There are a few contenders for the most famous element in the story of the sinking of the Titanic. That there weren’t enough lifeboats, that the ship was thought to be “unsinkable”, that third class passengers died disproportionately to their richer counterparts in second and first class. And then there’s the thing about the band. That the musicians kept playing right up until the moment the ship sank beneath the waves, taking every one of them with it, is a fact that everyone who knows about what happened to the Titanic, also knows. It sticks in the mind. The fortitude it must have taken to lift up their bows in the face of certain death, the dignified acceptance that all they could do for their fellow passengers at the last was give them what little solace music might offer. The poignancy of playing their own elegy.
在“泰坦尼克号”沉没的故事里，最著名的情节不止一个：救生艇数量不足；这艘船被认为“永不沉没”；三等舱乘客的死亡率远高于二等舱和头等舱里更富有的乘客。还有一个广为人知的传说：乐队的事。几乎所有了解泰坦尼克号的人都知道——乐手们一直演奏到船体沉入海面之下，直至全数遇难。这一幕令人难忘。他们在必死无疑的境地中举弓奏乐所需的坚毅，以及在最后时刻所体现的庄重：能为同船乘客做的，唯有用音乐献上一点点安慰——为自己奏响挽歌的辛酸与凄美。