音乐人的创作灵感从何而来？鲍勃·迪伦说《鲁滨逊漂流记》等小说给他提供了写歌词的灵感。音乐剧作曲家斯蒂芬·桑德海姆认为研究歌词的抑扬顿挫对创作旋律很有帮助。泰勒·斯威夫特表示她的歌词中有很多反映真实生活的字句。看来不同的音乐人有不同的创作方法，这中间没有什么铁律。本期 “随身英语” 讨论歌曲创作的艺术。

词汇：music 音乐

Singer-songwriters write songs, but how do they do it? Where do musicians get their inspiration from? What comes first – the music or the lyrics? It turns out that everyone has their own way of writing which works for them.

Bob Dylan is a musician with a unique musical style. It has been described as folk rock, gospel, country and jazz. He told the BBC that he gets a lot of his writing inspiration from novels like Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe. He said 'They give you a way of looking at life and understanding of human nature and a standard to measure things by. I took that all with me when I started composing lyrics'. It seems to have worked for him. He has had a career spanning six decades and has won many songwriting awards.

And what comes first, the music or the lyrics? Stephen Sondheim, a musical theatre composer who died in 2021, said in an interview with The New Yorker that, when it comes to songwriting, the stress in a phrase is very important for him. 'You can start writing a lyric, and then the inflection of the lyric suggests a tune.' Therefore, in his way of writing, the music and lyrics come at roughly the same time.

In 2022, Taylor Swift won a Songwriter-Artist of the Decade award. In her speech, she said lyrics are her favourite part of songwriting. She describes the majority of her songs as having a 'modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist' and commonly uses real life experiences and conversations as influence.

Aside from lyrics, an important part of many songs is the instrumental backing. This is often created with chords, where at least three notes are played at the same time, often on a piano or guitar. Chord progression is where different chords are played one after the other, and therefore can act as the base for vocals.

So, if you're feeling musical, lay down some chords, get inspired and give it a go yourself!

词汇表

singer-songwriter 创作型歌手
lyric 歌词
folk rock 摇滚民谣
gospel 福音音乐
country 乡村音乐
jazz 爵士乐
compose 创作
composer 作曲家，创作者
stress 重音，强调部分
phrase 乐句
inflection 语调的抑扬变化
tune 旋律，曲调
storyline 故事情节
twist 转折变化
instrumental backing 乐器伴奏
chord 和弦
note 音，音符
chord progression 和弦进行，一连串的和弦转换
vocal 人声演唱部分
lay down 写出，录制

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. What musical style does Bob Dylan have?

2. True or false? Bob Dylan quotes novels in his lyrics.

3. What type of music does Sondheim compose?

4. What type of lyrics do most of Taylor Swift's songs have?

5. How is instrumental backing often created?

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Stella incorporates many genres into her songs. She has her own _______.

folk rock                gospel                          country                     musical style

2. I don't know the words to this song. I'll look for the _______ online.

lyrics                     phrases                        tunes                        chords

3. This part of the song is very high for me. I can't reach that _______.

vocal                     note                              storyline                   inflection

4. She's a _______ so she writes the music, but she doesn't sing or play.

composer             singer-songwriter          musician                   artist

5. I didn't know you could _______ the guitar.  

lay down               compose                       write                         play

答案

1. 阅读课文并回答问题。 

1. What musical style does Bob Dylan have?

He has a unique musical style. It has been described as folk rock, gospel, country and jazz.

2. True or false? Bob Dylan quotes novels in his lyrics.

False. He gets a lot of his writing inspiration from novels.

3.What type of music does Sondheim compose?

Stephen Sondheim is a musical theatre composer.

4. What type of lyrics do most of Taylor Swift's songs have?

She describes the majority of her songs as having a 'modern storyline or references, with a poetic twist'.

5. How is instrumental backing often created?

This is often created with chords, where at least three notes are played at the same time, often on a piano or guitar.

2.  选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. Stella incorporates many genres into her songs. She has her own musical style.

2. I don't know the words to this song. I'll look for the lyrics online.

3. This part of the song is very high for me. I can't reach that note.

4. She's a composer so she writes the music, but she doesn't sing or play.

5. I didn't know you could play the guitar.