The History in Music 5 - Liszt and Swift 音乐中的历史5 - 李斯特与斯威夫特

The history of music can be told as a story of prominent artists. From the Baroque era to today, many influential composers and performers have initiated revolutions, profoundly changing music development. The world of music might again be at the cusp of great change. The American singer Taylor Swift has brought the world under her feet. Her influence rivals that of politicians and other notable social figures. However, upon examining Swift’s phenomenal rise, one may discover that her case is not a historical outlier. Franz Liszt (1811-1886), the Hungarian composer and pianist, conquered Europe with virtuosity during the nineteenth-century Romantic period. He was such a famous artist that the German poet Heinrich Heine coined “Lisztomania” to describe his influence. This essay will juxtapose these two musicians, comparing and discussing their successes. The essay will begin by arguing for the importance of the broader historical context when investigating the two musicians’ successes. Then, the essay will examine the respective elements in their music that may have contributed to their popularity. This examination will be followed by two arguments claiming the essentiality of talent and the importance of demonstrating personal highlights outside of music. The essay will close by discussing conditions for any music to withstand the test of time.

While a musician’s talent is undeniably crucial for their eventual accomplishments, the historical period they are born into is a factor of similar importance. Liszt was born in 1811, the start of the tumultuous nineteenth century. The acceleration of the Industrial Revolution led to the rise of the middle class. The middle class owned more disposable income and leisure time. As a result, Liszt’s time witnessed a significant increase in the potential number of concertgoers. With new technologies and social conventions, music could also become more accessible to a greater range of individuals. As the era of Romanticism set in, musicians left the royal courts to perform for the general public, responding to rising demands. Under such a period of change and reformation, the crowds of Europe welcomed Liszt’s unusual talent for piano performance. His music's emotional intensity and rippling stage effects sent shockwaves throughout the audience. If Liszt had been born earlier during the Classical era, when music was much more formal, symmetric, and limited to the aristocrats, then he would not have been able to achieve the level of influence that he enjoyed in his lifetime. 

Similarly, in the case of Swift, a general context of significant changes was instrumental in her rise during the 2000s. Economically, an era of globalization boomed, bringing economic benefits to America. Around 2006, the U.S. economy reached a high point with a ballooning bull market and low interest rates. This era ensured the economic well-being of Americans, allowing them to devote more attention to the development of music. From the perspective of music itself, the 2000s was a period of interplay between country, rock, and pop styles. It was a time of flourishing diversity and opportunities for innovation. Socially, with technological advancements and changes in social paradigms, life has become more fast-paced. Many experienced more pressure from their love life and workplace. People increasingly needed “quick relief,” relying more on music as a haven for their emotions. Swift seemed a perfect fit for this time. Though she started with country music, she has been experimenting with the fusion of different styles. Her music sings about everyday issues, appealing most directly to the emotional charges of individuals. Her songs can provide the “quick relief” of agony that people desire.

From the analysis above, a historical period of economic and social development or reformation is a prerequisite for Liszt's and Swift's eventual success. However, their music lies at the center of their fame. The strong sense of fusion is the first commonality in their music that allows them to appeal to a wide range of audiences. For example, Liszt is arguably best known today for his Hungarian rhapsodies. These pieces are a fusion of fantasies, ballades, and dance music. The rhapsodies are packed with strong emotions and wild, exotic flavors. In his famous “Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6,” Liszt fuses Hungarian, Gypsy, and Western classical elements. Such a fusion allowed the piece to attract audiences from various cultural origins and with different musical likings at the time. 

Swift is comparably an artist who explores the connections between multiple styles and genres in her music. Her early albums, such as “Fearless,” intend to fuse country and pop music. In the viral song “Love Story,” Swift combines country storytelling elements with a catchy pop melody, showcasing her ability to blend these genres seamlessly. In another hit, “You Belong with Me,” while maintaining a subtle country influence, Swift employs relatable lyrics and pop-infused sounds produced by the electric guitar to appeal to a broad audience. For any artist to be influential, they must demonstrate a natural versatility to create unique pieces. 

A second commonality between Liszt and Swift’s music is their ability to convey emotions most straightforwardly. Their audience does not need to process the emotional signals in their pieces carefully. For Liszt, in his rhapsodies, the feelings of grief and excitement are apparent thanks to the sharp contrasts in the dynamics and textures of different passages. Back then, if Liszt’s music contained profound philosophical elements or complex strings of emotion that the listeners found difficult to interpret, he would not have instantly achieved significant fame. 

