Ah, when the ravisher of Peace, and the subjugator19 of his kind, has fulfilled his fierce ambition, and the rent land is desolate20 and a nation enslaved in tyrant-welded bonds, how fares his name within the hearts and on the lips of men? Does not its lettering pollute with blood the annals of his time? Not with the harsh rattle21, not with the red horror of war, but rather with a sound of sweetest harmony comes the conquering musician, and the charmed world, his debtor22, proclaims him lord of a realm more peaceful than once the great Augustus mildly ruled.
Longfellow's often-quoted lines:
Lives of great men all remind us
are not wholly in accord with truth, for the domestic life of many a great man lends warrant to Mrs. Carlyle's warning against marrying a genius. And, surely, what is the brief domestic life of Byron if not a mystery of unhappiness? On the other hand, the lives of some of earth's greatest have proved sublime even in such testing ordeal24. No ?sweet bells jangled out of tune25 and harsh? drowned their connubial26 harmony; no wranglings of the ill-mated made the house rather a hell than a home; no Coleridge-like shirking of family responsibilities demeaned them in the eyes of men; no divergence27 of aim kept husband and wife always at cross purpose.
The home of Bach was the modest German home whose like, throughout the Fatherland, had bred the bone and sinew and brain of a great and worthy28 nation. It was the shielding home into whose peaceful shelter the disquieting29 world intruded30 not; the home paternal31, maternal32, and fraternal, where blossomed daily those sweet domesticities which root themselves in mutual33 love. It was the simple home, source and conserver of the simple life; the fruitful home free from imputation34 of race suicide; the happy home forever young with voices of childhood and youth; the Christian35 home from whence ascended36 in prayer and thanksgiving the homage37 of reverent38 hearts! It was, in short, the ideal home approved by earth, by Heaven ordained39 and blessed; and he, the great Bach, was its patriarchal head.
The creative artist stands at noblest remove from that brute40 inheritance of ours, the desire to take by violence. In him is manifest the God-like characteristic of the highest type of man, namely, desire to give for the pure love of giving.
Therefore, on such lives as that of Bach, the welfare of the world depends; they call it back from that insanity41 of selfishness toward which the age is tending. Such lives attest42 the claims of the ideal; they prove them to be of practical value. Such lives are, indeed, barriers against an on-rushing Materialism43 which otherwise might engulf44 us all.
Of the modern composer it must often be said that the world is too much with him; and to this misfortune are largely attributable the inequalities abounding45 in his music. Because of his co-partnership with that which tends to warp46 and deaden his artistic sensibility, he must needs force his inspiration; the result proving that the serenity47 of the high vision is not in him, but rather the delirium-nightmare of the world-fever. Nor can it be otherwise unless he benefits by the example of Bach and his kind. Like him, he should achieve a full and final consecration48 necessary as that of the priest and the prophet. Apart from the world wherewith he mingles49; self-centered amidst the babbling50 multitude; deaf to the babel of their tongues; he should listen to the great song of life, the heavenly melody filling the shut sanctuary51 of his soul whereinto the world cannot enter. If he so do, it shall not be said of him that he lived in vain, or that his works but swelled52 the rubbish heap of Time.
The staid, methodical life of Bach the man, wherein nothing erratic53 is discoverable, was counterparted by the life of Bach the creative genius. The orderly and exhaustive development of a characteristic theme was to him the chief artistic end obtainable. In the school of which he was the great exponent54, the imaginings of the composer must be moulded to the requirements of an exacting55 and time-approved model; but, despite the severity of the strict polyphonic style, whose restrictions56 led to its modification57 by the Classicists, and its final abandonment by the Romanticists, Bach moving in this, his congenial element, was no more hampered58 than is the freest illustrator of modern methods.
Although German Protestantism found in Bach its musical expression, in him—the towering genius—was inevitably59 paramount60 that broad and lofty religion of pure art which, above credal differences, outpours its prayer and thanksgiving in the creation of the beautiful, and therefore the good and the true. Would anyone suppose the author of the Mass in B minor61 to be a dissenter62 from the Roman Catholic communion? As a noble vehicle of religious feeling, the Mass inspired Bach to a work surpassing all similar efforts of Roman Catholic composers; a work which, to every heart in tune with the sublime, is a revelation of the essence of undogmatic religion.
