37 Frederic Francois Chopin

Frederic Francois Chopin

Frederic Francois Chopin, Polish-born composer and renowned¹ pianist, was the creator of 55 mazurkas, 13 polonaises, 24 preludes², 27 etudes, 19 nocturnes, 4 ballads³, and 4 scherzos.

Frederic Chopin was born in Zelazowa Wola, Poland, on February 22, 1810, to a French father and Polish mother. His father, Nicholas Chopin, was a French tutor to many aristocratic Polish families, later accepting a position as a French teacher at the Warsaw Lyceum.

Although Chopin later attended the Lyceum where his father taught, his early training began at home. This included receiving piano lessons from his mother. By the age of six, Chopin was creating original pieces, showing innate⁴ prodigious⁵ musical ability. His parents arranged for the young Chopin to take piano instruction from Wojciech Zywny.

When Chopin was sixteen, he attended the Warsaw Conservatory⁶ of Music, directed by composer Joseph Elsner. Elsner, like Zywny, insisted on the traditional training associated with Classical music but allowed his students to investigate the more original imaginations of the Romantic style as well.

As often happened with the young musicians of both the Classical and Romantic Periods, Chopin was sent to Vienna, the unquestioned center of music for that day. He gave piano concerts and then arranged to have his pieces published by a Viennese publishing house there. While Chopin was in Austria, Poland and Russia faced off in the apparent beginnings of war. He returned to Warsaw to get his things in preparation of a more permanent move. While there, his friends gave him a silver goblet⁷ filled with Polish soil. He kept it always, as he was never able to return to his beloved Poland.

French by heritage, and desirous of finding musical acceptance from a less traditional audience than that of Vienna, Chopin ventured to Paris. Interestingly, other young musicians had assembled in the city of fashion with the very same hope. Chopin joined Franz Liszt, Hector Berlioz, Felix Mendelssohn, Vincenzo Bellini, and Auguste Franchomme, all proponents⁸ of the "new" Romantic style.

Although Chopin did play in the large concert halls on occasion, he felt most at home in private settings, enjoying the social milieu⁹ that accompanied concerts for the wealthy. He also enjoyed teaching, as this caused him less stress than performing. Chopin did not feel that his delicate technique and intricate melodies were as suited to the grandiose¹⁰ hall as they were to smaller environments and audiences.

News of the war in Poland inspired Chopin to write many sad musical pieces expressing his grief for "his" Poland. Among these was the famous "Revolutionary Etude." Plagued by poor health as well as his homesickness, Chopin found solace¹¹ in summer visits to the country. Here, his most complex yet harmonic creations found their way to the brilliant composer's hand. The "Fantasia in F Minor¹²," the "Barcarolle," the "Polonaise Fantasia," "Ballade in A Flat Major," "Ballade in F Minor," and "Sonata¹³ in B Minor" were all products of the relaxed time Chopin enjoyed in the country.

As the war continued in Warsaw and then reached Paris, Chopin retired¹⁴ to Scotland with friends. Although he was far beyond the reach of the revolution, his melancholy¹⁵ attitude did not improve and he sank deeper into a depression. Likewise, his health did not rejuvenate¹⁶ either. A window in the fighting made it possible for Chopin to return to Paris as his health deteriorated¹⁷ further. Surrounded by those that he loved, Frederic Francois Chopin died at the age of 39. He was buried in Paris.

Chopin's last request was that the Polish soil in the silver goblet be sprinkled over his grave.

钢琴诗人—肖邦

肖邦是近代浪漫派的抒情音乐家，他在音乐史中，是一位神秘、爱国而最富于诗意生命的钢琴家。他一生创作了55部马祖卡舞曲，13部波罗涅滋，24首序曲，27首练习曲，19首夜曲，4首叙事曲以及4部诙谐曲。

1810年2月12日，肖邦出生于波兰华沙郊区的热拉佐瓦沃拉。他的父亲尼古拉斯是具有波兰血统的法国人，而母亲却是一位纯粹的波兰人。尼古拉斯原本是波兰贵族家庭的一名法语教师，后来到华沙的一所中学教授法语。

肖邦最初接触音乐的机会是跟随母亲学钢琴。六岁那年，肖邦创作出了人生的第一部作品，充分展现了他与生俱来的非凡的音乐天赋。不久后，他进入了父亲所在的学校学习，并在父母的安排下，跟随捷克音乐家W.日夫尼学习钢琴。

中学毕业后，肖邦进入华沙音乐学院学习，从师德国音乐家J.A.F埃尔斯纳。与日尼夫相同的是，埃尔斯纳在坚持古典派推崇的传统练习外，鼓励学生们从浪漫派中吸取灵感。

离开华沙音乐学院后，肖邦来到了当时的音乐圣地－维。在那里，肖邦不仅举行了多场音乐会，也发表了不少音乐作品。在波兰民族运动走向高潮，与沙俄的战争一触即发的时候，肖邦身在奥地利。不久，他回到华沙为出国做准备。临行前，华沙音乐学院的师生们为他送行，并赠以盛满祖国泥土的银杯。尽管从此肖邦再也没有回到他深爱着的祖国，他一直保存着这捧祖国的泥土。

