VOA标准英语2010年-Haitian American Violinist at Olympics

Haitian-American violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain rehearsing with Maestro Bramwell Tovey and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on February 14, 2010.

Haitian American violinist Daniel Bernard Roumain is in Vancouver this month as part of the cultural celebrations surrounding the Winter Olympics.  Roumain - also known as DBR - blends classical violin, funk, rhythm and blues¹, and hip² hop³ into a musical stew⁴ for everyone to enjoy.

Daniel started playing violin when he was five years old.  In his hometown of Margate, Florida, he heard a classmate playing the instrument and fell in love with the sound. Growing up in south Florida, he was exposed to a variety of musical styles - reggae, Afro-Cuban and Brazilian music, Latin, as well as classical.

Daniel Bernard Roumain during rehearsal⁵ with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra on February 14, 2010

He eventually studied music at Vanderbilt University and got a PhD in composition from the University of Michigan.  But the musical influences of his childhood never left him.

Roumain told VOA that his mixture of styles is like a Creole dish - made up of many parts - and that it reflects both his heritage and the modern technology that allows people to make their own playlists.

"My Haitian ancestry⁶ and my south Florida upbringing collided into a mixing of different musical genres⁷," he says. "And it makes my job and what I am wanting to do with classical music - mixing genres - much easier and I think relevant."

Roumain draws from several traditions and techniques in his music.  He uses percussive⁸ hits of the bow against the strings⁹, he plucks the strings with his fingers and thumb, sometimes with the bow in his mouth and he plays the violin like a jazz bassist plays the upright.  The musician says it is all part of his conversation with the audience.

"I stomp¹⁰ my feet, I use my whole body, I vocalize, often times I talk and play at the same time," says Roumain. "I should say I 'testify' and play at the same time. But to me, playing the violin is talking anyway. You are revealing a certain aspect of yourself. I am adding words to those sonic sounds.  I think the way I play the violin has as much to do with Jimi Hendrix, as it does Prince, as it does with Paganini."

But DBR is not just a musician.  Being Haitian-American, he has been thrust into a spotlight¹¹ that he did not seek because of the January earthquake that devastated¹² Haiti.  Although he has identified himself as a Haitian-American composer since 1992, the disaster has made him even more aware of his roots.

Roumain is donating a portion of his merchandise sales to Haitian relief.  He plans to visit Haiti and he and singer Emeline Michel are planning a series of concerts and other events to help rebuild their ancestral homeland.

The violinist says the earthquake has changed his music, even to the point of putting his version of the Haitian national anthem¹³ in his concerto¹⁴.

"It's a militant¹⁵ kind of stance. Whether it's [my pieces] Voodoo Violin concerto, or Haitian Essay, or whatever my work might suggest now, these are all opportunities and I can, I think, bend them towards a common good, towards helping¹⁶ Haiti, towards understanding that nation.  It really is enough, I think, for people to come to a concert and sit and listen."

Roumain's audiences hear a variety of sounds in his concerts. His innovative¹⁷ approach to classical music has earned him respect and admiration¹⁸ from fans of all tastes, including his fellow musicians.

Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conductor Bramwell Tovey - a Grammy and Juno [Canadian Grammy] Award winner - says Roumain offers a fresh take on classical music that inspires not only audiences, but also other musicians.

"I think what Daniel is doing with this particular piece just so shortly after the terrible, terrible disaster that has occurred in Haiti, I think what we are doing is we are communicating with people about this experience through music," says Tovey. He adds, "And that's another level on which we can talk to each other."
 
Daniel Bernard Roumain says he has conflicting emotions since the January 12 earthquake. Sometimes he feels guilty, other times he feels helpless or like he is not doing enough.  But he says all those emotions help to inform and inspire his conversation with the audience. He also feels a special responsibility as a Haitian American to keep his ancestral home in the forefront - even after it fades from the headlines.
 

1 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

2 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

4 stew   

n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑

参考例句：

• The stew must be boiled up before serving.炖肉必须煮熟才能上桌。
• There's no need to get in a stew.没有必要烦恼。

5 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

6 ancestry   

n.祖先，家世

参考例句：

• Their ancestry settled the land in 1856.他们的祖辈1856年在这块土地上定居下来。
• He is an American of French ancestry.他是法国血统的美国人。

7 genres   

（文学、艺术等的）类型，体裁，风格( genre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Novel and short story are different genres. 长篇小说和短篇小说是不同的类别。
• But confusions over the two genres have a long history. 但是类型的混淆，古已有之。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译

8 percussive   

adj.敲击的

参考例句：

• When it is dragged over pliant areas, an additional percussive tap could indicate this collision. 当它被拖到受范区域时，一个附加的敲击声提示这种碰触。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Pneumatic DTH (Down-The-Hole) hammer is one of main pneumatic percussive-rotary drilling equipments. 风动冲击器是气动冲击回转钻进的主要设备之一。 来自互联网

9 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

10 stomp   

v.跺（脚），重踩，重踏

参考例句：

• 3.And you go to france, and you go to stomp! 你去法国，你去看跺脚舞！
• 4.How hard did she stomp? 她跺得有多狠？

11 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

12 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

13 anthem   

n.圣歌，赞美诗，颂歌

参考例句：

• 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。

14 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• 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 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

16 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

17 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

18 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。