2017-12-14
711
1. Michelangelo
Michelangelo, thefamousItaliansculptor, livedinFlorence. OnceabeautifulpieceofwhitemarblewasbroughttoFlorence, andthegovernorofthecitytoldMichelangelothathewantedhimtomakeastatueoutofthemarble. HesaidthatMichelangelowastheonlymaninItalywhocoulddoit.
Thesculptorworkedfortwoyearstomakethestatueasbeautifulaspossible. Whenthestatuewasready, alotofpeoplegatheredinthesquarewhereitstood. Everybodywaswaitingforthegovernor. Atlasthecame, accompaniedbytherichestpeopleofthecity. Thegovernorlookedpleased, andseeingtheexpressiononhisfacethepeoplethoughtthathelikedthestatue. Sotheywereallsurprisedtohearhimsaythathedidn'tlikethesculptor'sworkatallbecausethestatue'snosewastoolong.
"Canyoumakethenoseshorter?' thegovernoraskedMichelangelo.
Thosewhoheardthequestionexpectedthesculptortogetangry, buttotheirgreatsurpriseMichelangeloansweredcalmlythathedidn'tmindchangingtheshapeofthenose.
Whenthegovernorwasnotlooking, hepickedupahandfulofmarbledustandwentuptothestatue. Hepretendedtoworkhard. Standingwithhisbacktothegovernor, hedroppedthemarbledusthehadpickeduplittlebylittletomakethegovernorbelievethathewasreallychangingtheshapeofthenose. Thegovernorthoughtthatthesculptorwasdoingashehadbeentold, andsowhenMichelangelofinishedworking, hesaidproudly, "Nowthestatueiswonderful."
Thepeople, whohadkeptsilentwhilethesculptorwasworking, realizednowthathehadn'tdoneanythingtothestatue, andshoutedwithjoy.
Thestatue, whichiscalledDavid, isoneofMichelangelo'sbestworks. WehaveacopyofitinthePushkinMuseuminMoscow.
2. Pop, JazzandCountry
OfalltheculturalinfluencesthathavecomeoutoftheUnitedStatesinthe 20thcentury, it'slikelythatnonehasbeensofar-reachingaspopularmusic.
Butthesoundofjazzandrockandrollandmorerecently, countrymusic, canbeheardonrecords, tapes, radioandtelevisioninthebigcitiesandinthemostremotevillagesofalmosteverynationonEarth.
What, precisely, ispopularmusic? IntheUnitedStatesthistermhasacquiredavarietyofmeaningsbutitreferstothekindsofmusicenjoyedbyabroadpublicandstandsincontrasttotheclassicalmusicoftheWesternEuropeantradition.
Duringthepresentcentury, thedominantstrainofpopularmusiccoexistedwithregionalpocketsoffolkmusickeptalivebythenation'smanyimmigrantgroups — Scots, Irish, German, FrenchCanadians, Italians, Jews, Poles, His-panics. Sincepopularsongwritershavealwayslookedforfreshapproaches, eachoftheseethnicmusicwouldeventuallycontributeitsflavourtotherichstewofcontemporaryAmericanmusic.
Asthe 20thcenturyprogressed, thelinebetweenpopularandseriousmusicbecameblurred. GeorgeGershwin, forexample, wasapopularcomposerwhosemusichasalwaysbeenadmittedincultivatedcircles.
Jazzhasalwaysbeenamusicoffreedom, andmaybethatiswhyit'sbeencalledthemosttrulyAmericanartform. Thesenseoffreedomisinherentinitsimprovising, inthewayeachmusiciandefineshimselfinhisownturn, inthefeelingthatthepossibilitiesarelimitless.
Intermsofitsfountainhead, jazzremainsthecreationoftheblackAmerican, buttodaymorethanevertherapidspreadofcommunicationshasestablisheditasaworld-wideartform, onethatwillbecharacterizedbyfuturegenerationsasthegenuineclassicalmusicofthe 20thcentury.
ThegrowinginternationalenthusiasmforAmericancountrymusicoverseasisanextensionofwhathashappenedintheUSsince 1950s: musicthatwasstrictlyregionalinitsappealhasgainedcurrencyacrossthenation.
ItwascreatedbytheruralpeopleoftheAppalachianMountainregionwhowerebylargeisolatedfromtheindustrialgrowthandurbanizationofmuchofAmerica. TheybeganwiththeEnglishandScottishballadsoftheirimmigrantancestorsandbuiltuponthem, oftenwithinstrumentstheymadethemselves. Theysangaboutthethingsthattouchedthemmostintimately: theirpoverty, theirGod, theircrops, theirfamilies. TheyfoundconsolationandcommontiesInthemusic.
Theclassicrock 'n' rollofthe 1950swithitshard-drivingguitarbeat, themusicofElvisPresley, ChuckBerryandothers, haslongsinceevolvedintoaprofusionofstyles.
Today, forexample, amongthemusic'smyriadsubgenresaretheblackvariants, soulmusic, heavymetalanditsopposite, softrock, countryrock, folkrockandrockabilly; theCaribbeaninfluences, andthemostrecentattemptstorecapturerock'srhythmicpower, rapmusicandartrock.
ContemporaryAmericanpop-rockmusiccanbeshapedintohighartforwhichthereisalargeandappreciativeaudience.
