音乐书评译介丨《所罗门·米科夫斯基钢琴教学传奇》

「今日荐书」本书讲述了米科夫斯基传奇的一生，围绕音乐发生的周遭际遇。米科夫斯基博士在此书中分享了他丰富的经验——从政治障碍到个人牺牲，从在家乡的学生时代，到获得美国茱莉亚学院的奖学金，再到哥伦比亚大学的博士阶段的学习，以及多年的教学生涯书中有幽默的个人轶事。米科夫斯基影响了众多活跃于当今乐坛的钢琴演奏家，他的低调为人并不能掩盖他对于当代古典音乐教育的贡献。本书目前已经在国内由上海音乐出版社出版，大家可自行搜索书名购买。

 The Piano Teaching Legacy of Solomon Mikowsky

书评《米科夫斯基的钢琴教学传奇》

By Kookhee Hong

Breaking from the tradition of New York Concert Review as a publication chiefly about concerts and recordings, this book review is justified based on its subject, noted musical pedagogue, Solomon Mikowsky, whose musical legacy dwells in the concert halls and music schools of New York and throughout the world.

这篇书评打破了《纽约音乐会评论》以音乐会和唱片评论为主的惯例，但本刊登载它有其原因：书评中聚焦的人物是知名音乐教育家索罗门·米科夫斯基，其音乐理念遍布纽约及世界各地的音乐厅与音乐学校。

 As “one of the world’s most sought-after artist teachers” (Clavier), whose students have racked up over 150 international competition wins, he has been a vital if often behind-the-scenes figure in the world of concert life today.

作为“世界上最受欢迎的键盘艺术教师之一”，他的学生们前后共赢得了150多场国际比赛，因而他是当今音乐界中举足轻重（即使常常是在幕后）的人物。

Among Mr. Mikowsky’s students have been some highly celebrated pianists of the day, including Simone Dinnerstein, Kirill Gerstein, and others. Many are on piano faculties throughout the world, guiding the next generation of musical leaders, performing, serving on juries, and yes, still competing and performing in contests themselves. Lest the reader be misled by the word “legacy” in the book’s title, let there be no doubt that Dr. Mikowsky is still going strong after many decades of teaching, notably at the Manhattan School of Music since 1969.

米科夫斯基先生的学生中有享誉当今世界的钢琴家，包括西蒙·蒂娜斯坦（Simone Dinnerstein）和基里尔·嘉斯坦(Kirill Gerstein)等。他们中的许多人在世界各地的钢琴系任教，指导下一代的音乐佼佼者、演奏、担任评委，是的，他们也仍然在比赛中竞争和演奏。读者请勿被书名中的“传奇”一词误导，米科夫斯基博士自1969年在曼哈顿音乐学院任教以来，度过了数十年的教学生涯，他如今依然势头强劲。

What’s more than all of the credentials and success he has achieved – though going hand in hand with it – is his successful personal mission to share music, more a way of life than a profession. It is that personal mission that makes Dr Mikowsky’s career worthy of a book, rather than just a list of prizes in some compendium. His students, present and past, speak of him as a beloved friend, who has helped them artistically, personally, and even financially. 

比他所取得的奖项和成就更为重要的，当然也是与之并行的，是他以分享音乐为己任并取得了成功，与其说这是他的职业，不如说是他的生活方式。正是他的这一“己任”（而非一连串的奖项）使得米科夫斯基博士的职业生涯值得成书。他现在和过去的学生都称他是挚爱的朋友，说他在艺术上、个人生活上，甚至是经济上都给他们以帮助。

They have traveled to new places because of him, tried unknown exotic repertoire because of him, sampled new foods, read new books, and met new people because of him. Together they are helping to keep the love and celebration of piano music alive. Anyone who was captivated by the 2015 film about music teacher, Seymour Bernstein (Seymour: An Introduction), should enjoy Ms. Hong’s book in a similar way, but with new dimensions: enter Solomon.

