American pianist Roger Williams, who had a huge hit with the tune “Autumn Leaves” in the 1950s and played for a succession of US presidents, died aged 87 last Saturday, his family said.
His 1958 version of “Autumn Leaves” was the only instrumental ever to reach number one on the Billboard pop charts. He also had a hit with “Born Free,” the soundtrack of the movie of that name.
Born Louis Wertz in Omaha, Nebraska, he started playing piano at the age of three, studied jazz at the famous Juilliard School of Music in New York, and served in the US Navy during World War II.
Photos: Taipei Times 照片:台北時報
His big break came with his second album, which contained his version of “Autumn Leaves” and sold two million copies. It remains the best selling piano record of all time.
He had met a sports announcer named Ronald Reagan when playing a show in Des Moines, Iowa, and the two developed a friendship which lasted six decades, including when his friend made it to the White House.
The late US president’s widow Nancy was among the first to pay tribute to Williams, who died at his home in Encino, California of complications from pancreatic cancer.
Photos: Taipei Times 照片:台北時報
“Roger Williams was called the ‘pianist to the presidents’ for having performed for nine administrations, and Ronnie and I were especially pleased to welcome him to the White House,” she said.
“Roger was a great pianist, a great American, and a great friend. I am saddened by his death, and my sympathy and prayers go out to his family,” she added.
(AFP)
美國鋼琴家羅傑‧威廉斯的家人表示,一九五○年代寫下膾炙人口樂曲「秋葉」並且在多任總統面前演奏的威廉斯,上週六過世,享年八十七歲。
他一九五八年改編「秋葉」的版本,是唯一登上「告示牌」流行音樂排行榜冠軍的器樂曲。另外,他改編電影「獅子與我」的同名主題曲,也廣受喜愛。
羅傑斯本名路易斯‧魏茲,出生於內布拉斯加州的奧馬哈,三歲開始彈琴,並在紐約音樂名校茱莉亞音樂學院學習爵士樂,並在第二次世界大戰時服役於美國海軍。
他的第二張專輯,包含他改編的「秋葉」,大賣兩百萬張,可謂他音樂事業的一大突破。該專輯不分時空,繼續保持最暢銷鋼琴錄音的地位。
後來他在愛荷華州第蒙的一場演出,認識當時還是一位體育播報員的美國總統羅納德‧雷根。他們兩位發展一段長達六十年的友誼,期間還歷經他的朋友入主白宮。
這位已故總統的夫人南西,在第一時間悼念威廉斯。威廉斯在加州恩西諾的家中,因胰臟癌引起的併發症辭世。
她表示:「羅傑‧威廉斯因曾為九任執政總統彈奏,因而有『總統的鋼琴家』之稱,並且特別是羅尼與我都很高興能邀請他到白宮來。」
她補充說:「羅傑是一位琴藝精湛的鋼琴家、一位偉大的美國人,以及很棒的朋友。我對他的過世感到難過,我向他的家人獻上我的慰問與禱告。」
(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years killed at least 16 people and damaged dozens of buildings, but the destruction was largely contained thanks to decades of preparedness work. Taiwan sits on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of intense seismic activity along the Pacific Rim, and — much like neighboring Japan — has a long history of catastrophic quakes. How does April 3 compare with other recent quakes? The April 3 earthquake, which measured 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale, was felt across Taiwan. It was the most severe since a 7.6 magnitude quake in 1999 killed
Around the time of the Dragon Boat Festival in June, the streets of Taiwan are filled with the delightful aroma of zongzi, a traditional snack made of sticky rice wrapped in leaves. The leaves are folded into a cone and then filled with sticky rice and other ingredients such as braised pork belly, peanuts and salted duck egg yolks. The filled leaves are then tightly tied with kitchen twine and ready for cooking. 每到六月端午時節,街頭巷尾就會飄出粽子的香氣。粽子是將糯米包進粽葉的傳統美食,先將粽葉折成圓錐狀塞入糯米,以及紅燒肉、花生、鹹鴨蛋黃等配料,用棉線綁緊後即可烹煮。 Dragon Boat Festival (n. phr.) 端午節 aroma
Everyone has seen a piece of fruit turn brown after being cut. Have you ever wondered why that happens? It is a common phenomenon that occurs due to a chemical reaction called enzymatic browning. The appearance, flavor and nutritional value of the fruit are all affected by this reaction. Some fruits, such as apples, pears, bananas, avocados and peaches, are more prone to enzymatic browning than others. These fruits contain high levels of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase, or PPO for short. __1__ This causes a chain of chemical reactions that ultimately transforms the phenolic compounds into
A: As well as Eid al-Fitr, Southeast Asia is celebrating the Water Festival this week. B: And this year, Thailand is expanding the celebration between April 12 and 16 for the event, officially known as the Songkran Festival, expecting to make 24.3 billion Thai baht in tourism revenue. A: Does Taiwan celebrate the Water Festival? B: Some local cities and counties do have similar activities. A: Let’s go experience the festival then. A: 除了「開齋節」外,東南亞「潑水節」本週也盛大登場! B: 泰國今年從4月12日到16日擴大「宋干節」連假,預估觀光收入可高達243億泰銖。 A: 台灣會慶祝「潑水節」嗎? B: 有些縣市會舉辦類似活動。 A: 那我們也去體驗一下吧。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)