“Music in Theatre” — Aryak Sen
Many ancient Greek theatrical scripts have survived to this day, but none of the original music has. Scholars believe the writers composed their own music and staged and directed their own productions. We know that parts of the Greek chorus’ lines were pronounced in unison, others were intoned, and yet others were sung. We also understand the importance of starting early.
Theatre music was performed during the action of plays and as afterpieces in the 16th and 17th centuries. In a discussion of Shakespeare’s use of music, Christopher R. Wilson lists “stage music” (fanfares to introduce important characters or accompany battle scenes), “magic music” (as in the lullaby in A Midsummer Night’s Dream), and “character music” (as in Twelfth Night, illustrating the high, low, sad, or happy emotions of the characters). Original plays were written in styles borrowed from ancient theatre, with sung remarks by a chorus or narrator, by playwrights such as Racine, Yeats, and Brecht. Attempts to restore ancient Greek drama with sung vocal contributions in late 16th century Florence evolved into the contemporary genre of opera. Dance music and singing have long been used in folk theatre.
A musical score is equally important in theatre as acting and lighting. It highlights and underpins the action, establishes the tone of a scene, and even tells us how to feel at any given time. Underscoring, like other design aspects in a theatrical production, is most effective when it accentuates rather than distracts from the action onstage. However, whereas a film composer will score based on previously shot footage, in the theatre it is frequently the other way around. The sound designer or composer is usually hard at work before the performers have even started the show. While a lighting change may usually be triggered in real time by a single line or action, the same cannot be said for a show’s score. Because live performance is defined by its unpredictable nature, it’s practically impossible for a piece of recorded music to accurately portray the mood or tone fluctuations that occur throughout a live scene. Composers for theatrical plays are frequently restricted to create staid, cautious, and even dull music. You must reduce a complex situation to its most basic component and hope that it works, that it informs the audience.
The way Bimoorto tries to make scores for theatres have changed in recent times. I was inspired by the making of Eyes Wide Shut’s uniquely unsettling score. But why Eyes Wide Shut? Sure, Kubrick had utilised twisted music in his films before — consider Wendy Carlos’ unsettling theme for The Shining, for example — but nothing quite like the four key narrative musical pieces Jocelyn Pook would compose for Eyes Wide Shut. It includes previously released tracks and classical compositions, as is customary for a Kubrick score, as well as four new pieces composed just for the film by composer Jocelyn Pook. These pieces are highly unnerving and unusual, and they wonderfully fit the scary and gloomy imagery. Pook’s surreal score mixes strings that shift from tranquil to chaotic to heighten the character’s sense of dread in one early scene, where Tom Cruise’s character Dr. Bill imagines his wife Alice (played by Nicole Kidman) sleeping with a sailor. This song gives you the impression that you’re shifting from a peaceful lucid dream to a full-fledged existential crisis. Jocelyn Pook, a viola graduate of London’s Guildhall School of Music and Drama, has had a varied career in music, flitting between classical and experimental pieces with ease across three solo albums, countless film scores, and collaborations with Massive Attack, Laurie Anderson, and Ryuichi Sakamoto. Her music is a mix of symphonic, pop, and techno, and it doesn’t fit easily into any one genre. This may have made her an ideal fit for Kubrick, another artist who despises being boxed in.
“Masked Ball,” like a lot of Pook’s previous music, is about digesting sorrow and making your way from the darkness to the light. She went through a cassette of singing priests and reversed their voices, turning something heavenly into a message about toxic masculinity. This was originally perceived as a musical statement about homophobia in the Catholic Church. Kubrick revealed that he intended to shoot scenes of adultery as well as an orgy populated with enigmatic masked characters. He felt it was crucial that the film’s soundtrack evoked a sense of horror while remaining seductive. After all, here was one of the most revered directors of all time giving a relatively unknown pianist free rein to score a film starring Hollywood’s biggest couple, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Pook’s film score to Eyes Wide Shut won her a Chicago Film Award and a Golden Globe nomination.
Even if the production is not a musical, a smooth well-thought-about score adds a new dimension to the play. Before the play begins, music can be added. Choosing a good pre-show music generally helps to put the audience in the atmosphere you want them to be in while still being appropriate for the play you’re doing. Even if they aren’t aware of the music, it contributes to the tone of the show they are about to watch while also complementing your atmosphere. There are two methods to incorporate music in a play. One method is to use it as underscoring, as in films. Music is used as a backdrop, and it is played very quietly under the dialogue. It accentuates the vibe you’re aiming for while being practically imperceptible in its presentation. Naturally, you must ensure that the audience can properly hear the dialogue.
Another way to include music into a non-musical is to utilise it in scenes where there is no dialogue, such as the beginning of the show, scene changes, chase sequences, scenes with more action than dialogue, curtain call, and so on. Fading out on happy music and then fading back in on more solemn music is a powerful way to portray a shift in tone and emotion onstage. If you don’t have sophisticated lighting to portray the change in mood, this becomes even more powerful.
The sound design of a theatrical production determines its overall ambiance and efficacy in delivering a tale. It has an impact on how the audience perceives the play. As a result, it’s critical to produce sound effects and musical soundtracks that effectively represent the tale without being overbearing or understated. The speakers and microphones utilised in this procedure are just as crucial as the sounds themselves.