For Swift, her songs deliver straight messages about a variety of emotions. But her music mainly surrounds the motifs of love and affection. Swift employs both verbal and musical techniques to convey such motifs. For example, she is adept at utilizing verbal hooks. In “betty,” a song from the album “folklore” about a teenage boy losing his first love, there is a powerful hook sentence in the chorus: “I’m only seventeen, I don’t know anything, but I know I miss you.” This sentence contains a half-rhyme pattern and three short, punchy phrases, letting the audience memorize this line immediately. When Swift repeats this hook for every chorus, it effectively conveys the feeling of longing for someone to her listeners. In the works of Liszt and Swift, direct emotional charges are the cornerstones for their music to build resonance with their respective audiences.

Composing such impactful music requires talent. Both Liszt and Swift have rare musical composition gifts. They started their careers at a young age. By age fifteen, Liszt finished the first drafts of his “15 Transcendental Etudes,” renowned for their technical difficulties. Swift began writing and performing prolifically when she was eighteen. Starting their careers during the formative periods of their life allows them to build greater momentum towards success.

However, people often overlook one indispensable component of musical talent – extreme diligence. Not only did Liszt compose such a massive volume of work for solo piano, but he also adapted many orchestral and opera pieces into solo versions for pianists. One notable example is his notoriously difficult masterpiece, “Reminiscences of Don Juan,” based on the famous opera written by Mozart. Liszt must have spent countless hours rewriting music to fit the characteristics of the piano and demonstrate his unique, flashy style. In the case of Swift, her unwavering diligence can be seen in her continuous efforts to deliver new albums. During the pandemic, she surprised her fans with the albums “folklore” and “evermore.” When the pandemic disrupted the work of many other music producers, Swift persisted with her composition. Her diligence has encouraged her to explore some more profound messages related to the motifs of love and affection. Such an exploration is most evident in more meditative songs like “the lakes” from “folklore” and “champagne problems” from “evermore.” This level of pure devotion to music propels both artists to prominence in their lifetimes as they produce more pieces with more innovative qualities than their peers.

Finally, Liszt and Swift's lives contain many highlights outside the music realm. Most societies display a particular preference for artists' gossip. Liszt lived a chaotic love life. He had many affairs with different women, many of whom were aristocrats. These affairs inevitably made Liszt draw even greater attention. To an extent, he was also a fashion icon. Plentiful narratives depict how physically attractive Liszt was, with his long hair and tall, slim body. Similarly, Swift is currently a public figure known for her relationship with Travis Kelce, an American football player. People often regard her as a fashion star who displays a sexy body and unique clothing style. In both cases, audiences link musicians with figures of physical beauty, further adding flame to their fame.

In 2011, there were many concerts held to commemorate Gustav Mahler, who died exactly a century before. People seemed to forget that Liszt was born in 1811, exactly two centuries ago. Why are the modern audience gradually forgetting the great Liszt? People may remember him for his immaculate, godlike techniques on the piano. Unfortunately, his music lacks an overarching sense of personal narrative or storytelling. A musician’s work only becomes eternal when it is ingrained with every aspect of the musician’s life. While Liszt’s pieces demonstrate strong emotions, these emotions are scattered and cannot paint a full picture of his epic life. Thus, when people now consider whether Swift’s music can be crowned as eternal masterpieces, they must judge her music against the criterion of cohesive personal storytelling. As the essay analyzed, there are many imperative conditions, both internal and external, for the success of a musician. While many composers may have accomplished much during their lifetimes, only a handful ultimately have left an unerasable mark in the annals of music history.

人们可以用杰出音乐家的故事来谱写16世纪后的音乐史。从巴洛克时代到今天，众多有影响力的作曲家与演奏家都曾发起过音乐革命，给音乐的发展进程带来了深刻的影响。当前，音乐世界可能再次处于巨大变革的风口浪尖。美国女歌手泰勒-斯威夫特（Taylor Swift）已将世界置于她的脚下。她的影响力可以与政治家或其他著名社会人物相媲美。然而，仔细研究斯威夫特的惊人崛起，人们会发现她的情况并非历史上的例外。李斯特（Franz Liszt，1811-1886 年），匈牙利作曲家和钢琴家，在 19 世纪浪漫主义时期以其精湛的技艺同样征服了欧洲。他是一位如此受欢迎的艺术家，以至于德国诗人海因里希-海涅创造了 "李斯特狂热症 "一词来形容他的影响力。本文将把这两位音乐家并列起来，比较并讨论他们的成功。文章将首先论证在研究这两位音乐家的成功时，更广泛的历史背景的重要性。然后，文章将转入对他们音乐中可能促成其流行的因素的分析。随后，文章将提出两个论点，论证才华的不可或缺性以及音乐家展示音乐之外的生活亮点的重要性。文章最后将讨论任何音乐经得起时间考验的条件。

