10 A2 the magic of music

CHAPTER 1 Why Music? WHAT IS THE ORIGIN, OR BEGINNING, OF MUSIC? WHAT IS MUSIC -AND WHY DO WE LISTEN TO IT? Think about what people do when they hold a baby. They usually sing a song or make musical sounds, don't they? Well, scientists know that mothers in every country, who speak different languages, do the same thing when they hold their babies. They all use a high voice, and they all make the same sounds again and again. These sounds have a rhythm and are like the melody of a song. Scientists think that mothers made the same sounds to their babies in ancient times. These sounds were, and are, very important for mother-child communication. Were these sounds the first songs? Perhaps.

第一章为什么是音乐？音乐的起源是什么？ 什么是音乐？我们为什么要听音乐？ 想想人们抱着孩子的时候是怎么做的。 他们通常唱歌或发出音乐声，不是吗？ 科学家们知道，每个国家的母亲说不同的语言，当她们抱着孩子的时候做同样的事情。 他们都用高音，他们都一遍又一遍地发出同样的声音。 这些声音都有节奏，就像一首歌的旋律。 科学家们认为，在古代，母亲对她们的婴儿发出同样的声音。 这些声音过去和现在对于母子之间的交流都非常重要。 这些声音是最初的歌曲吗？ 也许。

What is the origin of the first musical instrument? More than two million years ago, ancient humans used sharp rocks to cut like a knife. But when two rocks hit together, they can make a nice sound. So maybe rocks were the first percussion instruments. Over time, ancient humans made other instruments, too. In 1995 in Slovenia, a scientist found a flute made from the leg bone of a bear. The famous "Divje Babe" flute is about 50,000 years old. In a cave in southwestern Germany, scientists have found flutes that are at least 35,000 years old. Some scientists think that people used music, and moving to music, as a way to feel the same emotions and work together.

第一种乐器的起源是什么？ 两百多万年前，古人类使用锋利的岩石像刀一样切割。 但当两块石头撞在一起时，它们可以发出很好的声音。 所以也许岩石是最早的打击乐器。 随着时间的推移，古代人类也制造了其他乐器。 1995年，在斯洛文尼亚，一位科学家发现了一只由熊腿骨制成的笛子。 著名的“Divje Babe”长笛大约有5万年的历史。 在德国西南部的一个洞穴里，科学家们发现了至少有35000年历史的长笛。 一些科学家认为，人们利用音乐，并随着音乐移动，作为一种感受相同情绪并一起工作的方式。

CHAPTER 2 Musical Places THERE ARE MANY PLACES IN THE WORLD WHERE MUSIC IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE CULTURE. Some people like to go to big concerts. But many people prefer to hear music close up and to see the singers and musicians. If they are closer to the music, they can feel the emotions better. This is what happens in Japan's "live houses." A live house is a very small room, sometimes under a restaurant or shop, for musicians to play in. Musicians who are not famous but are talented play in these small places. They don't make very much money for playing music, but they get to play for an audience. People go there just to hear the music— not to eat, drink, or talk to their friends. There are about 300 live houses in Tokyo and about 1,000 live houses in all of Japan.

世界上有许多地方，音乐是当地文化的重要组成部分。 有些人喜欢去听大型音乐会。 但许多人更喜欢近距离听音乐，看到歌手和音乐家。 如果他们离音乐更近，他们就能更好地感受情绪。 这就是日本的“活屋”所发生的事情。 live house是一个非常小的房间，有时在餐馆或商店下面，供音乐家演奏。 不出名但有才华的音乐家在这些小地方演奏。 他们演奏音乐赚不了多少钱，但他们可以为观众演奏。 人们去那里只是为了听音乐，而不是为了吃、喝或和朋友聊天。 在东京大约有300个活屋，在全日本大约有1000个活屋。

Buskers, musicians who play music on the street for money, have been around for a long time. The first buskers may have been traveling musicians who brought news and messages from one place to another. They also entertained by singing songs for something to eat or a place to sleep. Today in Mexico City, hundreds of mariachi bands play on the streets in a kind of daily audition. They hope that people will like their music and pay them to play at parties. Every year there are many busker festivals and competitions around the world. Ferrara, Italy, has one of the largest festivals, where thousands of buskers perform. In New York City, USA, only a few hundred buskers can play in the subway. So, every year, thousands of musicians audition in the Music Under New York competition to become one of the lucky few.

