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Schubert: An Unsung Hero in His Time 舒伯特：艺术歌曲之王

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Many of history’s most important figures were fortunate enough to know fame or gain acknowledgement in their lifetimes. Sadly, however, this is not always the case. The Austrian composer Franz Schubert is one such person who, despite widespread posthumous recognition, was little appreciated while he was alive.

历史上许多重要人物都很幸运能在有生之年声名远播，获得大众的肯定。然而遗憾的是，不是每个人都这样。奥地利作曲家舒伯特便是一个反例。尽管逝世后声名大噪，他生前却很少获得人们的青睐。

Franz Peter Schubert was one of the five of schoolmaster Franz Theodor Schubert’s fourteen children who survived past infancy. The boy was born in Vienna, Austria on January 31st, 1797. It was his father who first gave Schubert musical instruction before arranging lessons for him, yet these lessons were reasonably informal. With two brothers on violin, Schubert on viola, and their father on the cello, the Schubert family also played as a string quartet. It was for them that Schubert wrote some of his very first quartet compositions.

舒伯特于1797年1月31日出生在奥地利维也纳。他是他父亲十四个孩子中，五个没夭折的小孩之一。舒伯特的父亲是舒伯特的音乐启蒙老师，在替舒伯特安排一些音乐课程之前，便亲自教授舒伯特音乐。但这些课程可以说并不是很正式。舒伯特的两个哥哥会拉小提琴，他自己演奏中提琴，父亲则是大提琴，四个家庭成员合起来便组成了弦乐四重奏。一些舒伯特最早的四重奏作品都是为这个弦乐团而写的。

He continued to practice and study music and composition, and became acquainted with the composer and conductor Antonio Salieri. Salieri was one of the most influential characters on the music scene, counting Liszt and Beethoven amongst his students. Schubert undoubtedly benefited greatly from his advice. However, Schubert was unable to make a living from his musical endeavors and, by 1814, he was at his father’s school working as a teacher. He stuck with the job for two years, all the while continuing to compose under Salieri’s instruction.

舒伯特持续研习音乐及作曲，并结识了作曲家兼指挥家萨里耶利。萨里耶利是当时音乐界最具影响力的人物之一，他的学生包括李斯特和贝多芬。舒伯特毫无疑问从萨里耶利的指导中获益良多。然而舒伯特却无法靠他在音乐方面的努力过活。1814年，他到了父亲任教的学校当老师。舒伯特在这份教职上撑了两年，同时仍继续在萨里耶利的指导下作曲。

Though these years were a struggle for Schubert, who did not enjoy his work as a teacher, they were also his most prolific. In 1815, he wrote nine church works, one symphony, and more than 140 art songs.

虽然这些年对舒伯特而言可说是一场折磨，因为他根本不喜欢教书。但这段日子也是舒伯特创作最丰富的时期。在1815年里，他写了9首宗教音乐，一首交响乐以及一百四十多首艺术歌曲。

Vocabulary

单词发音

unsung [ʌnˋsʌŋ] adj. 未被诗歌赞颂的；埋没的

acknowledgement [əkˋnɑlɪdʒmənt] n. 致谢；（对权威、功绩等的）确认 (=acknowledgment)

posthumous [ˋpɑstjuməs] adj. 死后的

recognition [͵rɛkəgˋnɪʃən] n. 赏识；表彰

appreciate [əˋpriʃɪ͵et] v. 欣赏，赏识

schoolmaster [ˋskul͵mæstɚ] n. 男校长；男教师

infancy [ˋɪnfənsɪ] n. 婴儿期，幼年

reasonably [ˋriznəblɪ] adv. 相当地，适度地

informal [ɪnˋfɔrm!] adj. 非正式的，非正规的

viola [vɪˋolə] n. 中提琴

cello [ˋtʃɛlo] n. 大提琴

quartet [kwɔrˋtɛt] n. 四重奏

acquainted [əˋkwentɪd] adj. 相互认识

conductor [kənˋdʌktɚ] n.（合唱团、乐队等的）指挥

count [kaʊnt] v. 认为；看作[（+as/among）]

endeavor [ɪnˋdɛvɚ] n. 努力

prolific [prəˋlɪfɪk] adj. 多产的﹐作品丰富的

symphony [ˋsɪmfənɪ] n. 交响乐，交响曲

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片语发音

make a living from 赚钱谋生 to earn a living from something or by doing something

stick with 紧跟; 跟…在一起; 不离开…

all the while 一直, 始终  for all of a period of time

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Success and recognition continued to elude Schubert, and his compositions were seldom published. However, he was lucky in that he had the firm support of several loyal friends and a number of admirers. Their generosity and enthusiasm encouraged Schubert to continue composing.

