新东方背诵文选 L24．Piano

（单词翻译）

The ancestry¹ of the piano can be traced to the early keyboard instruments of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries --- the spinet², the dulcimer, and the virginal. In the seventeenth century the organ, the clavichord³, and the harpsichord⁵ became the chief instruments of the keyboard group, a supremacy⁶ they maintained until the piano supplanted⁷ them at the end of the eighteenth century. The clavichord's tone was metallic⁸ and never powerful; nevertheless, because of the variety of tone possible to it, many composers found the clavichord a sympathetic instrument for intimate chamber⁹ music. The harpsichord with its bright, vigorous tone was the favorite instrument for supporting the bass¹⁰ of the small orchestra of the period and for concert use, but the character of the tone could not be varied¹¹ save by mechanical or structural¹² devices.
The piano was perfected in the early eighteenth century by a harpsichord maker¹³ in Italy (though musicologists point out several previous instances of the instrument). This instrument was called a piano e forte¹⁴ (sort and loud), to indicate its dynamic versatility¹⁵; its strings¹⁶ were struck by a recoiling¹⁷ hammer with a felt-padded head. The wires were much heavier in the earlier instruments. A series of mechanical improvements continuing well into the nineteenth century, including the introduction of pedals to sustain tone or to soften¹⁸ it, the perfection of a metal frame, and steel wire of the finest quality, finally produced an instrument capable of myriad¹⁹ tonal effects from the most delicate harmonies to an almost orchestral fullness of sound, from a liquid, singing tone to a sharp, percussive²⁰ brilliance²¹.

NOTE: Musical Instruments 1.The strings (弦乐) 1) plectrum: harp⁴, lute²², guitar, mandolin; 2) keyboard: clavichord, harpsichord, piano; 3) bow: violin, viola, cello²³, double bass. 2. The Wood（木管）-winds : piccolo, flute²⁴, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, English horn; 3. the brass（铜管）: French horn, trumpet²⁵, trombone, cornet, tuba,  bugle²⁶, saxophone; 4.the percussion（打击组）: kettle drum, bass drum, snare²⁷ drum, castanet, xylophone, celesta, cymbal²⁸, tambourine²⁹.