European music from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

Then came the twentieth century. Composers like George Gershwin combined jazz and other popular music with classical forms.

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Gershwin was born in eighteen ninety-eight. He studied with traditional music teachers. But he wanted to write popular songs.

VOICE TWO:

 
George Gershwin
In nineteen twenty-four, George Gershwin wrote one of the best known American compositions, "Rhapsody in Blue." Band leader Paul Whiteman called it "a jazz concerto²."

Gershwin wrote for the musical theater. His other works included the concert piece "An American in Paris." And he wrote "Porgy and Bess," a musical drama which many called an opera.

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VOICE ONE:

"Porgy and Bess" was first presented in nineteen thirty-five. DuBose Heyward wrote the story. It tells of the love of an African American man and woman caught in a world of violence and poverty. People have called the story insulting to blacks. But very few criticize the music.

Here is an early recording³ of Todd Duncan and Ann Brown, the first to star in "Porgy and Bess," as they sing "Bess, You Is My Woman Now."

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VOICE TWO:

Many composers in the United States wrote classically influenced works in the early and middle nineteen hundreds. Among them were Roy Harris, William Schuman, Walter Piston⁴ and Elliot Carter. Others were Gian Carlo Menotti, Samuel Barber, Howard Hanson and Aaron Copland.

 
Aaron Copland
Like George Gershwin, Aaron Copland was an influential⁵ composer. Among his works are "El Salon⁶ Mexico" for orchestra and dance music for "Rodeo" and "Billy the Kid."

His ballet piece "Appalachian Spring" takes from American folk songs and religious music.

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VOICE ONE:

Another popular work by Copland is from nineteen forty-two. Listen now as Leonard Bernstein leads the New York Philharmonic in "Fanfare⁷ for the Common Man."

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VOICE TWO:

 
Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic in 1945.
Aaron Copland helped younger composers and musicians. One of them was Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein was born in nineteen-eighteen. He attended Harvard University in Massachusetts. While still in school, he met Copland. They remained friends all their lives. Both men died in nineteen ninety.

Bernstein helped make Copland's work popular by performing it with orchestras. But he also composed works of his own. He wrote many of them during the nineteen forties and fifties. "The Age of Anxiety," his Symphony Number Two, captures Bernstein's idea of the sounds of America.

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VOICE ONE:

Leonard Bernstein also wrote the music for the ballet "Fancy Free," and for the Broadway play and movie "West Side Story."

His compositions have been highly praised. But some critics say he borrowed too much from others. They say he never created a sound of his own.

Such things are rarely said of Philip Glass, Joseph Schwantner and John Adams. All three of these composers are now in their sixties.

VOICE TWO:

The best known works by Joseph Schwantner are for orchestra, some with voices. One of his most popular is "New Morning for the World: Daybreak of Freedom." Washington lawyer and civil rights activist⁸ Vernon Jordan reads the words.

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VOICE ONE:

The other two composers, Philip Glass and John Adams, have both written unusual operas. For example, John Adams wrote "Nixon in China," about the historic visit of President Richard Nixon to China in nineteen seventy-two.

Much more recently, John Adams won a Pulitzer Prize for "On the Transmigration of Souls," a work for orchestra and voice. It honors the victims of the terrorists who attacked the United States on September eleventh, two thousand one.

VOICE TWO:

Like many other composers, Philip Glass spent years working at other jobs besides music. He supported himself by repairing pipes and driving a taxi before his music was recognized.

In nineteen seventy-six, the Metropolitan⁹ Opera in New York City performed his work "Einstein on the Beach." It broke all the traditional rules of opera -- and many people loved it.

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VOICE ONE:

Our program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Caty Weaver¹⁰. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember. To send us e-mail, write to [email protected]. And please join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• The piano concerto was well rendered.钢琴协奏曲演奏得很好。
• The concert ended with a Mozart violin concerto.音乐会在莫扎特的小提琴协奏曲中结束。

3 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

4 piston   

n.活塞

参考例句：

• They use a piston engine instead.他们改用活塞发动机。
• The piston moves by steam pressure.活塞在蒸汽压力下运动。

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

7 fanfare   

n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布

参考例句：

• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide.这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King.嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 metropolitan   

adj.大城市的，大都会的

参考例句：

• Metropolitan buildings become taller than ever.大城市的建筑变得比以前更高。
• Metropolitan residents are used to fast rhythm.大都市的居民习惯于快节奏。

10 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。