威爾第《安魂彌撒》:一個夭折的集體計畫
威爾第《安魂彌撒》:一個夭折的集體計畫
這題改用「虛擬語氣倒裝 Had… not been…」作主骨架,再配上「so… that」被長插入語隔開的結果結構,以及「only to」表示反諷的結果不定詞,都是前幾篇沒用過的。
● 字源與歷史概念
Messa da Requiem(安魂彌撒):義大利文,全名意為「為安魂而作的彌撒」。威爾第的作品用的是完整的拉丁彌撒經文,這點與布拉姆斯相反。
Libera me(求你拯救我):拉丁文,彌撒結尾的赦罪禱詞,求主在審判之日拯救我脫離永死。
Dies irae(震怒之日):描寫末日審判的繼抒詠,威爾第以強烈的管弦樂與大鼓寫成,戲劇性極強。
Ecclesiastical(教會的):希臘文 ekklēsia(集會),指與教會有關的。
核心詞彙:Requiem、abandon(放棄)、recast(改寫)、anniversary(週年)、theatrical(戲劇性的)、dismiss(斥為)、commemorate(紀念)
● 背景
1868 年羅西尼去世,威爾第提議由十三位義大利作曲家(含他自己)合寫一部安魂彌撒紀念他,威爾第負責最後的〈求你拯救我〉。計畫因故中止,樂譜被擱置。1873 年作家曼佐尼去世,威爾第決定獨力完成整部安魂彌撒,並把先前寫的〈求你拯救我〉改寫後收入。1874 年 5 月,作品在米蘭聖馬可教堂首演,以紀念曼佐尼逝世一週年。
● 全新例句(100 字長句)
Had the collective Requiem for Rossini, proposed by Verdi in 1868 to twelve fellow composers, not been abandoned before a single note was heard, the Libera me he had already completed would never have been recast as the closing movement of a Mass, first performed in Milan's church of San Marco in 1874 to mark the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death, so theatrical in its terror and so operatic in its grief that the conductor Hans von Bülow dismissed it as an opera in ecclesiastical dress, only to find himself, years later, apologizing to the composer he had insulted.
● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式
Had the collective Requiem for Rossini,
proposed by Verdi in 1868
to twelve fellow composers,
not been abandoned
before a single note was heard,
the Libera me he had already completed
would never have been recast
as the closing movement of a Mass,
first performed in Milan's church of San Marco in 1874
to mark the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death,
so theatrical in its terror
and so operatic in its grief
that the conductor Hans von Bülow dismissed it
as an opera in ecclesiastical dress,
only to find himself,
years later,
apologizing to the composer he had insulted.
● 分解為原初的短小句
Verdi proposed a collective Requiem for Rossini in 1868.
(過去分詞 proposed 還原。)
He proposed it to twelve fellow composers.
(to 介詞片語還原。)
The collective Requiem was abandoned before a single note was heard.
(倒裝條件句的否定部分。)
Verdi had already completed the Libera me.
(省略關係代名詞的子句還原。)
He recast the Libera me as the closing movement of a Mass.
(主句:would never have been recast 的主動還原。)
The Mass was first performed in Milan's church of San Marco in 1874.
(過去分詞 first performed 還原。)
The performance marked the first anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death.
(to mark 目的不定詞還原。)
The Mass is so theatrical in its terror and so operatic in its grief.
(so… and so… 的形容詞並列。)
Hans von Bülow dismissed it as an opera in ecclesiastical dress.
(that 結果子句的主幹。)
Years later he found himself apologizing to Verdi, whom he had insulted.
