The Night Met Einstein 爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课

TheNightMetEinstein爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课TheNightMetEinstein爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课/NUMPAGES18TheNightMetEinstein爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课TheNightMetEinstein爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课TheNightMetEinstein爱因斯坦给我上了一堂音乐课作者：JeromeWeidmanWhenIwasaveryyoungman,justbeginningtomakemyway1),IwasinvitedtodineatthehomeofadistinguishedNewYorkphilanthropist.Afterdinner,ourhostessledustoanenormousdrawingroom.Otherguestswerepouringin,andmyeyesbeheldtwounnervingsights:Servantswerearrangingsmallgiltchairsinlong,neatrows;andupfront,leaningagainstthewall,weremusicalinstruments.

ApparentlyIwasinfor2)aneveningofchambermusic.Iusethephrase“infor”becausemusicmeantnothingtome.Iamalmosttonedeaf—onlywithgreateffortcanIcarrythesimplesttuneandseriousmusicwastomenomorethananarrangementofnoises.SoIdidwhatIalwaysdidwhentrapped:Isatdown,andwhenthemusicstarted,IfixedmyfaceinwhatIhopedwasanexpressionofintelligentappreciation,closedmyearsfromtheinside,andsubmergedmyselfinmyowncompletelyirrelevantthoughts.

Afterawhile,becomingawarethatthepeoplearoundmewereapplauding,Iconcludeditwassafetounplugmyears.AtonceIheardagentlebutsurprisinglypenetratingvoiceonmyright:“YouarefondofBach3)?”

那时我还是个小青年，刚刚踏入社会，应邀前往纽约市一位非常著名的慈善家家中出席晚宴。晚宴后，女主人领我们来到一间特别宽敞的会客厅。在其他宾客纷纷涌入的时候，我看到了两件令人不安的事情：一是佣人们正在将金色的小椅子整整齐齐地排成几个长排；一是在前方的墙壁上，斜倚着一件件乐器。

很显然，一场室内音乐会即将开始，看来今晚我注定要遭罪了。

我使用“遭罪”一词，因为音乐对我来说如同对牛弹琴。我几乎听不出任何曲调——费尽九牛二虎之力我才能哼出最简单的调子，而严肃音乐对我来说只不过是聒噪之音。所以我就使出了每当深陷音乐困局时的拿手好戏：我坐了下来，音乐声起时，脸上就摆出一副我期望中的充满智慧、痴迷沉醉的表情，但内心却将耳朵封闭，沉浸在与音乐完全无关的自我的思绪中。

IknewasmuchaboutBachasIknowaboutnuclearfission4).ButIdidknowoneofthemostfamousfacesintheworld,withtherenownedshock5)ofuntidywhitehairandtheever-presentpipebetweentheteeth.IwassittingnexttoAlbertEinstein.

“Well,”Isaiduncomfortablyandhesitated.Ihadbeenaskedacasualquestion.AllIhadtodowasbeequallycasualinmyreply.ButIcouldseefromthelookinmyneighbor’sextraordinaryeyesthattheirownerwasnotmerelygoingthroughtheperfunctory6)dutiesofelementarypoliteness.RegardlessofwhatvalueIplacedonmypartintheverbalexchange,tothismanhispartinitmatteredverymuch.Aboveall,Icouldfeelthatthiswasamantowhomyoudidnottellalie,howeversmall.“Idon’tknowanythingaboutBach,”Isaidawkwardly.“I’veneverheardanyofhismusic.”

AlookofperplexedastonishmentwashedacrossEinstein’smobileface.

“YouhaveneverheardBach?”

HemadeitsoundasthoughIhadsaidI’dnevertakenabath.

“Itisn’tthatIdon’twanttolikeBach,”Irepliedhastily.“It’sjustthatI’mtonedeaf,oralmosttonedeaf,andI’veneverreallyheardanybody’smusic.”

Alookofconcerncameintotheoldman’sface.“Please,”hesaidabruptly.“Youwillcomewithme?”

Hestoodupandtookmyarm.Istoodup.Asheledmeacrossthatcrowdedroom,Ikeptmyembarrassedglancefixedonthecarpet.Arisingmurmurofpuzzledspeculationfollowedusoutintothehall.Einsteinpaidnoattentiontoit.

Resolutely,heledmeupstairs.Heobviouslyknewthehousewell.Onthefloorabove,heopenedthedoorintoabook-linedstudy,drewmein,andshutthedoor.

“Now,”hesaidwithasmall,troubledsmile.“Youwilltellme,please,howlongyouhavefeltthiswayaboutmusic?”

“Allmylife,”Isaid,feelingawful.“Iwishyouwouldgobackdownstairsandlisten,Dr.Einstein.ThefactthatIdon’tenjoyitdoesn’tmatter.”

Einsteinshookhisheadandscowled7),asthoughIhadintroducedanirrelevance.

“Tellme,please,”hesaid.“Isthereanykindofmusicthatyoudolike?”

