Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012
A Brief History of Timing: Musical Logic and the Theatre of Robert Wilson
MARKEE RAMBO-HOOD, University of Glasgow
ABSTRACT
This article explores ideas of musical minimalism and musical composition in relation to the theatre practice of Robert Wilson, as a means to offer a close analysis of theatre structure. It charts Wilson’s rehearsal process from the early stages of his table workshops to live performances, with an emphasis on Einstein on the Beach, Madama Butterfly, Alcestes, and The Black Rider. It draws from archival footage, original documents, and correspondences in order to offer historical instances of collaboration whilst exploring ideas of fixed and composed time in Wilson’s stage space. The aim of this analysis is to shift the focus away from the narration or transaction of meaning within Wilson’s work and to find dramaturgical links in the composition and structure of his theatre instead.
KEYWORDS
Robert Wilson, Music, Composition, Einstein on the Beach, The Black Rider
Although the majority of academic research on American theatre director Robert Wilson discusses his theatre in relation to the effect of his stage images, Wilson’s theatre is equally entangled with music and soundscapes. Maria Shevtsova (2007: 36) claims that ‘...his work is always musical, relying on rhythm, pitch, tone timbre, intonation, volume, cadence and pause...’ since the premiere of his piece, A Letter for Queen Victoria (1974). Arthur Holmberg (1996: 9-40) also discusses Wilson in relation to sound through Wilson’s use of language. He classifies his first period of theatre-making during the 1960s and 70s as pieces that ignore language. In Wilson’s second period, which began with A Letter for Queen Victoria, Wilson deconstructed language. The third period, beginning in 1984 with the piece the CIVILwarS, Wilson was greatly influenced by Heiner Müller’s work and began to use language a literary device. And in the fourth, during the late 1980s, Holmberg argues that Wilson began to restage the classics and operas and reinvented already existing texts. Holmberg discussed Wilson’s use of language as a means to produce pure sound, thus an antithesis to that of semantic meaning, claiming that Wilson would string together words not as a means to transact content, but for the aural qualities of the phrases, thus exhibiting ‘an almost Mozartian’ sense of classical composition (Holmberg, 1996: 72). Therefore Holmberg’s structuring of Wilson’s theatre by language also focuses on the musicality of the
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 audio and aural components of the pieces. Therefore, this article frames Wilson’s work under the pretence of its musical qualities through Wilson’s use of organised and precise timing within his theatrical space. Thus, by identifying musical attributes such as scored rhythm and metre, thematic composition, variation, and principles of musical minimalism, both in the rehearsal process and in performance, this article offers a method with which to approach and analyse theatrical compositions by focusing on its structural attributes instead of looking at its narration devices. This is not to suggest that Wilson’s stage image is not equally rich with connotations and meanings; these however are typically fractured, fluid and layered. By addressing the structural foundations of Wilson’s pieces, this article hopes to offer an additional reading that can aid and enhance the multi-layered dramaturgy of Wilson’s theatre. Wilson’s use of organised time can be traced back to the initial phases of his theatre making process. The production meetings, or as Wilson terms them the table workshops, include discussions between Wilson and the creative team during which time they talk through ideas for the piece they are working on (Shevtsova, 2007: 42). During these workshops Wilson begins sketching what he calls a visual book, which operates as a sort of storyboard for the production. The visual book is also used as a catalyst for the creative team to design and compose their artistic contributions. An example of a table workshop can be seen with Einstein on the Beach (1976), during which the minimalist composer Philip Glass and Wilson began exploring ideas for the opera in 1974 over lunch meetings once a week (Glass, 1988: 28). Firstly, Wilson and Glass decided on a subject matter for their opera; in this case they wanted it to be about Einstein (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:10:30). Once the subject was decided, they began to discuss the structure of the opera, before they developed a through- line or narrative content. They divided the opera into four acts, with five interludes layered between them. These five interludes were called Knee Plays. Glass attributed the name to “...the ‘knee’ referring to the joining function that human’s anatomical knees perform” (1988: 30). This can be observed with placement of the Knee Plays as a cushion between each act as well as their function as a transition from one act to the next. Although they do not directly comment on the actions surrounding them, the “Knee Plays” contain the two out of the three major musical themes of the opera (Glass, 1988: 61). They also repeat a visual theme by using the same two performers throughout. Wilson and Glass determined the major visual themes of the opera once they had divided it into acts. They decided on three visual themes and titled them A, B and C. They then established that the thematic ordering of the opera should be based on a simple mathematical formula; according to which all of the combinations of A, B and C must be used without repetition and with a minimum of two themes per act.
