西方歌剧Leitmotif(主题)技巧的起源与发展

The Origin and the Development of Leitmotif

Leitmotif被广泛地运用在西方歌剧中并起着非常重要的作用。本文论述了leitmotif的起源与发展。早期Leitmotif它的特征是反复出现但是变化不多。后来韦伯发展了这一技巧。他不仅在leitmotif再现时增加了和声和节奏上的变化,而且还用leitmotif将歌剧各幕之间联系起来,起到了贯穿的作用。德国作曲家瓦格纳将leitmotif技巧的运用提到了最高的水平。瓦格纳创造性地将多个leitmotif交织在一起运用,形成一个大的音乐网。并用此网从始至终与剧情紧密配合,使其成为作品必不可少的主体。从而打破了歌剧原有的固定型式,为歌剧的发展写下了重要的一页。

Leitmotif normally represents a person, an emotion, an idea or a dramatic situation. Its technique has been used extensively and played an important role in operas. The paper is about the origin and development of leitmotif. The early form of leitmotif, known as reminiscence motif, simply repeated without much change in rhythm and harmony. Later, Weber developed the techniques. He altered this leitmotif in subsequent appearances in terms of rhythm, melody and harmony. After that, Wagner, a German composer, gave special consideration and emphasis on leitmotif. In his works, the whole ring is bound by a web of leitmotifs to present complex emotions or situations so that leitmotifs become an absolutely necessary part of the whole musical composition. The technique breaks an old mode in opera and writes a new page for musical history.