美国国家公共电台 NPR How The 'New World' Symphony Introduced American Music To Itself

 

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Sometimes, it takes an outsider to recognize what's remarkable¹ about a culture. That's what the Czech composer Antonin Dvorak did when he came to the U.S. at the end of the 19th century. He was an immigrant thrown into a new world and new sounds. And out of that experience, he wrote a symphony for America.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF ANTONI DVORAK'S "SYMPHONY NO. 9")

SIMON: Dvorak's "New World Symphony" has become one of the most beloved orchestral works in the world. It also produced a melody that's a hymn² and an anthem³ to what American music could be. NPR's Tom Huizenga has the story for our series American Anthem.

TOM HUIZENGA, BYLINE⁴: When Antoni Dvorak came to the U.S. in 1892, the Pledge of Allegiance was new - so was Carnegie Hall, the game of basketball and Edison's wax cylinders⁵.

(SOUNDBITE OF ISSLER'S ORCHESTRA'S "FIFTH REGIMENT⁶ MARCH")

HUIZENGA: Classical music in America wasn't new, but it needed a reboot. And Dvorak was the man to do it. Already a celebrated⁷ composer in Europe, Dvorak was hired to run a national conservatory⁸ in New York to help American composers find their own voice and shake off the European sound. At the time, American concert music sounded an awful lot like Brahms and Beethoven. Dvorak heard something different in an unexpected place, as he told the New York Herald⁹ just before he debuted¹⁰ his "New World Symphony."

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Reading) The future of this country must be founded upon what are called the Negro melodies. This must be the real foundation of any serious and original school of composition to be developed in the United States.

HUIZENGA: The Negro melodies - that's a reading of Dvorak telling white Americans the future of their music resides in the people they subjugated¹¹ and killed.

JOANN FALLETTA: It was radical¹². And I think that he got harshly criticized and really rejected.

HUIZENGA: JoAnn Falletta is the music director of the Buffalo¹³ Philharmonic. She's conducted Dvorak's "New World Symphony" many times.

FALLETTA: Dvorak was surprised, in a way, to find that the roots of American music were not European. They were African-American...

HUIZENGA: ...Including spirituals.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SWING LOW, SWEET CHARIOT")

FISK JUBILEE¹⁴ SINGERS: (Singing) Swing low, sweet chariot - coming forth¹⁵ to carry me home.

HUIZENGA: Dvorak may have even heard the Fisk Jubilee Singers, who were popular at the time. But Joe Horowitz, author of the book "Classical Music In America," says Dvorak's real connection to African-American spirituals was a young, black man named Harry¹⁶ Burleigh. He'd applied¹⁷ to be a student at Dvorak's National Conservatory.

JOE HOROWITZ: Dvorak chose a black person to be his assistant. How likely is that?

HUIZENGA: Remember, this is America in the 1890s.

HOROWITZ: So put yourself in Dvorak's head. He's probably thinking at least two things. I want to help this young, black man. And this young, black man is going to help me.

HUIZENGA: Harry Burleigh was a self-taught baritone.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GO DOWN MOSES")

HARRY BURLEIGH: (Singing) Thus said the Lord, bold Moses said, let my people go.

HUIZENGA: Burleigh sang spirituals to Dvorak, like "Go Down Moses," which the composer said had a melody to rival Beethoven. Horowitz says Burleigh also sang "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" to Dvorak.

HOROWITZ: And Burleigh claimed that Dvorak was actually quoting "Swing Low..."

BURLEIGH: ...In the opening movement of the "New World Symphony," says Horowitz, who's at the piano to demonstrate - first the melody of "Swing Low."

HOROWITZ: (Playing piano).

BURLEIGH: Now listen to how Dvorak's melody flows out of that.

HOROWITZ: (Playing piano).

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF ANTONI DVORAK'S "SYMPHONY NO. 9")

HUIZENGA: Dvorak, the outsider immigrant, could see something American composers were blind to. There was a rich tradition to draw on right in front of their noses. And Dvorak showed them how to do it. He wove American roots music into his vast symphonic canvas. And, inspired by black spirituals, he came up with a melody that would become a spiritual on its own - the largo¹⁸, the symphony's second movement.

(SOUNDBITE OF PERFORMANCE OF ANTONIN DVORAK'S "SYMPHONY NO. 9")

HOROWITZ: After Dvorak died, it was turned into "Goin' Home" by William Arms Fisher. And most people who know "Goin' Home" assume that it's a spiritual that Dvorak quoted.

HUIZENGA: But it wasn't. Joe Horowitz says William Arms Fisher was a white student of Dvorak who added words to the composer's melody, which went from the concert hall to church hymn books.

KEVIN DEAS: My family all thought it was a spiritual.

HUIZENGA: Bass¹⁹ baritone Kevin Deas first heard "Goin' Home" as a kid when he didn't realize the music was by Dvorak.

