Theatre Design & Technology - Summer 2000 - 25

these authors \\ere coul1llessl\ e\ploited and mutilated in rarious mo\'ies.
~lllSic

as a Character

The music I am interested in is not of the background-forming
t~ve. but that \\'hich specificall\ characterizes. the music which
forms a dramatic and tempo-rhnhmic coul1lerpoint to a staging or to a mo\ie. the music which can be partner to the actors. the director. the set designer. That is. the music \\hich
can be a character of the drama on its O\\'ll.
For such a music to act. a bod\ is needed, Thi bod\ is
formed by a specific ke\. a clear melodic theme. carefully chosen harmonic procedure. and b\ a fiwd dramatic principle.
Before I Slart my \\ork. I ah\a\s ask the director. "What is going to be the dramatic hlllction of music in the staging?" Indeed. there is a dirersit\ in possible dramatic hlllctions, The
music can confinc the space. form frames. lead an inner dialogue \\ith the ke\ character. or e\en bring a poetic or kinetic
solution to specific silUation and in such a manner. e\change
roles \\ith set designing, It can precede a siruation. summarize
it and reach the final rerdict. The more \el1lurous and open is
the director"s conception. the more \el1lurous and open can
thc musical counterposition be.
Whate\er the staging or the [ilm is. \inual\\" anI' music
can be used for it. if-to put it vulgarly-played at the right
moment. This moment of \irtual creative freedom strikes me
as frightening. Thc music and the corresponding situation
simpl\ need a point in common.
Let's look at the beginning of Sl. jobn s Passion b\
Johann Sebastian Bach, [This and other pieces mel1lioned in
this anicle are a\ailable on \bdimir Franz's '( eb site at http://
lJamm.sh.C\1Il.cz/franz/demerenglinde\.html.] I belie\e this
is a perfect choice of music for a \\ide screen shot of the Allies
disembarking at the coast of .'\ormandy in 19-1-1. What is the
common point of image and music in this case'
In the first place. there is a relentless double motion: in
the image. this is the surf and the motion of the boats. The outcry "Gott!" is a sign of both desperation and hope. Second\\".
both music and the image ha\e this specific gnl\'ish local
color. So where doe the dramatic counterpoil1l come from; ][
comes from the interaction of the relel1lless \\ar machinery
and the limitless compassion of Bach's music.
~lllSic

and the Dramatic Action

I took an analogical approach \\hen composing music to the
opening scenc of Wandering. a drama at the \ational Theatre
in Prague. Thc opcning scenc describcs the e\ccution of
t\\CI1l\-se\en Czcch noblemen at the Old TO\m Square in
Prague in 162 I. This is a rigorous scene. bare as if taken from
Kalka. illuminatcd b\ chilly light. \fell-dre sed men come and
mechanicall\ undress the con\icts. To put this into music. I
used a purc baroque script: "Be well. the lal1lerns of hea\enl\
palacc." To this script. hili of diminutires characteristic of baroquc. I composed sort of a quasibaroque cantata in st\lc of a
small to\m holida\ with clear inconsistcncies in vocal pans, as
if it \\as composed Iw some counlI'\' author in late 17th ccntUIY. IIcncc thc music stands in opposition to the chiliI' sccnc.

I used a similar principle. thi time based on the conflict
of what's coul1lable and \\hat's not. in the same staging.
namely in the scene depicting the cit\ of Magdeburg being
burned dorm. the most appalling massacre of the ThinI' Years
War. An uproar cannot be multiplied. The director chose a poetic det;lil: a crowd of people. with buckets on their shoulders.
approaches a huge gaterray. The gaterray opens up and armed
men stand motionlessl\ behind. Finall\. the\ slowl\' approach
the people and take the buckets off their shoulders. The
people fall dead on the ground.
It's up to (he music to slo\\ dO\m the motion and to bring
on the sense of fear as it relentlessl\ increases in rolume. For
this reason. I chose a minimalistic musical solution. On its top
comes an ironic quote from LlHher"s Im11n "A sturd\ castle
our God is." The script of this h\mn is put to music three times
in the play-in Czech. German and S\\edish-this characterizes the armies which took part in the Thirt~· Years War.
Al\Vical characteristic of a setting is gi\en for the City of
Cheb (Egger). the place \\here general \'aldStejn was murdered in Febntal'\' of 163-1. In February. ~Iasopust. a folk GU'
ni\al opening the LCI1l. took place in Central European to\ms.
\'alclStejn. seriousl\ ill. lies in his room. \\ith cro\\ds bustling
outside. ,\lusical\\", I chose son of a ritual formed by rhnhmic
chant of random\\" chosen German \\ords. \\ith each verse
concluded b\ a shout in Czech: "Masopust."
OccasionaLly. music can form a loop in time. One of the
key characters of Wandering is kidnapped and dragged to a
distant foreign country. While talks about the ransom go on.
the capti\e is mo\ed from one castle jail to another. Seasons
pass. the capti\e falls in lo\e. becomes sick \\ith fe\'er and he
does nO! get home until three \ears pass. I solved this situation
through a mcal il1lermezzo to folk Inics: "There \\'ill be \\ar.
\\ho's gonna fight? Our jjttle son's \\ho's gonna fight.··
I could analyze the el1lire staging. including many more
\\orlds and places-Catholic Spain, native Peruvians, lo\e
songs and war anthems. But I \\ill rather mention the ke\ principle. common for all the music for Wandering. This principle
is: any musical form collapse if its limits are penetrated.
In the foLlo\\ing e\tract (try to respect the baroque principle. \\here the hea\en opens but beneath all the jO\ and
pomp. death and decay \\aits in ambush. This fugato is slO\\ly
joined b\ one \ocal after another until it chokes and lUrns in a
sort of death dance.

Give it a Name
Incidental music must ha\e the pO\\er to call bv namc. to be
concrete. Take for instance the ball scene from a piaI' titled
.llasler and .l/argarele. based on famous Bulgako\'s no\el. ;\
ball. that means a fast \\altz. Yct that \\ould be too unconcrete.
too romantic. \\'e nccd to aim the music more precisel\. We
also need to gi\'e a name to a frame of the aClion. let's call it
"Thc Ball at Satan's Placc."
Adiffcrent method of charactcristics uses a detail based
on motion. The stor\, of .llasler and .llargarele is sel in MoscO\\ of the 19.'\Os. As wc all kno\\'. cver\'thing at that time \\as
controllcd by thc KGB. Thc motif of the KGB is move and stop.
morc and stop-takc just a fc\\ steps and listen to hcar somcT O&T

.\1

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