Structure of Einstein on the Beach
Prologue
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Knee Play 1 – 4 minutes Act 1 - Theme A – 24 minutes Theme B – 23 minutes Knee Play 2 – 4 minutes Act 2 - Theme C – 22 minutes Theme A – 23 minutes Knee Play 3 – 5 minutes Act 3 - Theme B – 24 minutes Theme C – 22 minutes Knee Play 4 – 4 minutes Act 4 - Theme A – 17 minutes Theme B – 16 minutes Theme C – 17 minutes Knee Play 5 – 4 minutes
A= Train Theme, B = Trial Theme, C= Field Theme
Each act was assigned a combination of themes: act one was given themes A and B, act two C and A, act three B and C, and act four contained all three themes. After these themes were placed within the structure of the opera, they were assigned a corresponding visual theme. For theme A the corresponding visual theme was a “train”, for B a “trial” and for C a “field”. Wilson later developed these visual themes through a series of sketches (Glass, 1988: 38), which were eventually colligated into his visual book. As mentioned previously, the visual book was used as a means inspire the creative team, and thus was given to Glass for the composition of the music after the table workshop. But before the visual book was completed, Glass and Wilson decided on the length of their opera. Wilson asked Glass if he conceived this opera to be in proportion to Wagner’s epic pieces, to which Glass agreed. Therefore they decided that their opera should last exactly four hours and forty-eight minutes (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:11:00). In keeping with the chosen structure, each interlude and act of Einstein on the Beach was divided into corresponding lengths of time in order to maintain an entire running length of four hours and forty-eight minutes. Thus, Glass and Wilson decided that the first two and last two knee plays would last four minutes and the third knee play would last for five minutes (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:11:30). They then agreed that the initial appearance of the train theme would last twenty-four minutes, the trial theme twenty-three minutes and the field theme twenty-two minutes. From there they determined that the second appearance of the train theme would last twenty-three minutes, the trial theme twenty-four and the field twenty- two and the third appearance of the train theme seventeen, the trial theme sixteen and the field theme seventeen minutes. However, as this did not exactly add up to their desired run time, the third act was shortened during rehearsals in order to adhere to their initial target. This strict marking of time is also found in scored music. In a musical score, each note is fixed with a certain length of time. The type of note, the time signature and the metre and tempo determines this fixity. That being said, musical compositions are not necessarily
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 predetermined in the same manner as Einstein on the Beach was, however when written as a score, each passage of music is given a fixed space in time in which it exists. They both use form and time as a means of aesthetic structuring. Therefore the logic used in musical composition can be found during the table workshops for Einstein on the Beach. In addition to the musical qualities found in the restrictions of timing in Einstein on the Beach, and the mathematical placement of its themes, musical logic is also found in the manner in which these themes unfold throughout the opera. In this case, I am defining musical logic as techniques of musical composition that can be located in the conception processes of theatre making. In this particular case I am referring to instances of fixed and organised time, thematic structuring and repetition. In music theory, a musical variation is a short phrase of musical material; when introduced at the beginning of a piece of music it is known as a theme. This theme is a short phrase of music that contains a complete musical idea or phrase and is sometimes repeated in an altered form, known as a variation (Dunsby, 2002: 907). These variations can appear in a number of different forms for a varied amount of times. For instance, it could be found in the melodic line, the orchestration, the harmony, the key, or the rhythmic patterns. Variations can appear in an abstracted form with only minimal links to the original theme or with minor alterations. Dunsby reads musical variation as that which gives music ‘a kind of living identity, since obviously something which is varied is by definition something also recognized…’ (2002: 907). Through this interpretation, Dunsby looks at variation as something that is conscious of its corresponding theme and acknowledges it, as well as rejects it, through its altered form. Wilson used musical variation with the repetitions of his visual themes in Einstein on the Beach. As mentioned previously, Wilson and Glass used three major visual themes throughout the opera, and each appeared three times. The use of theme and variation can be seen with the progression of all three themes throughout the course of the opera. Firstly, the train theme was introduced directly after the first Knee Play. It returned twice as a variation on this initial theme. The first appearance of the train theme was represented through a large moveable set piece that simulated the side of a train through size and shape, and was brightly lit. Through the duration of this scene the train continually attempted to cross from stage left to right, however, a vertical beam of light repeatedly interrupted it. When the train hit the beam of light it was forced to return to stage left and begin its journey again. Einstein used the description of a moving train as an analogy to describe his theories on the relativity of simultaneity. In his description Einstein used the image of a moving train, which was intercepted by two lightening flashes, at two different points at the same moment, and argued that because of the train’s velocity the points of lightening that intercepted the train would differ from received on the train’s embankment (Einstein, 2010: 20). The first variation of this theme returns in act two. The visual representation of the train was still apparent through a large set piece; however, the perspective of the train had changed from its side to its back. In addition to this, the stage was dimly lit to suggest a transition from day to night, thus signifying a passage of time. The second variation on the train theme occurred in act
