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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
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.
1 ancestry | |
n.祖先,家世 | |
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2 spinet | |
n.小型立式钢琴 | |
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3 clavichord | |
n.(敲弦)古钢琴 | |
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4 harp | |
n.竖琴;天琴座 | |
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5 harpsichord | |
n.键琴(钢琴前身) | |
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6 supremacy | |
n.至上;至高权力 | |
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7 supplanted | |
把…排挤掉,取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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9 chamber | |
n.房间,寝室;会议厅;议院;会所 | |
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10 bass | |
n.男低音(歌手);低音乐器;低音大提琴 | |
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11 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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12 structural | |
adj.构造的,组织的,建筑(用)的 | |
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13 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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14 forte | |
n.长处,擅长;adj.(音乐)强音的 | |
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15 versatility | |
n.多才多艺,多样性,多功能 | |
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16 strings | |
n.弦 | |
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17 recoiling | |
v.畏缩( recoil的现在分词 );退缩;报应;返回 | |
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18 soften | |
v.(使)变柔软;(使)变柔和 | |
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19 myriad | |
adj.无数的;n.无数,极大数量 | |
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20 percussive | |
adj.敲击的 | |
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21 brilliance | |
n.光辉,辉煌,壮丽,(卓越的)才华,才智 | |
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22 lute | |
n.琵琶,鲁特琴 | |
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23 cello | |
n.大提琴 | |
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24 flute | |
n.长笛;v.吹笛 | |
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25 trumpet | |
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘 | |
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26 bugle | |
n.军号,号角,喇叭;v.吹号,吹号召集 | |
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27 snare | |
n.陷阱,诱惑,圈套;(去除息肉或者肿瘤的)勒除器;响弦,小军鼓;vt.以陷阱捕获,诱惑 | |
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28 cymbal | |
n.铙钹 | |
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29 tambourine | |
n.铃鼓,手鼓 | |
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