从巴赫到说唱

午睡前随便翻开，本来计划看看就睡，结果一发不可收拾，越看越精神。

其实只读了样章，即第一章【Creation in reverse】，却意外地发现，妙笔生花又颇受启发。没研究过作者，但肯定是个很棒的词人。

最近三四年，每天上班都戴着耳机，有充足的时间和心情来感受音乐，相信我，这是个好选择，你得到的会比失去的多得多。好了，下面以书籍摘录+个人解读的方式进行评论。

...an extremely slow-dawning insight about creation. ...is that context largely determines what is written, painted, sculpted, sung, or performed.

作者一上来就对传统认知中的艺术创作（起码是我的）泼了盆冷水，灵感不是自胸中迸发，而是基于周围环境做出的。我们听过类似摇滚歌手收到欲望和魔鬼的驱使，爆发式创作出一首美妙，时长非得3分12秒不可，增之一分则臃肿，减少一秒则缺憾。这都是想象出来的，真正的创作比起上面的描述，来了个180度转弯。作者认为，创作是基于周围环境的，是客观的，而不是主观的。我对此深有同感，估计他也是个金牛座。

回想起来，我应该就是从这里开始，忘记午睡了。

作者开始讲音乐史，不是从Call me maybe开始哦，是从巴赫开始，然而我竟然没看困。从现在开始，请记下【reverberation 回响】这个词，后面会多次谈到。

最早的音乐是在教堂（或者修道院，庙宇什么的）里产生的，这些石头建筑空间中，回声会超过4秒，因此环绕式的作曲开始出现。

a real sonic pileup. so what evolved, what sounds best in this kind of space, is modal in structure-often using very long notes. slowly evolving melodies that eschew key changes work beautifully and reinforce the otherworldly ambienc.

因为复杂的和声技巧尚未发展出来，中世纪作曲家的作品都很简单，也没必要去发展，因为在类似建筑中这些和声听起来很可怕。

1700年代早期，伴随着管风琴，巴赫在哥特教堂中进行了 大量创作和大胆的尝试，变换音调，带有回响功能的教堂在展现这些音乐方面完美适配。比起之前的作曲家从来一成不变的key，这其实是很冒险的举动。

Modulating into different keys in the innovative way he did was risky business in these venue.

1700年代晚期，莫扎特在皇宫表演作品的地点，往往是比较小的房间，而不是音乐厅。为了压住听众跳舞，垮哒哒步行和低声聊天的声音，作曲家得提高音量，做到这点的唯一方案，是扩充音乐厅。

People could dance to it too. My guess is that in order to be heard above the dancing, clomping feet, and gossiping, one might have had to figure out how to make the music louder, and the only way to do this was to increase the size of the orchestra, which is what happened.

作者还在这类老式歌剧厅里表演过，如果没有将音量提到非常高，即使是表演当代流行歌曲，也是挺完美的。

I realized that sometimes the most prestigious place doesn't always work out best for your music. this acoustic barrier could be viewed as a subtle conspiracy.

终于讲到稍微熟悉点的领域 - 流行音乐。最早这类音乐表演的场所，是酒吧（？），葬礼（？？）和妓院（？？？），这项地方通常都不大。

爵士乐的诞生，是因为已经写好的曲子表演完了，为了让反响热烈的部分延续，让大家把舞跳完，表演者would jam over those chord changes while maintainging the same groove.

类似，乡村音乐、蓝调、拉丁音乐和摇滚，最早都是为了伴舞创作出来的，同时为了压住聊天，需要音量放大。这一切，随着唱片和扩音器的到来，完全改变了。

好了，我还没午睡，越来越精神。

Composers knew that every detail would be heard, so very quiet passages could now be written. Harmonically complex passages could be appreciated as well.

随着唱片的兴起，作曲家意识到，作品的每个细节都会被仔细品味，优秀的段落会吸引大量的知音。

...and the future emergence and refining of recording technology would make tis music more available and ubiquitous.

很有趣的描述：严肃而有思想的音乐，都是通过脖子以上的部分来消化的。

随着唱片业发展，肺活量不再是歌手的硬指标。以前会被人听不到的唱法发展起来，这一切都要感谢麦克风的出现。

They adjust their vocal dynamics in ways that would have been unheard of earlier....crooning was a new kind of singing back then. It wouldn't have worked without a microphone.

To a listener, these guys are whispering like a lover, right to your ear, getting completely inside your head.

音乐从来没有以这种方式来感受过，更别提如果没有麦克风，可能唱的啥都听不见。

终于提到了hip-hop，这也是一种为了跳舞而创作的音乐。那么根据上面的推理，最适合听hip-hop的地点，是哪里呢？

Well, there is the interior of your car. I'd argue that contemporary hip-hop is written (or at least the music is) to be heard in cars with systems.

I'd say audio space in a car with these speakers forces a very different kind of composition. The music is bass heavy, but with a strong and precise high end as well.

Sonically, what's in the middle? It's the vocal.

耳机让我们能够仔细聆听作品的每个微小的细节，对于回响的控制需求也消失了，节奏被完美无缺地呈现在你的耳边。

We've come full circle in many ways.

好了，样章读完了，也该午睡了。