陳蕙雅思教材 - 雅思閱讀精選 (The Language of Music)

The Language of Music

A painter hangs his orher finished picture on a wall, and everyone can see

it. A composer writes awork, but no       one can hear it untilit is performed.

Professional singers andplayers have great responsibilities, for the  

composer is utterlydependent on them. A student of music needs as long and

as arduous a training tobecome a performer as a medical studentneeds to

become a doctor.Most  training is  concerned with  technique, for  

musicians      have to have the muscular proficiency ofan athlete or a ballet

dancer. Singers practicebreathing every day, as their vocal chordswould

be inadequate withoutcontrolled muscular support. String players practice

moving the    fingers of the left hand up and down, whiledrawing the bow to

and fro with the rightarm -- two entirely different movements.

Singers andinstrumentalists have to be able to get every note perfectly in

tune. Pianists are sparedthis         particular anxiety, for thenotes are

already there, waitingfor them, and it is the piano tuner's responsibility      

to tune the instrumentfor them. But they have their own difficulties: the

hammers  that hit  the  strings have  to  be   coaxed  not  to sound  

like  percussion, and  each overlapping tone has tosound clear.

This problem of gettingclear texture is one that confronts student

conductors: they have tolearn to know every    note of themusic  and how it

should sound,  and they have to aim at controlling these sounds with

fanatical but  selfless authority.

Technique is of no  use unless it is  combined withmusical knowledge  

and understanding. Greatartists are those who  are so thoroughlyat home in

the language of musicthat they can enjoy performing works written in any

century.

01  音樂的語言

畫家將已完成的作品掛在牆上，每個人都可以觀賞到。  作曲家寫完了一部作品，得由

演奏者將其演奏出來，其他人才能得以欣賞。因為作曲家是如此完全地依賴于職業歌手和職 業演奏者，所以職業歌手和職業演奏者肩上的擔子可謂不輕。  

一名學音樂的學生要想成為 一名演奏者，需要經受長期的、嚴格的訓練，就象一名醫科的學生要成為一名醫生一樣。 絕 大多數的訓練是技巧性的。  

音樂家們控制肌肉的熟練程度，必須達到與運動員或巴蕾舞演 員相當的水準。  

歌手們每天都練習吊嗓子，因為如果不能有效地控制肌肉的話，他們的聲

帶將不能滿足演唱的要求。  絃樂器的演奏者練習的則是在左手的手指上下滑動的同時，用

右手前後拉動琴弓--兩個截然不同的動作。歌手和樂器演奏者必須使所有的音符完全相同協 調。 鋼琴家們則不用操這份心，因為每個音符都已在那裡等待著他們了。

給鋼琴調音是調 音師的職責。 但調音師們也有他們的難處： 他們必須耐心地調理敲擊琴弦的音錘，不能讓

音錘發出的聲音像是打擊樂器，而且每個交疊的音都必須要清晰。如何得到樂章清晰的紋理

是學生指揮們所面臨的難題：他們必須學會瞭解音樂中的每一個音及其發音之道。  他們還

必須致力於以熱忱而又客觀的權威去控制這些音符。除非是和音樂方面的知識和悟性結合起 來，單純的技巧沒有任何用處。  

藝術家之所以偉大在於他們對音樂語言駕輕就熟，以致于 可以滿懷喜悅地演出寫於任何時代的作品。