Ödön von Horváth’s Volksstücke. Sounds and silences in dramaturgy and theatrical performance
This thesis investigates the dramaturgical art of Ödön von Horváth, currently one of the most staged German playwrights, focusing on the cycle of five plays known as the Volksstücke (Revolte auf Côte 3018, Die Bergbahn, Italienische Nacht, Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald and Kasimir und Karoline). While critical responses to Horváth’s Volksstücke have referred especially to the Bildungsjargon and its verbal patterns, Horváth’s creative use of the theatre’s non-verbal resources has been largely ignored. My research aims to address the lack of scholarly attention in this regard and to explore the intricacies of Horváth’s use of musical and silent moments in these plays. It shows that analysis of the roles of music and silence is crucial for a profound understanding of Horváth’s socially critical Volksstücke as well as for an apt definition of their relevance to contemporary theatre practitioners. The main research methods consist of literary analysis and criticism of Horváth’s Volksstück along with performance analysis of contemporary stage productions based on Horváth’s texts. This study demonstrates that musical and silent interventions support Horváth’s reformation of the Volksstück genre both in its form and spirit. Based on theoretical frameworks that stress on the one hand the social aspect of musical meaning, and on the other the role of silence in dramatic communication, it reveals the direct connection between Horváth’s use of music and silence and the expression of socially critical ideas in these plays. It also demonstrates that music and silence represent significant influences on the way in which Horváth’s texts have been received recently. Christoph Marthaler’s contemporary productions of Horváth’s Volksstück (Kasimir und Karoline, Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg, 1996, and Geschichten aus dem Wiener Wald, Volksbühne Berlin, 2006) are used as the site of analysis. My thesis extends the scholarly attention thus far given to Horváth’s Volksstücke. With its findings, it contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of Horváth’s playwriting technique, as well as encouraging further research into the significance of non-verbal elements throughout Horváth’s oeuvre. In addition, it opens up new discussions about the recent staging implications of Horváth’s use of music and silence.
Christoph Marthaler, Ödön von Horváth, Volksstück, Music, Silence
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