The great "West Side Story"-Talk about Bernstein and his music (Caution! Music theory is included)

When it comes to Bernstein, he always mentions his identity: conductor, composer, pianist, and educator. His figure is active in every corner of the world classical music stage in the 20th century. An American, Jewish, and bisexual. No matter from any angle, Bernstein is a controversial figure. As the first American conductor known to the world, his commanding style is also full of controversy. The uninhibited and provocative commanding style seems to be incompatible with the European "elegant art". But at the same time, his acquaintance with others' strengths cannot but be admirable. It is such a contradictory character who is dedicated to bringing European classical music into the American society of the 20th century, thus giving birth to such a great work-"West Side Story". For Bernstein, the West End story is not perfect. The life goal he has been pursuing, breaking the national boundaries of music and improving the popular status of classical music, has not actually been realized. He is always sad for not being able to create the greatest work to create history. But for the history of music in the 20th century, "West Side Story" is unique and epoch-making. Bernstein combined American jazz with European symphony seamlessly; he brought tragedy and classical art into a Broadway musical that should be a working-class entertainment; the depth of music and the accessibility of the audience have been unprecedented Unity.

The story of the West Side is based on the struggle of young gangs in the slums of the West Side of New York in 1950—in fact, it reflects the tide of immigration from Puerto Rico in the United States at that time. And how to express this contradiction from the perspective of music has become one of Bernstein's main goals. So he focused on Latin dance and jazz to express this struggle. For Bernstein, jazz is like hearing big street music since he was a child. From the beginning of the film (Prologue), it is full of jazz flavor (from the perspective of music theory, many jazz factors are used, such as minor 3rd, major 7th, and nine Chord (dominant ninth), as well as distinctive style of attachment (syncopation), walking bass (walking bass), etc., and emphasize the use of saxophone and trumpet).

It is precisely Bernstein's classical music education that has allowed these jazz elements to be sublimated. This extremely irregular rhythm and discordant use of chords (such as the superposition of major and minor chords) is undoubtedly influenced by modern music in the 20th century. The most prominent example is Stravinsky. In addition to the influence of modern music on Bernstein, the form of classical music is also very particular about the development of motifs. If you look closely, you can find that the composition of each piece and the whole musical is actually a few small musical thoughts, including the aforementioned major seventh interval, as well as the very important fourth interval. Through the rich changes in the melody rhythm and harmony of these factors, different tunes are formed to match different scenes. This ability can only be achieved by people who have received a classical music education.

Bernstein's application of musical forms is also reflected in "West Side Story". For example, in the "Cool" scene, he used fugue to express the anxiety of the Rockets gang after Riff's death. "Tonight" is another important segment in this musical. The scene at this moment describes an important night, an important night that everyone is looking forward to-Shark Gang, Rocket Gang, Tony, Maria , And Anita, and everyone has different expectations for a night. Bernstein’s musical arrangement of this important scene pushed the musical to a small climax: a five-voice chorus (quintet), where each member took turns to sing their voice, each voice No matter in terms of emotion or melody and harmony, they are completely different. Gradually, the five voices begin to be superimposed and connected through complex harmony, and finally achieve the different emotions of the five characters at the same time-it can be said It is the finishing touch to the entire musical. Bernstein is not the first composer to use this technique in Broadway musicals, but his proficient use of this technique has become a highlight of the play.

The above is a little appreciation of this musical from a musical point of view-as a musical, the angle of appreciation must be different from that of film appreciation. Bernstein is great and controversial. The embodiment of his multiple characters in "West Side Story" is also controversial. I really admire and love this drama and Bernstein, and I am constantly learning, so I hope to write a little bit of my thoughts and share with you.

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