1. Among musical works, "Moonlight" first reminds people of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" (originally titled "Sonata in C-sharp minor, Op. 27-2"), but this is History played a small joke on him. Pei's original work did not have the title "Moonlight", but H. F． L. Reerstable (1799~1860) thought of the moonlight on Lake Lucerne in the first movement of the music, so he named it "Moonlight". Debussy's "Clair de Lune" originally belonged to the third movement of the "Suite Burgamasque", but the work is so beautiful that people often play it alone, and over time, they forget its true meaning. Provenance.
As the originator of Impressionist music, Debussy’s musical works can be called veritable “sound and painting”. People have commented on Wang Wei's poems like this: There are paintings in poems, and poems in paintings. Borrowing from this evaluation, Debussy's works can be well-deservedly called "painting within the music, music within the painting". However, it is not easy to achieve this step: music is the flowing time and space, and painting is the solidified momentary scene. But the master is a master after all. He gave up the singing melodies used by composers in the Romantic period as their expression method, and instead absorbed the techniques of Impressionism and Symbolism painting schools and practiced them in his own works. The hazy, multi-directional melody allows the listener to reconstruct the sound-picture. Among the masterpieces that most typically embody this approach is "Moonlight". It is precisely because "Moonlight" has achieved such a great achievement that to this day, modern composers have still not been able to write, at least they have not been able to write a widely circulated work depicting moonlight.
The way Debussy handled "Moonlight" is undoubtedly special.
2. If "quietness" is the greatest characteristic of Beethoven's Moonlight, then "motion" is the essence of Debussy's Moonlight. In his music, the moonlight pours out like water, flowing slowly and filling the whole room. Debussy's notes are somewhat discrete, breaking up the melody. Yet scattered but not messy, like spilled mercury wandering on the floor or steps. Every note gives you ample room for imagination.
Beethoven’s Moonlight is a story flowing under the moonlight, and the smooth melody tells the story; while Debussy’s Moonlight is the moonlight itself, which captivates the city overnight.
3. As far as music with the theme of the moon is concerned, Debussy's "Moonlight" and Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" seem to be better than "Moonlight Night" which "denies narrative logic" They are all “affirmative narrative logic”. However, it is also "affirming the narrative logic" that Debussy's "Moonlight" seems to be still in the realm of "Six Dynasties Lyrical Poem", while Beethoven's "Moonlight" is already a "Tang Poetry" with "Xing" as the main expression form. ”, “Song Ci”. I secretly think that Beethoven's "Moonlight" seems to be more "superior" than Debussy's "Moonlight".
In order to illustrate the above conclusion, some necessary developments will be made below about Debussy's "Moonlight" and Beethoven's "Moonlight".
** But it can only be appreciated in silence without resorting to language.
For this famous Impressionist song, what the author can resort to in writing is nothing more than the following very vague overall "impressions": The so-called "Moonlight", for the famous French composer Debussy , seems to have both the conscious impression of the external scenery and the ups and downs of inner thoughts.
The "comparison" between the "impression" of "moonlight" and the "thoughts" of the "human heart" has also become the theme of Debussy's "Moonlight".
Similarly due to the special nature of musical art, even though we have the ringing of our heartstrings, we can only listen to the famous piece "Moonlight Sonata" (first movement) by the famous German classical and romantic composer Beethoven. Can appreciate in silence without being able to resort to words.
For this "Moonlight Sonata" (first movement), what the author can express in writing is nothing more than the following very vague overall feelings: The so-called "Moonlight", for Beethoven , seems more suitable for spiritual submersion.
If Debussy's "Moonlight" is caused by "external viewing of natural scenery", the impression changes; then Beethoven's "Moonlight" is caused by "internal examination of the soul". world" and sublimates the heroic sentiment. This is exactly what is called "Xing" in Chinese poetry theory.
