Part I
Professor: The word opera means work, actually it means works. It's the plural of the word opus from the Latin. And in Italian, it refers in general to works of art. Opera Lyric or Lyric Opera refers to what we think of as opera, the musical drama. Opera was commonplace in Italy for almost a thousand years before it became commercial as a venture. And during those years, several things happened, primarily linguistic or thematic and both involving secularization.
在那些年里，发生了一些事，主要是有关语言或主题的，都涉及到世俗化。
1. opus |ˈəʊpəs|
noun. you can refer to an artistic work such as a piece of music or writing or a painting as an opus 艺术作品；乐曲；著作；画作
E.g.: The Divine Comedy is considered a magnum opus of Dante.
《神曲》是但丁的一部杰作。
2. commonplace|ˈkɒmənpleɪs|
adj. done very often, or existing in many places, and therefore not unusual 平凡的；普通的；普遍的 相应地；转而；继而；反过来
E.g.: Computers are now commonplace in primary classrooms.
计算机如今在小学教室里很普遍。
3. venture|ˈventʃə(r)|
noun. a business project or activity, especially one that involves taking risks （尤指有风险的）企业，商业，投机活动，经营项目
E.g.: A disastrous business venture lost him thousands of dollars.
一个彻底失败的经营项目使他损失严重。
4. thematic |θɪˈmætɪk|
adj. connected with the theme or themes of sth 题目的；主题的；专题的
E.g.: the thematic structure of a text
文本的主题结构
5. secularization |ˌsekjələraɪˈzeɪʃn|
noun. the process of removing the influence or power that religion has over sth 现世化；世俗化
E.g.: Secularization is the major cause, and there are some other causes from the religions themselves.
其中，世俗化是最为主要的原因，此外还有宗教自身的一些其他原因。
Part II
Musical drama started in the churches. It was an educational tool. It was used primarily as a vehicle for teaching religion and was generally presented in Latin, the language of the Christian Church which had considerable influence in Italy at that time. But the language of everyday life was evolving in Europe and at a certain point in the middle ages, it was really only merchants, aristocrats and clergy who can deal with Latin. The vast majority of the population used their own regional vernacular in all aspects of their lives.
And so, in what is now Italy, operas quit being presented in Latin and started being presented in Italian. And once that happened, the themes of the opera presentations also started to change. And musical drama moved from the church to the plaza right outside the church. And the themes again, the themes changed. And opera was no longer about teaching religion as it was about satire and about expressing the ideas of society or government without committing yourself to writing and risking imprisonment or persecution, or what have you.
它主要作为传教的工具，通常以拉丁语呈现，拉丁语是当时的基督教会语言，在意大利有相当大的影响。
歌剧不再是为了传教，而是为了讽刺和表达对社会或政府的想法，且不必让自己承担写作或被监禁和迫害的风险之类的。
1. vehicle |ˈvi:əkl|
noun. something that can be used to express your ideas or feelings or as a way of achieving sth （实现目的的）工具，手段,媒介
E.g.: Art may be used as a vehicle for propaganda.
艺术可以用作宣传的工具。
2. aristocrat|ˈærɪstəkræt|
noun. an aristocrat is someone whose family has a high social rank, especially someone who has a title 贵族（成员）
E.g.: The aristocrat clings to the glory of his past.
那个贵族执著于他过去的荣耀。
3. clergy|ˈklɜ:rdʒi|
noun. the priests or ministers of a religion, especially of the Christian Church （统称）圣职人员，神职人员
E.g.: All the local clergy were asked to attend the ceremony.
所有当地的圣职人员都获邀参加这项仪式。
4. vernacular|vəˈnækjələ(r)|
noun. the language spoken in a particular area or by a particular group, especially one that is not the official or written language 方言；土语
E.g.: To use the vernacular of the period, Peter was square.
用那时的土话讲，彼得是个老古板。
5. presentation|ˌpreznˈteɪʃn|
noun. a presentation is something that is performed in front of an audience, for example a play or a ballet 表演；演出
E.g.: ...Blackpool Opera House's presentation of Buddy, the musical.
