張善麟是誰?人們只知道他是京劇藝術(shù)大師蓋叫天先生的嫡孫,蓋派藝術(shù)的第三代傳人。他8歲隨父張翼鵬學(xué)藝,15歲從上海來到杭州金沙港“燕南寄廬”蓋家寓所隨祖父學(xué)藝,他與祖父朝暮相處,耳濡目染,練就了他那非凡的蓋家風(fēng)范,玩古也玩出了名堂。
我和善麟相處多年,平時除了談藝,更多的是談古。他那些鮮為人知的玩古趣事,讓人興味盎然,善麟說他對古玩的興趣,是深受祖父的影響。祖父的收藏極豐,而且不以貴賤論物,每件古玩只要和舞臺藝術(shù)緊密相關(guān)的,他便“一擲千金”,毫不手軟。
善麟自從進(jìn)得“燕南寄廬”后,除每天必練的刀槍把子和圓場身段之外,祖父還給孫兒們增加了一堂“聊課”,每日里聊戲、聊古董、聊字畫……,山南海北、冬夏春秋,終年如此,按蓋老的話說,那便是“講經(jīng)說法”,此時的孫兒們一個個如雛鷹“息羽聽經(jīng)”。善麟在這種濃濃的氛圍里確確實(shí)實(shí)領(lǐng)悟到了蓋派藝術(shù)的精髓妙處。
當(dāng)年在“燕南寄廬”蓋老常給孫兒們做一種名謂“擺件”的藝術(shù)玩古游戲,每當(dāng)晨練做完吃過早餐,蓋老就叫孫兒們來到堂前,他先將屋內(nèi)的桌、椅、凳等全部家雜打亂,然后逐個讓孫兒們憑每人的感覺和情趣擺出各種樣式,如家具放什么位置最好、花瓶擱什么角度最美、字畫掛什么高度為最佳等等。每次每人放置完畢,蓋老都逐個加以點(diǎn)評,指出好壞。此時,蓋老用的評語全是和舞臺藝術(shù)直接掛鉤的專用語,什么“偏臺”啦、“上場角偏重”啦、“下場角偏輕”啦等等,孫兒們聽著祖父的點(diǎn)評,心里便和舞臺的畫面、角度緊密掛起鉤來。蓋老時常掛在嘴邊的一句話是:“藝術(shù)猶如古玩,小中見大;舞臺表演要像明式家具那樣簡潔明快,要有線條;短打武生主要靠線條的擺式才能體現(xiàn)形體的美,蓋派藝術(shù)沒有‘絕招’,只有扎扎實(shí)實(shí)的一招一式、一戳一站、一蹬足、一抬手的基本功。”也許蓋老這些平平常常的關(guān)于“招式”的話,藝術(shù)神韻就隱藏在這平常之中呢!怪不得行里人評說蓋派藝術(shù)、評論蓋老的表演、評論蓋家后人的傳承時,都說他們的一招一式都是有來由的。也許這來由是從明式家具的線條、清三代的青花中汲取養(yǎng)料而形成的。善麟對我說:“記得當(dāng)年美術(shù)評論家王朝聞曾講過蓋派藝術(shù)之美,在與動與靜之間的過程,都是美不可言的……”
“玩古如學(xué)戲”,善麟隨祖父學(xué)戲后的第二年就懂得了這句話的妙理,愛上古玩,并像學(xué)戲一樣迷戀古玩,他從古玩中吸取舞臺所需要的“營養(yǎng)”,領(lǐng)悟到“舞臺亮什么樣的相、造什么樣的形、做什么樣的動作,猶如字畫配鏡框、花瓶配底座、椅子配茶幾……”近日,善麟在家里放錄祖父以前的錄像,他說:“祖父的錄像,越看越耐看,覺得蓋派藝術(shù)好似塵封的佳釀,打開泥頭便酒香襲人,蓋派藝術(shù)是有‘包漿’的,經(jīng)得起年輪的浪淘,那寶光越久越亮”。聽后我問善麟:“同樣一出戲?yàn)槭裁从械难輪T演得好,有的演員演不好?”善麟笑著對我說:“這正如玩古玩之人講的一句行話:這要看‘包漿’有否?‘年輪’有否?‘開光’了沒有……?
對于古玩,善麟十分自豪地對我說:“蓋家三代玩古,蓋派藝術(shù)好似明式黃花梨家具、南宋官窯瓷,祖父常說他看到畫,能看出畫中的人物的舞蹈,看到家具,能看到家具中線條的流動。祖父雖讀書不多,但他對藝術(shù)的敏感、靈氣無與倫比,由于有了這種感悟,他才能創(chuàng)造出蓋派的經(jīng)典之作‘鷹展翅’,他對動作的靈氣實(shí)際上是長年累月玩古的必然造化?!弊哌M(jìn)善麟家中,最“槍眼”的要算客廳里那中堂的擺設(shè):那靠墻掛著的家傳老紅木鏡框頂天立地,足足二米多高,兩旁兩塊大畫板,一塊是揚(yáng)州八怪之首鄭板橋的修竹凌風(fēng),一邊則是揚(yáng)州另一怪李方膺的梅花傲雪,顯得氣宇軒昂,風(fēng)骨非凡;案前放著一尊清雍正小開片太白尊,善麟說此尊從父親手里傳來,已經(jīng)百年有余了,那中堂,更有故事可說!