他们因米可夫斯基的影响而去了新的地方，尝试新的曲目，品尝新的食物，阅读新的书，结识新的人。师生联手，始终保持对钢琴音乐的热爱与颂扬。如果2015年的电影《西摩小传》中的音乐老师西摩·贝恩斯坦因（Seymour Bernstein）迷住了你，那么你也会同样喜欢洪女士的这本书，只是你会有新的角度，那就是：走进索罗门的世界。

At this point, it may sound as if Ms. Hong, a former student of Dr. Mikowsky, has written a promotional puff piece, but rest assured that the book goes much deeper than that. Though one or two moments in the interview-format book may resemble the so-called “humble-brag” as various triumphs are recounted (how can they not with his string of achievements?), there is always rigorous self-assessment with Dr. Mikowsky, from the half-joking wish to refund money to students at some earlier points in his career to his comments about how much he is still always learning.

说到这儿，听起来好像这本书是米科夫斯基博士以前的学生洪女士写的颂扬之文，但请放心，它的深度远不止于此。尽管这本访谈形式的书中有一两处可能有些像所谓的“低调炫耀”，就像人们重述各种成功故事时那样（以他这么多的成就，怎么能避免的了呢），但是书中始终都有米科夫斯基博士对自己严苛的评价，比如任教早期他曾半开玩笑地说想把学费退给学生，再比如他说自己一直都有很多东西要学习。

There is also much more to the book than a recollection and analysis of his teaching – beyond the ample discussion of fingering approaches, editions, and other specialized issues. Dr. Mikowsky’s life has been one of serious ups and downs, all which have made him the remarkable man that he is. The reader will find references to his Russian-Polish-Jewish roots, an engrossing account of his parents’ immigrant experience, colorful descriptions of his early days in Havana and a family jewelry business, and his musical beginnings. 

该书也并未停留在对他教学的回忆和分析上，在充分讨论指法、乐谱版本和其他专业问题之外，还有更多内容。米科夫斯基博士的一生经历了大起大落，因而造就了他如此的不凡。读者会发现书中提到他的俄罗斯-波兰-犹太血统，引人入胜地记叙了他父母的移民经历，绘声绘色地描述了他在哈瓦那（Havana）的早期生活及家族珠宝生意，还有他音乐生涯的开端。

There are some humorous personal anecdotes, but also chilling references to his extended family’s peril at Auschwitz. There are tales of financial and personal struggle – including a physical injury preventing him from performing – but also tales of addictive Cuban croquettes. One is reminded in some ways of the much longer memoirs of another gourmand, pianist Arthur Rubinstein, as Dr. Mikowsky has a similar zest for living (without Rubinstein’s much-touted dalliances). One can only envy his current class of students. Young musicians will find in this book the constant reminder that not only must life be filled with music, but music must be filled with life.

书中有幽默的个人轶事，但也有其家族身陷奥斯维辛的可怕险境。有经济和个人生活方面的奋斗故事（包括身体上受伤使他无法演出），也有他酷爱古巴油炸丸子的故事。这不免会让人想起另一位钢琴美食家鲁宾斯坦篇幅更长的回忆录，米科夫斯基博士对生活有着类似的热情（只是没有鲁宾斯坦并不讳言的风流韵事）。读者只能羡慕嫉妒他现在的学生了。年轻的音乐家们会从此书中时时得到提醒：不仅要让生活充满音乐，更要让音乐充满生活。

Among the valuable cautionary tales, Dr. Mikowsky recounts various tests of character and diplomacy, such as politically constrained competitions and his dilemmas when colleagues’ students have wished to study with him. He also tells of one of his students asking to study with a different teacher, a technique specialist of dubious grounding – guessable by those in the know, but mercifully unnamed. Though there is some name-dropping, names are generally only mentioned when historically significant or of personal importance to him, such as his teachers Sentenat and Gorodnitzki.

在这些珍贵而又有借鉴意义的故事中，米科夫斯基博士讲述了他在性格和外交上经历过的种种考验，比如政治上受到限制的比赛，或同事的学生想转投他门下时他的两难处境。他也说起自己曾有一个学生想师从另一位老师，那位老师是技术上的专家，背景不明，知情者猜得到是谁，但他体谅地未透露其姓名。虽然书中也有提到一些大人物，但点名道姓的只有具有历史意义或对其至关重要的人物，比如他的老师桑德纳和戈罗德尼茨基。

From political obstacles to personal sacrifice, from student years in one’s homeland to scholarships in the US at Juilliard, doctoral studies at Columbia University and years of teaching, Dr. Mikowsky shares a wealth of experience – even how he became involved in a lucrative real estate investment out of his involvement in an apartment originally for the benefit of a student. 