布莱克浦歌剧院上演的音乐剧《朋友》
6. plaza|ˈplɑ:zə|
noun. a plaza is an open square in a city （城市中的露天）广场
E.g.: Across the busy plaza, vendors sell hot dogs and croissant sandwiches.
在热闹广场的另一边，摊贩叫卖着热狗和羊角三明治。
7. satire|ˈsætaɪə(r)|
noun. a way of criticizing a person, an idea or an institution in which you use humour to show their faults or weaknesses; a piece of writing that uses this type of criticism 讽刺；讥讽；讽刺作品
E.g.: The novel is a stinging satire on American politics.
这部小说是对美国政治的尖锐讽刺。
8. commit|kəˈmɪt|
verb. if you commit yourself to something, you say that you will definitely do it. If you commit yourself to someone, you decide that you want to have a long-term relationship with them 承诺，保证(做);忠于(某人)
E.g.: I'd like a friendship that might lead to something deeper, but I wouldn't want to commit myself too soon.
我希望拥有一份能进一步发展的友谊，但又不想太快作出承诺。
9. imprisonment|ɪmˈprɪznmənt|
noun. imprisonment is the state of being imprisoned 关押;监禁;坐牢
E.g.: In 1977 he was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
1977年，他被判谋杀罪名成立，判处终身监禁。
10. persecution|ˌpɜ:sɪˈkju:ʃn|
noun. persecution is cruel and unfair treatment of a person or group, especially because of their religious or political beliefs, or their race （尤指因宗教、政治信仰或种族而受到的）迫害
E.g.: He went through a lot of persecution , and torture when he was young.
年轻的时候,他没少挨斗。
11. what have you
you say what have you at the end of a list in order to refer generally to other things of the same kind 诸如此类;等等
E.g.: So many things are unsafe these days—milk, cranberry sauce, what have you.
现如今很多食品都不安全——牛奶、蓝莓酱等等。
Part III
Opera, as we think of it, is of course a resurrected form. It is the melodious drama of ancient Greek theater, the term ‘melodious drama' being shortened eventually to ‘melodrama' because operas frequently are melodramatic, not to say unrealistic. And the group that put the first operas together that we have today, then were, well...it was a group of men that included Galileo's father Vincenzo, and they met in Florence.
He and a group of friends of the Count of Bardi and they formed what is called the Camerata de'Bardi. And they took classical theater and reproduced it in the Renaissance's time. This...uh...this produced some of the operas that we have today.
Now what happened in the following centuries is very simple. Opera originated in Italy but was not confined to Italy any more than Italians were. And so as Italians migrated across Europe, they carried theater with them and opera specifically because it was an Italian form. What happened is that the major divide in opera that endures today took place.
歌剧起源于意大利，但并不像意大利人那样局限于意大利。
所发生的事情是，今天存续在的歌剧中的主要差异出现了。
1. resurrect|ˌrezəˈrekt|
verb. if you resurrect something, you cause it to exist again after it had disappeared or ended 使复兴;恢复;使重新出现
E.g.: Attempts to resurrect the ceasefire have already failed once.
为再次停火作出的努力已经失败了一次。
2. melodious|məˈləʊdiəs|
adj. a melodious sound is pleasant to listen to 优美的;悦耳的;动听的
E.g.: She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.
她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
3. melodramatic |ˌmelədrəˈmætɪk|
adj. full of exciting and extreme emotions or events; behaving or reacting to sth in an exaggerated way 情节剧式的；夸大的；耸人听闻的
E.g.: a melodramatic plot full of deceit and murder
充满欺骗和凶杀的耸人听闻的情节
4. not to say
you can use not to say when adding a stronger or more extreme description than the one you have just used (引出语气更重或更极端的描述)即使不说是…,虽不能说…
E.g.: To those who've never received million dollar royalty cheques, this sounded a little odd, not to say offensive.
