為甚麼我喜歡懷舊歌？

為甚麼我喜歡懷舊歌？
…………………………………………………*李察
(問到底 No.7300 2009 0208 Sunday)

晚上工作完畢回家，如果是過了午夜，很難忍得住，
一定會打開收音機。因為，李察也是 Ray Cordeiro
的擁躉。他今年己經八十歲了，仍是非常有勁地每晚
為我們介紹好的音樂。有一陣，李察曾經把他的節目
都錄下來，私人珍藏。

對於懷舊歌，有一種很難釋懷的感覺。每次重聽那
些五十六十年代的舊歌，腸子好像會動。所謂「迴腸
百結」，是很難受的感覺。

這樣的歌，好像美酒一樣。李察總是想忍住不聽。
是不敢多聽。每聽一次，那些日子好像又重新出現。
總覺得是不太好的。過份傷感，人就不能前進了。

所以，懷舊音樂也是盡量不想收藏的。

奇怪是有時聽到一些三十年代的作品，明明那時自
己尚未出世，也不可能懷舊懷到歷史裡去，但是，感
覺也是一樣。

以下介紹的一首好歌，本來是百年前的作品。

但冰歌羅士比卻是懷舊時期的人。

他唱得好極。想學唱歌的人，不妨多聽。

這樣簡單的歌，卻是最高的挑戰。任何人，倘能進
入這種情感去，就會稱霸世界樂壇了。這是李察可以
保証的。




Bing Crosby - Beautiful Dreamer


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtgklHQ52WE



作曲者：
Stephen Foster (1826-1864)

死時只三十八歲，不名一文。此曲是他生命最後一年的作品。他靠販賣作品為生。
稿費極其廉價。但他的歌曲，卻是永恆的無價之寶。他不是莫扎特時期的人，
他也不是貝多芬時期的人。他是美國人。但是，他的遭遇，跟他們一樣。

或者，世人可能指責他好喝酒。他是在醉鄉中離開世界的。就像我們的李白，陶潛，
一樣。

歌詞：

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lulld by the moonlight have all passd away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of lifes busy throng

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea,
Mermaids are chaunting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.

Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
Een as the morn on the streamlet and sea;
Then will all clouds of sorrow depart,

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!


美國國會圖書館中的資料：

"Beautiful Dreamer" (1864) ||
Composed late in his life and published posthumously, Stephen Foster’s "Beautiful Dreamer" (1864) is one of the composer’s most memorable ballads. It was written at least six months before Foster’s death, when he was destitute and in poor heath, and survived by selling songs (at extremely cheap rates) that were written in haste. While prolific in number, these last songs, for the most part, were less inspired than his earlier efforts, such as "Oh! Susanna", which had launched his career as a songwriter.

For his songs composed after 1860, Foster turned his creative energy to the parlor ballad, a type of song noted for its sentimental or narrative text, frequently at a slow tempo. The subjects of Foster’s ballads were relatively free from minstrel-song influences and centered on topics devoid of southern themes, such as mother, love, and home. With its lilting triplet rhythm, "Beautiful Dreamer" exemplifies Foster’s final sentiments and has become one of America’s most beloved serenades.

|| About Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864) ||
Regarded as one of America’s principal and most influential songwriters, it is fitting that Stephen Foster shares his birthday with that of the nation. Born on July 4, 1826, in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh, Foster revealed an early interest in music but received little formal training. Primarily self-taught, Foster displayed an affinity for “Ethiopian” and minstrel songs (he performed in minstrel shows as a boy), yet he also incorporated characteristics of Irish melodies, German songs, and Italian operas in his compositions. He was eighteen when "Open Thy Lattice, Love" (1844), set to a poem by George P. Morris, was published; however, the title page of his first publication erroneously credited the composer as "L.C. Foster." Subsequently, Foster served as both composer and lyricist to his songs, which numbered over two hundred.

Some of Foster’s earliest songs were modeled on those he heard performed in minstrel shows. His first big hit, "Oh! Susanna" (1847), which launched Foster’s career as a songwriter, became a favorite with minstrel troupes. The song also became associated with the California Gold Rush of 1849, as the forty-niners accepted a parodied version as the unofficial anthem. In 1850, Foster composed "De Camptown Races", which was introduced by the Christy Minstrels (founded by Edwin P. Christy), the most famous minstrel troupe of the day. Like "Susanna", "De Camptown Races" was also used by the forty-niners en route to California in a parody entitled Sacramento. On July 22, 1850, Foster married Jane Denny McDowell; their daughter Marion was born nearly one year later. Foster’s romantic ballad, "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" (1854), is perhaps the most famous of the songs he composed for his bride.

In 1851, Foster sent Christy a sentimental song, "Old Folks at Home", more commonly known as "Swanee River". By November 1854, the song had sold over 130,000 copies, making it one of Foster’s most popular and successful compositions. The song’s position in history was solidified when it became the official state song of Florida in 1935. Another of Foster’s melodies, "My Old Kentucky Home" (1853), was also adopted as an official state anthem. Foster’s only melody to be inspired by his actual visit to the state, it became Kentucky’s state song in 1928.

Even though by 1853 Foster had an exclusive contract with music publisher Firth, Pond, and Company, his financial situation became unstable, due in part to the lack of copyright protection on his songs. His personal life also suffered, and after numerous conflicts with his wife, the couple separated in 1854. Burdened with the loss of his parents the following year, as well as with his declining health and his alcoholism, the quality of Foster’s creative output greatly diminished. In the 1860s, he focused on sentimental ballads rather than minstrel songs, and of the many songs penned during his last years, only "Beautiful Dreamer" (1864) has achieved the status of his earlier works. Although penniless when he died on January 10, 1864, Foster bestowed on America a rich legacy of memorable songs.







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(本文貼出日期： 2009.2.8. 香港時間： 7:00 pm)
(明天問題： 之三十八：頑童遇到甚麼謀略家？)