过了一阵，感觉到周围的人们在鼓掌，我便认定可以敞开耳朵了。就在这时，我听到一个温和但却具有惊人穿透力的声音在我右边响起：“你喜欢巴赫吗？”

我对巴赫的了解并不比我对核裂变的了解多。但我却认识这世上最著名的一张面孔：那一团举世闻名的乱蓬蓬的白发，还有那支从不离嘴的烟斗。原来，我正坐在阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦旁边。

“呃……”我有点尴尬，不知该怎样回答才好。他问的是一个很随意的问题，我只要做出一个同样随意的回答即可。但我从他那双异乎寻常的眼睛里看得出来，这双眼睛的主人并不只是出于基本的礼貌随口问问而已。在这一语言交流中，我自己扮演的角色有何价值倒无关紧要，重要的是对爱因斯坦来说，他扮演的是什么角色。尤为重要的是，我感到对于这么一个人，你是不能撒谎的，不管这个谎言有多么不值一提。

“我对巴赫其实一无所知，”我有点尴尬地说，“我从未听过他写的任何一首乐曲。”

一种震惊但又困惑不解的表情漫过爱因斯坦那张表情丰富的脸。

“你从来没有听过巴赫的音乐？”

他那语气好像听到我说我从未洗过澡一样。

“并不是我不想喜欢巴赫，”我赶忙回答道，“只是因为我是个乐盲，或者说几乎是个乐盲。我从来没有真正地听过任何人的音乐。”

老人的脸上露出关切的神情，他突然说道：“请跟我来好吗？”

他站起身来，拉住我的胳膊。我也站了起来。他拉着我穿过拥挤的房间，我神情尴尬，眼睛一直盯着地毯。人群中响起了一阵半是困惑半是猜疑的嗡嗡声，一直尾随着我们进入大厅。爱因斯坦对此毫不理睬。

他果断地带着我上了楼梯。很显然，他对这栋房子很熟悉。到了楼上，他打开一扇门，走入一间摆满书籍的房间，把我拉进去，关上了门。

“Well,”Ianswered,“Ilikesongsthathavewords,andthekindofmusicwhereIcanfollowthetune.”

Hesmiledandnodded,obviouslypleased.“Youcangivemeanexample,perhaps?”

“Well,”Iventured,“almostanythingbyBingCrosby8).”

Henoddedagain,briskly.“Good!”

Hewenttoacorneroftheroom,openedaphonograph9),andstartedpullingoutrecords.Iwatchedhimuneasily.Atlast,hebeamed.“Ah!”hesaid.

Heputtherecordon,andinamoment,thestudywasfilledwiththerelaxed,liltingstrains10)ofBingCrosby’sWhentheBlueoftheNightMeetstheGoldoftheDay.Einsteinbeamedatmeandkepttimewiththestemofhispipe.Afterthreeorfourphrases,hestoppedthephonograph.

“Now,”hesaid.“Willyoutellme,please,whatyouhavejustheard?”

Thesimplestanswerseemedtobetosingthelines.Ididjustthat,tryingdesperatelytostayintuneandkeepmyvoicefromcracking11).TheexpressiononEinstein’sfacewaslikethesunrise.

“Yousee!”hecriedwithdelightwhenIfinished.“Youdohaveanear!”

Imumbled12)somethingaboutthisbeingoneofmyfavoritesongs,somethingIhadheardhundredsoftimessothatitdidn’treallyproveanything.“Nonsense!”saidEinstein.“Itproveseverything!Doyourememberyourfirstarithmetic13)lessoninschool?Suppose,atyourveryfirstcontactwithnumbers,yourteacherhadorderedyoutoworkoutaproblemin,say,longdivisionorfractions14).Couldyouhavedoneso?”

“No,ofcoursenot.”

“Precisely!”Einsteinmadeatriumphantwavewithhispipestem.“Itwouldhavebeenimpossible,andyouwouldhavereactedinpanic.Youwouldhaveclosedyourmindtolongdivisionandfractions.Asaresult,becauseofthatonesmallmistakebyyourteacher,itispossibleyourwholelifeyouwouldbedeniedthebeautyoflongdivisionandfractions.”

Thepipestemwentupandoutinanotherwave.

“Butonyourfirstday,noteacherwouldbesofoolish.Hewouldstartyouwithelementarythings—then,whenyouhadacquiredskillwiththesimplestproblems,hewouldleadyouuptolongdivisionandtofractions.

“现在，”他淡淡地笑了下，有点困惑地问，“请告诉我，你对音乐的这种感觉有多长时间了？”

“一直都是这样，”我苦恼地回答道，“爱因斯坦博士，请您下楼去听音乐吧。我不喜欢听也没关系的。”

爱因斯坦摇了摇头，皱了一下眉，好像我刚才说的是句不相干的话。

“请告诉我，”他说，“有没有什么音乐是你喜欢的呢？”

“呃，我喜欢有歌词的歌曲，”我回答说，“还有我能跟得上曲调的音乐。”

他笑了，点了点头，显然非常高兴。“那么，你可以举个例子吗？”

“呃，”我鼓足勇气答道，“几乎所有平·克劳斯贝的作品我都喜欢。”

他又轻快地点了点头：“很好！”

