The Power Of Music:Pioneering Discoveries In The New Science Of Song:A Translation And Commentary

Human have been fascinated by music since ancient times.Abundant research works on musical theory,history,composition,and culture have been conducted at home and abroad.However,research on the science of music is still in its infancy.The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song,written by Elena Mannes,an American director,producer and writer,was published in 2011 by Walker Publishing Company,introducing this developing young field from four parts,including “The Musical Body and Brain”,“Music Self”,“The Resonant World”,and “Music Rx”.Mannes has not only referred to a series of books,articles and scientific papers,but also collected precious first-hand information by interviewing dozens of musicians and scientists.The book contains the latest and most significant scientific perspectives,theories,and research results related to music at the time of its publication.Meanwhile,the comprehensive notes and bibliography have provided readers with a wide range of new materials and discussions,attributing important value to the book in the research field involved.In response to the current shortage of monographs and translations in the science of music in China,the author of this paper has translated the book The Power of Music: Pioneering Discoveries in the New Science of Song into Chinese,which is covered in the first part of this paper.The second part is the commentary on the book and the experience in the translation.In the commentary,the background and the main content of the book are introduced,the value and significance of this translation are discussed,several similar Chinese books are compared,and the unique perspectives as well as some shortcomings of the book are reflected.Lastly,the problems encountered during the translation are discussed,and personal experience gained from this process is also put forward.