舒伯特仍旧无法获得大众赞赏，他的作品也很少被出版。不过幸运的是他有一些忠实朋友及仰慕者的坚定不移的支持。这些人的慷慨付出与热忱鼓励着他继续创作。

Tragically, we will never know what more Schubert may have achieved, as he died of syphilis in 1828 at the age of 31. But we can be grateful that, in his short life, he composed more than 1,000 pieces of music, including symphonies, operas, and sonatas. He is most famous, though, for his art songs – or lieder – and is regarded as a pioneer of the genre.

很遗憾地在1828年，31岁的舒伯特便因梅毒逝世，让我们永远无法得知舒伯特是否可能创下更高的成就。但值得我们庆幸的是，在舒伯特短暂的一生中，他创作了超过一千多首音乐，包括了交响乐、歌剧和奏鸣曲。不过他最有名的作品莫过于艺术歌曲，而他亦被视为这类音乐的先驱者。

These lieder stand alone – they are not part of an operatic performance –as short, lyrical poems set to the piano, harp, violin, or an orchestra, and Schubert wrote more than 600 of them. Gretchen am Spinnrade (Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel), for example, is a song inspired by Goethe’s Faust. A soprano sings to a piano accompaniment, describing Gretchen and Faust’s kiss. Another famous lied by Schubert is Der Tod und das Madchen (Death and the Maiden), also derived from a German poem.

艺术歌曲并不是歌剧类表演的一部分，而是自成一部独立的作品，以短诗韵文搭配着钢琴、竖琴、小提琴或是交响乐团伴奏。舒伯特总共写下六百多首艺术歌曲。例如《纺车旁的葛丽卿》，其灵感是来自于歌德的《浮士德》，一名女高音在钢琴伴奏下，以歌声描绘出葛丽卿与浮士德的吻。另一首歌曲《死与少女》亦是衍生自一首德文诗。

Some decades after his death, Franz Schubert’s works began to gain the attention of the public and the praise of critics. Today, he is one of the world’s best-loved and most performed composers. We can thank our lucky stars that, when he lived, Schubert had the strength of character to continue composing in spite of obscurity so that, to this day, people around the world may enjoy the music that has become his legacy.

舒伯特逝世数十年后，他的作品渐渐引起大众关注，得到评论家赞赏。今日，他是最受喜爱、作品最常被演奏的音乐家之一。我们真的要好好感谢上苍，因为舒伯特有着如此坚强的毅力，让他尽管没没无闻却持续创作，使得今日全世界的人得以欣赏他所遗留下来的音乐。

－by Alice Davis

Vocabulary

单词发音

elude [ɪˋlud] v.（巧妙地）逃避，躲避

admirer [ədˋmaɪrɚ] n. 赞赏者；钦佩者

generosity [͵dʒɛnəˋrɑsətɪ] n. 慷慨﹐大方

syphilis [ˋsɪflɪs] n. 梅毒

grateful [ˋgretfəl] adj. 感谢的，感激的

sonata [səˋnɑtə] n. 奏鸣曲

lied [lid] n. 【德】歌，德国抒情歌曲  (名复: lieder) a German art song for solo voice and piano

genre [ˋʒɑnrə]〔艺术﹑写作﹑音乐等的〕n. 类型﹐体裁

operatic [͵ɑpəˋrætɪk] adj. 歌剧的；似歌剧的

set [sɛt] v.（词）谱曲；（曲）配词 a: to compose (music) to fit a given text;  b: to write (words) to fit a given melodic line

harp [hɑrp] n. 竖琴

spinning wheel n. 纺车

Faust [faʊst] n. 浮士德（哥德同名悲剧著作的主人公）

soprano [səˋpræno] n. 女高音

accompaniment [əˋkʌmpənɪmənt] n. 伴奏；伴唱

maiden [ˋmedn] n. 少女，处女

perform [pɚˋfɔrm] v. 演出，表演

obscurity [əbˋskjʊrətɪ] n. 无名; 默默无闻

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单词发音

stand alone 独立的

thank one’s lucky stars 感到非常幸运 to be very grateful for something

strength of character  坚强性格; 骨气

Reading Questions

1.  Which of the following statement is NOT true?

(A)  Schubert did not compose many works.

(B)  Schubert was little known in his lifetime.

(C)  Nine of Schubert’s siblings died as babies.

(D)  Schubert was encouraged in his work by a small circle of friends.

2.  According to the article, what happened to Schubert during his relationship with Salieri?

(A)  He found fame and fortune.

(B)  He wrote fewer compositions than before.

(C)  He was introduced to Beethoven.

(D)  He had a job teaching at a school.

3.  Schubert is best known for his ______.

(A)  compositions for string quartet

(B)  brief poetic songs

(C)  long and complicated orchestral works

(D)  operas and religious symphonies

4.  What does the last sentence say we should “thank our lucky stars” for?

(A)  Schubert finally gaining recognition.

(B)  Schubert’s music having worldwide appeal.

(C)  A lack of success not stopping Schubert from composing.

(D)  Schubert being motivated by a strong desire for fame.

Renee Fleming sings Gretchen am Spinnrade by Schubert

Regine Crespin - Schubert's Der Tod und das Madchen

Answer