名人轶事:American Music Composer Aaron Copland
英语课
VOICE ONE:
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today
we tell about Aaron Copland, one of America’s best modern music composers.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Aaron Copland wrote many kinds of music. He wrote music for the orchestra 1,
piano, and voice. He wrote music for plays, movies and dance. Copland also
was a conductor, pianist, speaker, teacher and author.
Aaron Copland
Music critics say Copland taught Americans about themselves through his
music. He used parts of many old traditional American folk songs in his work.
He was influenced to do this after studying music in France. He said that
composers there had a very French way of writing music. He said Americans had
nothing like that in this country. So he decided 2 to compose music that was
truly American.
VOICE TWO:
Aaron Copland was born in nineteen hundred in Brooklyn, New York. He was the
youngest of five children. His parents had come to the United States from
eastern Europe. They owned a store in Brooklyn. Aaron began playing the piano
when he was a young child. He wrote his first song for his mother when he was
eight years old. His dreams of becoming a composer began when he was young.
When he was sixteen, he urged his parents to let him study composing with
Rubin Goldmark. Goldmark had taught the composer George Gershwin.
VOICE ONE:
When he was in his early twenties, Copland went to Paris where he studied
music with Nadia Boulanger. She was one of the most important music teachers
of the time. He returned to New York in nineteen twenty-four.
The famous conductor of the Boston Symphony 3 Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky,
learned about Copland's music. Koussevitzky led the orchestra for the first
performance of Copland's early work, "Music for the Theater," in nineteen
twenty-five. Koussevitzky also conducted Copland's "Concerto 4 for Piano and
Orchestra" in nineteen twenty-seven. This work was unusual because Copland
used ideas from jazz music in his concerto.
VOICE TWO:
Copland later wrote the music for two ballets about the American West. One
was about the life of a famous gunfighter called Billy the Kid. Copland used
music from American cowboy songs in this work. This piece from "Billy the
Kid: Ballet Suite 5" is called "Street in a Frontier Town. "
VOICE ONE:
In nineteen forty-two, the conductor Andre Kostelanetz asked Copland to write
music about a great American, Abraham Lincoln. Copland wrote "Lincoln
Portrait" to honor America's sixteenth president. Copland's music included
parts of American folk songs and songs popular during the American Civil War.
He added words from President Lincoln's speeches and letters.
"Lincoln Portrait" has been performed many times in America. Many famous
people have done the speaking part. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President
Franklin Roosevelt, was one of them. Here, actor James Earl Jones performs in
Copland's "Lincoln Portrait."
I'm Steve Ember.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Barbara Klein with People in America in VOA Special English. Today
we tell about Aaron Copland, one of America’s best modern music composers.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Aaron Copland wrote many kinds of music. He wrote music for the orchestra 1,
piano, and voice. He wrote music for plays, movies and dance. Copland also
was a conductor, pianist, speaker, teacher and author.
Aaron Copland
Music critics say Copland taught Americans about themselves through his
music. He used parts of many old traditional American folk songs in his work.
He was influenced to do this after studying music in France. He said that
composers there had a very French way of writing music. He said Americans had
nothing like that in this country. So he decided 2 to compose music that was
truly American.
VOICE TWO:
Aaron Copland was born in nineteen hundred in Brooklyn, New York. He was the
youngest of five children. His parents had come to the United States from
eastern Europe. They owned a store in Brooklyn. Aaron began playing the piano
when he was a young child. He wrote his first song for his mother when he was
eight years old. His dreams of becoming a composer began when he was young.
When he was sixteen, he urged his parents to let him study composing with
Rubin Goldmark. Goldmark had taught the composer George Gershwin.
VOICE ONE:
When he was in his early twenties, Copland went to Paris where he studied
music with Nadia Boulanger. She was one of the most important music teachers
of the time. He returned to New York in nineteen twenty-four.
The famous conductor of the Boston Symphony 3 Orchestra, Serge Koussevitzky,
learned about Copland's music. Koussevitzky led the orchestra for the first
performance of Copland's early work, "Music for the Theater," in nineteen
twenty-five. Koussevitzky also conducted Copland's "Concerto 4 for Piano and
Orchestra" in nineteen twenty-seven. This work was unusual because Copland
used ideas from jazz music in his concerto.
VOICE TWO:
Copland later wrote the music for two ballets about the American West. One
was about the life of a famous gunfighter called Billy the Kid. Copland used
music from American cowboy songs in this work. This piece from "Billy the
Kid: Ballet Suite 5" is called "Street in a Frontier Town. "
VOICE ONE:
In nineteen forty-two, the conductor Andre Kostelanetz asked Copland to write
music about a great American, Abraham Lincoln. Copland wrote "Lincoln
Portrait" to honor America's sixteenth president. Copland's music included
parts of American folk songs and songs popular during the American Civil War.
He added words from President Lincoln's speeches and letters.
"Lincoln Portrait" has been performed many times in America. Many famous
people have done the speaking part. Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of President
Franklin Roosevelt, was one of them. Here, actor James Earl Jones performs in
Copland's "Lincoln Portrait."
n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购
- He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
- I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
- 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。
n.交响乐（曲），（色彩等的）和谐
- The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven is a famous one.贝多芬的第九交响乐非常有名。
- They play over the whole symphony.他们把整个交响乐重新演奏了一遍。
n.协奏曲
- 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。
n.一套(家具)；套房；随从人员
- She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.她在那家旅馆有一套房间。
- That is a nice suite of furniture.那套家具很不错。
n.喇叭；号角之声；v.热闹地宣布
- 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。
n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎
- 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。