音乐奇观：一首用休止符写成的作品

众所周知，现代音乐中有一首“神曲”：约翰·凯奇的《4′ 33”》。这首曲子从头到尾不需要演奏一个音。

然而，《4′ 33”》事实上却不是“寂静音乐”的首创者。下面这首曲子作为 1896 年，比著名的 4‘33‘’ 早了 56 年。

《寂静：一首特性的、描述性的乐曲》

这首曲子名字译成中文是《寂静：一首特性的、描述性的乐曲》，作品所署的 Samuel 是笔名。一般认为这首曲子是意大利作曲家 Edgardo Del Valle de Paz 的作品，发表在 La Nuova Musica 杂志 1896 年第一卷上。

正如标题所述，这首曲子还附加有作者本人的“描述”：

The supplement of Samuel. Samuel, our humorous collaborator sent us one of his compositions with a petition for publication. The score accompanied by a letter which we reproduce in full here comes published in a special supplement. We have adhered to the desire of our Samuel for one reason only: he gives us his word that he won’t start again and this forgives his (let’s call it)…“noisery.” – The Direction.
Dear Director, Diogenes, who wasn’t that fool everyone believed, said, don’t know in which place or moment, but he said (at least Seneca, Plutarco, Svetana and yet others assure), that “the best part of our existence is the one we spend in silence” and I add: the best part of a musical composition is that which makes no noise.
Well, since I’m not used to not practicing what I preach, I took the liberty to write a piece of music that, above all others, has the required quality. I named it just “Il Silenzio” thinking on Diogenes and reminding me of that Arabian saying that you know: Music is made of copper, the Word of silver and the Silence of gold. I’ve written a characteristic and above all descriptive [piece]; never has a title been so well suited to a composition. You, who are [a] composer – and not among the last –, will judge and if you are of the opposite opinion, it means that… you don’t understand.
Anyway, a lot of new music was printed in Nuova Musica, it’s true, but worthless music, so you can welcome this piece of mine with equal value. However, I desire that it doesn’t get published among other works: better alone than in bad company; hence, a special supplement is needed, if not, I’d rather put it in the trash. I also desire the ownership of the work to remain with me and not to beneficiate the journal. In compensation, I give you my word of honor that Il Silenzio will be my first and last piece published at Nuova Musica with my signature.
Before making a point, an explanation: the Maestro Umberto Giordano has removed from the key signature all the accidentals, I, on the other hand, have put them all in; this idea seems to me to be more ingenious than the other. Isn’t it more convenient to have all of them ready rather than to have to add them one by one according to the necessity?
And with the accidentals, I say to myself, dear Director, the most respectful and affectionate of editors. – Samuel (SAMUEL, 1896c: 3, 由 Eder Wilker Borges Pena 翻译成英语 )

原来这是一首“讽刺型作品”。他说：“音乐作品中最好的那部分是不制造噪音的那部分”，还引用了一句“阿拉伯名言”：“音乐是铜，话语是银，沉默是金”。作者认为，很多发表在这本杂志上的音乐作品是没有价值的，而这首和那些“具有同等价值”的作品会一样受到欢迎。作者还指明了：这首音乐应该用“现代方式”演奏。这个谱子十分风趣，比如给休止符加上重音，加上连线，加上力度记号，加上颤音……。作者用这种方式风趣地表达了他对某些他认为无意义的“现代作曲技法”的蔑视。

这位作曲家反对先锋派音乐，用这首作品，他表达了：“如果你没什么值得说的，那就保持安静吧！”

本文参考了以下论文：Pena, Eder. (2021). “Unsilencing” the Silence: Unacknowledged Silent Pieces. OPUS. 26. 1. 10.20504/opus2020c2617.