

時值中國共產黨成立90周年之際,全國人民都在以飽滿的熱情、豐碩的成果向黨獻禮,各種媒體、各類文藝作品都在謳歌黨的偉大歷程。
由中央電視臺、中央人民廣播電臺、中國音樂家協會、中國藝術研究院共同主辦的“唱響中國——群眾最喜愛的新創作歌曲”征集評選活動,群眾的參與熱情非常高。從全國18000多件參評歌曲中遴選出來的36首入圍歌曲,風格形式多樣,旋律優美動聽,從不同的角度唱響時代主旋律,歌頌黨,歌頌祖國,謳歌美好生活。
更讓我們欣喜的是,由杭州市文聯、杭州市音協推選的新創歌曲《南湖菱花開》名列其中。
該曲目由湯昭智作詞、張衛東作曲,曹芙嘉演唱。歌曲旋律清新自然,洋溢著江南的優美韻律。歌詞以南湖菱花之美,演繹莊嚴的南湖紅船和前進中的中國。
記者為此專訪了歌曲《南湖菱花開》的主創團隊,來看看這首歌頌黨歌頌人民的歌曲是怎樣出爐的。
煙雨樓下風起云涌
紅船領航一路夢想與光榮
作曲張衛東:小角度,大題材
《南湖菱花開》曲作者張衛東是位樸實的藝術家,從縣文化館、市群眾藝術館干部到現在擔任浙江省群眾藝術館館長,他已經從事了將近30年的群眾文化工作。他說:“每年有大量的群眾文化活動,基層輔導工作和單位行政事務,我和很多群文戰線上的同志一樣,經常沒有節假日,很忙,也很累。但我深深熱愛群眾文化,這是我的本職工作。”
正是群眾文化工作給了張衛東豐富的創作素材和時常的創作沖動,鮮明的地域特色、濃郁的生活氣息是群眾文藝創作的優勢,也是群眾文藝創作所一直強調與追求的。長期的生活積累、日常的細致觀察、獨特的視角發現對于藝術創作至關重要,這直接推動了他開始這首歌的創作。
對于這次重大的全國征歌活動,在題材的選擇上,作為浙江的作者自然就想到了讓浙江人引以自豪的嘉興南湖紅船,但如何找到一個新的切入角度來表達人民群眾和黨的血肉情感,則是考慮的重點。
其實,張衛東早就想為嘉興南湖紅船寫一首歌,可之前有那么多關于紅船的歌,該從哪里下手呢?“有一天站在岸邊,南湖上那滿湖的濃綠菱蓬與醒目的鮮紅游船相互輝映,這景象一下子就打動了我。”張衛東回憶說,更何況菱蓬上還有許多菱花,這是種不起眼的花,只有米粒大小,每年夏天“七一”前后會盛放在湖面。可很少有人會注意這些把湖面染上星星點點的白或粉紅的花,更叫不出它的名字。
“這不就象征我們的人民群眾的樸實么?無論在革命戰爭年代,還是和平建設時期,他們跟隨著我們的黨,默默地奉獻著一切甚至生命而無怨無悔。細細去想,怎能不讓人感動?”以人為本,關注民生,是這個時代的主旋律。張衛東知道,他找到了那首歌。
就這樣,一首從老百姓的角度來寫的歌有了它最初的創意。雖然歌曲的題材和角度讓張衛東滿意和興奮,但創作過程卻是從未有過的慎重:確定了“小角度,大題材”的創作方法之后,醞釀音樂就用了一個多月,設計了六七個方案,最后才決定用他最拿手的江南風格音調結合通俗節奏處理,采用通俗女聲獨唱這一最終方案并一氣呵成。曲與詞作者無數次地討論推敲,直到最后錄音送審前還在商量修改,
“我與詞作者反復商量,推敲,修改,直到滿意為止。為一句歌詞或一兩個字或詞句,我和上海的詞作者來回打電話討論,甚至在深更半夜也是常事。我一直這么認為,特別是在當今時代,一個創作已達到一定成熟程度的曲作者,一首歌的題材、角度選對、選好了,作品就成功了一半,歌詞太重要了!對于歌詞,曲作者應該有自己的思考并參與其中。”張衛東說。
紅船上亮起一盞明燈
點燃菱花生生不息的情
作詞湯昭智:含蓄的語言與強烈的沖擊力
歌曲的詞作者湯昭智是張衛東多年的好友,在張衛東口中是“值得信賴和有著難得默契的人”。這位復旦大學中文系畢業的校友,現為中國音樂文學學會常務理事、上海音樂文學專業委員會主任。他的《假如你要認識我》被評為“當代青年喜愛的歌”;《遠山》在亞洲音樂節上獲創作銀獎;《世界因我而美麗》等獲“星光獎”、“金雞獎”、“群星獎”各項政府獎。更以優秀詞作成為上海國際服裝節、旅游節、國際電影節等多個文化節慶的節歌。
創意之初,張衛東就找到了他,兩個人一拍即合,確立了這首《南湖菱花開》的主創團隊。采訪中,湯昭智多次提起了這次合作里的一個小小巧合,他是上海人,黨的一大就是先在上海召開,然后轉移到嘉興南湖的,而嘉興正好在杭州與上海中間,他們兩個都對南湖很熟悉。