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 four. This variation did not include a visual representation of a train, but instead used a large set piece in the shape of a building. As Wilson claimed, this building was still a representation and variation on the initial train theme because both were constructed from the same visual perspective (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:11:10). Thus the train appeared firstly as a theme, then as a variation that slightly strayed from the theme, and then in a further abstracted form. The second theme of the opera, the trial, appeared in act one after the initial train theme, and in act three and act four after the second variations of the train theme. As with the unfolding of the train variation, the trial also appeared first as a theme, then in a slightly altered form and thirdly in a further abstracted representation. The trial theme is first realised through a visual mimesis of a courtroom. The stage space is filled with benches with actors as a jury, two judges, a witness who remains stationary in a chair, and a lawyer. Also, in the centre of the courtroom was a large bed. Wilson claimed that the reason he included a bed within this set is because he felt that our society put Einstein on trial for being a dreamer (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:10:20). When Einstein first reached popularity, a number of organisations demonstrated resistance to his theories. Most prominent of which was Paul Weyland who organised a meeting against Einstein’s theories on relativity in 1920 in Berlin. As Frank states: ‘Einstein attended this meeting as a spectator and even applauded the attacks in friendly spirit. He always like to regard events in the world around him as if he were a spectator in a theatre’ (1948: 198) which perhaps accounts for the reason why Wilson and Glass situated a character dressed as Einstein in front of the stage space to act as a spectator during their repetitions of the trial theme. The first variation of the initial trial theme appeared in act three. The stage set was similar to its original thematic counterpart; however, there was now the addition of vertical bars that intercepted stage left. Behind these bars were dancers dressed as prisoners, thus highlighting ideas of judgement and punishment of Einstein’s dreams. In the final variation of this theme the stage was blacked out, the only object on stage was a large horizontal beam of light that slowly rotated into a vertical position throughout the entirety of the theme. As Wilson stated, this beam of light was an abstracted representation of Einstein’s bed from the initial theme and the first variation, underlining the triumph and also possible isolation of the dreamer (Wilson, 1997, Tape 2, 0:12:00). The third theme, the field, followed a similar pattern as the first two themes; it appeared in an initial form followed by two variations. The initial theme fell at the beginning of act two, the first variation was in act three after the first variation of the trial, and the second variation of the field happened in act four after the second variation of the trial. The initial field theme was realised through an empty set filled with approximately ten dancers, and a lit backdrop signifying an open field. Throughout the duration of this theme, a small disc of light appeared. The first variation on this theme returned again with an empty stage filled with dancers. A slight alteration occurred between the initial theme and the first variation with the size of the spaceship. In the initial theme, the spaceship was small, but in the first variation the spaceship was slightly larger, thus signifying that the spaceship had approached Earth. In
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 the second variation of the field, the visual representation of an open field was removed and replaced by a large grid of scaffolding three grids tall and five grids wide. Each grid was large enough to encompass a human body standing upright. On the back of each square of the grid was a rotating pattern of lights, and placed in front of each set of lights was a dancer who manipulated the lights with his/her fingers. This signified a further progression of time as the spaceship had landed on Earth and the dancers had entered. The use of a field could be read as a literal interpretation of Einstein’s Unified Field Theory as seen in a quote by Einstein in which he makes reference to his theories field and relativity theories by stating: ‘There is relatively little tobacco, but it is from a good field’ (Frank, 1948: 267). In addition, the use of a spaceship in the field theme makes reference to Einstein’s famous twin paradox in which the progression of time in space versus time on Earth is calculated through sending one twin into space. Therefore, all three themes followed a similar pattern in their execution. Each theme had an initial visual representation, which was followed by two variations. The first variation on the themes repeated the initial theme, with only a slight change. With the