柴可夫斯基

柴可夫斯基是俄羅斯最偉大的作曲家，其音樂真摯、熱忱，注重對(duì)人的心理的細(xì)致刻畫，并具有俄羅斯民族特有的風(fēng)格，是古典音樂寶庫中的珍品。本文不僅對(duì)這位偉大的音樂家進(jìn)行了細(xì)致地描寫，還對(duì)其作品進(jìn)行了點(diǎn)評(píng)，值得讀者仔細(xì)體會(huì)和學(xué)習(xí)。

認(rèn)識(shí)柴可夫斯基

How is one to put into words those indeterminate feelings that engulf one during the composition of an instrumental work? It is a purely lyrical process， the outpourings of a soul marked by the 1)vicissitudes of life but destined by its very nature to express itself in music.” Tchaikovsky wrote that in 1878， after the completion of his fourth 2)symphony， in a letter to his benefactress， Nadezhda Von Meck， the widow of an industrialist. Her generosity enabled him to

devote himself entirely to composition. In the letter， Tchaikovsky has more to say about the vicissitudes of life， “This is fate， that 3)inexorable force; it is inescapable and invincible. There is no other course but to submit and to 4)lament in vain.”

He was convinced that this idea of fate or 5)providence was crucial and that it was beyond the powers of mere mortals to do anything about it. This conviction is reflected in his

music， notably in his symphonic works. For Tchaikovsky， music was not just the arrangement of notes on the page; it was the language of emotion， the mirror of his own feelings.

Eleven years later Tchaikovsky composed his fifth symphony. By then he was Russia’s most prominent composer at home and abroad. Again， the idea of fate ran through the whole work. He noted， “Introduction: complete surrender to fate or—and this is the same thing—to the 6)inscrutable decrees of providence.”

Tchaikovsky was highly sensitive. Outwardly， the impression he made was balanced and self-controlled， but in reality he was very insecure; an unstable， tormented personality. He was prey to 7)dire

visions and nightmares and his diary is full of astonishing and distressing disclosures about the psychological

8)agonies he went through. He wrote to Nadezhda Von Meck expressing his fear that he was “written out”， but he completed the fifth symphony within the space of three months. Tchaikovsky conducted the first performance himself on the fifth of

November， 1888， in St. Petersburg. His brother， Modeste， was present.

After the symphony Pyotr Ilyich received a rapturous applause. The orchestra played three

9)flourishes for him and he was presented with flowers. But despite its great success with the audience， many critics found fault with the new

symphony. But by no means all of them. After the first German performance five months later， the Hamburg reviewer Josef Zitaud， wrote， “The E-minor symphony can rightly be hailed as one of the most significant symphonic works of the age.” Today， Tchaikovsky’s “Fifth” is among the most famous symphonies ever written.

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born on the 7th of May， 1840， in a small mining town west of the 10)Urals called Votkinsk. His mother， Alexandra Andreyevna， played the piano and introduced her son to the world of music. The highly sensitive boy responded with passionate interest. Though his musical gifts were encouraged by his parents， the lowly social standing of professional musicians meant they never seriously 11)contemplated a musical career for him. At the age of ten he was sent to the School of 12)Jurisprudence in St.

Petersburg， which he left nine years later to take up a junior post in the Ministry of Justice. He

described himself as “a poor civil servant”.

Finally， in 1862， he enrolled at the new St.

Petersburg 13)Conservatory of Music established by 14)Anton Rubenstein. Rubenstein persuaded him to devote himself entirely to music. In a letter to his sister， Tchaikovsky says， “This is my vocation and I must follow it. Whether I become a great composer or a poor music teacher is immaterial. 15)At all events my conscience will be clear and I shall no longer have any cause to complain about my 16)lot.”

After successfully completing his studies in St. Petersburg， Tchaikovsky spent twelve years teaching music theory at the new conservatory in Moscow. His first four symphonies and many other works date from this period， so it was productive for him as a composer， but it was also a time of distress and unrest. Tchaikovsky was homosexual and that was a social 17)stigma. To avoid the inevitable 18)ostracism associated with it， he resolved to marry Antonina Miliukova，

a woman he hardly knew. The marriage was a disaster. Tchaikovsky suffered a complete nervous breakdown and tried to kill himself. After separating from his wife in 1878， Tchaikovsky continued as an extremely successful 19)freelance composer. The vicissitudes he had been through strengthened his firm belief in the force of destiny.

The mysterious circumstances surrounding his early death at the age of 53 have 20)given rise to a great deal of speculation. We know that he drank a glass of unboiled water in a restaurant in St. Petersburg when 21)cholera was raging in the city. Some believe that he did this intentionally.

22)Igor Stravinsky， a great admirer of Tchaikovsky， said this about his countryman， “Tchaikovsky had a powerful sense of melody. It is the 23)centre of gravity in all his symphonies， operas and ballets. There is no doubt that he was an inspired creator of melody and that is a rare and precious gift.”

當(dāng)一個(gè)人在譜寫一篇樂章的時(shí)候，他該如何用語言去描述那些令他深深陶醉于其中卻又模糊不定的感覺呢？這純粹是一種宣泄情感的過程，是刻滿人世滄桑的靈魂的流露，卻注定了要用音樂來表達(dá)其真實(shí)的天性。”柴可夫斯基于1878年完成了他的第四交響曲后，在一封給娜婕達(dá)·馮·梅克夫人的信中寫下了這段話。馮·梅克夫人是一位工業(yè)家的遺孀，正是因?yàn)樗目犊抛尣窨煞蛩够軌蛉硇牡赝度氲揭魳穭?chuàng)作中去。在信中，柴可夫斯基更多地談到了生命的變化無常：“這就是命運(yùn)，是那無情的力量——既無可逃避也無法戰(zhàn)勝。沒有別的方法，只能屈服并徒勞地傷悲。”

他深信命運(yùn)或天意是具有決定意義的，并遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出了純粹人力之所能及。這種信念也反映在了他的音樂中，特別是在他的交響樂中。對(duì)于柴可夫斯基來說，音樂不僅僅是在紙上書寫的一串串音符，還是情感的語言，是他自身感覺的反映。

11年后，柴可夫斯基譜出了他的第五交響曲，當(dāng)時(shí)他已經(jīng)是俄羅斯遠(yuǎn)近馳名的作曲家，而關(guān)于命運(yùn)的想法再一次貫穿了他的整篇曲譜。他記錄道：“開篇：完全屈服于命運(yùn)，或者——這是一樣的——屈服于不可預(yù)知的天意。……