Music

 

Art is a commonwealth in which all the component estates組成部份① hold an equal position同等地位②. I may add, speaking for my own art, that  (Sharp Daily P.26  29 Nov 2012)Art is a commonwealth in which all the component estates 組成部份(1) hold an equal position同等地位(2). I may akk, speaking for my own art, that there is a singular appropriateness that this compliment to music should be paid by the artist whose brain has conceived and whose hand depicted a most enchanting "Music Lesson". You, sir, have touched with eloquence雄辯；口才、辯才③ and feeling upon some of the tenderer attributes屬性、特質④ of music; I would with your permission, call attention請大家注意⑤ to another—namely, its power and influence on popular sentiment; for of all the arts I think music has the most mighty最強大的、有力的；偉大的、剛毅的⑥, universal, and immediate effect. I know there are many educated and intelligent people who, absorbed in commerce, politics, and other pursuits, think that music is a mere family pastime—an ear-gratifying enjoyment有耳福的享受⑦.

Great popularity has its drawbacks不利、失誤；欠缺、缺點；弊端、瑕疵⑧ as well as its advantages, and there is no doubt that the widespread, instantaneous appreciation and popularity of melody has detracted somewhat from the proper recognition of the higher and graver attributes of music. But that music is a power and has influenced humanity with dynamic force in politics, religion, peace, and war, no one can gainsay沒有人可以否定、否認⑨.
Amongst our own people, no one who has visited the Greater Britain beyond the seas but must be alive to the depth of feeling stirred by the first bar of "God Save the Queen". It is not too much to say that this air has done more than any other single agency to consolidate the national sentiment which forms the basis of our worldwide Empire.

馮強短評

好辭彙共賞：
①　the component estates = 組成部份。
②　an equal position = 同等地位。
③　eloquence = 雄辯；口才、辯才。Facts speak louder than eloquence = 事實勝於雄辯。
④　attributes = 屬性、特質。A scepter is the attribute of power = 權杖是權力的標誌。
⑤　call attention = 請大家注意。Call a meeting = 召集會議。Have nothing to call one's own = 甚麼也沒有、一無所長。
⑥　the most mighty = 最強大的、有力的；偉大的、剛毅的。Mighty的同義詞有powerful, potent, impressive和grand等。
⑦　ear-gratifying enjoyment = 有耳福的享受。Gratifying = 令人滿足的。Gratifying results = 可喜的成績。
⑧　drawbacks = 不利、失誤；欠缺、缺點；弊端、瑕疵。Drawback的同義詞有downside, shortcoming和stumbling block等。
⑨　no one can gainsay = 沒有人可以否定、否認。

短評共賞：
在不同的藝術中，音樂的確對人類影響極大。西楚霸王項羽被漢軍困於垓下，兵微糧盡，夜飲帳中，他知道敗局已定，乃慷慨悲歌：「力拔山兮氣蓋世，時不利兮騅不逝！騅不逝兮可奈何，虞兮虞兮奈若何？」這首詩歌到今天仍為人樂頌。

馮強
浸會大學傳理學院財經新聞統籌主任
逢周四刊登