train theme, the lights were first bright and then dimmed and the train had moved from its side to its front. In the trial theme the courtroom was whole and then in the first variation a jail cell intersected it. In the field theme the spaceship was first small and then large. The second variation on the themes presented an abstracted version with only one link to the original theme. For the train theme, the building and the train were linked in perspective, for the trial theme the bed was the only remaining artefact, and in the field theme the visual images are linked through the concept of a spaceship. These variations adhere to the same pattern throughout their execution and were similar in their placement and intensity. Thus musical logic can be found in the conception and placement of the visual themes in Einstein on the Beach. Even though the opera does not adhere to a singular narrative arch, or “story”, its dramaturgy can be uncovered in the structure and form that the opera exists in. In addition to Wilson’s table workshops, musical logic can also be found in Wilson’s visual books and scripts through their organisation of time. Because Wilson does not often use spoken text as the primary instigator of his theatre, his scripts are typically fragmented and usually contain a compilation of the selected dialogue, words or writing. However, within his visual books and scripts, often a sharp precision and calculation of time is apparent. This can most clearly be seen with the strict marking out of lengths of time in the far columns of the pages. Wilson refers to this technique in an interview conducted by David Rieff (1991: 34) for the magazine Connoisseur. As Rieff recalls in a conversation with Wilson about The Black Rider (1990):
For openers, he (Wilson) managed to keep the usually verbose Burroughs in check. “Everything was timed,” he recalls. “I would draw storyboards of all the scenes and then give them to Burroughs with the running times for each marked down.”
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These visual books, or in this case a storyboard, operate as a means to contain the artistic components of Wilson’s collaborators within a designated structure. In addition to offering a map for Wilson’s collaborative team, the demarcation of time in Wilson’s scripts also allows them to behave in a similar way to a musical score. The majority of traditional scored Western music has a time signature; this determines the number of beats within a measure and the type of beats such as half-notes and quarter-notes. Additionally, it is typical for scored Western music to give some indication of the tempo, whether through an emotive word or with a more precise method, such as beats per minute as indicated with a metronome. One could read Wilson’s scripts in a similar fashion. The scripts for Einstein on the Beach and The Black Rider both contain the estimated performance times marked out on the side margin. For example, the script of Einstein on the Beach has the numbers of minutes for each action clearly marked on the left hand margin next to the corresponding stage action. On page one of the script the title reads ‘Knee 1’, thus indicating the first song of the opera. There are four columns on the script; the first lists the timing of the actions beginning with ‘0.00’, the second lists the actions for the performer Lucinda Childs, the third for Sheryl Sutton and the fourth for the chorus. During the first ten minutes, marked ‘0.10’ in the script the performers are given the following actions (Anon., 1969-1995, Series 1.4):
Lucinda: seated at SR table, hands on table. Sheryl: seated at SL table, rt. fist on tab, lt hand on knee. Chorus: in pit, seated. Women w/ compasses.
For the first ten minutes of this song, the performers maintained this staging, the two women were seated at tables and the chorus was seated in the orchestra pit. After the first 10 minutes passed, another set of instructions were listed for the next four minutes, both Childs and Sutton are instructed to count between one and eight and the chorus were told to stand one by one and position themselves in front of the platform upon which the two women were seated. Once the chorus arrived in their positions, they are then instructed to begin singing. This division of time is continued throughout the entirety of the script. This type of demarcation has a strong resemblance to the manner in which a musical score is notated. Each player is given a particular instruction to carry out over a specified time in conjunction with other players in the same way that musicians are instructed to perform certain actions during a composition. These same numerical and spatial relations can be seen in Wilson’s rehearsal processes. After Wilson has completed the table workshops, he often holds two rehearsal workshops before the premiere of the piece. The first workshop, referred to as Stage B in Wilson’s correspondences, focuses on the movement and staging of the piece (Anon.,1969- 1995, Series 3.1). The second workshop, often referred to as Stage C, is inclusive of all the artistic components and theatrical elements contained in the performance. Wilson mentions Stage B in an interview for Ear Magazine (Dalton, 1988: 20). In this interview, he refers to the piece, The Forest (1988) with David Bryne. As Wilson states:
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What I did was to stage the work as a dumb play, where there is no text. I did all the blocking, the staging. I designed the scenery and I videotaped a workshop with people where the staging was mapped out. It’s not complete but it’s more or less thought out for all seven acts. The authors, the writers and the composer, David, have taken that videotape, those timings, those ideas, and are scoring it.