为了得到更多浪漫派听众的认可，加上自己拥有一半的法国血统，肖邦来到了法国巴黎。有趣的是，许多抱有同样想法的年轻音乐家们也都聚集到了这座流行之都。在这里，肖邦结识了西欧文艺界许多重要人物，包括匈牙利艺术家李斯特，柏辽兹，意大利音乐家贝利尼等新浪漫主义的拥护者。

尽管肖邦有时也在大型音乐厅演出，但他更喜欢在家或是一些私人的场合，享受更融洽的氛围。他也更喜欢教学时放松的心情。肖邦认为他细致优美的演奏技巧和纷繁的旋律更适合小环境演奏，而不适合宏伟的音乐厅。

波兰陷入战火的消息促使他写了许多充满悲伤的作品，以表达对祖国波兰的哀伤与思念，其中包括名曲《革命练习曲》。肖邦的健康状况一直不佳，加上思乡心切，一度患上肺病，曾在法国南部疗养。期间写过不少成名的珍品。《F小调幻想曲》，《威尼斯船歌》，《幻想波罗涅滋舞曲》，《降A大调叙事曲》，《F小调叙事曲》，《B小调奏鸣曲》等都是在南部疗养时创作的。

战事从华沙蔓延到了巴黎，肖邦不得不和朋友们躲避至苏格兰。虽然肖邦远离了波兰的战火，但他忧郁的情绪丝毫没有改善，反而陷入了更深的沮丧之中。同样地，他的健康状况也没有恢复。回巴黎后，肖邦的健康状况急剧下降，最终在友人们的陪伴下逝世于巴黎的寓所中，结束了短短39年的生命。他的遗体被安葬在巴黎。

肖邦最后的遗愿是将银杯中祖国波兰的泥土撒在他的墓碑上。

1 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

2 preludes   

n.开端( prelude的名词复数 )；序幕；序曲；短篇作品

参考例句：

• In the moribund patient deepening coma are the usual preludes to death. 病人弥留之际，加深的昏睡通常是死的前兆。 来自辞典例句
• She preludes her remarks with a jest. 她开始讲话时先说一个笑话。 来自互联网

3 ballads   

民歌，民谣，特别指叙述故事的歌( ballad的名词复数 )； 讴

参考例句：

• She belted out ballads and hillbilly songs one after another all evening. 她整晚一个接一个地大唱民谣和乡村小调。
• She taught him to read and even to sing two or three little ballads,accompanying him on her old piano. 她教他读书，还教他唱两三首民谣，弹着她的旧钢琴为他伴奏。

4 innate   

adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的

参考例句：

• You obviously have an innate talent for music.你显然有天生的音乐才能。
• Correct ideas are not innate in the mind.人的正确思想不是自己头脑中固有的。

5 prodigious   

adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
• He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。

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 goblet   

n.高脚酒杯

参考例句：

• He poured some wine into the goblet.他向高脚酒杯里倒了一些葡萄酒。
• He swirled the brandy around in the huge goblet.他摇晃着高脚大玻璃杯使里面的白兰地酒旋动起来。

8 proponents   

n.（某事业、理论等的）支持者，拥护者( proponent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Reviewing courts were among the most active proponents of hybrid rulemaking procedures. 复审法院是最积极的混合型规则制定程序的建议者。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Proponents of such opinions were arrested as 'traitors. ' 提倡这种主张的人马上作为“卖国贼”逮捕起来。 来自辞典例句

9 milieu   

n.环境；出身背景；(个人所处的)社会环境

参考例句：

• Foods usually provide a good milieu for the persistence of viruses.食品通常为病毒存续提供了一个良好的栖身所。
• He was born in a social milieu where further education was a luxury.他生在一个受较高教育就被认为是奢侈的社会环境里。

10 grandiose   

adj.宏伟的，宏大的，堂皇的，铺张的

参考例句：

• His grandiose manner impressed those who met him for the first time.他那种夸大的举止给第一次遇见他的人留下了深刻的印象。
• As the fog vanished,a grandiose landscape unfolded before the tourists.雾气散去之后，一幅壮丽的景观展现在游客面前。

11 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

12 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

13 sonata   

n.奏鸣曲

参考例句：

• He played a piano sonata of his own composition.他弹奏了一首自作的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• The young boy played the violin sonata masterfully.那个小男孩的小提琴奏鸣曲拉得很熟练。

14 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

15 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

16 rejuvenate   

v.(使)返老还童；(使)恢复活力

参考例句：

• The mountain air will rejuvenate you.山里的空气会使你恢复活力。
• Exercise is perhaps the most effective way to rejuvenate your skin.锻炼可能是使皮肤恢复活力的最好手段。

17 deteriorated   

恶化，变坏( deteriorate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Her health deteriorated rapidly, and she died shortly afterwards. 她的健康状况急剧恶化，不久便去世了。
• His condition steadily deteriorated. 他的病情恶化，日甚一日。