Compared with Beethoven's "masculine" "Passionate Sonata" (first movement), "Moonlight Sonata" (first movement) is a "feminine" piece of music. When the day has passed and things have calmed down, the hazy moonlight allows the hero to look inside at the dreams, poetry, longings, and desires deep in his soul, and seek some kind of peace of mind. Beethoven's "Moonlight" is the hero's inner monologue and the great man's meditation. Here, the main form of artistic expression should be "Xing", and in the "affirmative narrative logic", fanatical pursuit and fiery action are brewing.
Because the first movement of Beethoven's "Moonlight" is the inner monologue of a hero and the contemplation of a great man, the following third movement has the kind of music that was added by Soviet music estheticians and music historians. In his book "Masterpieces of Western European Music", Latskaya described the "anger, protest and enthusiasm" as "fiery protests", "impacting with increasing fury" and "exploding with terrible power". It won't appear sudden. As Galatskaya puts it, it is a transition "from lyrical philosophical contemplation" to "struggle" and "action."
Romain Rolland's "The Biography of Beethoven" once quoted Beethoven's famous saying: "I am the god of wine who brews pure mash for mankind. It is I who give mankind the highest spiritual enthusiasm." Based on this, it seems that the first movement of "Moonlight" can be compared to the "pure mash" brewed by the "Bacchus", and the third movement of "Moonlight" can be compared to the "supreme enthusiasm of the human spirit" caused by the "pure mash" . Beethoven's "turbulent emotions" indeed have an extremely "vast space" as Galatskaya said. How can the so-called "music aesthetics" and "music philosophy" (see Zhao Xinshan's "Beethoven's Soul") that treat Beethoven's "Moonlight" only as "tenderness like water and good times like dreams" be the same as this? language.
4. In Western music, the most famous pieces about moonlight are Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" and Debussy's "Light of the Moon". Both are simply called "Moonlight". The music industry believes that the former is a rumor, while the latter is really written for Moonlight. This is true. But for the past two hundred years, Beethoven's piece composed in 1801 has always been called "Moonlight Sonata".
In 1801, after completing the "# Sonata in C Minor", Beethoven, who liked to title his works, did not give the work any name, but just verbally called it "Fantasy Style" 's sonata". Of course, it is impossible to call the first movement "Moonlight" or something like that. Who is he "fantasizing" about? For a woman named "Countess Julietta". Beethoven had a love affair with her and the work was created for her. So why has it been called "Moonlight Sonata" for nearly a hundred years? The initiator was the German poet Ludwig Leerstaller (1790~1860). He said that listening to Beethoven's piece always reminded him of "the moonlight on Lake Lucen in Switzerland, like a boat rippling on the lake."
The subsequent stories became even more beautiful. It is said that Beethoven was walking in Vienna one night when he heard someone playing his own works, and one of the parts was not played well. He knocked on the door and saw a blind girl sitting on the piano bench. Beethoven was deeply moved and immediately gave a demonstration. When the owner knew that this was the Beethoven they admired, they were very excited and begged Beethoven to play again. Qu, the blind girl said that her brother was a poor shoemaker and they had no money to buy expensive tickets for his concerts. Beethoven immediately agreed to their request. At this time, the moonlight outside the window was bright and clear, and everything was silent. In the quiet night, there was only the sound of the wind gently passing through the treetops. Beethoven closed his eyes and slowly played this improvised piece of music, which is why people called it the "Moonlight Sonata".
It is said that this latter story was invented by an unknown author. Publishing and theater owners at that time also knew how to hype in order to expand. The impact of the work and their efforts to promote the story. This movement itself is very beautiful, and with this story, "Moonlight Sonata" was recognized and widely circulated. Although the Russian composer and pianist Rubinstein later tried to correct this misunderstanding, saying that "in music, moonlight should be expressed in a hazy, dreamy, peaceful, and tender way, and the first movement of this sonata is completely tragic." ”
I don’t think so, at least for me it’s the opposite. It is the title of Moonlight that helps me feel the quiet moonlight night. It is the quiet moonlight night that makes the music finally settle into the faint sadness it wants to express.