Whilst grave dignity well becomes a king, and whilst the voice and look of authority are rightfully his, we love to see him doff63 at times the insignia of his station, and eschew64 the pomp and ceremony of royal surroundings to enact65 a part identifying him with the human in the great common life of the world.
Even so we see the sovereign of the Fugue, the Mass, the Cantata66 and the ?Passion,? unbending affably toward such lesser things as the Suite67, the Partita and the a capella Motet. But, though condescending68, Bach is nevertheless the king; hence these all acquire from his magnetic, uplifting presence, a consequence before unknown to any of their kind.
Bearing in mind the lives of such men as Sir Henry Irving, one hardly realizes that the play-actor of the Elizabethan Era had no more social status than the veriest mountebank69. The German musical genius of Bach's day, and for long thereafter, was usually a mere70 retainer to some consequential71 petty prince, and, socially, only a degree higher than his master's lackey72. But habit, sprung from a necessity which itself may have originated in a refinement73 and delicacy74 of organization inclining the musician rather to submit than to combat the coarse and selfish, had so accustomed the court composer to the r?le of servile dependent upon royal patronage75, that he seldom realized to what degradation76 his anciently esteemed77 calling, that of the bard78, had fallen.
But as for the masculinely self-assertive Bach, fortunately or unfortunately not often in touch with princes, he assumed no attitude of flattery toward his employers, the penurious79 and unjustly-exacting town authorities of Liepsic.
Lamentable80 indeed is the fact that Bach was forced by circumstances into what, to one of his capabilities81, must have been the most dreary82, routine drudgery83. Imagine Handel leaving half-penned some sublime Chorus, to toil84 with a dull and refractory85 pupil who never by any means would attain86 to average musicianship.
To sensitive nerves, over-tensioned through sympathy with a high-wrought emotional nature which aspires87 and soars towards some beauty native to another sphere, such instant drop is comparable to that of the wounded bird checked in the moment of most buoyant flight. Beethoven would none of it for, because of his bachelorhood, he was independent; but with Bach, the good father of sons and daughters to the number of twenty, it was far otherwise. Toil he must and toil he did as cantor in the school and choir-master in the church.
To certain musicians far less endowed than was Bach, the act of teaching has been but semblance88 of labor6, and, at times, the merest farce89. Behold90 the modern, world-flattered, fashion-sought Virtuoso91 of the Pianoforte, accessible only to the highest aspirant92 to musical renown93! Behold that awe-struck aspirant ushered94 into the presence of the august one! He listens to the embarrassed player, yes, he the lofty deigns95 to listen! Ah! but will he, the great Jove of modern music, look down in kindness from his Parnassus, or will he utterly96 blast with the lightning of his eyes, and dumfound with the angry thunders of his mouth? Who can tell? Surely none but the great Jove himself, for his pleasure or his displeasure, like that of the ancient deity97, is but matter of caprice dependent wholly upon his present mood. How the conditions which hampered the life of Bach contrast with those favoring the musical celebrity98 of our day! But then, the world abounds99 with incongruities100 even to the placing of the beggar on the throne and the king on the dunghill.
The poet bards101 of long ago, the Ossians of the North and the Homers of the South, declaimed their epics102 of love and war to a harp103 accompaniment which often must have approached free improvisation104. The complex recitative of Wagner, for example, the endless melody of his ?Tristan and Isolde,? purports105 to be the attained106 ideal of those elder singers; but, between the bald freedom of the old and the luxuriant freedom of the new, have obtained what Wagner considered two grave, musical mistakes: first, the evolution of fixed form originating in the primitive107 dance tune and eventuating in the Bach Fugue, and, second, largely due to the labors of Bach, the individualizing of instrumental music apart from vocal108 music once deemed its indispensable auxiliary109.
Speaking without bias110, it should be said that although to Bach we justly render every encomium111 due unto one of the most gifted masters of music, we give with full knowledge that his art, notwithstanding its beauty and excellence112, is but a facet113 of the gem114 whose all of resplendence these later days are privileged to behold. Probably the perfection of contrapuntal writing was to Bach the perfection, the entirety, of great music. He would doubtless have condemned115 as vague and discursive116 much in the pianoforte and orchestral works which characterized Beethoven's middle and last period.
