Muzikland

要談到百年前的民謠﹐筆者最熟識的應該是 Oh Susanna了﹐那是美國作曲家 Stephen Foster的作品﹐認識這首歌乃從小學六年級的音樂教材中﹐這音樂課本倒是保存至今。其實當時筆者非常年幼﹐照理只會記得曲子的旋律﹐然而對這首 Oh Susanna﹐卻是歌詞及作者名稱﹐都深印腦中。

大約90年代﹐筆者的一位同事很喜歡聽 Hi Fi﹐用膳時間都會跟他談論一下古典音樂唱片﹐那時恰巧 Mercury與 RCA都同時把50/60年代的 Living Presence及 Living Stereo系列黑膠錄音復刻成 CD出版﹐這種古早第一代的立體聲CD ﹐重新混音﹐重新 Mastering ﹐加上是美國中價版﹐非常吸引﹐於是也令到筆者從中認識到一些較罕有的曲目及愛上這種舊錄音﹐其中一款便是 Stephen Foster Song Book。

Stephen Foster Song Book (1958/RCA Victor) Track List:
Stephen Foster:
01 Ring de Banjo
02 Beautiful Dreamer
03 Gentle Annie
04 Way Down in Ca-i-ro
05 My Old Kentucky Home
06 Old Black Joe
07 Dolcy Jones
08 Thou Art the Queen of My Song
09 Old Folks At Home
10 Come Where My Love Lies Dreaming
11 Oh! Susanna
12 Gentle Lena Clare
13 Nelly Bly
14 Some Folks
15 Laura Lee
16 Camptown Races
Traditional:
17 Steal Away
18 Nobody Knows (duh Trouble I See)
19 I Want to Die Easy
20 Dere's No Hidin' Place

RCA於1954年首次嘗試同時為樂團作 Mono及兩軌同步錄音﹐並且於1955年開始立體身歷聲 Stereo錄音。1958年 RCA正式出版 Living Stereo唱片﹐正式把錄音帶進另一個新紀元。Stephen Foster Song Book 專輯原於1958年出版﹐1993年的CD版加收了4首1961年灌錄的傳統民歌﹐相信是因為同是 Robert Shaw指揮 Robert Shaw Chorale的錄音﹐所以作為 Bonus Track之故。

對於這張專輯﹐其實可以用兩個角度來欣賞﹐分別是民謠及古典音樂﹐因為歌曲的種類實在有別於古典作品﹐不過演唱方法仍是很 Choir的形式﹐故聽起來又頗像古典音樂。這類歌曲﹐令到筆者立時聯想起電影 Gone With The Wind (1939) 及Sommersby (1993)﹑ 穿著整齊西裝的紳士﹑寬闊長裙的淑女﹐還有美國南北戰爭及林肯總統 (Abraham Lincoln)。

Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864)﹐乃是美國音樂之父﹐生於Lawrenceville﹐來自一個中產家庭﹐是10個孩子中的老么。Stephen唸書不多及接受過極少的正統音樂訓練﹐然而他還是在18歲時寫下第一首作品Open Thy Lattice Love。他的音樂風格深受兩個人影響﹐一位是由德國來的新移民 Henry Kleber (1816-1897) ﹐他因為受過正統音樂訓練而不時指導 Stephen﹐而另一位卻是江湖賣藝人 Dan Rice﹐於是在他的作品中都柔合了兩種不同的音樂風格。

1846年他在哥哥的公司中出任簿記員﹐並且寫下了第一首大受歡迎的作品 Oh Susanna﹔3年後他出版Foster's Ethiopian Melodies ﹐當中包括由Christy Minstrels唱紅的 Nelly Was A Lady ﹐之後他返回Pennsylvania跟Christy Minstrels 簽訂作曲合約。Stephen 許多著名歌曲﹐包括 Camptown Races﹑Old Folks At Home﹑My Old Kentucky Home﹑Hard Times Come Again No More﹐以及為妻子 Jane McDowall 而作的Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair都是這時期的作品﹐大約於1850-1854年間。雖然他的歌曲非常受歡迎﹐然而收入與付出不成正比﹐許多出版商私自出版發售 Stephen的創作成為 Sheet Music ﹐然而卻不付分文。1860年 Stephen旅居紐約﹐可惜翌年妻子及女兒都離開他返回Pittsburgh居住﹐自此他的作品受歡迎程度直線下降﹐而他也沉溺於酒精中。1864年1 月13日終於病逝﹐死時身上僅有美金38分錢﹐衣袋中藏有一張小字條﹐寫著“dear friends and gentle hearts”。


Beautiful Dreamer﹕筆者對此曲的調子非常熟識﹐因為小時在教會所唱的一首聖詩“有福的確據”便曾使用這旋律。Stephen Foster雖是白人﹐卻擅於創作黑人靈歌﹐這是一個很好的例子﹐此曲創作於1862年。
(Stephen C. Foster)


Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!
Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng,
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Beautiful dreamer, out on the sea
Mermaids are chanting the wild lorelie;
Over the streamlet vapors are borne,
Waiting to fade at the bright coming morn.
Beautiful dreamer, beam on my heart,
E'en 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!

