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當蓋西文遇上蕩婦~A woman is a sometime thing, 2005,3.4
2011/09/06 23:17:57瀏覽962|回應0|推薦0
Louis Armstrong-A woman is a sometime thing Lissen to yo' daddy warn you, 'Fore you start a-travelling, Woman may born you, love you and mourn you, But a woman is a sometime thing, Yes, a woman is a sometime thing. Oh, a woman is a sometime thing. Yo' mammy is the first to name you, Then she'll tie you to her apron string, Then she'll shame you and she'll blame you Till yo' woman comes to claim you, 'Cause a woman is a sometime thing, Yes, a woman is a sometime thing. Oh, a woman is a sometime thing. Don't you never let a woman grieve you Jus' cause she got yo' weddin' ring. She'll love you and deceive you, Take yo' clothes and leave you 'Cause a woman is a sometime thing. Yes, a woman is a sometime thing. Yes, a woman is a sometime thing, Yes, a woman is a sometime thing. Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - A woman is a sometime thing (Bruce Hubbard)

好音樂沒有形式歸屬問題~~蓋西文的"乞丐與蕩婦" 2005,3.4  

George Gershwin seldom made grand statements about his music. He described himself as a modern romantic and said that "true music … must reflect the thought and aspirations of the people and time. My people are Americans. My time is today." 

Porgy and Bess中最有趣歌之一是”Woman is a sometime thing([因為女人不牢靠, 所以]女人是玩玩兒用的),劇情卻是三男爭一女,說來在"賭毒不斷、三餐不濟"的黑人生活中應該比較少發生罷!?

故事是白人寫的、音樂對白是白人譜的,為什麼會那麼讓後來的Jazz歌手愛唱愛編愛不釋手?我想一是其中對黑人生活態度的描繪非常深入,一種年輕一代「即時享樂」與年老一代艱忍豁達的矛盾交織出非裔美人的生活現實。劇中不乏諷刺白人宗教、自嘲黑人無知互相欺侮的寫真,還有後來Duke Ellington在棉花俱樂部捧紅的「叢林音樂」(Jungle Music),更是公認第一部”真正美國風格”的歌劇,又被認為是Musical的祖先、folk opera等。不過好音樂應該沒有形式歸屬問題,藝術亦然。 

寫完兩年1937作曲家便因腦瘤驟世,無緣見到此劇歌曲歷久彌新揚眉吐氣的一刻。Broadway19421953重演及1959拍成電影,加以至歐洲演出,使它越來越被注意與喜愛,故事本身的對白或歌詞相當具有趣味,許多南方的”You is"plenty o' nuthin'" 等用語,當年說來一定更正統、唱來一定更粗獷,但這樣的歌手想來是不可能再出現了。 

當初買下這張DVD, 有種莫名的興奮。P&B~Porgy and Bess故事是小時的冒險夢想之壹,於我P&M~Pelleas and Melisande算是童話,而P&B卻是現實中對愛情的真正幻想形式。可能心病真得很重~~那種黑人世界裡帶著墮落氣氛,徘徊於危險激情與安全甜蜜的30歲浪蕩女故事,雖然同一時期,也還乳臭未乾地在讀『長腿叔叔』,P&B的患難情,竟然更能讓個小學生感到著迷 ~~ 那時哪看得出主角是Porgy?) ^_^

歌劇Porgy and Bess故事改編自Edwin DuBose Heyward (1885 -1940) ,一個白人,1924-25的原著”Porgy”,他自小受表演美國東南部黑人的"Gullah"文化的母親影響,也相當熱衷研究--這是早期黑奴混合各不同洲土語用來溝通的語言。故事地點設在Charleston 附近的Catfish Row,是報紙的真實謀殺故事改編,Heywood"不卑不亢"地陳述當時的黑人社會。1927他太太Dorothy把”Porgy”改編為舞台劇,在紐約就演出300多場,並全美巡迴演出,甚至到了倫敦。此外Heyward也是詩人、劇作家、寫電影劇本,並推廣南方文化。 

1934Gershwin改編”Porgy”時,歌詞也是由他執筆,對白是Ira Gershwin(其弟) Heyward 合寫,"Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now"兩段則全由Heyward撰寫。雖然故事重心與結構被大幅更動,由於Greshwin的音樂,”Porgy and Bess”依然散發出銳不可當的氣勢,成為Gershwin畢生驕傲的作品,美國本土地第一齣歌劇,總譜厚達700頁。 

雖然Gershwin很期待在大都會首演,最後還是在百老匯,且樂評亦不佳。The New York Herald Tribune稱之"...only half alive. Its gorgeous vitality of rhythm and of instrumental color is impaired by melodic and harmonic anemia(活潑的節奏與器樂色彩但被缺乏旋律和弦貧血所損) of the most pernicious sort. How trite and feeble and conventional the tunes...",但Gershwin毫不動搖,認為這樣的歌唱型式無損古典音樂之美,當然,其後舞台或電影的音樂劇正是受這樣的影響而產生的、更通俗的產物,而Gershwin的作品卻能地站在古典與通俗音樂的界限旁,微妙地保持住歌劇樂器人聲的細膩處理,把持藝術與娛樂兼容的那個困難的分際。 