How he would have regarded certain liberties in the harmonic progression may be surmised117. Although Bach himself was in this respect something of an innovator118, he must have deemed such divergence the justifiable119 limit of rule-breaking. Could he have looked forward to the chief exponent of the Classical School, he might have said, ?This Beethoven goes too far, even to the deliberate employment of consecutive120, perfect fifths in rash attempt to produce dubious121 effects. Besides, he abandons the native German domain122 of the Fugue and debouches upon a land whereof I know not, a strange land of questionable123 manners and customs.?
点击收听单词发音
1 virtue | |
n.德行,美德;贞操;优点;功效,效力 | |
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2 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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3 thrifty | |
adj.节俭的;兴旺的;健壮的 | |
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4 engraved | |
v.在(硬物)上雕刻(字,画等)( engrave的过去式和过去分词 );将某事物深深印在(记忆或头脑中) | |
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5 immediate | |
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的 | |
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6 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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7 labors | |
v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 );苦干;详细分析;(指引擎)缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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8 lesser | |
adj.次要的,较小的;adv.较小地,较少地 | |
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9 clavichord | |
n.(敲弦)古钢琴 | |
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10 prodigious | |
adj.惊人的,奇妙的;异常的;巨大的;庞大的 | |
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11 obtuse | |
adj.钝的;愚钝的 | |
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12 artistic | |
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的 | |
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13 analogous | |
adj.相似的;类似的 | |
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14 martyr | |
n.烈士,殉难者;vt.杀害,折磨,牺牲 | |
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15 adherence | |
n.信奉,依附,坚持,固着 | |
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16 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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17 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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18 lengthened | |
(时间或空间)延长,伸长( lengthen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19 subjugator | |
n.征服者,制服者 | |
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20 desolate | |
adj.荒凉的,荒芜的;孤独的,凄凉的;v.使荒芜,使孤寂 | |
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21 rattle | |
v.飞奔,碰响;激怒;n.碰撞声;拨浪鼓 | |
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22 debtor | |
n.借方,债务人 | |
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23 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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24 ordeal | |
n.苦难经历,(尤指对品格、耐力的)严峻考验 | |
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25 tune | |
n.调子;和谐,协调;v.调音,调节,调整 | |
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26 connubial | |
adj.婚姻的,夫妇的 | |
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27 divergence | |
n.分歧,岔开 | |
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28 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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29 disquieting | |
adj.令人不安的,令人不平静的v.使不安,使忧虑,使烦恼( disquiet的现在分词 ) | |
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30 intruded | |
n.侵入的,推进的v.侵入,侵扰,打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 );把…强加于 | |
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31 paternal | |
adj.父亲的,像父亲的,父系的,父方的 | |
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32 maternal | |
adj.母亲的,母亲般的,母系的,母方的 | |
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33 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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34 imputation | |
n.归罪,责难 | |
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35 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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36 ascended | |
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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38 reverent | |
adj.恭敬的,虔诚的 | |
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39 ordained | |
v.任命(某人)为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 );授予(某人)圣职;(上帝、法律等)命令;判定 | |
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40 brute | |
n.野兽,兽性 | |
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41 insanity | |
n.疯狂,精神错乱;极端的愚蠢,荒唐 | |
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42 attest | |
vt.证明,证实;表明 | |
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43 materialism | |
n.[哲]唯物主义,唯物论;物质至上 | |
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44 engulf | |
vt.吞没,吞食 | |
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45 abounding | |
adj.丰富的,大量的v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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46 warp | |
vt.弄歪,使翘曲,使不正常,歪曲,使有偏见 | |
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47 serenity | |
n.宁静,沉着,晴朗 | |
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48 consecration | |
n.供献,奉献,献祭仪式 | |
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49 mingles | |
混合,混入( mingle的第三人称单数 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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50 babbling | |
n.胡说,婴儿发出的咿哑声adj.胡说的v.喋喋不休( babble的现在分词 );作潺潺声(如流水);含糊不清地说话;泄漏秘密 | |
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51 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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52 swelled | |
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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53 erratic | |
adj.古怪的,反复无常的,不稳定的 | |
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54 exponent | |
n.倡导者,拥护者;代表人物;指数,幂 | |
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55 exacting | |
adj.苛求的,要求严格的 | |
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56 restrictions | |
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则) | |
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57 modification | |
n.修改,改进,缓和,减轻 | |
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58 hampered | |
