时间:2018-12-02 作者:英语课 分类:2007年NPR美国国家公共电台


英语课
150 years ago today, one of England's most famous composers was born. Sir Edward Elgar was the son of a piano tuner and was largely self-taught. His music, stirring, patriotic 2 and emotional captured the spirit of England. It has endured as music we turn to for momentous 3 occasions. NPR's Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr has this appreciation 4.

The composition for which Edward Elgar is best known today is not instantly recognizable. A minute or two of sprightly 5 and bombastic 6 music comes before the entire character of the piece changes.

It's Pomp and Circumstance Military March No.1. Elgar wrote it in 1901 with a title borrowed from Othello, describing the pride pomp and circumstance of glorious war. Elgar reused the theme at the King's request in music for the coronation of Edward VII setting the words of A.C. Benson's poem: Land of Hope and Glory. The tune 1 became the second British national anthem 7. Its first appearance at an American graduation ceremony was at Yale University in 1905. Elgar was there receiving an honorary degree and it was played as the invited guests were leaving the hall. Ever since then, it's become a mainstay of graduations and feels appropriate for the occasion. It's stately, dignified 8 and indomitable.

After the attacks of 9.11, orchestras in the United States turned to another work by Elgar to express sorrow, pain and the need to begin healing. One of his Enigma 9 Variations the section called Nimrod appeared on many memorial concert programs.

The set of variations was Elgar's first great public success in 1899. Each variation musically depicted 10 the character of a friend or colleague, many of the movements are playful, showing the side of Elgar's personality that liked wordplay, codes and riddles 12. Each section's title is either a nicknames or set of initials. And Elgar hinted that there were other secrets to discover that were hidden in the music. There would be concerts in the UK throughout the season and there have been many observances of the anniversary. The biggest gala at Royal Albert Hall. That program included Elgar's Cello 13 Concerto 14, a piece that legendary 15 British cellist 16 Jacqueline du Pre made her own in the 1965 recording 17.

In the US, one major celebration of Elgar sesqui-centennial will be held this July and August in upstate New York at the Bard 18 Music Festival. Elgar's statue in his homeland has been a bit mixed recently. The British Arts Council turned down a request by the Elgar society to fund the commemorate 19 of series of Youth Concerts. And earlier this year, Elgar's portrait which had been on the 20-pound note was replaced with the image of economist 20 Adam Smith, but his popularity continues. In a British survey of the General Public in 2005, Sir Edward Elgar was named the most popular British composer ever.
Jeffrey Freymann-Weyr, NPR News

To learn more about Elgar and hear how the riddle 11 behind his Enigma Variations might be solved. Go to npr.org/music



1 tune
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整
  • 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。
2 patriotic
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的
  • His speech was full of patriotic sentiments.他的演说充满了爱国之情。
  • The old man is a patriotic overseas Chinese.这位老人是一位爱国华侨。
3 momentous
adj.重要的,重大的
  • I am deeply honoured to be invited to this momentous occasion.能应邀出席如此重要的场合,我深感荣幸。
  • The momentous news was that war had begun.重大的新闻是战争已经开始。
4 appreciation
n.评价;欣赏;感谢;领会,理解;价格上涨
  • I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
  • I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。
5 sprightly
adj.愉快的,活泼的
  • She is as sprightly as a woman half her age.她跟比她年轻一半的妇女一样活泼。
  • He's surprisingly sprightly for an old man.他这把年纪了,还这么精神,真了不起。
6 bombastic
adj.夸夸其谈的,言过其实的
  • The candidate spoke in a bombastic way of all that he would do if elected.候选人大肆吹嘘,一旦他当选将要如何如何。
  • The orator spoke in a bombastic manner.这位演说家的讲话言过其实。
7 anthem
n.圣歌,赞美诗,颂歌
  • 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。
8 dignified
a.可敬的,高贵的
  • Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中,他始终沉默以保持尊严。
  • He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。
9 enigma
n.谜,谜一样的人或事
  • I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年,他仍然难以捉摸。
  • Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词,这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。
10 depicted
描绘,描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 ); 描述
  • Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
  • They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。
11 riddle
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜
  • The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
  • Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
12 riddles
n.谜(语)( riddle的名词复数 );猜不透的难题,难解之谜
  • Few riddles collected from oral tradition, however, have all six parts. 但是据收集的情况看,口头流传的谜语很少具有这完整的六部分。 来自英汉非文学 - 民俗
  • But first, you'd better see if you can answer riddles. 但是你首先最好想想你会不会猜谜语。 来自辞典例句
13 cello
n.大提琴
  • The cello is a member of the violin family.大提琴是提琴家族的一员。
  • She plays a melodious cello.她拉着一手悦耳的大提琴。
14 concerto
n.协奏曲
  • 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。
15 legendary
adj.传奇(中)的,闻名遐迩的;n.传奇(文学)
  • Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
  • Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。
16 cellist
n.大提琴手
  • The cellist's bowing was very sensitive . 那位大提琴手的弓法十分细腻。 来自辞典例句
  • World-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma founded The Silk Road Project in 1998. 世界闻名的大提琴家马友友于1998年创建了丝路工程。 来自互联网
17 recording
n.录音,记录
  • How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间?
  • I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
18 bard
n.吟游诗人
  • I'll use my bard song to help you concentrate!我会用我的吟游诗人歌曲帮你集中精神!
  • I find him,the wandering grey bard.我发现了正在徘徊的衰老游唱诗人。
19 commemorate
vt.纪念,庆祝
  • This building was built to commemorate the Fire of London.这栋大楼是为纪念“伦敦大火”而兴建的。
  • We commemorate the founding of our nation with a public holiday.我们放假一日以庆祝国庆。
20 economist
n.经济学家,经济专家,节俭的人
  • He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
  • He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家,自以为什么都懂。
学英语单词
advance signal-processing system
all-chloride
altra
amping up
annihilator of a module
assisted self-assembly
associated bilateral aid
auto-receipt notification
beater washing machine
binyans
bombaste
Brobecid
burrowing share
calcareous ooze
Canavalia gladiolata
capacity-demand ratio
cardines
cleaning gas
commentar
cyclizine
demand data
dentogingival junction
deposit weld
digital rectal examination
dimethoxyisoflavone
dinitroaminophenol
dip-moulding
drill key
f-bomb
fish fork
four-vector force
gastrostogavage
green tobacco
Griqualand East
gyrophototaxis
high-tail
hinge pin bracket
hollow-jet valve
homan
hydra
Hydrocotyle hookeri
hypopyge
incremental profit
Indian Rocks
indicator constant
indirect address
inhomogeneous mesh calculation
interepte
interpolating node of linkage mechanism synthesis
ipomoea orizabenses
isomelic
kapsels
Leonardo number
level indicated control
machine for stamping and edging
megaweapons
molobratia japonica
muall
myoelectrical
ncep
nerts
non-isothermal calorimeter
not as black as one is painted
noun modifier
paranephric cyst
phase interface
phosphomutants
pietrzak
Pius VII
pod rot
ponyfoot
propagating
purple onions
put his best leg foremost
restrain order
retracted position
Rhaphuma annularis
run your eye over sth
salt-water cooling
scheduled overtime
screen brush
semi final
shiants
shooting off
Sidi Abd el Aziz
single operation part
solder set
sperm head
St-Blaise-la-Roche
steampunker
stratified simplex method
succeed someone in
surface computing
tea trolleys
telegraph rate
thermodynamics of diffusion
thranius infernalis
trichoglossum walteri
unequal leg angle
waraos
winding down
Yanggu-gun