Morning reading | song finally crossed the Songling Road

Classical Chinese poetry is a vast and fertile land, and aspiring musicians will reap the rewards of deep cultivation.

Occasionally on her mobile phone, she clicked on the song "Bright Moon born on the sea" sung by female singer Gong Linna, because of some curiosity, this song was based on the famous five-word poem "Looking at the Moon and Huaiyuan" by the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Jiuling, composed by her German husband Lao Gong. I would like to know what kind of taste this female singer, who is known for singing the funny "Divine Comedy", can interpret ancient Chinese poetry. I didn't expect it, but I was shocked and moved for a long time. "The moon is born on the sea, and the end of the world is at this time..." Gong Linna sang euphemistically, with deep affection, and high-pitched ups and downs, and the aftertaste was long. Obviously, the composition of Lao Gong combines Chinese and Western styles, giving full play to Gong Linna's specialty of being good at high tone, drama and lyricism, which better reflects the artistic conception of the original poem, and also makes this song have a bit of artistic song charm.

Philharmonics know that art songs are a unique vocal genre in Western classical music, which comes from Germany, and there is a word "Lied" in German, which refers specifically to art songs. German-Austrian art songs are often based on Romantic poetry, using composing techniques to integrate poetry and music, presenting a profound and moving mood. Its culmination is undoubtedly the "king of songs" Schubert, and his three vocal suites "Beautiful Mill Girl", "Winter Journey" and "Swan Song" are treasures in art songs.

The biggest feature of art songs is the organic fusion of poetry and music. In this regard, the ancient Chinese Tang poems and Song poetry are somewhat similar to them, and the allusion of "flag pavilion gambling and singing" is an example. During the Tang Dynasty, one day when it was snowing, the poets Wang Changling, Gao Shi and Wang Zhizhuo went to the flag pavilion to drink and enjoy the snow, and musicians and singers came in to sing for them. The three of them then met to see whose song sang the most poems. The singers sang Wang Changling's "Furong Lou Send Xin Gradually" ("Cold Rain And The River Enters Wu at Night"), "Changxin Autumn Words" ("Broom Ping Ming Golden Temple Kai") and Gao Shi's "Weeping Single Father Liang Jiu Shaofu" ("Kai Zhen Tears Stained"), which made the two of them happy. Wang Zhizhuo was not convinced, pointing to one of the most handsome singers and swearing at them that she must be singing his work, otherwise she would bow to the wind. Sure enough, it was the turn of this singer to sing, her singing voice was gentle, and as soon as she opened her mouth, "The Yellow River is far above the white clouds" ("Liangzhou Words"), Wang Zhizhuo shouted happily: "You two countrymen, I didn't say it indiscriminately." The three of them laughed.

In the Song Dynasty, the combination of Song words and music was more close. The so-called words, the original meaning is the lyrics, with the song card, is the song sung by the singers in the alleys of the city. Seeing the favor of the public, the literati and inkers joined the ranks of writing lyrics, not only writing short words such as "Bodhisattva Man", "Ru Meng Ling", and "Huan Xi Sha", but also making long and slow words such as "Water Tune Song Head", "Nian Nu Jiao", and "Eight Voices of Ganzhou", which bloomed with a hundred flowers and famous masters, ensuring the artistic quality of Song Ci, spreading and singing, and being widely popular. For example, Liu Yong, the singers like to sing his works the most, and even reached the point where "where there is well water, they can sing willow words". Jiang Baishi, a great lyricist of the Southern Song Dynasty, is subtle and ethereal in his lyrics, and is proficient in musical rhythm, and can make his own music cards and compose songs. At the invitation of the famous poet Fan Chengda, he created the words "Dark Fragrance" and "Shuying" with the theme of plum blossoms, and Fan Chengda was excited after hearing the singing, and gave the singer Xiaohong in the house. Chinese New Year's Eve, Jiang Baishi took Xiaohong home by boat, and when passing the Suzhou Weeping Rainbow Bridge, he left behind "the most delicate new words rhyme by himself, and Xiaohong sings my whistle in a low voice." At the end of the song, I crossed the Songling Road and looked back at the fourteen bridges of Yanbo". It is conceivable that Xiaohong singing on the boat and Jiang Baishi blowing the flute to accompany it is probably his new "art song", with beautiful rhymes, romantic ancient and modern.

The May Fourth New Culture Movement was the first to open up a new era. A group of Western-educated musicians have made valuable explorations on the road of creating Chinese modern art songs, and Zhao Yuanren and Qing Lord are among the best. Zhao Yuanren composed a song based on Liu Bannong's new poem "Teach Me How not to Miss Her", and adopted the form of a section variation of the four lyrics, euphemistic and timeless, and popular among the people.

The life of the Young Lord is even more legendary. Originally named Liao Shangguo, he went to Germany in 1920 to study, received a doctorate in law, and also studied piano and composition theory. After returning to China, Liao Shangguo threw himself into the vigorous Revolution, participated in the Northern Expedition, and served as the director of the Political Department of the Fourth Army of the National Revolution. When studying in Germany, he and his friends once braved a thunderstorm and rowed a small boat to take an adventure on the lake. After returning to the residence, he listened to the roar of the songtao, the heavy rain poured down, and could not help but think of Su Dongpo's "Nian Nu Jiao Dajiangdong Go", and the spark of inspiration flashed in his mind, and he couldn't sleep all night, and the next morning he sat down in front of the piano and composed "Dajiangdong Go".

Influenced by the artistic songs of Schubert and Wolff, Qing Lord's "The Great River Goes East" draws on the creative techniques of opera narration and aria, vividly expressing the bold momentum in Su Ci and the spirit of Chinese cultural traditions. The music turns to the next "Yao xiang Gongjin, Xiao Qiao was married for the first time, majestic and heroic", singing out with lyrical and heroic arias, a romantic atmosphere. At the end of the song, "Life is like a dream" is a low and intermittent narrative tone style, and the concluding sentence "A statue of The Moon of the River" suddenly rises from the ground, resounding and suppressing the clouds, free and magnificent, and making a sharp contrast between life from frustration to cheering up, which is very artistically appealing.

Classical Chinese poetry is a vast and fertile land, and aspiring musicians will reap the rewards of deep cultivation. (Liu Wei)