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The Mystical Sounds of Musical Glass 此音只应上天有

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In the hit comedy Miss Congeniality (2000), Sandra Bullock charms her way through a beauty pageant by playing “the glasses.” With merely a wet finger and crystal drinking glasses, she produces sweet, beautiful sounds that impress the judges. But moviegoers were probably unaware that Ms. Bullock was actually playing an ancient but little-known instrument.

在卖座喜剧片《麻辣女王》(2000)中，珊卓布拉克在选美大会上演奏水晶乐器使众人为之倾倒。她仅用一只沾湿的手指及一些水晶杯就创造出令裁判们印象深刻的美妙音乐。但电影观众可能不知道布拉克小姐其实是在演奏一种古老但鲜为人知的乐器。

Although glass instruments existed in ancient times, their modern history starts with the legendary Benjamin Franklin. In 1761, the young Franklin heard a recital of glass music and was so moved he decided to design an improved glass instrument. His glass instrument was composed of twenty-four glass bowls, each with a hole in the bottom. The bowls were mounted on a metal rod which was turned with a foot pedal. A wet finger placed on a spinning bowl then produced a “celestial” sound.

尽管水晶乐器在古代就有了，她地现代历史是从传奇人物班杰明富兰克林开始的。1761年，年轻的富兰克林在一场独奏会上听到水晶音乐，他深深地被打动而决定设计一种改良式的水晶乐器。他的水晶乐器是由二十四个玻璃碗所组成，每个碗的底部都有一个洞。这些碗安装在可以用脚踏板来控制转动的金属杆上，把一只沾湿的手指放在旋转的碗上就会产生天籁般的声音。

The instrument, called a “harmonica,” was an instant success. President Thomas Jeffersoncalled it the “greatest gift offered to the musical world this century.” Mozart and Beethoven composed music for it.

Nevertheless, the instrument developed a sinister reputation. Some people actually believed that the unearthly sound of the instrument could wake the dead! Furthermore, because the glass contained lead, those who played this instrument often developed illness or insanity. The instrument gradually disappeared throughout the nineteenth century.

这种称为「玻璃琴」的乐器一推出就造成轰动。托马斯杰斐逊总统称它为「本世纪音乐界最棒的礼物」，莫扎特及贝多芬都曾为它谱曲。不过，这种乐器却有着不好的名声。有些人真的相信这种乐器所发出的超自然声音会唤醒死人!此外，因为玻璃含铅，那些演奏水晶乐器的人常罹患疾病或精神失常。于是这种乐器在十九世纪便逐渐消失。

Modern glass-making techniques allowed a revival of the glass harmonica in the late twentieth century. Musicians like Tom Waits and Linda Ronstadt have written glass music in recent years. Buy a CD of this ghostly, beautiful music or, like Sandra Bullock, try making glass music yourself with a water-filled glass

现代的玻璃制造技术让玻璃琴在二十世纪末期又再度流行起来。汤姆威兹及琳达朗斯黛等音乐家在近年都有创作水晶音乐。买一片这种空谷幽灵般美妙音乐的CD，或是像珊卓布拉克一样，试着自己用装水的玻璃器皿来创作音乐吧。

－By Laara Hinnegan

Vocabulary

crystal [ˋkrɪst!] n. 水晶

legendary [ˋlɛdʒənd͵ɛrɪ] adj. 传奇的; 著名的

mount [maʊnt] v. 固定在……上

rod [rɑd] n. 棒，杆

unearthly [ʌnˋɝθlɪ] adj. 超自然的; 可怕的

insanity [ɪnˋsænətɪ] n. 疯狂；精神错乱

revival [rɪˋvaɪv!] n. 苏醒；复活；再生

More Information

congeniality [kəndʒinɪˋælɪtɪ] n. 意气相投 (Miss Congeniality 是选美的专用术语,也就是最佳人缘奖选美小姐的称呼)

charm one's way through 使众人为之倾倒

pageant [ˋpædʒənt] n. 盛装游行；庆典

moviegoer [ˋmuvɪ͵goɚ] n.〔尤指经常〕看电影的人

start with 以...开始

recital [rɪˋsaɪt!] n. 独奏会；独唱会

be composed of 由…组成

pedal [ˋpɛd!] n. 踏板；脚蹬

celestial [sɪˋlɛstʃəl] adj. 精妙的；极佳的

harmonica [hɑrˋmɑnɪkə] n. 玻璃或金属片的敲打乐器

an instant success  立即造成轰动

sinister [ˋsɪnɪstɚ] adj. 邪恶的

Reading Questions

1. What is this article mainly about?

A. The modern history of making music with glass.

B. Ancient glass instruments and how they were played.

C. Famous composers of glass music.

D. Methods that can be used to make your own glass music.

2. What can be implied about Benjamin Franklin’s glass instrument?

A. It was the world’s first glass instrument ever made.

B. It was made of drinking glasses that spun around.

C. It took several years for the instrument to catch on.

D. It made playing glass music much easier than before, and it had better sound.

3. According to the article, which of the following sentences is TRUE?

A. Glass music reached its peak in the late nineteenth century.

B. Tom Waits referred to glass music as a great gift to the world of music.

C. Glass music was reported to be able to cure insanity and other illness.

D. Some people believed that glass music had evil powers.

Reference

"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" on the Glass Harmonica

Moonlight Sonata on Glass Harp

Miss Congeniality Trailer [HQ]