The Birth Of Tragedy

-- music and drama

 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

Preview
Words Expressions

1. superlative /suːˈpɜː.lə.tɪv/ [adjective] by no means

of the highest quality; the best
Apollonian illusion
2. analogous /ə'næləgəs/ [adjective]
similar or equivalent in some respects though otherwise dissimilar
Dionysian flood
3. avail /əˈveɪl/ [verb]
to make use of something at bottom

4. silhouette /ˌsɪl.uˈet/ [noun] exhaust its essence

a dark shape seen against a light surface

5. enliven /ɪnˈlaɪ.vən/ [verb]

to make something more interesting

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

Article

The Birth Of Tragedy -- music and drama

By means of the pre-established harmony between perfect

drama and its music, the drama attains a superlative
vividness unattainable in mere spoken drama.
In the independently moving lines of the melody all the living
figures of the scene simplify themselves before us to the
distinctness of curved lines, and the harmonies of these
lines sympathize in a most delicate manner with the events
on the stage.

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

These harmonies make the relations of things immediately perceptible to us

in a sensuous, by no means abstract manner, and thus we perceive that it is
only in these relations that the essence of a character and of a melodic line
is revealed clearly. And while music thus compels us to see more and more
profoundly than usual, and we see the action on the stage as a delicate
web, the world of the stage is expanded infinitely and illuminated for our
spiritualized eye.
How could a word-poet furnish anything analogous, when he strives to
attain this internal expansion and illumination of the visible stage-world by
means of a much more imperfect mechanism, indirectly, proceeding from
word and concept? Although musical tragedy also avails itself of the word, it
can at the same time place beside it the basis and origin of the word, making
the development of the word clear to us, from the inside.

Concerning the process just described, however, we may still say with
equal assurance that it is merely a glorious appearance, namely, the
aforementioned Apollinian illusion whose influence aims to deliver us
from the Dionysian flood and excess.

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

For, at bottom, the relation of music to drama is precisely the reverse: music
is the real idea of the world, drama is but the reflection of this idea, a single
silhouette of it. The identity between the melody and the living figure,
between the harmony and the character relations of that figure, is true in a
sense opposite to what one would suppose on the contemplation of musical
tragedy. Even if we agitate and enliven the figure in the most visible manner,
and illuminate it from within, it still remains merely a phenomenon from
which no bridge leads us to true reality, into the heart of the world.

But music speaks out of this heart; and though countless phenomena of the
kind were to accompany this music, they could never exhaust its essence,
but would always be nothing more than its externalized copies. As for the
intricate relationship of music and drama, nothing can be explained, while
everything may be confused, by the popular and thoroughly false contrast of
soul and body; but the unphilosophical crudeness of this contrast seems to
have become--who knows for what reasons--a readily accepted article of
faith among our aestheticians, while they have learned nothing of the
contrast of the phenomenon and the thing-in-itself--or, for equally unknown
reasons, have not cared to learn anything about it.
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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

Discussion

1. According to the author, what is the relationship between

music and drama?
2. Do you prefer music or drama? Why?
3. What kind of music do you like best?

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

Further Reading

The Birth of Tragedy

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Tragedy

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 Learn and Talk III – Lesson 47

Translation
由于成功的戏曲与它的音乐之间获得预期的和谐，戏曲便达到了最高度的，为话剧所不能冀及的壮丽景象。
因为在舞台上生动的形象，各自划出律动的线条，在我们眼前简化为一条曲线这么清楚，所以这些线条的交错，甚至在丝毫不爽配
合舞步的和声变化上，也可以听出来。
我们通过和声变化，直接领悟到事物的关系，是耳闻目睹，绝不是抽象地体会；我们通过它，也认识到：一个性格或一条律动线条
的本质，只有在这些关系上表现得最为清楚。
既然音乐这样有力地强迫我们比以前见得更广更深，使得剧情在我们眼前展开，象一片最纤巧的薄罗：舞台的境界便无限地扩张，
显现在我们反心内视的慧眼之前，仿佛由里及表予以阐明那样。使用文字的诗人，即使努力要做到从内部展开和阐明眼前的舞台境
界，可是他以歌词和概念这些不完备的手段来间接说明，又怎能提供这样的效果呢？
固然，歌乐悲剧也要使用文字，但它同时兼用音乐，——歌词的基础和根源，——所以能够给我们从里及表地阐明歌词的发展。
然而，关于上述的过程，我们还可以明确地指出：那不过是一种壮丽的假象，即上述的梦境幻觉。我们靠它的影响而得免于醉境的
感情压抑和过度兴奋而已。
其实，音乐对戏曲的关系毕竟恰好相反：音乐是实在的世界理念，戏曲仅是这理念的余晖，是它的孤立的阴影。所谓律动线条与人
物形象之一致，音乐谐调与人物性格之一致，正确地说，是同我们在欣赏歌乐悲剧时所设想者恰好相反。
我们可以非常鲜明地把人物形象写得慷慨激昂，生动活泼，从里及表地予以阐明，但是形象始终不过是一种现象，从现象引向真正
的实在，引向世界的心灵，是没有桥梁的。

然而，音乐是世界的心声，纵使无数这类现象可能通过这种音乐而出现，但是它们永远不能竭尽音乐的妙谛，而往往只是它的表面
写照罢了。
关于音乐与戏曲的微妙关系，用灵肉对立这种完全错误的庸俗见解，当然不能说明甚么的，反而把一切扰乱；可是这种非哲学的浅
薄的二元论，却似乎已成为我们美学家所乐意接受的信条，——天晓得是甚么原因——至于现象与物自体的对立，他们就一无所知，
或者不知为什么不愿意探讨。

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