不可否认，音乐家的天赋对其最终的成就至关重要，但他们所处的历史时期也是同样关键的因素。李斯特出生于 1811 年，正是动荡的十九世纪的开端。工业革命的加速导致了中产阶级的崛起。中产阶级拥有更多的可支配收入和闲暇时间，因此，李斯特的时代见证了音乐会潜在观众人数的显著增加。随着新技术与社会习俗的发展，更多的人可以接触到音乐。浪漫主义时代的到来意味着，音乐家们离开皇室宫廷，为普通大众演出，以满足日益增长的民众需求。在这样一个变革的时代，李斯特与众不同的钢琴演奏天赋受到了欧洲观众的欢迎。他的音乐所传递出的强烈情感和波澜壮阔的舞台效果震撼了整个观众席。如果李斯特早些出生在古典主义时代，那时的音乐更加正式、对称，而且仅限于贵族，那么他就不可能在有生之年获得如此大的影响力。

同样，就斯威夫特而言，巨大变革的大环境也是她在 2000 年代崛起的重要因素。在经济上，全球化时代蓬勃发展，给美国带来了经济利益。2006 年前后，美国经济达到高潮，牛市膨胀，利率走低。这个时代确保了美国人的经济福祉，使他们能够将更多的注意力投入到音乐发展中。从音乐本身来看，2000 年代是乡村音乐、摇滚乐和流行音乐风格交相辉映的时期。这是一个多元化蓬勃发展的时期，也是一个充满创新机遇的时代。在社会方面，随着技术的进步与社会潮流的改变，生活节奏变得越来越快，许多人承受着来自爱情生活与工作场所的重压。人们越来越需要 "快速解脱"，更加依赖音乐作为情感的避风港。斯威夫特似乎是这个时代的最佳人选，虽然她以乡村音乐起家，但她一直在尝试不同风格的融合。她的音乐歌唱日常问题，最直接地诉诸了个人的情感诉求，她的歌曲可以 "快速缓解 "人们渴望了结的痛苦。

从上述分析来看，经济与社会发展或改革的历史时期是李斯特和斯威夫特最终取得成功的先决条件。然而，他们成名的核心因素仍是他们的音乐。强烈的融合感是他们音乐的第一个共性，这使他们能够吸引广泛的听众。例如，李斯特的匈牙利狂想曲可以说是当今他所创作的最著名的作品。这些作品融合了幻想曲、叙事曲与舞曲。狂想曲充满了强烈的情感与狂野的异国情调。在著名的《匈牙利狂想曲第六号》中，李斯特融合了匈牙利、吉普赛和西方古典音乐元素，这样的融合让这首曲子吸引了当时来自不同文化背景、有着不同音乐喜好的听众。

斯威夫特同样是一位在音乐中探索多种风格与流派之间联系的艺术家。她的早期专辑，如《Fearless》（毫无畏惧），就已经显示出融合乡村音乐和流行音乐的意图。在火遍全网的歌曲《Love Story》（恋爱故事）中，斯威夫特将乡村故事元素与朗朗上口的流行旋律结合在一起，展示了她将这些音乐流派完美融合的能力。在另一首热门歌曲《You Belong with Me》（你属于我）中，斯威夫特在展示乡村音乐微妙影响的同时，采用了贴近生活的歌词和由电吉他发出的充满流行气息的声音，吸引了众多听众。任何艺术家要想具有影响力，就必须展现出与生俱来的全面身手，创造出独一无二的作品风格。

李斯特与斯威夫特音乐的第二个共同点是，他们的乐曲都能以最直接的方式传达情感，他们的听众不需要仔细处理作品中的情感信号。对于李斯特来说，在他的狂想曲中，由于不同段落的音调与声部厚度的鲜明对比，悲伤与激动的情绪共存且十分显而易见。在当时，如果李斯特的音乐中包含深奥的哲学元素或复杂的情愫，听众可能难以理解，他也不会立即获得巨大声誉。