Beethoven was indeed very sad when he wrote the first movement of this work: he was deaf. What could be more unfortunate for a composer than to lose his hearing? On November 16, 1801, he wrote to his friend Wigler: "You cannot imagine the lonely and sad life I have lived in these two years: my ear disease seems to It’s a ghost, blocking me everywhere, hiding from everyone, like a misanthrope.”
Although the second and third movements of “#C Minor Sonata” still reflect Beethoven’s “I want to express my feelings.” Seize the throat of fate and never give in to it" is the consistent style, but the first movement is indeed sad. Beethoven himself called it a "fantasy sonata" because he clearly wanted to say that his feelings for Countess Julietta were nothing more than a "fantasy." He was deeply saddened by his ear disease.
Knowing this, people still stubbornly associate it with moonlight. Because the lonely and quiet moonlight can indeed lead people into a sad mood. Whether it’s the nostalgia of “Looking up at the bright moon, bowing down to miss my hometown”, or the wandering feeling of “This night in this life is not always good, where will the bright moon be next year?”, the sadness introduced by a cold moon and Beethoven’s ear disease The grief of illness is the same psychological state. Different paths lead to the same destination: all are sad.
The same moonlight, throughout the ages, whether it is a foreign composer or a Chinese poet, the works can be very different due to different subjective feelings and interests. This undoubtedly has a decisive relationship with everyone's environment and mood at that time. "Light of the Moon" by French Impressionist composer Debussy (1862~1918) is a piece of music with a very different style.
"Light of the Bright Moon" was originally written under the influence of the poem of the same name by the Symbolist poet Verlaine (1844~1896). In 1884, Debussy went to Italy to study, during which time he visited the Bergamo region in northern Italy. The beautiful scenery there left a deep impression on him. After returning from the trip, I read Verlaine's "Light of the Moon", which inspired me to compose the "Bergamasco" suite. The third song is called "Light of the Moon", which expresses the memory of the moonlight in Bergamo. impression, often performed as a separate piece due to its more independent character.
The feeling at the beginning of the movement is that the bright moon is shining brightly, the snow in the Alps in the distance is like silver, the whole world is as clear as crystal; the night sky stretches like black velvet, with sparsely falling diamonds. Stars, the wilderness under the moon is peaceful and comfortable, the wild wind blows, and the leaves rustle. Debussy gave full play to the creative ability of music, which not only allows people to "see" the beautiful moonlit night described by the composer, but also enters a beautiful meditation with the composer. The strange thing is that this is not the kind of sadness that moonlight brings to people, but the open-mindedness of "the bright moon rises on the sea, the end of the world is at this time", the quiet beauty of "the clouds break through the moon and the flowers make shadows", or even " The moon reaches the top of the willow trees, and people meet after dusk." The sweet memories.
Two kinds of moonlight and two kinds of emotions were determined by the composer’s state of mind at that time. Beethoven expressed his sadness. At first, he used a slow introduction of four bars to introduce the tragic theme, which developed into moans and whimpering. The melody part in the right hand gradually breaks and almost disappears, leaving only the triplet accompaniment pattern flowing evenly, as if it is the silent pain in the heart.
There is a saying of "bright color" in painting, and there is also a "bright sound" in music. The third interval has a bright feeling. It reminds people of the bright and crystal clear moonlight.
The long melody line and steady rhythm, combined with the soft and clear harmonies, achieve a quiet and silent effect. This is the difference between Debussy's "Moonlight" and Beethoven's "Moonlight".
No one wants to be sad in life, but when reflected in works of art, it often becomes a kind of beauty. This is a strange aesthetic phenomenon, let alone showing the inherently beautiful things in life. .
This is why Beethoven and Debussy's "Moonlight" are loved at the same time.