对于那些从没有收到过上百万美元版权费的人来说，这听起来就算不令人反感，至少也让人觉得有点儿怪。
5. Duke 公爵, Marquess 侯爵, Earl 伯爵, Count 伯爵, Viscount 子爵, Baron 男爵
6. Camerata de'Bardi
卡梅拉塔·德·巴尔迪（Camerata de'Bardi），又称佛罗伦萨卡梅拉塔（Florentine Camerata），是一群文艺复兴晚期佛罗伦萨的人道主义者，音乐家，诗人和知识分子，在乔瓦尼·德·巴尔迪伯爵（Count Giovanni de'Bardi）的支持下聚集在一起，讨论和指导艺术尤其是音乐的发展趋势和戏剧，促进了戏剧音乐的创作和歌剧的发展。
7. renaissance |ˈrenəsɑ:ns|
the Renaissance the period in Europe during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries when people became interested in the ideas and culture of ancient Greece and Rome and used these influences in their own art, literature, etc. 文艺复兴（欧洲14、15和16世纪时，人们以古希腊罗马的思想文化来繁荣文学艺术）
E.g.: Science took a new and different turn in the Renaissance.
科学在文艺复兴时期发生了新的转变。
8. confine |kənˈfaɪn|
verb. to keep sb/sth inside the limits of a particular activity, subject, area, etc. 限制；限定
E.g.: The work will not be confined to the Glasgow area.
此项工作不会局限于格拉斯哥地区。
Part IV
The French said opera ought to reflect the rhythm and cadence of dramatic literature, bearing in mind that we are talking about the golden age in French literature. And so the music was secondary, if you will, to the dramatic cadence of language, to the way the rhythm of language was used to express feeling and used to add drama and of course as a result, instead of arias or solos, which would come to dominated Italian opera, the French relied on what the Italians called recitativo or recitative in English. The lyrics were spoken, frequently to the accompaniment of a harpsichord.
The French said you really can't talk about real people who lived in opera and they relied on mythology to give them their characters and their plots, mythology, the past old traditions, the novels of chivalry or the epics of chivalry out of the middle Ages. The Italian said, “no, this is a great historical tool and what better way to educate the public about Neo or Attalla or any number of people than to put them into a play they can see and listen to”.
如果你愿意的话也可以这么说，音乐之于语言的戏剧腔调，之于用语言节奏来表达情感增加戏剧性而言是次要的，当然结果就是，与意大利歌剧以咏叹调或独唱来主导不同，法国人依靠的是意大利人所说的宣叙调，即歌词往往在大羽键琴的伴奏下被朗诵出来。
这是一个伟大的历史工具，还有什么比把Neo或Attalla或者其它什么人放到观众可以看到和听到的戏剧中更好的方式来教育公众，让公众了解他们。
1. cadence|ˈkeɪdns|
noun. the rise and fall of the voice in speaking （说话时语调的）抑扬顿挫，起落
E.g.: He delivered his words in slow, measured cadences.
他讲话缓慢而抑扬顿挫、把握有度。
2. bear in mind
to remember sb/sth; to remember or consider that… 将…记在心中；记起；考虑
E.g.: Bear in mind that petrol stations are scarce in the more remote areas.
要牢记一点：在比较偏远的地方加油站很少见。
3. will|wɪl|
verb. to want or like 想要；希望；愿意；喜欢
E.g.: Call it what you will, it's still a problem.
不管怎么说，这仍然是个问题。
4. aria （尤指歌剧或清唱剧中的）咏叹调, solo 独唱, recitative （歌剧或清唱剧中的）宣叙调，朗诵调
5. accompaniment |əˈkʌmpənimənt|
noun. music that is played to support singing or another instrument （音乐）伴奏
E.g.: He sang 'My Funny Valentine' to a piano accompaniment.
他在钢琴的伴奏下演唱了《我可爱的情人》。
6. mythology |mɪˈθɒlədʒi|
noun. ancient myths in general; the ancient myths of a particular culture, society, etc. （统称）神话；某文化（或社会等）的神话
E.g.: In Greek mythology, the god Zeus took the form of a swan to seduce Leda.
在希腊神话里，主神宙斯化作天鹅引诱了勒达。
7. plot |plɑ:t|
noun. the series of events which form the story of a novel, play, film/movie, etc. 故事情节；布局
E.g.: The book is well organized in terms of plot.