湯昭智說,他在這首作品的創作中,盡可能讓歌詞語言與音樂語言含蓄但有較強沖擊力,概括但有準確指向性,樸實但有藝術感染力。“我看重的是藝術和藝術所蘊含的力量,能讓我們的作品飛得更高,能讓我們的作者走得更遠,所以不僅關注它想要表現什么,和它表現的是什么,更加關注它如何去藝術地表現我們的時代。”
所以,在歌詞中,湯昭智努力通過菱花與紅船相依相伴、不離不分的客觀景象,來體現人民群眾對我們黨的真情實感和我們黨為人民謀利益就必然會得到人民擁戴的深刻內涵。
“在我們的詞壇上,一般化的作品太多,而真正‘出挑’的作品太少。所以我提出了歌詞作品要創新的問題。創新,也就是說要與眾不同,不要人云亦云。首先是力求在創作思路上與眾不同。其次是力求在表現題材上,尋找新的空間。人家還沒有涉及到,而又具有生長空間的題材,我會嘗試著去寫。當然,表現題材求新有一個前提,就是我們所要表現的題材,一定是體現社會發展的,能表達大眾心聲,愉悅大眾情感的題材,而不是相反。作為一種文藝創作,歌詞應該講究一點意境美,情感美。情感是歌詞的精華,歌詞要表現出現代人的內在情感。人們需要有內涵、有意境的歌曲。這就對我們在語境表現方面提出了更高的要求。”湯昭智如是說。
讓那清清靈靈的身影搖曳多姿
南湖菱花開燦若繁星
演唱曹芙嘉:大氣而深情的演唱中融入了她的心曲
人們都說,這首歌是為曹芙嘉量身定制的。
她卻笑著搖搖頭說:歪打正著。
主創團隊向記者透露,原本這首歌創作完成后,想邀譚晶演唱。但因她臨時有任務,時間安排不過來。所以,才有了后來曹芙嘉的閃亮登場。
被譽為“內地最受歡迎潛力歌手”的曹芙嘉畢業于蘇州大學藝術學院音樂系,現為第二炮兵政治部文工團聲樂演員。2010年參加“全國第九屆聲樂大賽”獲聲樂界最高專業獎“文華獎”金獎。
“希望這首歌能有濃郁的地方特色,同時也能在群眾中傳唱。”為此,主創團隊專門降低了歌曲里的技巧難度,好讓老百姓通過聽歌就能學會怎么唱。而這首歌最終選用了最考驗作品質量的女聲獨唱方式來演唱,也是為了讓這首歌更適合流傳。從杭州市推選至省里參評到全國入選36首后的最終改定稿,分別在杭州和北京進棚錄制了3次。獲得金鐘獎通俗唱法組金獎的年輕歌手曹芙嘉在這過程中脫穎而出,她還不是太出名,可很多人聽了這首歌,都會問,這首歌是不是專門為她寫的,“我們知道找對人了,她的二度創作能力很強。”張衛東很興奮。
專家們稱贊,大氣而深情的演唱中,融入了她心曲的部分:溫和細訴中,旋律和歌詞相依相生,通過張弛有度的表演方式,在短短4分58秒內完成了層次豐富的情感表達,同時完成了對中國共產黨一路征程的深情歌頌。曹芙嘉深厚的唱功很好地完成了這一首歌曲的思想內容表達。
網友們紛紛評論,這是首“越聽越有味”的江南歌曲。主創們說,他們能看見這首歌流傳得更廣、傳唱得更久些,就已經達到了創作的初衷。□
Song Celebrates CPC Birth on South Lake
By Qi Yongye, our special reporter
In celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China in 2011, the China Central Television, the Central People’s Radio, China Musicians Association, and China Institute for Art Researches started in July 2010 an event to solicit songs in celebration of the historical founding of the party. Altogether thirty-six songs have been short-listed from more than 18,000 candidates. “Water Chestnut Flowers Bloom on South Lake”, a song recommended by Hangzhou Federation of Literary and Art Circles and Hangzhou Musicians Association, is on the shortlist.