街头艺人是指在街上演奏音乐赚钱的音乐家，他们已经存在很长时间了。 第一批街头艺人可能是四处旅行的音乐家，他们把新闻和信息从一个地方带到另一个地方。 他们还通过唱歌来找吃的或睡觉的地方来娱乐。 今天，在墨西哥城，数百个墨西哥流浪乐队在街头表演，类似于每天的试镜。 他们希望人们会喜欢他们的音乐，并付钱给他们在聚会上演奏。 每年世界各地都有许多街头艺人的节日和比赛。 意大利的费拉拉有最大的节日之一，成千上万的街头艺人在那里表演。 在美国纽约，只有几百名街头艺人可以在地铁里表演。 因此，每年都有成千上万的音乐家参加纽约音乐大赛的试镜，成为少数幸运儿中的一员。

Music is a big part of Indian "Bollywood" movies. Audiences go to hear the music as much as to watch the movie. Sometimes Bollywood songs tell us about the thoughts and emotions of one or more of the characters in the movie. Sometimes they show us something that will happen later in the movie. The music and the words to the songs help explain the story and why the characters do what they do. Most of the actors in a Bollywood movie don't sing. They lip sync while they dance. Later, talented playback singers sing the songs. The playback singers are as famous as the actors. Many people go to see a movie just to hear their favorite playback singer. People can buy the soundtrack the songs from the movie before the movie comes out.

音乐是印度“宝莱坞”电影的重要组成部分。 观众去听音乐和看电影一样多。 有时，宝莱坞歌曲会告诉我们电影中一个或多个角色的思想和情感。 有时他们会向我们展示一些稍后会在电影中发生的事情。 歌曲的音乐和歌词有助于解释故事，以及人物为什么要做他们所做的事情。 宝莱坞电影中的大多数演员都不会唱歌。 他们一边对口型一边跳舞。 后来，有才华的重放歌手演唱这些歌曲。 重放歌手和演员一样有名。 许多人去看电影只是为了听到他们最喜欢的歌手的声音。 人们可以在电影上映前购买电影的原声带。

New Orleans, a city in the USA, is a very musical place. It is the home of jazz music. In 1900, people from many different countries lived in New Orleans. And they all brought different kinds of music from their countries. The African- American musicians in New Orleans took these different kinds of music and mixed them with African rhythms to make a new music jazz. An important part of jazz is improvisation. For part of the song, all the musicians play their instruments together. But then at different points in the song, one musician improvises while the others keep playing the rhythm and melody of the song. One of the greatest jazz musicians was Louis Armstrong. This trumpet player from New Orleans is often called the father of jazz improvisation.

新奥尔良，美国的一个城市，是一个非常音乐的地方。 它是爵士乐的发源地。 1900年，来自不同国家的人们住在新奥尔良。 他们都从他们的国家带来了不同种类的音乐。 新奥尔良的非裔美国音乐家将这些不同种类的音乐与非洲节奏混合在一起，创造出一种新的音乐爵士乐。 爵士乐的一个重要组成部分是即兴创作。 在这首歌的一部分，所有的音乐家一起演奏乐器。 但是在歌曲的不同时刻，一个音乐家即兴演奏，而其他人继续演奏歌曲的节奏和旋律。 最伟大的爵士音乐家之一是路易斯·阿姆斯特朗。 这位来自新奥尔良的小号手常被称为爵士即兴演奏之父。