Take Away English-The Proms 漫步音乐会

Classical Music For All 面向大众的古典音乐

Are you a fan of classical music? Then perhaps The Proms is for you. The Proms is a series of summer concerts which for the last 110 years has been presenting a wealth of classical music to large audiences at low prices. In fact the Proms, has become a British institution as loved and valued by the British public as Wimbledon or the Oxford1 and Cambridge boat race.

The Royal Albert Hall, home to the Proms concerts

The Proms first took place in 1895 and was the idea of Robert Newman, a concert hall manager in London . Hall had organised many concerts, but wanted to reach a wider audience by keeping prices low and offering popular programmes in a less formal environment. The informal atmosphere was encouraged by cheap tickets - one shilling (5p) for a single concert, or a guinea (￡1.05) for a season ticket .

His partner was the conductor Henry Wood who had just begun to make a name for himself . Wood and Newman wanted to introduce the public to a wider and wider range of music, and introduced new works each year. Wood also promoted young, talented performers and raised standards in orchestras³, although this sometimes made him unpopular.

However, by 1927 The Proms were losing money. Fortunately the BBC decided⁴ to broadcast The Proms on the radio, reaching an even larger audience. The radio broadcasts were halted during the Second World War, although the live concerts continued until Wood died, aged² 75, in 1944.

After the war the BBC started to broadcast The Proms once more, and it grew in popularity⁵ during the 1950s until by the 1960s it had become a major international festival .

Nowadays the Proms can be heard on radio and watched live on television. It is also interactive⁶ . Viewers of certain digital channels can e-mail their thoughts and questions to be used during the live broadcasts as well as receive programme notes to help them enjoy The Proms even more.

Although The Proms have changed enormously since Robert Newman and Henry Wood founded it in 1895, the concept has remained the same – to provide high quality classical music to a large audience for a low price, and long may it continue!

GLOSSARY 　词汇表
fan – 迷，爱好者	a wealth – 大量的
audiences – 观众	took place – 发生
popular programmes – 大众化节目	informal atmosphere – 非正式的气氛
season ticket – 季票，长期票	conductor – 指挥，指挥家
make a name for himself – 成名	to broadcast – 广播
major international festival – 重要的国际音乐节	interactive – 互动的，交互式的
digital channels – 数字化频道	concept – 理念

 

1 Oxford   

n.牛津（英国城市）

参考例句：

• At present he has become a Professor of Chemistry at Oxford.他现在已是牛津大学的化学教授了。
• This is where the road to Oxford joins the road to London.这是去牛津的路与去伦敦的路的汇合处。

2 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

3 orchestras   

管弦乐队( orchestra的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The orchestras, the choruses, the drama and opera casts, will be cut to pieces. 各个管弦乐队、合唱队、戏剧和歌剧的演员名单都将支离破碎。
• In Indonesia, gamelan orchestras play music on gongs, drums, and xylophones. 印度尼西亚，佳美兰乐队用锣、和木琴演奏音乐。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

6 interactive   

adj.相互作用的，互相影响的，（电脑）交互的

参考例句：

• The psychotherapy is carried out in small interactive groups.这种心理治疗是在互动的小组之间进行的。
• This will make videogames more interactive than ever.这将使电子游戏的互动性更胜以往。