米科夫斯基博士在此书中分享了他丰富的经验——从政治障碍到个人牺牲，从在家乡的学生时代，到获得美国茱莉亚学院的奖学金，再到哥伦比亚大学的博士阶段的学习，以及多年的教学生涯，甚至还有他如何从房地产投资中获利（起初他只是为了一名学生而投资了一套公寓）。

Such serendipitous situations, plus much hard work have enabled him to gift performance halls and pianos to the Manhattan School of Music, the Chicago College of Performing Arts, and the City of Havana – all in addition to spearheading several festivals. It is not every piano teacher who maintains such philanthropic endeavors on the side. There are lessons to be learned from his life story as much as from the valuable section on pedagogy.

这些偶然的机会，加上他格外辛勤的工作，使他在牵头举办了一些音乐节外，更向曼哈顿音乐学院、芝加哥大学表演艺术学院和哈瓦那市捐赠了演奏厅。并不是每位钢琴教师都有能力做到这样的乐善好施。人们不仅能从他珍贵的教学方法中学到很多，同样也能从他的生活故事中学到很多。

The book is a quick read at 148 pages, plus 50-plus more in appendices, and flows like a fireside chat. Ms. Hong is to be commended for achieving this effect naturally, without intrusive editorializing or ego. Part I centers on the biography of Dr. Mikowsky and Part II, on his pedagogical beliefs and experiences, with some interesting specific examples. 

这本书读起来不花时间，148页外加50多页的附录，写得行云流水如同围炉闲聊。值得称道的是洪女士很自然地就达到了这个效果，没有加入干扰性的评论或自以为是的意见。该书第一部分主要介绍米科夫斯基博士的生平，第二部分主要讲述他的教学理念和教学经历，佐以有趣的具体事例。

Part III is a very generous string of appendices about pianists and teachers, plus student testimonials and lists of laureates. Those readers not interested in piano teaching may not be inclined to read Part II on pedagogy (just over half of its 148-page main text), though it seems that any lover of piano music could benefit from it all.

第三部分是一长串相关钢琴家和教师的附录，还有学生感言以及获得的荣誉。对钢琴教学没有兴趣的读者可以跳过有关教学法的第二部分（略超过148页正文的一半），但是相信钢琴音乐爱好者都能从书中任一部分受益。

On a critical note, there is room for some further editing of this book (perhaps before its next printing), as some corrections are needed. Most seem not to be the fault of the author but of other contributors, but at least “sic” would be welcome occasionally, as the spelling of “Juilliard” appears “Julliard” and “book” becomes an unfortunate palindrome, which I’ll omit here. 

要说不好的地方，这本书（也许在重印之前）还得在编辑上再下点功夫，做一些更正。很多地方看起来不是作者的问题而是其他资料提供者的问题，但是至少该加上“原文如此”吧，“Juilliard”被拼成“Julliard”，“book”变成了糟糕的回文词（译者注：应该指boob），这词儿是什么我就不说了。

I’m sure, when a students states, “Another day goes by without me using something that you thought me…” that it was meant as, “Not a day goes by without my using something you taught me” but such errors such as these are easy to fix. The spelling of “Solomon” should be consistent, as “Salomon” in the photograph section was surprising.

还有，我敢肯定，当一个学生说“那天我没有用到您教给我的东西”时，其实他说的是“没有哪天我没有用到您教给我的东西”。不过这些改起来都很容易。另外，“Solomon”的拼写应该始终一致，照片部分给拼成了“Salomon”，真是让人大跌眼镜。

Minor quibbles aside, I feel this book is a valuable addition to any music library. Dr. Mikowsky is a gift to the music world, and thankfully part of that gift is now knowable in prose form.

但是瑕不掩瑜，我觉得这本书足以值得被加入任何音乐图书馆的馆藏。米科夫斯基博士是上天赐给音乐界的礼物，幸运的是，如今这份礼物有一部分能以文字形式为人所知了。

海外古典音乐资讯

本公号隶属于音乐文献编译组

致力于古典音乐文化普及

将为大家推荐各类古典音乐

相关书籍、乐评、书评、时讯等文章

让各位读者及时获取海外古典音乐最新消息

感受国外古典音乐学习方式

同时帮助各位读者提高阅读外国文献的能力

介绍各类英语学习方法

掌握音乐专业术语和音乐翻译技巧

有意加入#音乐文献编译组#

即可添加微信：754926073

注明“音乐翻译”即可