VOA标准英语2011--Christmas Concert Hits Jazzy Note

Christmas Concert Hits Jazzy Note

 

It's the holiday season in the United States and choirs² across the country are staging special Christmas concerts. Typically, the singers are accompanied by pianos, organs and, sometimes, even a full orchestra. But a community choir¹ in Vermont is trying something different.

As part of its annual Christmas concert, the Brandon Festival Singers is adding a touch of New Orleans’ jazz, which is not something most people associate with church choirs, or Christmas, for that matter.

Eugene Childers, a retired³ music teacher and Dixieland jazz enthusiast⁴, combined the two. He's directed the choir for 31 years and has always wanted to blend his twin passions.

“Choir and Dixieland band, now there’s an interesting combination," says Childers. "I thought, 'Well, I don’t know of any music written for that combination - certainly not a Christmas piece other than traditional carols something like that.'"

So he composed seven original songs to be performed by the choir and a six-piece Dixieland band, with Childers on the trumpet⁵.

The result is a blend of jazz, swing, ragtime⁶, blues⁷ and more than two-dozen harmonizing voices.

Eugene Childers adds of touch of New Orleans jazz as he directs the Brandon Festival Singers in Vermont.

The songs tell the story of the birth of Jesus. "Gabrielle" speaks of the angel who comes to Mary and announces she will give birth to a son. "Go and Find the Christ Child" evokes⁸ the shepherds’ quest to follow the star to the manger where Jesus was born. And then there’s the "Manger Blues."

“I thought about that. Is that disrespectful? Or what is that?" he says. "I thought, 'Gosh no, the blues, there’s nothing disrespectful in that.' It’s in the style of the blues and that’s good old fashioned American music.”

Denise Keating has sung with the Festival Singers for 10 years.

“I think at first it was a challenge to get the timing⁹ right, but the instruments really lend an excitement to the music and it actually raises our singing. And why not? Christmas music has been done in every musical way and why not Dixie?”

Choir member Bernie Carr agrees. “I just said to someone a minute ago, 'People are going to leave this concert and say 'Man, that was the greatest Christmas concert I have ever been to.'"

As the banjo, trombone, piano and trumpet take turns with solos, choir members are swaying to the beat and Childer’s wife Jean can’t resist jumping up to briefly¹⁰ dance with her husband while he conducts.

At first, Childers wasn't sure dancing during a performance was appropriate.

“I thought about that, too, and it would be very OK," he says. "My guess is they’ll be doing it in their seats, but it will certainly be OK.”

1 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

2 choirs   

n.教堂的唱诗班( choir的名词复数 )；唱诗队；公开表演的合唱团；（教堂）唱经楼

参考例句：

• They ran the three churches to which they belonged, the clergy, the choirs and the parishioners. 她们管理着自己所属的那三家教堂、牧师、唱诗班和教区居民。 来自飘（部分）
• Since 1935, several village choirs skilled in this music have been created. 1935以来，数支熟练掌握这种音乐的乡村唱诗班相继建立起来。 来自互联网

3 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

4 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。

5 trumpet   

n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘

参考例句：

• He plays the violin, but I play the trumpet.他拉提琴，我吹喇叭。
• The trumpet sounded for battle.战斗的号角吹响了。

6 ragtime   

n.拉格泰姆音乐

参考例句：

• The most popular music back then was called ragtime.那时最流行的音乐叫拉格泰姆音乐。
• African-American piano player Scott Joplin wrote many ragtime songs.非裔美国钢琴家ScottJoplin写了许多拉格泰姆歌曲。

7 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。

8 evokes   

产生，引起，唤起( evoke的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• Each type evokes antibodies which protect against the homologous. 每一种类型都能产生抗同种病毒的抗体。

9 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

10 briefly   

adv.简单地，简短地

参考例句：

• I want to touch briefly on another aspect of the problem.我想简单地谈一下这个问题的另一方面。
• He was kidnapped and briefly detained by a terrorist group.他被一个恐怖组织绑架并短暂拘禁。