Multi-million dollar sound

 Alice: Hello and welcome to 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English: the programme in which we talk about a story in the news and learn some vocabulary while we’re doing it. I’m Alice and joining me today is Neil. Hi there, Neil. 

Neil: Hi Alice. 

Alice: Now, Neil I know you’re very musical - but can you spot a multi-million dollar violin when you hear one? 

Neil: A multi-million dollar violin? So, that’s a musical instrument which costs several million US dollars? Who’s got that kind of money to spend on an instrument? 

Alice: Somebody with lots and lots of money. When we talk about dollars in English, they usually mean US dollars. Anyway, let's listen to these two violins, and then tell me which sound you like the best, and which do you think is the most valuable? 

Neil: OK. 

The same musical scale played on two different violins 

Alice: So, did you like the sound of the first violin, or the second? 

Neil: Well, my perfect musical ears are telling me the second violin was the multi-million dollar one. 

Alice: And was that the one you liked best? 

Neil: Oh yes. Of course! 

Alice: Good taste. Well done. One of the qualities which makes the sound so wonderful is what’s called timbre¹ - the quality of the sound. And that leads me to another question, Neil. Which language does the word timbre come from originally? Is it: 

a) Russian 

b) Italian 

c) French 

Neil: Hmm. Definitely not Russian. I would be tempted² to say French but most musical expressions come from Italian. So I’m going to say Italian. 

Alice: Well, as usual we won’t find out the answer until the end of the programme. Let’s talk some more about violins. What makes one violin sound so much better than another? 

Neil: I like that very mellow³ sound - a sound that that is sweet and rich. 

Alice: Mellow. We talk about coffee being mellow, rich and sweet - and sound can be mellow too. What makes an instrument top of the range? The best that is on offer. Here’s Professor Tasmin Little from the Royal Academy of Music, who is also a concert violinist - a soloist⁴. 

Professor Tasmin Little: 

There are two most famous and great makers⁵. Stradivari is the most famous, but also 

there is Guarneri del Gesu who is also very favoured by top soloists⁶, perhaps the 

instruments are more mellow in sound. But certainly, there is nothing to beat a 

Stradivarius, because they are just really the top of the range instruments. And I'm 

very, very fortunate to have this instrument on loan from the Royal Academy of Music. 

Alice: So Professor Tamsin Little says there is nothing to beat a Stradivarius - it’s the top of the range. 

Neil: And she’s very fortunate - very lucky to have one on loan. That means she’s borrowing the violin to play at concerts. 

Alice: Yeah - as some Stradivarius violins cost several million dollars, I don’t think many musicians would be able to afford them themselves. 

Neil: And what is it about violins made by the Stradivari family in 17th and 18th centuries that makes them so special? 

Alice: As we’ve heard that word before, they have great timbre - the sound they make reverberates⁷. 

Neil: Reverberates - it echoes back at you. A really rich, deep sound. How did violin makers like the Stradivari family give violins that special sound quality? 

Alice: Professor Little says that’s the billion dollar question. It means that’s the question that everybody would like answered. If we could only understand what gives these violins their very special quality, people would have copied the technique ages ago: 

Professor Tasmin Little: 

That’s the billion dollar question, isn't it - it's one that has foxed people for centuries. People have come up with all sorts of explanations. There are a few, such as: at the point when Stradivarius was choosing his wood, there had been a particularly cold spell of temperature and the trees had grown very slowly and, therefore, with more density⁸. Apparently⁹ he used to go into forests and tap on the trees and listen to how reverberant¹⁰ they were and, according to the results, he would chop them down or not. 

Alice: So it’s believed that violin makers chose the wood they used to make the violins for their reverberant qualities. There had been a cold spell, and the trees had grown slowly, so the wood was more dense¹¹. 

Neil: Professor Tasmin Little says that’s one possibility why the violins are so special. 

Alice: Now, before we go, Neil - have you had a think about the origins of the word timbre? I asked if the word came originally from French, Russian or Italian. 

Neil: Well I said Italian, but judging by the way you’ve been pronouncing that word, I think I’m probably wrong! 

Alice: You’re right. It’s French. Well, well done anyway. Now, time for a recap of some of the words we heard in today’s programme. 

Neil: They are: multi-million, timbre, mellow, top of the range, reverberates, the billion dollar question 

Alice: Join us again soon for more 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com. 

Neil: And don’t forget to find us on Facebook and Twitter. 

Alice: Bye for now. 

Neil: Bye. 

1 timbre   

n.音色，音质

参考例句：

• His voice had a deep timbre.他嗓音低沉。
• The timbre of the violin is far richer than that of the mouth organ.小提琴的音色远比口琴丰富。

2 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

3 mellow   

adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟

参考例句：

• These apples are mellow at this time of year.每年这时节，苹果就熟透了。
• The colours become mellow as the sun went down.当太阳落山时，色彩变得柔和了。

4 soloist   

n.独奏者，独唱者

参考例句：

• The soloist brought the house down with encore for his impressive voice.这位独唱家以他那感人的歌声博得全场喝彩。
• The soloist had never performed in London before.那位独唱者过去从未在伦敦演出过。

5 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 soloists   

n.独唱者，独奏者，单飞者( soloist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The soloists were ably supported by the University Singers. 这些独唱歌手得到了大学歌手的大力支持。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Summer music festivals feature leading orchestras, soloists and opera companies. 在夏季举行的各音乐节，有著名的交响乐团、独唱和独奏者及歌剧团表演。 来自互联网

7 reverberates   

回响，回荡( reverberate的第三人称单数 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射

参考例句：

• His voice reverberates from the high ceiling. 他的声音自天花板顶处反射回来。
• No single phrase of his reverberates or penetrates as so many of La Bruyere's do. 他没有一个句子能象拉布吕耶尔的许多句子那样余音回荡，入木三分。

8 density   

n.密集，密度，浓度

参考例句：

• The population density of that country is 685 per square mile.那个国家的人口密度为每平方英里685人。
• The region has a very high population density.该地区的人口密度很高。

9 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

10 reverberant   

a.起回声的

参考例句：

• For a second, the room is the reverberant sound of cry. 一时间，正个房间里都回响着她的哭声。
• To strike so as to produce a loud, reverberant noise. 发出打击声敲击使发出砰砰响亮声。

11 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。