With lyrics by Tang Zhaozhi, music by Zhang Weidong, and sung by Cao Fujia, the song celebrates the founding of the party in a unique way. It uses a symbol: the blooming water chestnut, an aquatic plant that abounds on the lake in Jiaxing, a central city of northern Zhejiang Province.
The Composer
Zhang Weidong, now director of Zhejiang People’s Cultural Center, has been engaged in grassroots cultural activities for nearly thirty years. Cultural centers across China form a nationwide network of grassroots culture and art organizers and promoters. They sponsor and advance regional and local folk arts, among other things on their job descriptions. After learning the nationwide solicitation of songs in commemoration of the 90th anniversary of the CPC, Zhang naturally thought of the South Lake in Jiaxing, where the thirteen founding fathers gathered to continue the sessions of the first national congress of the CPC after the security situation in Shanghai became precarious in July 1921.
The idea was natural and good, but there had been numerous songs that chose the red boat as a symbol. Zhang wanted something new and original. He visited the lake for inspiration. Seeing the green leaves of water chestnuts covering the lake in graceful contrast with the boat in bright red, Zhang thought he found an appropriate metaphor for his song. Water chestnuts have flowers as tiny as rice. In mid summer, these flowers are everywhere in white or light pink on the lake. “Aren’t they a symbol for the Chinese people that have followed the CPC through the revolution and national reconstruction in peace time?” commented Zhang.
Zhang called his friend Tang Zhaozhi in Shanghai and talked about the image and his inspiration. They decided to work together. They decided to write a song that uses a seemingly inconspicuous image to sing of a major theme. For more than a month, the composer toyed with seven musical possibilities of the song and then decided to write a melody in the local style of the south of the Yangtze River Delta, a melody for a pop song female singer. To make the melody and lyrics fit perfectly, the two songwriters phoned each other frequently to coordinate their inspirations.
The Songwriter
Tang Zhaozhi and Zhang Weidong have been friends for years. In the eye of Zhang Weidong, Tang is a trustworthy man and perfect songwriting partner. A graduate of Chinese Department of Shanghai-based Fudan University, Tang is now a managing director of China Music Literature Association and president of Shanghai Committee for Professionals of Music Literature. He has won a full range of awards for his lyrics at national and municipal level. Tang believes that he is the right man for the lyrics: the first national congress of the CPC was held in Shanghai before the participants moved to the South Lake. The two decided to make it simple so that people could easily learn it and love it.
The Singer
Many people who know singer Cao Fujia believe that the song was tailor-made for Cao. It wasn’t. The songwriters created the song for Tang Jing, a singer of national renown. As Tang was engaged in some important assignment, someone else must be found. The song went through different stages of appraisal before it was submitted for national selection. The song was recorded three times in Hangzhou and Beijing. During this long process, Cao Fujia was thought to be the ideal singer for the song. Though Cao won Golden Bell prize for her pop-styled singing, she is by no means a well known singer. But the two songwriters are convinced that she interprets the song in a creative way and that she is the right person for the 4-minute 58-second song. □