Wilson used the video recordings of Stage B to act as a catalyst for his collaborative team, much in the same way he uses his visual books and scripts. In this description, Wilson presents Stage B as an exercise in proxemics and staging techniques. Although he mentions the term “dumb play”, this does not mean that a soundscape was absent from Stage B. As seen in the cases of Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly (1993) and Christoph Gluck’s Alcestes (1987), the original scored music is perhaps the primary instigator of the movement. Wilson often refers to Stage B as the “silent workshops”, but in these instances they are only silent in so far as the actors themselves do not speak or sing. However, in both of the above cases, the opera’s musical score was played during the workshop. For the video recorded rehearsals of Madama Butterfly a version of the opera was played out loud over speakers. In the video recordings of the Alcestes workshops there was a rehearsal pianist and rehearsal singer who performed all the music live. The opera singers themselves did not sing along, or even mime the words. Instead they completed their actions along with the soundscape. In addition to the music used during the workshops of Madama Butterfly and Alcestes there was an audio command that instigated each actor’s movements. With Madama Butterfly there was an amplified voice that read out commands in French. Although the text was not translated, it was apparent that the words and movements were linked. Each time a command was spoken, an actor on stage would respond with a change in movement. By allowing the physicalisations to have aural components, this made the relationship between the actions and the music easily perceivable. The majority of the audio commands were given in time with the music. They flowed at regular, typically equidistant intervals. The spoken commands rarely exceeded three syllables, thus punctuating the beats they fell on. Therefore the spoken commands, which informed each movement, were contained within the rhythm and tempo of Puccini’s original compositions. A similar observation can be made for the rehearsals of Alcestes, as the movements were also initiated by an audio command. In this case a clap was used, which was probably kabuki clap sticks as the tone of the clap was hard and wooden. Once again, the clap almost always fell on the beat of the music. Although the movements often started on the beat, they did not necessarily remain with the tempo of the music throughout their completion. Although the initiations of the movements were informed by the tempo of the music, the movements themselves were not necessarily tied to it. However, this still indicates that there was a strong link between the actions which took place and the time and tempo of the music. An example of this can be seen in the first phrase of Cio-Cio San’s aria, ‘Un bel di, Vedremo’. Seven verbal commands were given out over the
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 space of eight bars in this section of the aria. Although the music is in three-four time, I will discuss it in beats of six to emphasise both upbeats and downbeats. Therefore beats 1, 3 and 5 refer to the downbeats and 2, 4 and 6 refer to the upbeats. Of the seven commands, which instigated seven movements over these bars, the first one was given on the first beat of the first measure. When this command was given, the actress playing Cio-Cio San began to walk slowly forward, however, her steps did not fall in line with the beats. The second command was given on the fourth beat of the second measure; the actress then stopped walking and began to raise her left arm towards her body. The third command was given on the fourth beat of the third measure at which point the actress moved her right arm away from her body. No command was given in the fourth measure of the song, but the first beats of measure five, six and seven again had corresponding movements. The final command of this phrase was given on the eighth measure between beats 1 and 2 to indicate a cessation of movement. With the exception of the final command, all of these were administered on a beat. Therefore, the tempo of the music in Madama Butterfly affected the pacing with which the movements were executed. This staging technique, of doubling the actions with the tempo and rhythms of the music, relates directly to a quotation where Wilson discussed his intentions for the staging of Madama Butterfly. In an informal interview, which was conducted and recorded during rehearsals, Wilson states that ‘The basic idea is to create a space where one can hear music’ (1992, 0:00:34). He further claims that he believes that previous stagings of the opera have over-embellished the scenery with Japanese iconography that distracted from the soundscape. This ideology also falls inline with minimalist musical aesthetics through ideas of simplicity and a stripping of the artistic components back to their basic parts. This concept has already been addressed with Wilson and Glass’ structuring of Einstein on the Beach and the simple mathematical equations that were