《中国音乐剧史》序

黎锦扬

（百老汇经典《花鼓歌》原著作者）

…………

（黎锦扬先生）

    “历史”这个词的含义太微妙。它多半与古久和遥远联系在一起。但是，沉埋于过去岁月记忆里的碎片，一旦钩沉泛起，那些久不为人所知的史实，通过一定的系统、某些载体呈示在眼前的时候，历史分明又成了崭新的东西，分明又成了鲜活、完整的存在。此时，搁在案头我刚刚看完的文硕教授的《中国音乐剧史》（近代篇）书稿，即是这样的令我感到近切、亲切的述史、研究大著。

    大著中有关几十年来中国音乐剧发展的历程，即音乐-歌舞剧发展状况的记述，多半我耳熟能详，其中有些还是我以及我的亲人参与其间奋斗、探索历程的印迹。倒不是出于此因，我就爱屋及乌，盲目热情地给予它高度的评价。而是出于对历史的审视，出于一个至今还在学习、实践的老音乐-歌舞剧创作人的眼光和需求，觉得这部在很多人看来是不可能完成的专著的问世，确为当今华人乃至国际音乐剧界提供了极其有价值的信息和助益。

    《中国音乐剧史》的记述，以“大音乐剧”（即歌舞叙事）的史观和广阔的视野，对于歌舞剧历史进行了独特的观照。也就是说，作者的笔触一直延伸到古代，从具有最原始歌舞形态的游艺滥觞开挖，进而触写中国传统戏曲，进而回述近代西风东渐后以戏剧改良为肇始带动的中国音乐-歌舞叙事作品创制的改良和改革，再畅叙了世界音乐剧视野下中华民族歌舞制作和歌舞审美的路程。之所以说作者用“大音乐剧”的史观，是因为我注意到，作者并不拘泥于musical概念的困囿，也不局限于西方的视域，而是认真作艺术的耙梳，钩沉丰富的史料，凡属主要系歌舞叙事性质的作品，均得到观照审视，同时，文硕教授又基于他一直主张的R&H叙事音乐剧(Book Musical)的百老汇美学观，以现代、专业的眼光，对中国不同时期音乐歌舞剧进行分析，比较其质体，考察其源脉，厘清其范型，揭示应注意的经验教训，探索其中蕴涵的带规律性的东西。其中的许多资讯，如《孟姜女》、《西施》、《木兰从军》，还有王洛宾的《沙漠之歌》，长期以来都是被人们有意无意忽略甚或遮蔽去了的，有的事实中深含的重大意义则是被人们有意无意地忽视甚或贬损了的。撰制这样填补重大空白的著作，应属一种神圣的使命感所促成吧！这种努力，不但在大陆，恐怕在华人世界都属鲜见，这等成就，显然少有人能如此达至。

    在美国，制作音乐剧也绝非易事。它需要大家的艺术水准都比较高超整齐的一批专业人士组合成团队潜心努力，需要对市场长期的苦心经营，需要对观众的培养，需要环环紧密相扣。倘一环缺失或短少，平庸或失败那是必然的事。况且在中国，还有不是不重要的政治-文化-意识形态因素的制约，以及搞艺术等同于搞政绩的惯性影响呢！音乐剧的艺术制作和市场营销，由不成熟到成熟，实乃必经之途，绝难一蹴而就。我真诚希望通过“美国明月歌舞剧社”的国际化资源和平台，增强中美音乐剧交流，让更多中国原创音乐剧走出国门，为中国音乐剧国际化进程，贡献一份绵薄之力。但是这个过程同样漫长而充满艰辛，还是一句老话受用：“艰难困苦，玉汝于成”。

    是为序。

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（英文序，Preface in English )

         Preface to Wen's A History of Musical in China          

 C. Y. Lee

(author of the original of Broadway classic “Flower Drum Song”)

   The meaning of the word “History” is too subtle. Seemingly, it stands for distance and remoteness for the most part. However, the fragments sunk in the memories of the past years, once hooked and levitated, will present us those unknown historical facts through certain system and some mediators, making history clearly become something new, fresh and complete. At this moment, Prof. Wen Shuo’s A History of Musicals in China(Modern Volume), which I have just read and laid on my desk, is such a distinguished book, of which the statement and research of history make me feel so sweet and so close.

    This great book deals with the development of Chinese musicals in the past decades, i.e. the account of the state of development of music - song and dance drama, with most of which I am familiar and some of which are tracks of participation and exploration of me myself and my loved ones. The reason why I speak highly of it is not the one mentioned above, a “Love me, love my dog” blind passion. Rather, in consideration of examination of history, and foresight and need of an old drama writer who has so far been still studying and practicing musical - song and dance drama, the publishing of this monograph, a mission impossible in many people’s eyes, will indeed provide extremely valuable and useful information for contemporary Chinese or even international musical community.

    The description of A History of Musicals in China  pays a unique observation to history of musical through “big musical” (narrative dance and song) conception of history and broad field of vision. In other words, the author has extended his research to the ancient times, from the very beginning of entertainment—the original forms of songs and dances to Chinese traditional musical, and then to the improvement and reforms of Chinese musical - singing and dancing narrative works driven by the starting of improvement of musical since “the spread of Western influences to the East” in modern times and then to in length the production of Chinese song and dance and aesthetic process of song and dance from the perspective of the world musicals. The reason why I use the “big musical” concept of history, is that as I have noticed that the author is not rigidly constrained to the concept of musical, nor confined to the western horizon, instead, the author has reflections and examinations on all singing and dancing works with narrative nature a wealth of historical materials through artistic arrangement.

    Meanwhile, on the basis of his R & H Book Musical in Broadway aesthetics he always holds and with modern and professional vision, Prof. Wen Shuo analyzes Chinese musicals in different periods, compares their plastids, examines its source, clarifies its paradigm, reveals the experiences and lessons and explores the regular patterns implicated. Some of the musicals, such as “Mengjiangnv”, “Xishi”，“Mulan in the Army” and Wang Luobin’s “Desert Song” have long been neglected or veiled, intentionally or unintentionally, not to mention some deep truth with great significance in them. Writing such a book to fill a major gap is certainly driven by a sacred sense of mission! Such efforts, I am afraid, are not only uncommon in the mainland but also even in the Chinese world. This achievement is clearly unattainable for most people.

    Even in America, it is no easy job to produce musical. It requires team efforts by a group of skilled professionals with high artistic standards and great concentration, long-term painstaking efforts on the market, the cultivation of the audience and procedures one upon another closely. One line broken, the whole chain is broken and mediocrity or failure is inevitable. Additionally, in China, the political - cultural - ideological constraints is not so unimportant in addition to the habitual influence of engaging in art being equivalent to the effects of engaging in politics! The maturing of the production and marketing of musical is a long way to go, therefore cannot be achieved overnight. I sincerely hope that through international resources and platform of the “American Mingyue Musical Society”, I can so some modest contribution to enhance Sino-US musical exchanges and the internationalization of Chinese musicals to let more original musicals China performed in a world stage. But as you can imagine, this process is long and full of hardships. As the saying goes “Difficulty is the nurse of greatness”.

    That is all in the preface.

   ___________________

    转自：[文硕歌舞梦工场——新浪博客]

     （http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_485430930100cokj.html）