English 中文网 漫画网 爱新闻iNews 翻译论坛
中国网站品牌栏目(频道)
当前位置: Language Tips > Normal Speed News VOA常速

You've heard of 'the birth of the blues'

[ 2012-04-17 14:32]     字号 [] [] []  
免费订阅30天China Daily双语新闻手机报:移动用户编辑短信CD至106580009009

You've heard of 'the birth of the blues'

Here's one of those word-association games. If we said "waltz," you'd probably think of Vienna, Austria.

Closer to our home, if we said "Dixieland," New Orleans, Louisiana, would likely rush to mind.

Country music? Nashville, Tennessee. Blues? Memphis, also in Tennessee.

The soul sound of Motown? The Motor City, of course - Detroit, Michigan. Folk? San Francisco or New York City's Greenwich Village.

Now here's a tougher one: How about ragtime? If you are not sure what that is, here is a sample.

You've heard of 'the birth of the blues'

Ragtime was born, and is still king, in a little town that even many Americans have never heard of.

It's Sedalia, in the Midwest state of Missouri.

Sedalia is a factory town of about 21,000 people. But a century ago, huge cattle drives from Texas passed through on their way north, and two cross-country railroads had big engine shops there.

And all those cowboys and railroad workers frequented saloons and brothels. That meant lots of jobs for piano and banjo players.

Into this scene came Scott Joplin, who played piano in some of those lively establishments. And to keep his intoxicated audience interested, he developed a herky-jerky style of music called ragtime.

It really caught on, in part because it was ideally suited for piano rolls, which were then wildly popular. As these rolls of heavy paper punched with holes slowly turned within so-called "player pianos," they activated the keys and produced tinkly music all by themselves.

That's the short version of the story about ragtime, Scott Joplin, and Sedalia, Missouri. By the way, piano rolls are now historic artifacts. The final ones were made last year, in Buffalo, New York.

Motown: music combining rhythm and blues and pop, or gospel rhythms and modern ballad harmony 摩城音乐

ragtime: a style of jazz characterized by elaborately syncopated rhythm in the melody and a steadily accented accompaniment 拉格泰姆音乐

brothel: a house of prostitution 妓院

Related stories:

Remembering Earl Scruggs

Selena Gomez has a promising career and a hot new album

Traditional jazz alive and well on 'Preservation'

Duke Ellington, 1899-1974: from a young painter to musical royalty

(来源:VOA 编辑:旭燕)

 
中国日报网英语点津版权说明:凡注明来源为“中国日报网英语点津:XXX(署名)”的原创作品,除与中国日报网签署英语点津内容授权协议的网站外,其他任何网站或单位未经允许不得非法盗链、转载和使用,违者必究。如需使用,请与010-84883631联系;凡本网注明“来源:XXX(非英语点津)”的作品,均转载自其它媒体,目的在于传播更多信息,其他媒体如需转载,请与稿件来源方联系,如产生任何问题与本网无关;本网所发布的歌曲、电影片段,版权归原作者所有,仅供学习与研究,如果侵权,请提供版权证明,以便尽快删除。
 

关注和订阅

人气排行

翻译服务

中国日报网翻译工作室

我们提供:媒体、文化、财经法律等专业领域的中英互译服务
电话:010-84883468
邮件:translate@chinadaily.com.cn