3. Thecreativeimpulse (byW. S. Maugham)
WilliamSomersetMaughamwasbornin 1874 AftergraduatingfromHeidelbergUniversityheworkedatahospital, butthesuccessofhisfirstnovel "LizaofLambeth" (1897) encouragedhimtogiveupmedicineandbecomeaprofessionalwriter.
SomersetMaughamistheauthorofseveralwell-knownnovelsandplays, andalotofshortstories.
Hediedin 1966 attheageofninety-two.
WhenMrsForrester'sfirstdetectivestory "TheAchillesStatue" waspublished, shehadreachedtherespectableageoffifty-seven, andthenumberofherwork^ wasconsiderable. Hergreattalent, however, remainedundiscoveredbyordinaryreadersandthiswasthereason (herbooksdidnotsell, thoughtheywerehighlypraisedbythecritics.
MrsForresterwasdeeplyinterestedinpoliticsandeventhoughtofgoingintoParliament. Heronlydifficultywasthatshedidnotknowwhichpartytochoose.
AlotofpeopleverymuchwantedtobeinvitedtothepartiesshegaveeverySaturday, butonlya, fewwereamongherguests.
TheonlypersonwhospoiledthesepartieswasMrAlbertForrester, herhusband. Allherfriendsconsideredhimaboreandoftenaskedoneanotherhowshehadevermarriedhim. HewasknownamongthemasthePhilatelistbecauseayoungwriterhajjoncesaidthathewascollectingstamps.
Albert, Ishouldexplain, wasanordinarybusinessmanandnotaveryrichone. Thesuitsheworealwayslookedshabby, theexpressiononhisfacewasgloomyandheneversaidanythingworthlisteningto. MrsForrester, however, waskindtohimandalwaysknewhowtoputtoshameanyonewhotriedtomakefunofhiminherpresence.
TheeventthathadsuchagreatinfluenceonMrsFor-rester'sliteraryactivitieshappenedtowardstheendofoneofhermostsuccessfulparties. TheguestssatinacircleofwhichMrsForresterwasthecentre. Shewastalkingandtherestofthecompanywerelisteningwithgreatattention, onlyinterruptingherfromtimetotimetoaskaquestion. Suddenlytherecameanoiseasifsomethingheavyhadfallen, andthencamethesoundofvoices.
"Well, Carter, whatisit?" MrsForresteraskedthemaid. "Isthehousefallingdown?"
"It'sthenewcook'sbox, ma'am," answeredthemaid. "Theporterdroppeditashewasbringingitinandthecookgotallupsetaboutit."
"Whatdoyoumeanby 'thenewcook'?"
"MrsBullfinchwentawaythisafternoon, ma'am," saidthemaid.
"DoesMrForresterknowaboutit?" MrsForresterasked, formatterslikethatwerehisresponsibility. "ThemomentMrForrestercomesin, tellhimthatIwanttospeaktohim."
"MrForrester'sgone, ma'am," answeredthemaid. "HesaidIwastogiveyouthisletterwhenyouaskedforhim."
Themaidlefttheroom, andMrsForresteropenedtheletter. OneofherladyfriendstoldmethatatthesightofMrsForresterreadingthelettershethoughtthatAlbert, feelingresponsibleforthecook'sdeparture, andbeingafraidhewouldbepunished, hadthrownhimselfintheThames.
MrsForresterreadtheletterandcriedout: "Oh, howunfair! Howterrible!"
"Whatisit, MrsForrester?" askedMrSimmons, heragent. "Readit", shesaid. "Justreadit."
Theshort-sightedMrSimmonsputonhisglasses, andholdingtheletterveryclosetohiseyesreadthis: 'MyDear,MrsBullfinchneedsachangeandhasdecidedtoleave, andasIdonotwishtostayonwithoutherI'mgoing, too. IhavehadalltheliteratureIcanstandandIamsickandtiredofart. MrsBullfinchdoesnotcareaboutmarriagebutifyouwishtodivorceme, she'swillingtomarryme.
I'vehiredanewcookinsteadofMrsBullfinchandIhopeyouwillbepleasedwithher. MrsBullfinchandIarelivingat 411, KenningtonRoad, S. E. Albert.
ThesilencethatfollowedwasbrokenbyMrSimmons, whosaid: "Youmustgethimback."
"IwillneverseehimagainaslongasIlive!" MrsForrestercriedout. ButMrSimmonscontinuedcalmly: "I'vebeenyouragentfortwentyyears, andyoucanconsidermeoneofyourbestfriends. Butifyouthinkyoucanmakeyourlivingbywritingthesortofbooksyoudo, Imusttellyouthatyouhaven'tachance."
"ButIcan'tfightwithmycookforhim!" MrsForrestercriedout.
"Iwasjustcomingtothat," saidMrSimmonscoldly. "Adanceroraladyoftitlewouldn'tdoyouanyharm, butacookwouldfinishyou."
"He'squiteright", saidoneofherguests. "ThePhilatelistmustcomeback".
"Youwillgoandseehimtomorrow, won'tyou?" askedMrSimmons. MrsForresterdidn'tanswerforsometimeandfinallysaid:
"Formyart'ssake, notformine!"
ItwasratherlateintheafternoonofthenextdaywhenMrsForrestersetoutonherjourneytoKenningtonRoad. MrSimmonshadexplainedtoherbytelephonehowtogetthere, anditdidnottakeherlongtofindthehouseshewanted. Sherangthebell, andwhenthedooropened, sherecognizedhercook.
(to be continued)
Облачные хранилища
