《音乐启蒙书》：巴赫怒而拔剑（英汉对照）

(2007-04-25 18:06:50)

标签：

音乐启蒙书、古典音乐、音乐家、巴赫、学英语、英汉对照、图书、美语、李波

分类：翻译作品

2月15日

巴赫拔剑

——摘自《音乐启蒙书：音乐中的希望和力量》

（中央编译出版社07年4月版，<美>诺曼.格里兰著、李波译）

约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫Johann Sebastian Bach（1685～1750）著名18世纪德国最伟大、最有影响力的作曲家。主要作品：《平均律钢琴曲集》、《法国组曲》、《英国组曲》、《A小调小提琴协奏曲》、《布兰登堡协奏曲》、《马太受难乐》、《B小调弥撒曲》等等。

1703年夏天，一个18岁的风琴手在阿恩施塔特的新教堂里上任就职。他的合同包括了一份很不菲的薪水和很多优厚待遇。如果教堂方面信守合同的话，情况会很不错的。但他们为这个风琴手增加了一个义务，留下了致命的冲突。

这个天才的风琴手就是性格急躁的约翰·塞巴斯蒂安·巴赫。除了他所有的职责以外，他还得负责培训一小群拉丁学校的学生。这些学生很难管束，以致于被市议会贬斥为“丢脸的”。因为巴赫比大多数学生还年轻，所以他很难维持纪律。两年来，这位坏脾气的教师和不守纪律的学生冲突不断。

在这些捣蛋分子中，有一个叫格叶斯巴赫的、吹巴松管的家伙，他比巴赫大三岁，是一个最爱故意惹事的家伙。一个很黑的晚上，他在街上和巴赫狭路相逢。他用棒子打巴赫，还叫他“脏狗”。巴赫也不是完全没有责任，因为他取笑格叶斯巴赫，叫他“母山羊巴松管手”。谁也没有占到便宜。巴赫拔出他的配剑，两人继续撕打。巴赫避开棍棒，用配剑攻击，有几剑刺破了格叶斯巴赫的夹克衫，要不是路人冲上来阻止，险些酿成流血事件。

尽管条件“并非完美”，教堂官员极力要求巴赫和教堂合唱团合作。但在街头斗殴事件后，巴赫对这些烦扰的学生非常恶心，最终设法逃离了课堂。

巴赫的冲突还没有完呢，不久他又和教会发生矛盾，这导致了他人生的两大变化。

（且听下文分解。）

【注释】stick to 忠于，信守confrontation 对抗 fatal 致命的 temperamental 易怒的 in addition to 除了 be expected to 被要求干什么 scandalous 可耻的 clash 冲突 bassoonist 巴松管演奏者 make a point of视为必要，故意 nanny母山羊 take a beat 获胜 dodge 躲避 be disgusted with 对……厌恶 be at odds with 和……冲突（矛盾）congregation 宗教团体，圣会

February 15th

Bach Draws His Sword

In the summer of 1703 an eighteen-year-old organist began his duties at the New Church at Arnstadt. His contract included an excellent salary and things might have gone very well if church officials had stuck to the contract. But they added one more duty, and the result was a confrontation that could have been fatal.

The organist was a temperamental genius named Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to all of his other responsibilities he was expected to train a small group of pupils from the Latin school. The pupils were such hard cases that the City Council called their behavior “scandalous”. Because he was younger than most of them Bach had a hard time maintaining discipline. For two years the short tempered teacher and the unruly class clashed.

One of the more unruly musicians was a bassoonist named Geyersbach. He was three years older than Bach and made a point of being offensive. One dark night he confronted Bach on the street and began hitting him with a stick and calling him a “dirty dog.” Bach was not altogether blameless. He had poked fun of Geyersbach and called him a “nanny goat bassoonist.” Not one to take a beating lightly, Bach drew his sword and the fight was on. Dodging the stick, Bach made several thrusts that pierced Geyersbach’s jacket before passers-by rushed in to prevent bloodshed.

Church officials urged Bach to work with the choir despite the “imperfect conditions.” But after the street fight had Bach became so disgusted with the offending group of students that he eventually managed to get out of teaching them.

Bach’s conflicts weren’t over though. Soon he would be at odds with the congregation and the results would be two great changes in his life.

(To be continued…)