(only to 與省略關係詞子句還原。)
● 全新文法解析
1. 虛擬語氣倒裝:Had + 主詞 + not + 過去分詞,… would never have + 過去分詞
句型:Had + 主詞 + not been abandoned, + 主詞 + would never have been recast
作用:這是「與過去事實相反」的假設。一般寫法是 If the Requiem had not been abandoned...,書面語把 If 省略,將 had 提前到句首。本句的難點在於主詞很長:Had 與 not 之間,隔了 the collective Requiem for Rossini, proposed by Verdi in 1868 to twelve fellow composers 整串,讀者必須先吞下這個主詞,才看到 not been abandoned。主句 would never have been recast 是「情態動詞 + 完成式 + 被動」三層疊合,意思是「當初絕不會被改寫」。
關鍵詞彙:collective(集體的)、abandon(放棄)、recast(改寫)
2. 被 so… that 包夾的長插入語:先修飾 Mass,後出現結果
句型:a Mass, + 過去分詞片語 + 不定詞片語, + so + 形容詞 + and so + 形容詞 + that + 子句
作用:so… that 本來是緊貼形容詞的結構,但這裡的 so theatrical 要修飾的是前面的 Mass,中間卻插入了 first performed in... to mark... 這一整段。因此讀者要記得「那個 Mass 到底怎麼了」,直到 so 出現才接回。插入語內部又含兩層:first performed 是過去分詞,說明首演時地;to mark 是目的不定詞,說明首演緣由。so theatrical… and so operatic… 是同一個 so 的重複並列,用兩個對仗的形容詞(theatrical、operatic)把「像歌劇」這個批評寫成了節奏分明的排比。
關鍵詞彙:theatrical(戲劇性的)、operatic(歌劇般的)、anniversary(週年)
3. only to 表示反諷結果 + find oneself + 現在分詞 + 省略關係詞子句
句型:,only to find + oneself + , 插入副詞片語 , + V-ing + to + 名詞 + 省略關係詞子句
作用:only to + 動詞原形表示「結果竟是……」,帶有出乎意料或諷刺的意味,與目的不定詞 in order to 完全不同:Bülow 並不是為了道歉才批評,而是批評的結果反而成了道歉。find himself apologizing 的意思是「發現自己正在道歉」,隱含他並非本意如此。years later 以逗號夾在 himself 與 apologizing 之間,使時間跨度顯得突兀。最後的 the composer he had insulted 省略了關係代名詞 whom,過去完成式 had insulted 則表示侮辱發生在道歉之前。
關鍵詞彙:dismiss(斥為)、ecclesiastical(教會的)、apologize(道歉)、insult(侮辱)
● 參考翻譯
假如當初威爾第在 1868 年向十二位同行提議、為羅西尼合寫的那部集體安魂彌撒,沒有在一個音符都未被聽見之前就被放棄,那麼他早已寫好的〈求你拯救我〉就絕不會被改寫,成為那部安魂彌撒的終樂章;這部作品於 1874 年在米蘭聖馬可教堂首演,以紀念曼佐尼逝世一週年,其恐怖之戲劇化、哀痛之歌劇化,使指揮家畢羅斥之為「披著教會外衣的歌劇」,卻在多年後發現自己得向被他冒犯的作曲家道歉。
● 逆向工程(請嘗試不看原文,還原長句)
先把上面 10 個短句合併成一個長句,再對照「全新例句」。
提示:
第 1、2 句合併成過去分詞 proposed 插入,作為 Had 之後的長主詞。
第 3 句改為 not been abandoned,把 Had 提前到句首。
第 4、5 句合併成主句,第 4 句變省略關係詞子句,第 5 句改為 would never have been recast。
第 6、7 句改為過去分詞與不定詞插入,接在 Mass 之後。
第 8、9 句用 so… and so… that 連接。
第 10 句改為 only to find himself,並把 whom 省略。
● 後記
計畫的下場:羅西尼紀念彌撒雖然完成,卻因演出安排落空而被擱置,據說遲至二十世紀末才首次演出。
歌劇性的爭議:「披著教會外衣的歌劇」這句評語,一般歸於畢羅,措辭在不同文獻中略有出入。他後來是否公開道歉、道歉的方式與時間,建議查專門傳記確認。
拉丁彌撒與個人信仰:威爾第一般被視為不熱衷教會,但這部作品完整使用了拉丁經文,與布拉姆斯自編德文經文的做法大不相同。這種差異,讓兩部「安魂曲」成為很好的對照。
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