Western symphony and Chinese Tang poetry have a beautiful encounter.
Contemporary composer Alfred Schnitke said that the universe of classical music has two cores, one is Bach and the other is Mahler.
Between 1907 and 1909, Mahler, the latter "core", composed his masterpiece Song of the Earth, a symphony with vocal music with lyrics entirely derived from Chinese "Tang poetry".
It is said that Mahler was caught in a creative bottleneck at that time and came across a German translation of a Chinese poem, in which the part of the Tang poem not only resonated strongly with him, but also inspired his creation.
So Mahler selected seven Tang poems, made changes to them that could be called "freewheeling", and even added his own poems to compose this vocal symphonic suite "Song of the Earth".
Later, he told his students, "This piece is definitely my favorite, and it is also the work that I am most satisfied with." ”
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) was a prominent Austrian composer and conductor
Due to Mahler's re-creation of "whatever he wants", the lyrics of these seven "Tang poems" form an interesting contrast with the original poems. For example, the fourth movement, "Song of Beauty", comes from Li Bai's "Lotus Picking Song". The original poem is as follows:
Ruoye Creek Lotus Picking Girl,
Laughing at the lotus flowers.
Sunshine new makeup water bottom bright,
The wind is fragrant and lifted in the air.
Who's on the shore is Yu Yelang,
Three, three, five, five reflect the weeping poplar.
紫骝嘶入落花去,
Seeing this, he hesitated and broke his bowels.
The German translation that Mahler saw translated the poem as "On the Shore". Chinese almost all know that picking lotus mainly refers to picking lotus seeds, "bow your head to make lotus seeds, lotus seeds are as clear as water" ("Xizhou Song").
However, foreigners may not understand the growth law of lotus, and simply regard "lotus picking" as "picking lotus flowers on the shore". Therefore, although the lyrics can match Li Bai's "Lotus Picking Song", the content and artistic conception are more missing:
A young girl is picking flowers,
They are picking lotus flowers on the shore,
They put the lotus flowers they had gathered in their pockets,
They shouted at each other and laughed at each other.
……
The most beautiful girl among the lotus pickers,
Send a long autumn wave to this teenager.
They are cold as ice, not really frost,
Their big eyes sparked,
In their eager dark eyes,
I can still see the grief in their excited hearts.
(Excerpt from the translation of lyrics by Mr. Yim Po Yu)
But Mahler "turned decay into magic".
He changed the title from "On the Shore" to "Yong Beauty" - this is naturally more in line with Li Bai's original meaning, and the musical performance also lays out a warm climate and a woman's tenderness in Jiangnan, China through the performance of different instrumental music:
Against a vibrato background of the flute, the violin with a muted instrument is delicate and delicate, and the horn echoes like an echo, bringing the person into it gently.
The mezzo-soprano almost couldn't wait to start singing, describing the voice and smile of the lotus-picking girl; When describing the beautiful shadow in the girl's waves, the matching melody is as gentle as the waves in the river, and the vocals to the performance all reflect the longing for beautiful love in the heart of the lotus girl.
Chandu's Lotus Picking
When the mezzo-soprano sings, "Look at a group of handsome young men over there, coming from the shore on tall horses", the music suddenly becomes very fast, and the sound of horses' hooves sounds, and the music seems to suddenly enter the artistic conception of military music that Mahler often fantasizes about.
Mahler made the mandolin, celesta and tambourine so loud that you could hear not only the neighing of the horses, but also the whipped whistling in the air and the hooves trampling the flowers scattered in their path...... At this time, the timpani also rained down, and each stroke seemed to tell how heartfelt the lotus-picking girl was when she saw a group of young people.
Qiu Ying, "Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival" (detail)
After the unbridled music passed, the music gradually calmed down, and the phrases became more charming and amorous, but at the end it stopped at a very unstable fourth or sixth chord, and the unstable effect seemed to tell the listener that the story was not over, it was an open-ended ending......
The charm of Tang poetry, which the poet did not comprehend in the translation, was actually filled in and restored by Mahler.
In this chapter, every listener can describe a hopeless sentiment that has not yet begun, delicate and delicate, which makes people reminisce for a long time, even if there is a textual question such as "picking lotus flowers on the shore".
In the words of music critic Liu Xuefeng, Mahler "used music to make up for the crappy translation of poetry, and made a great musical classic".
Photo / Unsplash
From Li Bai's "Lotus Picking Song" and "Sad Song Xing" to Zhang Ji's "Fengqiao Night Park" and Wang Wei's "Farewell", although the lyrics of "Song of the Earth" are different from the original poem, every time the melody is played and the singer begins to sing, Chinese who are familiar with Tang poetry will still be shocked and moved.
Teacher Liu Xuefeng said that the relationship between symphony and Tang poetry was originally "wind and horse", and it was very difficult to integrate the two cultures, but Mahler was undoubtedly great, and "Song of the Earth" was also his favorite symphony.
Not only can we appreciate it at the technical level, but when we listen to it, we can better understand the charm of Tang poetry that transcends time and space, and understand how Mahler was moved and inspired by Tang poetry in the first place.
RCA's "Song of the Earth" released in 1959 had Chinese elements on the cover
For us, appreciating poetry is not only a way to improve our literary literacy, but also a way to look back on "the way we came". From poetry, we can explore the cultural genes.
