The Quality of the Relational—Challenges in a Triangulated Analysis of ‘Theatre-Musicking’ in German Contemporary Theatre

Abstract

ABSTRACT Musicians and sound designers appear with increasing frequency on the cast lists of contemporary theatre productions. They develop music during the rehearsal process, making it an almost indispensable part of theatrical productions—in the form of songs or instrumental music, produced live on stage in the performative process as a theatrical action, or digitally pre-produced. As part of the staging concept, these musical outputs have a direct impact on the scenic realisation of a play. Contrasting the abundance and relevance of contemporary theatre music (especially in the German-speaking world), is its paucity in academic discourse. This paucity begets a lack of analytical tools to sensitively engage with this creative artistic practice. This article summarises the appeal of, and the challenges inherent in, the analysis and interpretation of current theatre music and proposes a rethinking of theatre music from its status as incidental music to a specific quality as relational music (Roesner [2019]. Theatermusik. Analysen und Gespräche. Berlin: Theater der Zeit), since theatre music as a contemporary artistic practice demands to be analysed in terms of its theatrical and performative impact on a theatre production. As a result of this characteristic scenic component of current theatre music I present a triangulated system of analysis, comprising performance analysis, ethnographic rehearsal analysis and practice as research against the backdrop of scholarly discourse on ‘music as performance’ (Cook [2014]. Beyond the Score: Music as Performance. Oxford / New York: Oxford University Press; Auslander [2004]. “Performance Analysis and Popular Music: A Manifesto.” Contemporary Theatre Review 14: 1–13; Small [1998]. Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening. Music, Culture. Hanover: Wesleyan University Press / University Press of New England).