英语专业晨读美文-人物篇 9 Poet of Piano—Chopin

[00:00.99]Poet of Piano—Chopin

[00:03.83]Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish-born composer and renowned 1 pianist,

[00:11.16]was the creator of 55 mazurkas, 13 polonaises, 24 preludes 2,

[00:17.29] 27 etudes, 19 nocturnes, 4 ballads 3, and 4 scherzos.

[00:23.95]Frederic Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, Poland,

[00:28.55]on February 22, 1810, to a French father and Polish mother.

[00:33.58] His father, Nicholas Chopin,

[00:36.31]was a French tutor to many aristocratic Polish families,

[00:39.92] later accepting a position as a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum.

[00:44.85]French by heritage,

[00:46.21]and desirous of finding musical acceptance

[00:49.06]from a less traditional audience than that of Vienna,

[00:51.79]Chopin ventured to Paris. Interestingly,

[00:55.39]other young musicians had assembled in the city of fashion

[00:58.57] with the very same hope.

[01:00.32]Although Chopin did play in the large concert halls on occasion,

[01:04.36] he felt most at home in private settings,

[01:07.10]enjoying the social milieu 4 that accompanied concerts for the wealthy.

[01:11.25] He also enjoyed teaching,

[01:13.00] as this caused him less stress than performing.

[01:15.84] Chopin did not feel that his delicate technique and intricate melodies

[01:20.44] were as suited to the grandiose 5 hall

[01:22.85]as they were to smaller environments and audiences.

[01:26.02]News of the war in Poland

[01:27.98]inspired Chopin to write many sad musical pieces

[01:31.81] expressing his grief for "his" Poland.

[01:35.31]Among these was the famous "Revolutionary Etude.

[01:38.71]" Plagued by poor health as well as his homesickness,

[01:42.42] Chopin found solace 6 in summer visits to the country.

[01:46.03]Here, his most complex yet harmonic creations found their way

[01:51.17]to the brilliant composer's hand.

[01:53.47]The "Fantasia in F Minor 7", the "Barcarolle",

[01:57.40]the "Polonaise Fantasia", "Ballade in A Flat Major,"

[02:01.78]"Ballade in F Minor", and "Sonata 8 in B Minor"

[02:06.59]were all products of the relaxed time Chopin enjoyed in the country.

[02:11.29]As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris,

[02:15.01] Chopin retired 9 to Scotland with friends.

[02:17.97]Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution,

[02:21.13] his melancholy 10 attitude did not improve

[02:23.98] and he sank deeper into a depression.

[02:26.72]Likewise, his health did not rejuvenate 11 either.

[02:30.08]Chopin returned to Paris

[02:32.48]as his health deteriorated 12 further.

[02:34.45]Surrounded by those that he loved,

[02:36.75]Frederic Francois Chopin died at the age of 39.

[02:40.90] He was buried in Paris.

[02:42.98]Chopin's last request was that the Polish soil

[02:46.70] in the silver goblet 13 be sprinkled over his grave.