A sonata for ghosts

Ingmar Bergman’s use of sounds and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 31/2 in the radio adaptation of Ibsen’s play John Gabriel Borkman

Abstract

Background: Ingmar Bergman, one of the most significant directors in theatre and film during the 20th century, is well-known for using the language of music as a source of inspiration when describing his films. Additionally, it is known that Bergman was strongly influenced by August Strindberg. What is less known is whether Bergman, like Strindberg in his play There are Crimes and Crimes, used a specific musical piece as a foundation for creating the dramaturgy in his productions, where the musical language was reflected in the structure of the narrative. Here, Bergman’s radio adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s play John Gabriel Borkman offers a particularly interesting subject of study. This is because only one piece of music is used throughout the entire production: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata Op. 31/2. This sonata serves both as a framing device for the play, a means of separating scenes, and as part of the dialogue on a metadiegetic level. It’s worth noting that both the working script and the sheet music with Bergman's handwritten notes and cross-references are preserved.

Aim: To analyse Bergman’s use of music in John Gabriel Borkman to determine if the dramaturgy can be interpreted through a musicological lens. Additionally, this article investigates whether the division between sound and narrative in Bergman’s final film, Saraband, parallels this radio adaptation.

Method: Inspiration has been drawn from intermediality and musicological research, with a focus on previous Beethoven studies.

Result: Three themes emerge: 1) the use of music and sound that can be described and interpreted using vocabulary from sound design in radio drama, stage music, and film; 2) indicating movements between the structure of Beethoven’s sonata and Bergman’s radio production, suggesting parallel developments significant for the narrative; 3) recurring diegetic gestures that connect the radio adaptation of John Gabriel Borkman with Saraband, as well as other Bergman productions, on an almost metadiegetic level. In this way, the current study could make a significant contribution to the existing body of research on Bergman's use of music in his oeuvre.