The sound of heaven


Rhys Boak and Ryoko Mori play at the opening concert

From Feb 1, the Gulangyu Organ Museum, the only one of its type in China, was opened to citizens and tourists. In the coming years, if things go smoothly, it is expected to develop into the largest and best organ museum in the world.

"I will exert all my powers to fulfill this huge project," said Mr Hu Youyi, showing his resolution and enthusiasm. All the exhibits at the organ museum, as well as those at the piano museum, were solely collected and donated by Mr Hu. He anticipates the number of exhibits in the organ museum to rise from the present 25 to 400 in the future when it swings into full gear. Apart from ancient large pipe organs and old precious reed organs, accordions and pianicas will also be included.


The huge "Norman & Beard"

"Pipe organs are acclaimed as the most sublime and divine musical instrument in the west. I hope one day organ lovers from all over the world will come on a music pilgrimage to my hometown, Gulangyu, to appreciate its beauty." Hu said at the opening concert of the museum.
The pipe organ which was played at the opening concert is not just the largest on show at present, it is also an important and historic one - a "Norman & Beard" made in 1909. It is 6 meters high and consists of 1,350 pipes, 3 layers of organ keyboards and 21 organ stops.



Ian Wakeley, an Australian organist technician who spent more than a month restoring and tuning the instrument, highly complimented its present condition. "It is made of the best materials by the best builders with the best techniques and is a representative of the highest level at that time. And that is why, after nearly a century, it still remains in amazingly good condition while most other instruments of its age have long turned decayed.



"It used to be located inside a church in England. Now it is in a round building- Bagua Building, where its sound is as beautiful as ever within its special environment. In a church you have to listen in front of the instrument but in here, you may listen as you walk around it. You can even go upstairs where the sound is even better because of the dome effects." Ian said.



Rhys Boak and Ryoko Mori, the couple from Australia who gave three concerts on the "Norman & Beard", felt contended with the functions and the sound of the organ. "It is so special and rarely seen in England or Australia. We believe there will be a lot of people coming to visit it. Xiamen citizens are really lucky to have a native-born organ collector like Mr Hu."

The organ museum is located inside Xiamen Museum in the Bagua Building, Gulangyu. The opening time is 8:45am till 5pm, Monday through to Sunday. If you are lucky, you may hear the heavenly sound of the old instrument being played by the museum staff when requested by tourists.

Vocabulary
pianica 口风琴
accordion 手风琴
pilgrimage 朝圣
sublime 高尚的

 

 

Golden oldies
老歌金曲

编者按:
应广大读者的要求,"老歌金曲"栏目从本周开始隆重登场,每次介绍一位上个世纪的西方歌坛巨星或组合,及一首代表作的英文歌词. 了解西方音乐,学唱英文老歌,提高口语水平,一举三得的事,您千万别错过哦.



The Beatles 披头士乐队

毫无疑问,从上个世纪至今,The Beatles都是世界上最有影响力的乐队. 他们改变了摇滚乐和流行乐,丰富并影响了当时社会的整个文化. "Hey Jude"这首歌长达九分多钟,是一首感人的民谣,并演化成了自由发挥的团体式的歌唱方式,是The Beatles相当著名的一首歌,它曾在1968年获得九周排行榜冠军,也是60年代的单曲总排行榜冠军.

这首单曲问世的时候,还曾经惹出一场国际风波,因为在德国,Jude这个字又指犹太人,因此使得这首歌在欧洲产生了一些不必要的政治联想,实际上这整首歌和犹太人一点关系都没有.

曲子中提到的Jude,其实是The Beatles成员John Lennon的儿子Julian Lennon的昵称. 而这首歌是Paul McCartney(另一乐队成员)在John Lennon离婚后,为Julian特意写的一首歌,其内容就是鼓励一个年轻人要勇敢面对现实,歌词头一句就是Paul安慰Julian时说过的话.

Hey Jude

Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain
Hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulder
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in
Hey Jude begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you
Hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
(Repeat the 1st paragraph)

 

 

Xiamen Kaiming Movie Complex 厦门天地开明电影城 18日起隆重上映 进口大片《国家宝藏》 "National Treasure"

主演: 尼古拉斯·凯奇 地址: 江头北路69号 Ticket line: 5517918 Plot Outline: A treasure hunter is in hot pursuit of a mythical treasure that has been passed down for centuries, while his employer turned enemy is onto the same path that he's on.