**********

My Old Kentucky Home ﹕此曲創作於1853年﹐1928年 Kentucky州用作官方州歌。
(Stephen C. Foster)

The sun shines bright on my old Kentucky home
Tis summer, the darkies are gay
The corn top's ripe and the meadow's in bloom
While the birds make music all the day
The young folks roll on the little cabin floor
All merry, all happy and bright
By 'n by hard times come a-knocking at the door
Then my old Kentucky home good night

Weep no more, my lady
Oh, weep no more, today
We will sing one song for the old Kentucky home
For the old Kentucky home far away.

They hunt no more for the 'possum and the coon,
On meadow, the hill and the shore,
They sing no more by the glimmer of the moon,
On the bench by that old cabin door.
The day goes by like a shadow o'er the heart,
With sorrow where all was delight.
The time has come when the darkies have to part,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.

The head must bow and the back will have to bend,
Wherever the poor folks may go
A few more days and the trouble will end,
In the field where sugar-canes may grow.
A few more days for to tote the weary load,
No matter, 'twill never be light
A few more days till we totter on the road,
Then my old Kentucky home, good night.

**********

Old Black Joe ﹕創作於1860年。
(Stephen C. Foster)

Gone are the days when my heart was young and gay,
Gone are my friends from the cotton fields away,
Gone from the earth to a better land I know,
I hear their gentle voices calling Old Black Joe.

I'm coming, I'm coming, for my head is bending low,
I hear their gentle voices calling Old Black Joe.
Why do I weep, when my heart should feel no pain,
Why do I sigh that my friends come not again?
Grieving for forms now departed long ago.
I hear their gentle voices calling Old Black Joe.

Where are the hearts once so happy and so free?
The children so dear that I held upon my knee?
Gone to the shore where my soul has longed to go,
I hear their gentle voices calling Old Black Joe.

**********

Old Folks At Home﹕原名 (Way Down Upon the) Swanee River﹐創作於1851年。
(Stephen C. Foster)

Way down upon the Swanee River, Far, far away
That's where my heart is yearning ever, That's where the old folks stay
All up and down the whole creation, Sadly I roam
Still longing for the old plantation, And for the old folks at home

All the world is sad and dreary, Everywhere I roam
Oh, brothers, how my heart grows weary, Far from the old folks at home

All 'round the little farm I wandered, When I was young
There many happy days I squandered, Many the songs I sung
When I was playing with my brothers, Happy was I
Oh, take me to my kind old mother, There let me live and die

One little hut among the bushes, One that I love
Still sadly to my memory rushes, No matter where I roam
When will I see the bees a-hummin', All 'round the comb
When will I hear the banjo strummin', Down in my good old home

**********

Oh Susanna﹕此曲創作於1847年﹐時為加州尋金熱時期﹔70年代許冠傑改編成諧趣粵語歌曲“有酒今朝醉”﹐收錄於“半斤八兩”(1976/Polydor) 專輯中。
(Stephen C. Foster)


I came from Alabama
Wid my banjo on my knee,
I’m g’wan to Louisiana
My true love for to see,
It rain’d all night the day I left,
The weather it was dry,
The sun so hot I frose to death;
Susanna, don't you cry.

Oh! Susanna, Oh! don't you cry for me,
I’ve come from Alabama, wid my banjo on my knee.

I jumped aboard de telegraph,
And trabbelled down de ribber,
De Lectrie fluid magnified,
And killed five hundred Nigger
De bullgine bust, de horse run off,
I realy thought I’d die;
I shut my eyes to hold my breath,
Susanna, don't you cry.

I had a dream de odder night
When ebery ting was still;
I thought I saw Susanna,
A coming down de hill.
The buckwheat cake war in her mouth,
The tear was in her eye,
Says I’m coming from de South,
Susanna, don't you cry.

I scon will be in New Orleans,
And den I’ll look all round,
And when I find Susanna,
I’ fall upon the ground.
But if I do not find her,
Dis darkie ’I surely die,
And when I’m dead and buried,
Susanna, don't you cry.

**********

Camptown Races ﹕原曲於1850年發表﹐這也是筆者小六時音樂課本中學懂的歌著﹐不過當時此曲為方面學生學唱﹐由梅耐寒填寫了中文歌詞成為“竹馬”﹐歌詞至今作清記憶在腦海中﹐“小小的年紀膽量大﹐青草場上騎竹馬﹐騎上竹馬走如飛﹐十里一剎那﹗馬兒不食草﹐馬兒真正好﹐一年三百六十又五天﹐不會有辛勞﹗”
(Stephen C. Foster)


De Campptown ladies sing this song,
Doo-da, Doo-da
De Camptown racetrack's two miles long
Oh, de doo-da day

Gwine to run all night
Gwine to run all day
I bet my money on a bob-tailed nag
Somebody bet on the gray

Oh, de long tailed filly and de big black horse,
Doo-da, doo-da
Come to a mud hole and dey all cut across,
Oh, de doo-da day

Gwine to run all night
Gwine to run all day
I bet my money on a bob-tailed nag
Somebody bet on the gray

I went down South with my hat caved in,
Doo-da, doo-da
I came back North with a pocket full of tin
Oh, de doo-da day

Gwine to run all night
Gwine to run all day
I bet my money on a bob-tailed nag
Somebody bet on the gray



筆者相關文章介紹﹕
馬友友 / Edgar Meyer / Mark O’ Connor - Appalachian Journey