樂音悠揚的口琴歷史 From China to America: The Long History of the Harmonica

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說到世上許多的美妙樂器，小小口琴八成不會是大家最先想到的。

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From China to America. The Long History of the Harmonica

When it comes to the world’s many wonderful musical instruments, the small harmonica would probably not be the first one thought of. In Western culture, the harmonica is most often __1__ as an instrument used in blues and folk music. Therefore, it may come as a surprise that the harmonica’s earliest __2__ was in fact a Chinese instrument called the sheng.

First introduced thousands of years ago, the sheng differed from the modern harmonica in that its reeds were made of wood, not metal. Following centuries of use in __3__ Chinese music, the sheng was finally introduced to Europe in the late 18th century. By the early 19th century, the instrument had already become so popular that instrument makers had started working on __4__ of it. In 1820, a German instrument maker named Christian Friedrich Buschmann constructed a sheng-like instrument with metal reeds rather than wooden ones. A few years later, another European named Joseph Richter created a version of Buschmann’s instrument with one __5__ difference. While Buschmann’s harmonica only produced sounds when players blew into it, Richter __6__ two reeds in each opening so that notes could be produced by breathing in as well as by breathing out.

Within a few years, Richter’s harmonica was being mass-produced in various parts of Europe. However, the instrument did not __7__ the United States until German clockmaker Matthias Hohner started his own harmonica business. A shrewd businessman, Hohner saw an opportunity in the American market and soon began to __8__ his harmonicas to the country. Hohner’s business thrived in America, and today, the Hohner company remains one of the world’s leading harmonica __9__.

Throughout the first half of the 20th century, the harmonica’s popularity as a blues instrument steadily grew in the US, before the instrument was later adopted by folk __10__ like the legendary Bob Dylan. The rest, as they say, is musical history.

(A) crucial (B) export (C) variations (D) reach (E) ancestor (F) installed (G) greats (H) traditional ( I ) viewed (J) manufacturers

 

答案: 1. I 2.E 3.H 4.C 5.A 6.F 7.D 8.B 9.J 10.G

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