他走到房间的一个角落，打开一台留声机，开始翻找唱片。我局促不安地望着他。终于，他脸上露出了笑容。“找到了！”他说。

他放入唱片，书房里随即飘荡起舒缓、轻快的旋律，那是平·克劳斯贝的《蓝莹莹的夜遇见金灿灿的天》。爱因斯坦笑眯眯地看着我，一边用烟斗柄打着拍子。播放了三四个短乐句之后，他将留声机停了下来。

“现在，请告诉我，你听到了什么？”他问。

最简单的回答也许就是把歌曲唱出来。于是我唱了起来，拼命让自己不跑调，让声音不那么粗哑。爱因斯坦脸上的表情就像初升的太阳般明朗。

“你瞧！”听我唱完，他惊喜地喊了起来，“你还是有乐感的！”

我嘀咕着说这是我最喜欢的一首歌，都听过几百遍了，所以不能说明任何问题。

“胡说！”爱因斯坦说，“它很能说明问题！你还记得你上学时的第一堂算术课吗？假如在你第一次接触数字时，老师就要你解一道长除法题或者分数题，你能解出来吗？”

“不能，当然不能。”

“你说得很对！”爱因斯坦挥舞了一下手中的烟斗，一副胜利的样子，“你是不可能解出来的，那样只会让你感到惊恐。你会从此排斥长除法和分数。结果呢，由于你的老师所犯的一个小小错误，你可能一辈子都无法领略到长除法和分数的妙处了。”

他又一次挥舞了一下烟斗。

“Soitiswithmusic.”EinsteinpickeduptheBingCrosbyrecord.“Thissimple,charminglittlesongislikesimpleadditionorsubtraction.Youhavemasteredit.Nowwegoontosomethingmorecomplicated.”

Hefoundanotherrecordandsetitgoing.ThegoldenvoiceofJohnMcCormack15)singingTheTrumpeterfilledtheroom.Afterafewlines,Einsteinstoppedtherecord.

“So!”hesaid.“Youwillsingthatbacktome,please?”

Idid—withagooddealofself-consciousness16)butwith,forme,asurprisingdegreeofaccuracy.

EinsteinstaredatmewithalookonhisfacethatIhadseenonlyoncebeforeinmylife:onthefaceofmyfatherashelistenedtomedeliverthevaledictory17)addressatmyhighschoolgraduationceremony.

“Excellent!”EinsteinremarkedwhenIfinished.“Wonderful!Nowthis!”

“This”turnedouttobeCaruso18)inwhatwastomeacompletelyunrecognizablefragmentfromCavalleriaRusticana,aone-actopera.Nevertheless,Imanagedtoreproduceanapproximationofthesoundsthefamoustenorhadmade.Einsteinbeamedhisapproval.Carusowasfollowedbyatleastadozenothers.Icouldnotshakemyfeelingofaweoverthewaythisgreatman,intowhosecompanyIhadbeenthrownbychance,wascompletelypreoccupiedbywhatweweredoing,asthoughIwerehissoleconcern.

Wecameatlasttorecordingsofmusicwithoutwords,whichIwasinstructedtoreproducebyhumming.WhenIreachedforahighnote,Einstein’smouthopened,andhisheadwentbackasiftohelpmeattainwhatseemedunattainable.EvidentlyIcamecloseenough,forhesuddenlyturnedoffthephonograph.

“Now,youngman,”hesaid,puttinghisarmthroughmine.“WearereadyforBach!”

Aswereturnedtoourseatsinthedrawingroom,theplayersweretuningupforanewselection.Einsteinsmiledandgavemeareassuringpatontheknee.

“Justallowyourselftolisten,”hewhispered.“Thatisall.”

Itwasn’treallyall,ofcourse.WithouttheeffortthehadjustpouredoutforatotalstrangerIwouldneverhaveheard,asIdidthatnightforthefirsttimeinmylife,Bach’sSheepMaySafelyGraze.Ihavehearditmanytimessince.Idon’tthinkIshallevertireofit.BecauseIneverlistentoitalone.Iamsittingbesideasmall,roundmanwithashockofuntidywhitehair,adeadpipeclampedbetweenhisteeth,andeyesthatcontainintheirextraordinarywarmthallthewonderoftheworld.

Whentheconcertwasfinished,Iaddedmygenuineapplausetothatoftheothers.

Suddenlyourhostessconfrontedus.“I’msosorry,Dr.Einstein,”shesaidwithanicyglareatme,“thatyoumissedsomuchoftheperformance.”

EinsteinandIcamehastilytoourfeet19).“Iamsorrytoo,”hesaid.“MyyoungfriendhereandI,however,wereengagedinthegreatestactivityofwhichmaniscapable.”

Shelookedpuzzled.“Really?”shesaid.“Andwhatisthat?”

Einsteinsmiledandputhisarmacrossmyshoulders.Andheutteredtenwordsthat—foratleastonepersonwhoisinhisendlessdebt—arehisepitaph20):

“Openingupyetanotherfragmentofthefrontierofbeauty.”

“不过，在你上学的第一天，没有哪个老师会那么愚蠢。他会先教你最基本的东西。然后，当你掌握了技巧，能够算出最简单的题目时，他才会带着你更进一步，学习长除法和分数的解