对于斯威夫特来说，她的歌曲直截了当地传达了各种情感，但她的音乐大多围绕爱情的主题展开。为了表达这样的主题，斯威夫特运用了歌词与纯音乐的两类技巧。例如，她善于利用语言“挂钩”。专辑《folklore》（民间传说）中的一首歌《betty》讲述了一个十几岁的男孩失去初恋的故事，副歌部分有一句很有感染力的，能够“挂住”观众的心的歌词： "我只有 17 岁，什么都不懂，但我知道我想你"。在英文中，这句话包含一个半押韵句型和三个短小精悍的短句，让听众马上就能记住这句话。当斯威夫特在每遍副歌的重复中都唱出这句时，她就能有效地将歌中主人公的思念之情传递给听众。在李斯特和斯威夫特的作品中，直接的情感冲动是他们的音乐与各自听众产生共鸣的基石。

要创作出如此有感染力的音乐，需要极其罕见的音乐天赋。李斯特和斯威夫特在音乐创作方面都具有这种罕见的天赋。他们在很年轻时就开始了自己的职业生涯。15 岁时，李斯特就完成了他的 "15 首超技练习曲 "的初稿，这些练习曲以技术难度奇高而闻名。斯威夫特则在 18 岁时开始大量写作歌曲并表演。在人生的成长期开始自己的事业，可以让他们为成功积蓄更大的原动力。

然而，人们往往忽略了音乐天赋不可或缺的另一个组成部分--极度的勤奋。李斯特不仅创作了大量钢琴独奏曲，还将许多管弦乐或歌剧作品改编成钢琴独奏版本。其中一个著名的例子就是他那首出了名的高难度杰作《唐璜的回忆》，这首曲子改编自莫扎特的著名歌剧《唐璜》。李斯特一定花费了无数的时间改写乐曲，以适应钢琴的特点，并展现他独特的华丽风格。就斯威夫特而言，从她不断推出新专辑的努力中可以看出她坚定不移的勤奋。在疫情期间，她的专辑《folklore》和《evermore》给歌迷带来了惊喜。当疫情扰乱了许多其他音乐制作人的工作时，斯威夫特仍坚持自己的创作。她的勤奋鼓励她探索一些与“爱”这一主题相关的深层主旨。这种探索在《folklore》中的 "the lakes "（湖区）和《evermore》中的 "champagne problems "（香槟问题）等更具冥想色彩的歌曲中体现得淋漓尽致。这种对音乐的纯粹投入使这两位艺术家崭露头角，因为与其他音乐人相比，他们确实以更高产地频率创作出了更多具有创新品质的作品。

最后，对于李斯特和斯威夫特来说，他们的生活中还有许多音乐领域之外的亮点。大多数社会对艺术家的绯闻表现出特殊的偏爱。李斯特的感情生活十分混乱，他与不同的女人有许多风流韵事，其中不乏贵族。这些风流韵事不可避免地使李斯特受到更多关注。在某种程度上，他也是一个时尚偶像。有大量的叙述描绘了李斯特长发飘飘、身材高挑苗条的英俊外貌。同样，斯威夫特目前也是一位公众人物，她因与美国橄榄球运动员特拉维斯-凯尔斯的恋情而在今天闻名。人们通常将她也视为时尚明星，认为她拥有性感的身材与独特的服装风格。在这两位艺术家的情况中，观众都会将音乐家与美貌人物联系在一起，从而进一步助推他们名气的暴增。

2011年，许多音乐会都是为了纪念去世整整一个世纪的古斯塔夫-马勒。人们似乎忘记了李斯特出生于1811 年，距今整整两个世纪。为什么现代观众逐渐忘记了伟大的李斯特？人们对他的印象可能是他完美无瑕、神乎其神的钢琴技巧。遗憾的是，他的音乐缺乏个人叙事或故事的整体感。只有当音乐家的作品与他生活的方方面面融为一体时，他的作品才会成为永恒。虽然李斯特的作品表现出强烈的情感，但这些情感是分散的，无法会聚在一起，勾勒出他史诗般的人生全貌。因此，当人们现在考虑斯威夫特的音乐是否能被冠以永恒杰作时，必须以个人故事元素的凝聚性为标准来评判她的音乐。正如文中所分析的，一个音乐家的成功有许多必要条件，包括内部条件与外部条件。虽然许多“优秀”的作曲家在其一生中可能会取得重大成就，但最终能在音乐史上留下不可磨灭印记的“伟大”的作曲家与音乐人却至今仍屈指可数。