說來當年Gershwin也並非一出道就如此自信,George Gershwin父母在1891自俄國移民到美,他1898生於布魯克林,只活了38歲。本來名字叫Jacob Gershowitz (難怪有張長臉),當初鋼琴是買給大他兩歲的哥哥Ira Gershwin的,不過喜歡運動的Gorge卻先展露出天份,父母還讓他許多作曲家學習(Rubin Goldmark, Henry Cowell, Wallingford Riegger ,Joseph Schillinger)。他(不知為止)15歲輟學跑去幫唱片公司彈Tin Pan Alley music,其後且為表達對諧星Ed Wynn之景仰,改了自己姓的字尾。 

1918Gorge and Ira合力在好萊塢從事配樂,當年的Tin Pan Alley music加上布魯克林與古典音樂的背景,此時得到很好的磨練與融合機會,當年他寫過許多流行歌曲,其中” Embraceable You”也出現在PACO介紹的”Taking Sides”裡,表達二次大戰後美國文化”入侵”德國的現象。赫本的Funny face”是1952年是重拍1927的片,Gershwin當然是配原先那片,其中一段赫本獨舞跳得真不賴(見下youtube)。兄寫詞弟譜曲,出來多首不朽的好歌”The Man I Love, I Got Rhythm, Someone to Watch Over Me”。

Audrey Hepburn's dancing in Funny Face(甜姐兒中, 赫本跳踢踏+現代舞精彩演出)

FRED ASTAIRE - He Loves And She Loves (Funny Face 1957)

Gershwin play I Got Rhythm (full)

至於Stravinsky到底有沒有鼓勵Gershwin維持自己風格,或羨慕GG賺的錢多,兩人各說各話,至今真相不明。(When he approached the composer at a party Stravinsky surprised him with the question "How much money do you make a year?" On hearing the answer Stravinsky said "Perhaps I should study with you, Mr. Gershwin.") 

Porgy”當年就是極受矚目的小說,差點兒進了broadway變真正的show,幸而作者賞識已為此劇蘊釀近10年的Gershwin,未讓當時名製作人得手版權。HaywoodGG密切合作的那段日子,激發不少好點子,如Heyward寫信給GG建議 "The play opened with a regular riot of color. What I have in mind [for the opera] is to let the scene . . . merge with the overture . . . giving the added force of sight and sound. I think it would be very effective to have the lights go out during [the] overture, so that the curtain rises in darkness . . . as the music takes up the theme of jazz from the dance-hall piano."不過兩人也爭執過,Heyward原本希望是用念白,但Gershwin一定要用「宣敘調」,但他蠻夠意思地加了幾段只有註明音程與節拍介於「宣敘調」與念白的段落給壞胚子Sporting,讓歌手自由發揮。

Porgy & Bess "Summertime"

從前第一次聽到女高音唱Summertime時還大驚失色,因為我們都是先聽過滄桑的Jazz版本或Pop版,然而在劇中,這是配角年輕母親Clara的搖籃曲,要唱得又細又溫柔哩。許多片段都有藍調的五度和聲出現,或是Jazz的節奏、Gospel的安排,也有些非常傳統的卡農或男女二重唱。Rattle版是由導演CatTraver Nunn1993的製作,IMDB45歲以上男女性平均8-8.2分,21%打滿分,還有另一群可能以為自己會看到Sarah BrightmanRap的”肖連”18-29歲給1-1.7分,真是恐怖的文化落差~~其實這製作相當有氣氛且鏡頭內容扎實,只是改了Porgy的山羊車--當年還真用羊演哩! 

Fellini的形容,他一回看部茶花女,「鏡頭一塌糊塗,還是看得涕淚縱橫」(不知是說Z開頭的那人嗎?),好的演出、好的音樂,是不會被鏡頭埋沒的,我小時一點黑人文化也沒還是聞「一個美國人在巴黎」的黑膠唱片起舞咧。比較擔心的,倒是好的音樂被「有代溝的時代」埋沒罷!?

Janis Joplin - Summertime (Live Grona Lund 1969)

Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Summertime

Summertime -- Billie Holiday 1936



Gershwin, "Porgy and Bess" - Il Ain't Necessarily So Gershwin, "Porgy and Bess" - Il Ain't Necessarily So Gershwin, "Porgy and Bess" - Oh, I Got Plenty O' Nuttin' Gershwin, "Porgy and Bess" - Bess, You Is My Woman Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - Oh Lawd, I'm on my way (Willard White)
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