Among them, Tang poetry is a hurdle that cannot be crossed, and it can be said to be the culmination of Chinese poetry.
Even Mr. Lu Xun said, "I thought that all good poems had been done in the Tang Dynasty, and if I didn't turn out the 'Monkey King' in the palm of my hand, I didn't have to do it."
Why can Tang poetry have such a status and charm?
With this question in mind, Sanlian Middle School has specially planned the audio course "Listen! Tang Poems", leading everyone to listen to the voice of the times of the three-hundred-year-old Tang Dynasty and realize the memory of life that has been inherited for thousands of years.
Limited time special offer 99 yuan Original price 199 yuan Activity time: May 13 - May 19
▲Long press the picture above to identify the QR code, learn more▲
Tang Shi: Childhood memories buried deep in every Chinese
When you were a child, did you ever hate memorizing Tang poems?
Tang poems, in my memory, are inexhaustible to memorize "hoeing the day of the afternoon, sweat drops of grass under the soil", I don't know how many times I read "spring sleep is not aware, how much flowers fall".
Where do children really understand the beauty of Tang poetry, this is at best a more awkward nursery rhyme.
But one day when we grow up, looking at the afterglow of the sunset, we may have all had a trace of melancholy, and "the desert is lonely, and the sun sets on the long river".
Then I was shocked: it turns out that Tang poetry has long been rooted in our minds and has become an inseparable part of cultural memory.
Set up a strong ambition, we will say that "there will be a time when the wind and waves will be long, and the clouds will sail into the sea"; Expressing our thoughts, we will sigh "Red beans are born in the south, and a few branches are sent in spring"; When parting with friends, we will write "Don't worry about the road ahead without knowing yourself, no one in the world knows you"......
Tang poetry constructs the language and aesthetics of Chinese, and also shapes our emotional patterns and value judgments.
See yourself clearly and express yourself in Tang poems
Language is a tool for our communication and a way of thinking.
When we use Tang poems to express our feelings, we also unconsciously use Tang poems to think.
But alas, after leaving the campus, there are not many poems left that we can remember.
In the face of the beautiful scenery, many people can only sigh "so beautiful", or hold back "wonderful" and "unbelievable". How many people can say "the sun is full of flowers and smoke, and the moon is sleepless"?
Follow Listen! Tang Poems", let Tang poems return to their vision, follow the teacher's explanation to understand the Si people, understand the Si people, and turn the Tang poems into their own expressions, and become the warm temperament that lingers on the body.
▼Long follow the picture below to identify the QR code and learn about the course▼
Course Highlights018 top scholars, professional interpretation
Lin Daiyu's "Introductory Textbook for Five-Character Poetry" - Wang Wei's poems, what's good? What exactly is "Zen"? Proofreading 1: What is the experience of the whole "Bai Juyi Poetry Collection"?
We have invited "national treasure" professors of ancient literature, scholars of Tang poetry for more than 40 years, and doctoral supervisors of literature and history to form a top academic lineup in China.
The results of professional research combine personal opinions and stories to explain in an informative and interesting way.
02 A comprehensive discussion of Tang poetry that you can understand as soon as you listen to it, connecting 300 years of the Tang Dynasty
Du Fu is very "mournful", why does he say that he is a lonely fighter? How can Bai Juyi's poems break the circle? Why is Li Bai the "most Tang Dynasty" poet?
If you want to understand the poet and his work, you can't get away from the environment behind it.
The course is set up according to the timeline of "Early Tang Dynasty - Prosperous Tang Dynasty - Middle Tang Dynasty - Late Tang Dynasty", and through the explanation of "History of Poetry Strings", you can grasp the birth and development background of Tang poetry while knowing the representative poets of each stage, so as to have a deeper understanding of Tang poetry.
03 Across time and space, the symphony opens up the beauty of Tang poetry
Tang poetry × symphony, in fact, a classic combination? What is Du Fu's poem like when it is recited? If you don't know the history, you are likely to misunderstand the poems?
I am glad to tell you that the "Chang An" Tang Poetry Symphony Recitation Concert" mentioned at the beginning has now been invited to the course.
Sanlian Zhongyu joins hands with the Xi'an Symphony Orchestra to present an auditory feast of "Tang Poetry × Symphony".
In each chapter, we will attach symphonic recitations, such as Zhang Guoli's version of "Song of Long Hatred", Guo Da's "Shaanxi Pu" version of "Will Enter the Wine", Zhang Tielin's version of "Shu Dao Difficult", Pu Cunxin's version of "Pipa Xing", which has a good rhythm and plot......
The performance artists brought Tang poetry recitation, which is not only an auditory feast, but also a visual gluttony with excellent acting skills.
Under the triple sound of symphony, chanting and commentary, you can enter the specific situation and experience the three-dimensional aesthetics of Tang poetry.
If you want to know more about the Tang Dynasty, if you want to see yourself, express yourself, and empathize with the ancients, if you want to trace the cultural genes that have flowed for thousands of years, join the course and meet 14 poets at the pinnacle of Chinese poetry!
Limited time special offer 99 yuan The original price is 199 yuan, which can be listened to permanently after purchase, providing pictures and manuscripts for easy reading with the price of two cups of coffee, and getting the nourishment that benefits for a lifetime