used to determine the placement of the themes and variations. This idea is also reflected in the staging of the opera itself. In addition to the use of the minimalistic compositions of Glass, Wilson also adopted simplistic qualities in his staging. For example, in the opening number of the piece, two women, Lucinda Childs and Sheryl Sutton, were seated in the far lower hand corner of the stage. Childs had her hands on her desk and she was slowly moving them while counting between one and eight. Sutton did the same, although she was immobile. This action lasted for fourteen minutes. Their counting was not in time with the music and their movements unfolded in their own rhythms and numerical ordering, outside of the tempo of Glass’ composition. This reinforces the idea of text, music, and movement as three separate elements of Wilson’s theatre that are not necessarily reliant on one another, but regardless are contained within a singular structure of organised time. After the first fourteen minutes had passed, the chorus entered and positioned themselves in front of the platform that Childs and Sutton were seated at. Once they had filed into their place, the chorus began singing their first number, titled ‘Knee 1’. At this point the women began speaking their designated texts. This description is inclusive of the entirety of the staging for the opening and the first musical number in Einstein on the Beach. In the same manner that Glass and his fellow musical minimalists stripped their
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 music back to its basic components, Wilson also looked to explore basic human gestures in his theatrical stage space. The focused and repetitive movements of the two women in this opening sequence are mirrored in the ostinato and minimalistic structuring of Glass’ music. Therefore, although there is not a semantic connection between the music and the staging, the two are linked through their similarities in form and the minimalistic logic that contain them. However, the music in Wilson’s pieces does not necessarily hold dominance over any other component in his theatre. In the previous cases of Madama Butterfly, Einstein on the Beach and Alcestes, the tempo of the music typically initiates an action, but the completion of the action rarely maintains any rhythmic correlation with the music. The music is just one of the several theatrical materials that Wilson uses in his pieces. Just as a musician composes a work combining sounds, Wilson composes his pieces with lights, words, recorded and live sounds, movements, props, and costumes. Thus, it is the unfolding of these materials in Wilson’s own score that creates the rhythmic dialogues reminiscent of scored music. Although Stage B of Wilson’s rehearsal process is primarily occupied with ideas of simplicity, spatial relations, and numerical formulations, these same qualities can also be located in Stage C of Wilson’s rehearsal process. Stage C involves the addition of the rest of the theatrical elements to the blocking that was explored in Stage B. These theatrical elements include the singing, original music from the collaborators, text, costumes, lighting and so on. The same tight composition and structuring of time can also be witnessed in this stage of Wilson’s rehearsal process. For example, a video recording of Stage C was made of Wilson’s production of The Black Rider. The recording began with the prologue of the piece and contained several other scenes throughout the rehearsal period. At the beginning of the recording, an amplified voice counted: ‘6,7,8,9,10,11,12, hold for 4, 3, 4, down in 3,2,3 lights on curtain hold for 3, 3, black curtain off, music’ (Wilson, 1989, 0:00:01). Although this voice is unidentified in the footage, it has the same broad American inflections tinged with the Southern drawl of Wilson’s accent. The reason that the counting began at six is probably due to the fact that it is at the beginning of the recording, thus one through five were not captured on film. After the above commands were given, the music began and two stagehands positioned themselves at each end of a long rectangular black box. The next verbal command given was ‘Box is moving up in twenty-four seconds’ which was preceded by a steady count to twenty-four during which time the stagehands manipulated the box upwards. The voice counted to twenty-four, and stated: ‘Box in place, leg’ at which point the box stopped moving and a leg extended out from it. These four words signalled the stagehands to stop the movement of the box and instructed an actor to step inside the box and to extend a leg out from it. However, the movement and duration of the leg extending out of the box was not dictated. It is only once the leg was retracted back into the box that the amplified voice said ‘music’ and the introduction of the first song ‘The Black Rider’ began. Thus in this manner, Wilson became the conductor of his score. Wilson’s role was to establish the tempo and initiate the cues and entrances. And just as with a score, some
