文/五花肉

美國鄉(xiāng)村音樂源自英國移民帶入北美殖民地的民歌與民謠，其發(fā)展深受美國黑人音樂文化的影響，是工業(yè)社會中最具生命力的藝術表現(xiàn)形式之一。

American country music originated from ballads that the British immigrants brought into the North American colonies, and its development was deeply influenced by the African-American music culture.It is one of the energetic art forms in the industrial society.

獨特的標準唱法 Distinctive Standard Singing

美國鄉(xiāng)村音樂起源于18世紀末，它的創(chuàng)造者是居住在美國東海岸一帶的蘇格蘭人和愛爾蘭人后裔。最初的鄉(xiāng)村音樂僅作為自娛節(jié)目，在家庭、教堂及鄉(xiāng)村聚會時表演。

Born in the end of 18th century, American country music was created by the Scottish and Irish descendants living in the east coast of the United States. The original country music, only as an activity for fun, was performed at the parties in family, church and village.

1925年，“現(xiàn)代鄉(xiāng)村音樂之父”羅杰斯第一次把鄉(xiāng)村音樂帶上舞臺，他運用獨特的山區(qū)民間唱法，使歌聲在真假聲區(qū)間來回轉換。這種深受好評的唱法獲得人們的競相效仿，以至于引領了一時潮流，最終成為區(qū)分鄉(xiāng)村音樂與其他音樂的標準之一。

In 1925, Jimmie Rogers, known as "the father of modern country music", first brought country music on stage. He applied distinctive yodeling which involved repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. This well-received singing style was followed and emulated, which led a trend at that time, eventually it became one of the standards distinguishing country music from other music.

簡單質樸的結構 Simple and Unsophisticated Structure

在曲式結構方面，美國鄉(xiāng)村音樂形成了一套劃分標準，即歌謠體、二部曲式和三部曲式。歌謠體大多以風土人情為主題，歌唱極具民族特色，簡短而押韻；二部曲式由兩個樂段構成，第一樂段在音樂上具有鮮明的初步陳述性質，材料簡單，結構方整。第二樂段則具有再現(xiàn)性或對比性；三部曲式由兩個同等重要的曲體和一段強烈對比的曲體構成，形成ABA的構造。

In terms of musical form structure, American country music has formed a set of standard, namely ballad form, binary form and ternary form. The most prominent theme of ballad style is local customs and practices. Singing is full of regional characteristics,brief and of rhyming; binary form consists of two sections, the fi rst section is the distinctive preliminary statement with simple material and a regular structure.The second section features repetition and contrast;ternary form consists of two equally important sections and a strongly contrastive section, which forms "ABA" structure.

鼓勵追逐夢想 Pursuit of Dream

美國鄉(xiāng)村歌曲在內容上多以講述普通人坎坷生活經(jīng)歷為主，歌手通過歌唱，提醒自己也提醒人們不能忘本，鼓勵人們勇于追逐夢想。這一類作品往往成為鄉(xiāng)村歌曲中的佳品，如《生活在普通人愛情中間》，這首歌突出表現(xiàn)了家庭成員之間的愛與自豪，呼喚改造生活、改變命運的責任感。

American country music usually tells the stories of common people's rough living experiences. Through singing, singers remind people and themselves not to forget their origins and encourage people to chase their dreams. This kind of work often is regarded as masterworks, such as "living in the love of common people". This song emphasizes the love and pride between family members, calling for the sense of responsibility to change the life and fate.

高遠的詞曲意境 Profound Prospect

美國鄉(xiāng)村音樂在當代依然流行，主要原因是其價值理念受到多數(shù)人的認同。如被譽為“口頭傳說”的鄉(xiāng)村歌曲《心滿意足》，就是一首以體現(xiàn)人類價值觀評價標準為主題的鄉(xiāng)村歌曲。這首歌曲傳達的“心滿意足”價值理念，與現(xiàn)代社會中沉迷物欲的觀點截然相反，表達了創(chuàng)作者高遠的理想和人生境界。

Because American country music's value concept is recognized by the majority, it is still popular in the modern society. For example, "Satisfied", known as the "oral legend" of the country songs, embodies the theme of the human value criteria, conveys the value of "satisfied" which is diametrically opposite the opinion of obsession with material desires in modern society, and expresses the creator's lofty ideal and life realm.

結 語 Conclusion

淳樸的旋律、真摯的歌詞以及返璞歸真的本嗓演唱，為美國鄉(xiāng)村音樂贏得了萬千擁躉。它表達了美國普通民眾對競爭生活的厭惡和對幸福生活的向往，深深地觸動著人們的心靈，是音樂大家庭中一筆寶貴的藝術財富。

Simple lyrics, sincere melodies and natural voice gained popularity for American country music.It expresses ordinary Americans' aversions to the competitive life and yearnings for a happy life, deeply touching people's hearts. Therefore, it is a precious art treasure of the music family.