这本书的故事布局十分严谨。
8. chivalry |ˈʃɪvəlri|
noun. in the Middle Ages, chivalry was the set of rules and way of behaving which knights were expected to follow （中世纪的）骑士精神，骑士风范
E.g.: Marie seemed to revel in his old-fashioned chivalry.
玛丽好像陶醉在他那旧式的骑士风度里。
9. epic |ˈepɪk|
noun. a long poem about the actions of great men and women or about a nation's history; this style of poetry 叙事诗;史诗;史诗般的作品
E.g.: At three hours and 21 minutes, it is an over-long, standard Hollywood epic.
这部影片长达3小时21分钟，是部超长的标准好莱坞式史诗电影。
Part V
The English appropriated opera after the French. Opera came late to England because all theaters, public theaters were closed, of course, during their civil war. And it wasn't until the Restoration in 1660 that public theaters again opened and opera took off. The English made a major adjustment to opera and exported what they had done to opera back to Italy. So that you have this circle of musical influences, the Italians invented opera, the French adapted it, the English adopted it, the Italians took it back.
It came to America late and was considered too elitist for the general public. But Broadway musicals fulfilled a similar function for a great long while. John J. Chapman wrote about opera, quote “If an extraterrestrial being were to appear before us, say: What is your society like? What is this Earth thing all about? You could do worse than take that creature to an opera.” End quote. Because opera does, after all, begin with a man and a woman and an emotion.
约翰·J·查普曼写过关于歌剧的文章，原话引用起“如果一个外星人出现在我们面前问：你们的社会是什么样的？这个叫地球的东西到底是怎么回事？你可以把那个外星生物带去看场歌剧，这倒也不是个糟糕的办法。”原话引用止。因为毕竟歌剧是从一个男人、一个女人和一种情绪开始的。
1. appropriate |əˈprəʊpriət|
verb. to take sth, sb's ideas, etc. for your own use, especially illegally or without permission 盗用；挪用；占用；侵吞
E.g.: Several other newspapers have appropriated the idea.
另外有几家报社已盗用了这个创意。
2. civil war
noun. a war between groups of people in the same country 内战
E.g.: 30 years of bitter civil war
30年惨烈的内战
3. the Restoration
the time in Britain after 1660 when, following a period with no king or queen, Charles II became king 王政复辟时期（1660年，英国经历了一段无王时期后，查理二世登基为王）
E.g.: Restoration comedy/poetry (= written during and after this time).
王政复辟时期的喜剧/诗歌
4. take off
to become successful or popular very quickly or suddenly 突然大受欢迎；迅速流行
E.g.: The new magazine has really taken off.
这份新杂志真是大受欢迎。
5. adapt |əˈdæpt|
verb. to change a book or play so that it can be made into a play, film/movie, television programme, etc. 改编；改写
E.g.: Three of her novels have been adapted for television.
她的长篇小说中有三部已改编成电视节目。
6. adopt |əˈdɑ:pt|
verb. to start to use a particular method or to show a particular attitude towards sb/sth 采用（某方法）；采取（某态度）
E.g.: All three teams adopted different approaches to the problem.
三个队处理这个问题的方法各不相同。
7. elitist |eɪˈliːtɪst|
adj. elitist systems, practices, or ideas favour the most powerful, rich, or talented people within a group, place, or society 精英主义的;精英论的
E.g.: Skiing is old-fashioned, elitist and boring.
滑雪是一种过时的、精英主义的无聊运动。
8. Broadway |ˈbrɔ:dweɪ|
noun. a street in New York City where there are many theatres, sometimes used to refer to the US theatre industry in general 百老汇（美国纽约市戏院集中的一条大街）；（美国的）戏剧业
E.g.: a Broadway musical
一部百老汇音乐剧
9. quote |kwoʊt|
verb. to repeat the exact words that another person has said or written 引用；引述
E.g.: She said, and I quote, ‘Life is meaningless without love. ’
我援引她曾说过的话：“人生无爱一场空。”
10. extraterrestrial |ˌekstrətəˈrestriəl|
adj. connected with life existing outside the planet Earth 地球外的；外星球的；宇宙的
E.g.: NASA has started a 10-year search for extraterrestrial intelligence.
美国航空航天局已经启动了一个为期10年的寻找外星人的项目。
