彭蒙惠英语：Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius

Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius

 

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Tragedy and turmoil¹

On June 25, 1854, Peter Tchaikovsky’s mother died of cholera², her 14-year-old son at her side. During this emotional crisis, Peter wrote his first piece of music. Times of emotional turmoil would prove, again and again, to be fruitful times for composition.

 

After Graduating from the School of Jurisprudence in 1859, Peter became a junior clerk at the Ministry³ of Justice. Just three years later, he gave up what could have been a lifetime sinecure⁴ to enroll⁵ in the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory⁶. He received his first official commission, an overture⁷ for the marriage of Tsarevich Alexander and Princess Dagmar of Denmark in 1866.

 

A patron’s support

During the late 1870s, Nadezhda von Meck, widow of a wealthy investor⁸, presented Tchaikovsky with an annuity⁹ that allowed him to devote himself entirely¹⁰ to composition.

 

Von Meck’s annuity launched Tchaikovsky into a manic period of writing. He produced the exquisite¹¹ Fourth Symphony in record time.

 

Later years

At its debut¹² in March 1892, Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker was a huge hit, but his heart was with his groundbreaking Sixth Symphony, scheduled to debut in October. It was an unusual work, its main three movements followed by a slow, sad adagio¹³. Unfortunately, the Pathétique, a name his brother suggested for the piece, received only lukewarm applause at its premiere. Tchaikovsky was heartsick. Just over a week later, he was dead.

 

Theories about his death

The popular theory is that he died of cholera after drinking unboiled water. Another theory holds that the composer committed suicide over the perceived failure of Pathétique. The recent discovery of letters between Tchaikovsky’s physician and his brother, which mention suicide, supports this claim. However, the jury is still out.

 

Meanwhile, Tchaikovsky’s music lives on. Many of his works continue to be recognized as masterpieces of classical music.

 

 

Vocabulary Focus

conservatory (n) [kEn5sE:vEtri] a school for the teaching of music or sometimes acting¹⁴ or art

manic (adj) [5meinik] frenzied¹⁵; very excited or anxious in a way that causes one to be very active

groundbreaking (adj) [5^raund7breikiN] very new and a big change from other things of its type

lukewarm (adj) [5lju:kwC:m] not enthusiastic or interested

the jury is still out (idiom) people do not yet know the answer or have a definite opinion about something

 

Specialized¹⁶ Terms

sinecure (n) 近于无工作的有薪职位，冗职 a position involving little work, but for which the person is paid

overture (n) 前奏曲，序曲 a piece of music that is an introduction to a longer piece, especially an opera

annuity (n) 年金 a fixed¹⁷ amount of money paid to someone every year, usually until his or her death; or the insurance agreement or investment that provides the money

movement (n) 乐章，速度，拍子 one of the main parts of a piece of classical music that is separated from the other parts with pauses

adagio (n) 慢板，慢板乐章 a composition played slowly and gracefully¹⁸

 

柴可夫斯基：音乐才子的一生

 

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悲剧和混乱

1854年的6月25日，彼得·柴可夫斯基的母亲死于霍乱，她14岁的儿子随侍在侧。在这个情感的危机时期，彼得创作出他的第一首曲子。情感的骚乱将一再地证明是作曲的多产时期。

彼得在1859年从法律学校毕业后，进入司法部成为事务员。仅仅3年之后，他放弃了一个可能成为终身铁饭碗的职位，而进入了圣彼得音乐学院就读。他在1866年因《亚历山大沙皇和丹麦公主黛玛的婚礼序曲》收到了第一份正式的佣金。

 

赞助者的资助

19世纪70年代末期，一位富有运输商的遗孀，德日达·冯·梅克夫人，提供柴可夫斯基一份年金，好让他专心从事作曲工作。

冯·梅克的年金让柴可夫斯基展开了一段写曲的狂热时期。他在创纪录的时间内谱成了完美的《第四交响曲》。

 

音乐天才的晚年

柴可夫斯基的《胡桃夹子》于1892年3月首次登台，成为声名大噪的畅销作品；但是他的心思却放在他的突破性代表作，预计10月份登场的《第六交响曲》上。这是一部不寻常的作品，以一个缓慢、悲伤的慢板跟随主要的3个乐章。很遗憾地，曲名来自柴可夫斯基弟弟的《悲怆交响曲》，在初次演出时只得到了稀落的掌声。柴可夫斯基意志消沉。仅仅一个星期之后，他就撒手人寰。

 

柴可夫斯基之死的揣测

普遍的说法是，柴可夫斯基在饮用了未煮开的水后染上霍乱而死。另一项推测则为，这名音乐大师在感受到《悲怆交响曲》的失败后自杀身亡。一些最近发现的柴可夫斯基之医师和弟弟之间的来往书信中提到了自杀，证实了这个说法。然而，最终的结论一直没有出现。

与此同时，柴可夫斯基的音乐历久弥新。他的许多作品被公认是古典音乐殿堂的不朽杰作。

 

1 turmoil   

n.骚乱，混乱，动乱

参考例句：

• His mind was in such a turmoil that he couldn't get to sleep.内心的纷扰使他无法入睡。
• The robbery put the village in a turmoil.抢劫使全村陷入混乱。

2 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

3 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

4 sinecure   

n.闲差事，挂名职务

参考例句：

• She found him an exalted sinecure as a Fellow of the Library of Congress.她给他找了一个级别很高的闲职：国会图书馆研究员。
• He even had a job,a sinecure,more highly-paid than his old job had been.他甚至还有一个工作，一个挂名差使，比他原来的工作的待遇要好多了。

5 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

6 conservatory   

n.温室，音乐学院；adj.保存性的，有保存力的

参考例句：

• At the conservatory,he learned how to score a musical composition.在音乐学校里，他学会了怎样谱曲。
• The modern conservatory is not an environment for nurturing plants.这个现代化温室的环境不适合培育植物。

7 overture   

n.前奏曲、序曲，提议，提案，初步交涉

参考例句：

• The opera was preceded by a short overture.这部歌剧开始前有一段简短的序曲。
• His overture led to nothing.他的提议没有得到什么结果。

8 investor   

n.投资者，投资人

参考例句：

• My nephew is a cautious investor.我侄子是个小心谨慎的投资者。
• The investor believes that his investment will pay off handsomely soon.这个投资者相信他的投资不久会有相当大的收益。

9 annuity   

n.年金；养老金

参考例句：

• The personal contribution ratio is voluntary in the annuity program.企业年金中个人缴费比例是自愿的。
• He lives on his annuity after retirement.他退休后靠退休金维生。

10 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

11 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

12 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

13 adagio   

adj.缓慢的；n.柔板；慢板；adv.缓慢地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• Play the adagio since that's the only goddamned thing you know.就弹那首慢板吧，那是你唯一会弹的鬼曲子。

14 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

15 frenzied   

a.激怒的；疯狂的

参考例句：

• Will this push him too far and lead to a frenzied attack? 这会不会逼他太甚，导致他进行疯狂的进攻？
• Two teenagers carried out a frenzied attack on a local shopkeeper. 两名十几岁的少年对当地的一个店主进行了疯狂的袭击。

16 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

17 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

18 gracefully   

ad.大大方方地；优美地

参考例句：

• She sank gracefully down onto a cushion at his feet. 她优雅地坐到他脚旁的垫子上。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line. 新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。