妨碍,束缚,限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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59 inevitably | |
adv.不可避免地;必然发生地 | |
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60 paramount | |
a.最重要的,最高权力的 | |
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61 minor | |
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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62 dissenter | |
n.反对者 | |
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63 doff | |
v.脱,丢弃,废除 | |
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64 eschew | |
v.避开,戒绝 | |
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65 enact | |
vt.制定(法律);上演,扮演 | |
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66 cantata | |
n.清唱剧,大合唱 | |
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67 suite | |
n.一套(家具);套房;随从人员 | |
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68 condescending | |
adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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69 mountebank | |
n.江湖郎中;骗子 | |
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70 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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71 consequential | |
adj.作为结果的,间接的;重要的 | |
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72 lackey | |
n.侍从;跟班 | |
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73 refinement | |
n.文雅;高尚;精美;精制;精炼 | |
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74 delicacy | |
n.精致,细微,微妙,精良;美味,佳肴 | |
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75 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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76 degradation | |
n.降级;低落;退化;陵削;降解;衰变 | |
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77 esteemed | |
adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 );敬重;认为;以为 | |
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78 bard | |
n.吟游诗人 | |
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79 penurious | |
adj.贫困的 | |
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80 lamentable | |
adj.令人惋惜的,悔恨的 | |
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81 capabilities | |
n.能力( capability的名词复数 );可能;容量;[复数]潜在能力 | |
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82 dreary | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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83 drudgery | |
n.苦工,重活,单调乏味的工作 | |
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84 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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85 refractory | |
adj.倔强的,难驾驭的 | |
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86 attain | |
vt.达到,获得,完成 | |
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87 aspires | |
v.渴望,追求( aspire的第三人称单数 ) | |
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88 semblance | |
n.外貌,外表 | |
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89 farce | |
n.闹剧,笑剧,滑稽戏;胡闹 | |
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90 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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91 virtuoso | |
n.精于某种艺术或乐器的专家,行家里手 | |
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92 aspirant | |
n.热望者;adj.渴望的 | |
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93 renown | |
n.声誉,名望 | |
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94 ushered | |
v.引,领,陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95 deigns | |
v.屈尊,俯就( deign的第三人称单数 ) | |
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96 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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97 deity | |
n.神,神性;被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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98 celebrity | |
n.名人,名流;著名,名声,名望 | |
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99 abounds | |
v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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100 incongruities | |
n.不协调( incongruity的名词复数 );不一致;不适合;不协调的东西 | |
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101 bards | |
n.诗人( bard的名词复数 ) | |
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102 epics | |
n.叙事诗( epic的名词复数 );壮举;惊人之举;史诗般的电影(或书籍) | |
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103 harp | |
n.竖琴;天琴座 | |
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104 improvisation | |
n.即席演奏(或演唱);即兴创作 | |
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105 purports | |
v.声称是…,(装得)像是…的样子( purport的第三人称单数 ) | |
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106 attained | |
(通常经过努力)实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 ); 达到; 获得; 达到(某年龄、水平、状况) | |
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107 primitive | |
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物 | |
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108 vocal | |
adj.直言不讳的;嗓音的;n.[pl.]声乐节目 | |
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109 auxiliary | |
adj.辅助的,备用的 | |
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110 bias | |
n.偏见,偏心,偏袒;vt.使有偏见 | |
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111 encomium | |
n.赞颂;颂词 | |
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112 excellence | |
n.优秀,杰出,(pl.)优点,美德 | |
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113 facet | |
n.(问题等的)一个方面;(多面体的)面 | |
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114 gem | |
n.宝石,珠宝;受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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115 condemned | |
adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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116 discursive | |
adj.离题的,无层次的 | |
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117 surmised | |
v.臆测,推断( surmise的过去式和过去分词 );揣测;猜想 | |
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118 innovator | |
n.改革者;创新者 | |
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119 justifiable | |
adj.有理由的,无可非议的 | |
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120 consecutive | |
adj.连续的,联贯的,始终一贯的 | |
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121 dubious | |
adj.怀疑的,无把握的;有问题的,靠不住的 | |
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122 domain | |
n.(活动等)领域,范围;领地,势力范围 | |
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123 questionable | |
adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
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