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Volume 5, Issue 1 February 2012 passages are rigidly fixed in time, as seen with the twenty-four seconds given to the movement of the box. However, as also seen in a musical score, other passages are open to interpretation, as seen with the lax timing with the action of the leg. The typical role of a musical score is to coordinate a group of musicians to play in correlation with one another. Without this guidance the players could fall out of tempo with one another. This tight structuring of multipart players can also be witnessed in the twenty-four seconds given to the moving of the box in The Black Rider. A number of players are affected during these twenty-four seconds, namely the two stagehands, the spotlight operator, the musicians, and the actor playing leg. Thus the verbal demarcation of the actions existing within this time and space of twenty-four seconds ensures for the precision often found in Wilson’s theatre. However, the interpretative moment of the leg was allowed to behave differently. In music, passages such as recitatives, cadenzas and spaces marked with a fermata are not as tightly structured, usually due to the fact that there are minimal orchestrations during these passages. Therefore, this leg solo does not need the same rigid structure, because the only instrument in motion is the leg. However, the players need to be cued back in with the command ‘music’ once the leg solo reaches its conclusion. When reading this section as one would read a piece of music certain logic comes to the forefront. This logic focuses on the practicality of players and not on the through-line of narrative meaning. This is not to say that these actions and images do not hold certain connotations that enrich the story, but that staging influenced by musical logic could also account for the actions that take place. In conclusion, by using the musical logic conceptualised for the reading and ordering of scored music to analyse the work of Robert Wilson, this allows for the aesthetic focus to remain on the structuring of his theatre and not on the manner in which his theatre transacts meaning. The manner in which Wilson composes and uses his scripts conforms to musical logic due to its precision and organisation of space and time. Thus, the dramaturgy of his theatre can be found through the relationships of the composition of this theatrical elements in addition to the connotations supplied by his stage images. Wilson’s theatre scripts are rhythmic. Although they contain aural qualities, these rhythmic attributes are also found in the physicalisations and the stage imagery. Not all of the components of Wilson’s score can be heard, but one or more of the senses can perceive them. This is not to say that Wilson approaches his work as a musical composer or that he has intentions for his pieces to resemble music, however the theories which have been practised in Music Theory and musicology can provide a framework with which to approach the analysis of form and structure as seen in the theatre of Robert Wilson.
References Anon. (1969-1995) Robert Wilson Papers. Columbia University: Rare Book and Manuscript Library
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- Series 1.4: ‘Production Files, Einstein on the Beach, Research Scripts and Notes’ Box 118. - Series 3.1: ‘Chronological Correspondence, April 1989-June 15 1989’ Box 259. Dalton, J. (1988) ‘Robert Wilson: Seeing the Forest for the Trees’, Ear Magazine: New Music News. 13(8) Dunsby, J. (2002) ‘Thematic and motivic analysis’, The Cambridge History of Western Music Theory. In: Ed. Thomas Christensen, ed. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 907- 926 Einstein, A. (2010) Relativity: the Special and the General Theory. In: Robert Lawson, trans. Ancient Wisdom Publications Frank, P. (1948) Einstein: His Life and Times. London: Jonathan Cape Glass, P. (1988) Opera on the Beach. ed. In: Robert Jones, ed. London: Faber and Faber Holmberg, A. (1996) The Theatre of Robert Wilson. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Rieff, D. (1991) ‘The Exile Returns’, Connoisseur Magazine. London: Unknown, 221 (953) Shanks, T. (1982) American Alternative Theatre. New York: St. Martin’s Press Shevtsova, M. (2007) Robert Wilson. Oxon: Routledge Wilson, R. (1997) Robert Wilson Lecture (Video recording). Warsaw Wilson, R. (1996) Madama Butterfly: Interviews and Dress Rehearsal Excerpts (Video recording). Bologna Wilson, R. (1992) Madame Butterfly: Workshop (Video recording). Paris Wilson, R. (1990) The Black Rider (Video recording) Hamburg, Germany: Thalia Theater Wilson, R. (1989) The Black Rider: The Casting of the 12 Magic Bullets:Run-Through (Video recording). Hamburg: Eine Aufführung des Thalia Theaters Wilson, R. (1989) The Black Rider: The Casting of the 12 Magic Bullets: Rehearsal (Video recording). Hamburg: Eine Aufführung des Thalia Theaters Wilson, R. (1993) Orlando (Video recording). Paris: Odéon Théâtre del’Europe Wilson, R. (1986) Alceste: Rehearsals (Video recording). Stuttgart: Staatstheater Stuttgart Wilson, R. (1986) Alceste:Workshop (Video recording). Stuttgart: Staatstheater Stuttgart
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