彭蒙惠英语：Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius

Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius

 

By Melissa Burdick Harmon /

This article was published originally in Biography

Magazine. © 2003. A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved

 

Over 100 years later, this brilliant musician’s death is still shrouded² in mystery

 

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Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a superstar in an era rich with great composers, lay dying. Tchaikovsky, known for his lush ballets and operas, deeply harmonious³ symphonies and piano concertos⁵, and vivid choral and chamber⁶ music, appeared to have contracted cholera⁷. His physician placed him in a red-hot bath, a drastic last attempt to get his failing kidneys to function. The treatment failed. Tchaikovsky, 53, slipped into a coma⁸. His pulse faded.

 

He died on November 6, 1893. From that day, a debate has raged about the cause of his death. Some agree it was cholera. Others insist it was suicide. Still others believe it was murder. Despite research by dozens of scholars, the answer remains⁹ a mystery.

 

Early years

The man who would brighten Christmases to come with the lively Nutcracker, touch hearts with the moving Pathétique Symphony, and produce countless¹⁰ staples¹² of the concert and opera stages, was born on May 7, 1840, in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia. Even as a toddler, young Peter showed a striking ability to remember complex melodies.

 

By age 6, he was fluent in Russian, French and German. At age 12, he began studying at St. Petersburg’s School of Jurisprudence, preparing for a secure life as a civil servant. He was bored, but brilliant enough to move easily through his coursework.

 

On a rare visit, his mother took him to see the opera, A Life for the Tsar. It affected¹³ the teenager so powerfully that strains from the opera turned up in his own work years later. This experience showed him very clearly the path he was meant to pursue.

 

Vocabulary Focus

shroud¹ (v) [Fraud] to hide something by covering or surrounding it

lush (adj) [lQF] very pleasing to the senses; luxurious¹⁴ or extravagant¹⁵

contract (v) [5kCntrAkt] to catch or become ill with a disease

staple¹¹ (n) [5steipl] something that is basic, main, standard or regular

 

Specialized¹⁶ Terms

symphony (n) 交响乐，交响曲 a long piece of music for an orchestra, usually with four parts

concerto⁴ (n) 协奏曲 a long piece of music for one or more main solo instruments and an orchestra

chamber music (n phr) 室内乐 classical music written for a small group of musicians

cholera (n) 霍乱 a serious infection of the bowels¹⁷ caused by drinking infected water or eating infected food, causing diarrhea, vomiting¹⁸ and often death

jurisprudence (n) 法学，法律学 the study of law and the principles on which law is based

strain (n) 乐曲，旋律，诗歌 a series of musical notes that create a distinct melody or tune¹⁹

 

柴可夫斯基：音乐才子的一生

 

在100多年后，这位才华横溢的音乐家之死仍然深锁在重重谜雾中

胡怡敏 译

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彼得·伊里奇·柴可夫斯基，一个活在充斥着出色作曲家时代的超级巨星，缠绵病榻奄奄一息。以华丽优美的芭蕾和歌剧，极为悦耳悠扬的交响曲和钢琴协奏曲，以及明快活泼的赞美诗和室内乐所闻名的柴可夫斯基，似乎是得了霍乱。医生让他洗了一个热腾腾的泡澡，一个使他正在衰竭的肾脏重新运作的激烈的最后尝试。这个治疗失败了。53岁的柴可夫斯基陷入昏迷状态。他的脉搏逐渐停止。

柴可夫斯基于1893年11月6日辞世。自那天开始，一个关于他死因的辩论就甚嚣尘上。有些人认同柴可夫斯基死于霍乱。其他人则坚持他是自杀身亡。而另外一群人则认为是谋杀。尽管有数十位学者投入调查，答案仍然是个谜。

 

早年生涯

那位以活泼轻快的《胡桃夹子》让后世的圣诞节闪闪生辉，以动人的《悲怆交响曲》拨动心弦，并且写了无数演奏会和歌剧作品的大师，在1840年的5月7日出生于俄国的沃金斯克。即使在学步时期，年轻的彼得就展示了一项惊人的天赋，能记住复杂的旋律。

6岁时，他已能说流利的俄文、法文和德文。12岁时，他开始在圣彼得堡的法律学校就读，为日后享有公职人员的稳定生活而铺路。柴可夫斯基感到无趣，但是他是够聪明，能轻松地读完课程。

在一次难得的探望行程中，他的母亲带他去欣赏歌剧，《沙皇的一生》。这出歌剧对这名青少年的影响是如此深远，剧中的旋律，居然在许多年之后他自己的作品中出现。而它也清楚指示了柴可夫斯基注定要追寻的路。

1 shroud   

n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏

参考例句：

• His past was enveloped in a shroud of mystery.他的过去被裹上一层神秘色彩。
• How can I do under shroud of a dark sky?在黑暗的天空的笼罩下，我该怎么做呢？

2 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 harmonious   

adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的

参考例句：

• Their harmonious relationship resulted in part from their similar goals.他们关系融洽的部分原因是他们有着相似的目标。
• The room was painted in harmonious colors.房间油漆得色彩调和。

4 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• 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。

5 concertos   

n. [音]协奏曲

参考例句：

• I once heard Brendel play all the Beethoven concertos. 有一次，我听了布伦德尔演奏贝多芬全部的协奏曲。
• The six finalists then played two piano concertos each. 然后，六名决赛选手每人演奏了两首钢琴协奏曲。

6 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

7 cholera   

n.霍乱

参考例句：

• The cholera outbreak has been contained.霍乱的发生已被控制住了。
• Cholera spread like wildfire through the camps.霍乱在营地里迅速传播。

8 coma   

n.昏迷，昏迷状态

参考例句：

• The patient rallied from the coma.病人从昏迷中苏醒过来。
• She went into a coma after swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills.她吃了一整瓶安眠药后就昏迷过去了。

9 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

10 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

11 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

12 staples   

n.（某国的）主要产品( staple的名词复数 )；钉书钉；U 形钉；主要部份v.用钉书钉钉住( staple的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The anvil onto which the staples are pressed was not assemble correctly. 订书机上的铁砧安装错位。 来自辞典例句
• I'm trying to make an analysis of the staples of his talk. 我在试行分析他的谈话的要旨。 来自辞典例句

13 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

14 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

15 extravagant   

adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的

参考例句：

• They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
• He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。

16 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

17 bowels   

n.肠，内脏，内部；肠( bowel的名词复数 )；内部，最深处

参考例句：

• Salts is a medicine that causes movements of the bowels. 泻盐是一种促使肠子运动的药物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cabins are in the bowels of the ship. 舱房设在船腹内。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 vomiting   

吐

参考例句：

• Symptoms include diarrhoea and vomiting. 症状有腹泻和呕吐。
• Especially when I feel seasick, I can't stand watching someone else vomiting." 尤其晕船的时候，看不得人家呕。”

19 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。