VOA慢速英语20061206b

EXPLORATIONS - More Than Two Centuries Later, Mozart's Music Remains¹ Full of LifeBy Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Wednesday, December 06, 2006

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:


Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

And I'm Barbara Klein with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. This year, the world marked the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the birth of Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. There have been celebrations of the composer's work all year long.

On December fifth, music houses around the world observed the anniversary of the composer's death.

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VOICE ONE:

That music is from Mozart's Requiem², a work the composer did not complete before his death. A requiem is music written in honor of someone who has died. Many people consider the music and its subject matter to add to the mystery surrounding Mozart's death. Could it be that the composer sensed his approaching death from fever and wrote Requiem in his own honor? There is no doubt, however, that the music of Mozart has more to do with life and happiness than with sadness or mystery.

VOICE TWO:

Mozart wrote and performed music in the second half of the eighteenth century. During this period, European musicians performed for kings, queens and other royalty³. Musicians often depended on wealthy people called patrons⁴ to support them.

Mozart, along with his friend Joseph Haydn, became the best example of the classical style -- the important performance music of his time. Today, people often use the word classical to describe other kinds of music written for and performed by an orchestra⁵.

Some music critics consider Symphony⁶ Twenty-Five in G Minor⁷ to be the first work showing Mozart's full ability. He was seventeen when he wrote it. See what you think of this young man's skills.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

The word effortless is often used to describe the musical compositions of Mozart. Music came so naturally to the child born in Salzburg, Austria, in seventeen fifty-six. He was given the name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart shortly after his birth. But he liked to be called Amadeus, or Amadé, meaning beloved of God.

Wolfgang was the last of seven children born to Leopold Mozart and Anna Maria Pertl. Five of the children died while babies. Only Wolfgang and his older sister, Maria Anna, survived. Both were extremely gifted musicians from a very young age. The children traveled with their parents and performed across Europe.

Wolfgang's father was a well-known violin teacher. The year Wolfgang was born, Leopold published a popular book on violin playing. Soon Wolfgang started to show an unusual command of many instruments.

By the age of eight, he played the piano -- sometimes with his eyes covered. He also played the organ and violin very well. He showed an understanding of music of a much older person.

VOICE TWO:

Travel enriched⁸ the education of the young Mozart. His father worked in many of the great cities of eighteenth century Europe. The family visited London, Munich, Vienna, Prague and Paris.

Tragedy struck the family in seventeen seventy-eight while young Mozart was seeking work in Paris with his mother. His mother became sick and died. Far away in Salzburg, Leopold felt helpless. He blamed his son for his wife's death.

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VOICE ONE:

Mozart's family kept a home in Salzburg during his early years. He would later be appointed concertmaster to the archbishop of the city. Mozart's job was to write new pieces of music for religious ceremonies and other events. He also played several instruments, including the organ. But Mozart fought with his employer who, he felt, mistreated him. He was released from service to the archbishop in seventeen eighty-one.

Only after Mozart left Salzburg permanently⁹ and went to Vienna did his work reach its highest level. Vienna was the home of Holy Roman Emperor Joseph the Second. Musicians came from all over Europe to perform for him.

VOICE TWO:

Mozart married Constanze Weber in the Austrian capital in seventeen eighty-two. He described his wife as having plenty of common sense and the kindest heart in the world. Constanze had six children but only two survived. They were happy together, although their life was sometimes difficult.

In Vienna, Mozart wrote his greatest operas -- musical plays performed with an orchestra. His works were performed in other cities as well. His Marriage of Figaro was so popular in Prague that he was asked to write an opera especially for a music house there.

The opera he composed was Don Giovanni, considered by many to be his best. The opera is based on the story of the lover and fighter, Don Juan, by the Spanish writer Tirso de Molina. In this scene, the spirit of a man Don Giovanni had killed long ago returns to the world of the living to seize him and drag him down to hell.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Events have been held all over Europe and in the United States to celebrate the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of Mozart's birth. Salzburg alone held about five hundred events to celebrate the famous composer. Vienna spent about sixty million dollars in public and private money for its Mozart celebration.

In reality, there is an ongoing¹⁰ Mozart celebration all the time. Mozart's music is performed around the world. And his music can be heard in more than three hundred films, from Jean Renoir's The Rules of the Game to Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

Peter Shaffer's nineteen eighty-four film, Amadeus, was generally based on the life of the composer. The film won eight Academy Awards. But historians¹¹ point out that the film is not correct in showing Italian composer Antonio Salieri as an evil force behind Mozart's death. Salieri was a friend who taught Mozart's son.

VOICE TWO:

Mozart died on December fifth, seventeen ninety-one. He was only thirty-five. He had composed more than six hundred pieces of music. Some experts consider Mozart the greatest composer of all time.

Near the end of his life, Mozart composed the Forty-First Symphony. After his death, it came to be known as Jupiter¹², possibly in praise of its style and expression. Critics consider it one of Mozart's truly great works and a beautiful expression of the classical style that he helped to define¹³. Listen, and consider that what you have heard on our program represents just a few of Mozart's best works.

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VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. You can read and listen to this program on our Web site, www.unsv.com.Join us again next week for Explorations in VOA Special English.

1 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。

2 requiem   

n.安魂曲，安灵曲

参考例句：

• I will sing a requiem for the land walkers.我会给陆地上走的人唱首安魂曲。
• The Requiem is on the list for today's concert.《安魂曲》是这次音乐会的演出曲目之一。

3 royalty   

n.皇家，皇族

参考例句：

• She claims to be descended from royalty.她声称她是皇室后裔。
• I waited on tables，and even catered to royalty at the Royal Albert Hall.我做过服务生， 甚至在皇家阿伯特大厅侍奉过皇室的人。

4 patrons   

赞助人( patron的名词复数 )； 资助人； 老主顾； 名义赞助人（支持慈善组织等的名人，名字常用于有关的广告宣传中）

参考例句：

• "Of course. Every hotel depends upon the repute of its patrons. “当然啦，每家旅馆都要依靠其主顾的名声。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Patrons are requested to leave their bags in the cloakroom. 顾客请将手提包留在衣帽间。

5 orchestra   

n.管弦乐队；vt.命令，定购

参考例句：

• He plays the violin in an orchestra.他在管弦乐队中演奏小提琴。
• I was tempted to stay and hear this superb orchestra rehearse.我真想留下来听这支高超的管弦乐队排练。

6 symphony   

n.交响乐（曲），（色彩等的）和谐

参考例句：

• The Ninth Symphony of Beethoven is a famous one.贝多芬的第九交响乐非常有名。
• They play over the whole symphony.他们把整个交响乐重新演奏了一遍。

7 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。

8 enriched   

使富有( enrich的过去式和过去分词 )； 使富裕； 充实； 使丰富

参考例句：

• The study of science has enriched all our lives. 科学研究丰富了我们的整个生活。
• breakfast cereals enriched with vitamins 增加了维生素的早餐谷物食品

9 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

10 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

11 historians   

n.历史学家，史学工作者( historian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Historians seem to have confused the chronology of these events. 历史学家好像把这些事件发生的年代顺序搞混了。
• Historians have concurred with each other in this view. 历史学家在这个观点上已取得一致意见。

12 Jupiter   

n.木星

参考例句：

• Jupiter is unlike the Earth in almost every way.木星与地球几乎完全不同。
• The astronomers were taking an observation of Jupiter.天文学家们正在观测木星。

13 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。