彭蒙惠英语：Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius（在线收听）

Tchaikovsky: The Life of a Musical Genius

By Melissa Burdick Harmon /

This article was published originally in Biography

Magazine. © 2003. A&E Television Networks. All rights reserved

Over 100 years later, this brilliant musician’s death is still shrouded in mystery

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Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a superstar in an era rich with great composers, lay dying. Tchaikovsky, known for his lush ballets and operas, deeply harmonious symphonies and piano concertos, and vivid choral and chamber music, appeared to have contracted cholera. His physician placed him in a red-hot bath, a drastic last attempt to get his failing kidneys to function. The treatment failed. Tchaikovsky, 53, slipped into a coma. His pulse faded.

He died on November 6, 1893. From that day, a debate has raged about the cause of his death. Some agree it was cholera. Others insist it was suicide. Still others believe it was murder. Despite research by dozens of scholars, the answer remains a mystery.

Early years

The man who would brighten Christmases to come with the lively Nutcracker, touch hearts with the moving Pathétique Symphony, and produce countless staples of the concert and opera stages, was born on May 7, 1840, in Kamsko-Votkinsk, Russia. Even as a toddler, young Peter showed a striking ability to remember complex melodies.

By age 6, he was fluent in Russian, French and German. At age 12, he began studying at St. Petersburg’s School of Jurisprudence, preparing for a secure life as a civil servant. He was bored, but brilliant enough to move easily through his coursework.

On a rare visit, his mother took him to see the opera, A Life for the Tsar. It affected the teenager so powerfully that strains from the opera turned up in his own work years later. This experience showed him very clearly the path he was meant to pursue.

Vocabulary Focus

shroud (v) [Fraud] to hide something by covering or surrounding it

lush (adj) [lQF] very pleasing to the senses; luxurious or extravagant

contract (v) [5kCntrAkt] to catch or become ill with a disease

staple (n) [5steipl] something that is basic, main, standard or regular

Specialized Terms

symphony (n) 交响乐，交响曲 a long piece of music for an orchestra, usually with four parts

concerto (n) 协奏曲 a long piece of music for one or more main solo instruments and an orchestra

chamber music (n phr) 室内乐 classical music written for a small group of musicians

cholera (n) 霍乱 a serious infection of the bowels caused by drinking infected water or eating infected food, causing diarrhea, vomiting and often death

jurisprudence (n) 法学，法律学 the study of law and the principles on which law is based

strain (n) 乐曲，旋律，诗歌 a series of musical notes that create a distinct melody or tune

柴可夫斯基：音乐才子的一生

在100多年后，这位才华横溢的音乐家之死仍然深锁在重重谜雾中

胡怡敏 译

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彼得·伊里奇·柴可夫斯基，一个活在充斥着出色作曲家时代的超级巨星，缠绵病榻奄奄一息。以华丽优美的芭蕾和歌剧，极为悦耳悠扬的交响曲和钢琴协奏曲，以及明快活泼的赞美诗和室内乐所闻名的柴可夫斯基，似乎是得了霍乱。医生让他洗了一个热腾腾的泡澡，一个使他正在衰竭的肾脏重新运作的激烈的最后尝试。这个治疗失败了。53岁的柴可夫斯基陷入昏迷状态。他的脉搏逐渐停止。

柴可夫斯基于1893年11月6日辞世。自那天开始，一个关于他死因的辩论就甚嚣尘上。有些人认同柴可夫斯基死于霍乱。其他人则坚持他是自杀身亡。而另外一群人则认为是谋杀。尽管有数十位学者投入调查，答案仍然是个谜。

早年生涯

那位以活泼轻快的《胡桃夹子》让后世的圣诞节闪闪生辉，以动人的《悲怆交响曲》拨动心弦，并且写了无数演奏会和歌剧作品的大师，在1840年的5月7日出生于俄国的沃金斯克。即使在学步时期，年轻的彼得就展示了一项惊人的天赋，能记住复杂的旋律。

6岁时，他已能说流利的俄文、法文和德文。12岁时，他开始在圣彼得堡的法律学校就读，为日后享有公职人员的稳定生活而铺路。柴可夫斯基感到无趣，但是他是够聪明，能轻松地读完课程。

在一次难得的探望行程中，他的母亲带他去欣赏歌剧，《沙皇的一生》。这出歌剧对这名青少年的影响是如此深远，剧中的旋律，居然在许多年之后他自己的作品中出现。而它也清楚指示了柴可夫斯基注定要追寻的路。