DEAS: We had "Goin' Home" in our hymnals that I grew up singing. And so I was familiar with the melody. But there was just this instant sense of I could identify with this music.

HUIZENGA: So Deas recorded it.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "GOIN' HOME")

DEAS: (Singing) Mother's there expecting me. Father's waiting, too.

It has that sense of longing²⁰. And so much of the African-American spiritual tradition comes with this idea that heaven or home is a beautiful place to go to.

HUIZENGA: Dvorak's largo became not just an anthem for the weary but also a hymn for those who've died. It was performed at memorial events for Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Gerald Ford²¹. Spirituals - they inspired Dvorak. And in turn, he created one that inspired black composers and musicians, including pianist Art Tatum, who made the largo swing back in 1949.

(SOUNDBITE OF ART TATUM'S "GOIN' HOME")

HUIZENGA: Dvorak had a dream that American composers would follow his example, cultivate their own musical soil to grow distinctly American anthems²² of their own.

HOROWITZ: We blew it.

HUIZENGA: Author Joe Horowitz.

HOROWITZ: We never fulfilled Dvorak's prophecy. We squandered²³ it.

HUIZENGA: It was popular music that soaked up the African-American influences, which is great, Horowitz adds. Still, JoAnn Falletta says some did hear the call of Dvorak's New World anthem.

FALLETTA: He made American composers think about music differently. And the entire history of 20th century American music changed because of Antonin Dvorak. And maybe his prediction then gave composers like Gershwin the feeling that using jazz and writing for a classical orchestra was OK.

(SOUNDBITE OF GEORGE GERSHWIN'S "RHAPSODY IN BLUE")

HUIZENGA: George Gershwin looked to jazz. And Aaron Copland would look to American folk music. But before any of them was Antonin Dvorak. And before the birth of jazz, R&B and hip-hop, this old, white European predicted that the future of music in America will be black. And he was right.

FALLETTA: Yes. I think what's happened is that the roots of American music, whether it be African-American or Native American or ragtime²⁴ or Louisiana bayou music - all of that has now become accepted as a rich part of our fabric²⁵, of our musical life.

HUIZENGA: And that musical melting pot is what Antonin Dvorak celebrated and even elevated in his "New World Symphony," a philosophy of inclusion rendered in music. Tom Huizenga, NPR News.

(SOUNDBITE OF BERLINER PHILHARMONIKER & RAFAEL KUBELIK PERFORMANCE OF DVORAK'S "SCHERZO")

1 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

2 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

3 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• All those present were standing solemnly when the national anthem was played.奏国歌时全场肃立。
• As he stood on the winner's rostrum,he sang the words of the national anthem.他站在冠军领奖台上，唱起了国歌。

4 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

5 cylinders   

n.圆筒( cylinder的名词复数 )；圆柱；汽缸；（尤指用作容器的）圆筒状物

参考例句：

• They are working on all cylinders to get the job finished. 他们正在竭尽全力争取把这工作干完。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• That jeep has four cylinders. 那辆吉普车有4个汽缸。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 regiment   

n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制

参考例句：

• As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活，所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
• They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。

7 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

8 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。

9 herald   

vt.预示...的来临，预告，宣布，欢迎

参考例句：

• In England, the cuckoo is the herald of spring.在英国杜鹃鸟是报春的使者。
• Dawn is the herald of day.曙光是白昼的先驱。

10 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。

11 subjugated   

v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The prince had appeared and subjugated the poor little handmaid. 王子出现了，这使穷苦的小丫头不胜仰慕。 来自辞典例句
• As we know, rule over subjugated peoples is incompatible with the gentile constitution. 我们知道，对被征服者的统治，是和氏族制度不相容的。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

12 radical   

n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的

参考例句：

• The patient got a radical cure in the hospital.病人在医院得到了根治。
• She is radical in her demands.她的要求十分偏激。

13 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

14 jubilee   

n.周年纪念；欢乐

参考例句：

• They had a big jubilee to celebrate the victory.他们举行盛大的周年纪念活动以祝贺胜利。
• Every Jubilee,to take the opposite case,has served a function.反过来说，历次君主巡幸，都曾起到某种作用。

15 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

16 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

17 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

18 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

19 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

20 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

21 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

22 anthems   

n.赞美诗( anthem的名词复数 )；圣歌；赞歌；颂歌

参考例句：

• They usually play the national anthems of the teams at the beginning of a big match. 在大型赛事开始前，他们通常演奏参赛国国歌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rise please, rise for the anthems of & . 请全体起立，奏和两国国歌。 来自互联网

23 squandered   

v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌博上了。
• She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）

24 ragtime   

n.拉格泰姆音乐

参考例句：

• The most popular music back then was called ragtime.那时最流行的音乐叫拉格泰姆音乐。
• African-American piano player Scott Joplin wrote many ragtime songs.非裔美国钢琴家ScottJoplin写了许多拉格泰姆歌曲。

25 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。