1993年,善麟上北京在人民劇場舉辦“蓋派藝術(shù)教學(xué)專場演出”,除了善麟在北京的學(xué)生匯報演出外,他自己也登臺獻(xiàn)演了蓋派名段《獅子樓》。那晚來了很多名流如吳祖光、馬少波、王金璐、劉厚生等,他們看了蓋家嫡孫的精彩表演,紛紛題字留言,并對善麟題了“酷似乃祖”四個大字,特別是劇評家、劇作家翁偶虹先生還題詩一首:“一脈相傳集一身,新枝擢秀更芳芬。繩其祖武千秋業(yè),威凰祥麟出蓋門”。善麟得詩欣喜不已。著名畫家閔學(xué)林跟善麟莫逆之交,他讀了翁老詩感觸倍增,幾天后,四尺徽宣上躍然靈動著閔先生的書法。自此,翁老的詩、閔兄的字便鑲嵌在善麟家的老紅木鏡框之中。
環(huán)顧善麟家的客廳,靠北邊窗下放著兩把清代乾隆的紅木太師椅,后背舞起云頭,做工巧,線條好,更讓人醒目的是那兩把椅子比一般的要大得多,善麟說:“這一對椅子也是家傳,上了年歲了!我們從小受祖父影響,每天都要盤膝而坐,這兩把椅子能夠盤腿坐,非常舒坦,要是尺寸一小就不能靜坐了!”中間那茶幾,善麟別出心裁找了一塊“金磚”壓在案上,這塊大磚替代了茶幾的面,善麟得意地說:“這樣一來既可喝喝茶,也可蘸水練字,玩家就要會玩呀!”
張善麟幾乎每天都會在太師椅上盤膝靜坐。他問我:“阿潘!你可知我每天什么時候最舒心?”我猜不得,他說:“我每天看著中堂的畫面、讀著鏡框中的詩,心情特別好,感覺也愉快,不浮躁,能夠靜得下心來。在家想想藝術(shù),練練身段,看看畫,讀讀書,這才叫玩古啊!”
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張善麟為張翼鵬之子,蓋叫天之孫,1940年出生。自幼得父親親授,更在祖父身邊學(xué)藝多年。與蓋叫天合演《一箭仇》中飾武秋,為蓋氏最器重的后裔之一。先后在江、浙、豫等地劇團(tuán)擔(dān)當(dāng)挑梁武生,主演過《武松》《惡虎村》《鬧天宮》《蜈蚣嶺》《四平山》等劇。1993年應(yīng)北京戲曲學(xué)校之邀,赴京教學(xué)傳授蓋派藝術(shù),舉辦“蓋派專場演出”。
Peking Opera Actor Talks about Antiques
By A Pan
Seven years after he started learning the performing art of Peking Opera from his father in Shanghai, the 15-year-old Zhang Shanlin came to Hangzhou to learn more from his grandfather Gai Jiaotian, a well known master of Peking Opera of the 20th century. Being together with his grandfather from morning to night, he learned a lot more than just performing skills.
In addition to daily learning sessions and practices, Gai Jiaotian also gave mini lectures to his grandsons about the stage art of the opera, antiques, calligraphy and painting. These lectures took place all the year around.
After all these decades, the 66-year-old Zhang Shanlin still vividly remembers a game called earranging furniture? It would be played after breakfast. All the grandsons would gather in the hall. The grandfather would disorder all the antique furniture and then ask one of the kids to rearrange tables, chairs, benches, vases, etc. Then he would comment on the rearrangement, using stage terms. These comments were given to help the kids better understand the Gai school of Peking Opera performance. The grandfather explained why he loved antiques so much: \"grt resembles antiques, for you can find a full world in these small things. Your performance on the stage should resemble the style of the furniture of the Ming Dynasty: simple and stylistic. Priority shall be given to the shape. My style has no secrets. All the performance should be based on basic skills: how you stand still, how you move, how you move your legs, how you move your arms, etc.?Critics say that there is always unique beauty seen in the performing art by Gai and his disciples.
Zhang Shanlin reminisces, learned in the second year I was in Hangzhou that learning about antiques was equal to learning the performing art.?For him, striking a pose on the stage was just like rearranging furniture: one needs to find out how a painting matches its frame, how a vase squares with a pedestal, and how chairs meet a tea table. For him, that makes the difference between those who can perform a play well and some others who fail to bring it off.
Zhang Shanlin says that the three generations of the family love the antique furniture. Though his grandfather was not a scholar with a profound academic knowledge, he was an accomplished artist highly perceptive and creative in art. Many of his inspirations came from his understanding of ancient paintings and calligraphic works and antique furniture. According to the grandson, his grandfather's achievements in Peking Opera partly resulted from his experience with antiques.
In 1993, Zhang Shanlin held a show in Beijing in memory of the performance style initiated by his grandfather. Many artists and critics who knew his grandfathers watched the highlights performed by Zhang and his disciples. The show was a success.
Today, Zhang Shanlin has two mahogany armchairs made in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) in his sitting room. The oversized chairs are very conspicuous. Zhang comments, 襂 sit cross-legged in it everyday, just as my grandfather did. The chair is large enough for me to sit this way.?The best time of a day is when he enjoys his antique furniture, art, books, and paintings after he finishes his daily practices. This is exactly what antiques mean in his life.
(Translated by David)