By Mikayla Fry

August Strindberg didn’t think of The Ghost Sonata as related structurally to standard conventions of dramaturgy. Some commentators embedded in the dramatic tradition have assessed the play as “anticlimactic”--the play appears to reach a climax at the end of scene two, with Director Hummel’s death, but an entire scene still remains before the conclusion of the play. The play doesn’t follow the linear storyline we are accustomed to in Western narratives. There is, however, a great deal of evidence suggesting that Strindberg was deeply aware of and intended for the musical nature of the play. Scholars of Strindberg, such as author Evert Sprinchorn, argue that The Ghost Sonata cannot be understood as anything other than a musical work, to be analyzed using musical terminology. Therefore, what seems anticlimactic to those accustomed to dramatic conventions actually makes distinct musical sense.

Before I discuss the structure of The Ghost Sonata, there are two things to note in the discussion of the play’s musical quality. First, the play is designated as a “chamber play,” which is a term coined by Strindberg that means the play reflects chamber music. The same way that a chamber ensemble is different from an orchestra, Strindberg’s chamber plays differ from conventional theatre. Second, it’s important to consider the idea that some characters and elements of the play are important and intentional but not necessarily meant to be understood or even consciously acknowledged by an audience member. In music, each note is carefully chosen by a composer to create phrases. As a listener, we recognize entire phrases, but we aren’t aware of every single tiny, individual note that is played. Similarly, Strindberg creates an incredibly complex world filled with intentionally placed characters and ideas that all fit neatly together to create a broader picture. The audience doesn’t need to understand every element of the play. As Jacob Hummel says in scene one, “It’s all very complicated,” and this is exactly what Strindberg meant for.

To understand the structure of The Ghost Sonata, one must understand the basics of sonata form. The term itself is somewhat inaccurate, since it does not express the form of a sonata, but the structure used for individual movements of the sonata. A movement that uses sonata form contains three sections: exposition, development and recapitulation. In the first section, musical ideas are introduced. Usually, there are one or two ideas (themes) connected by bridge passages, and the section ends with a coda. In the second section, the key is changed, often to the dominant; in minor keys, the relative major is used. In this second section (development) techniques such as melodic fragmentation, rapid modulation, and combination of different motifs are used to create the feeling of energy, tension, and development. This section is pivotal, with its placement in the center of a piece and its emotional impact. The recapitulation closes with the tonic and contains the thematic material used in the exposition. 

The structure of The Ghost Sonata can be interpreted as the continuous progression of three distinct sections. The play begins in an exterior environment (outside the grand house that will dominate the setting of the following two sections) and introduces themes that reflect the introduction of themes in the exposition of a traditional sonata. For example, the entrance of the student and his two confrontations (the first being his conversation with the Milkmaid and the second being his meeting Hummel) represent the statement of the first theme. These two confrontations “define” the Student as a thematic element. Later, Hummel’s definition by the Student and then by Johansson represent the second theme. The section as a whole is a balanced introduction to the Student and Hummel in which they are presented as opposing subjects. There are bridge passages that connect these themes together--through these, Hummel is “uncovering” elements of the world. 

The “uncoverings” of the bridge passages in the exposition introduce the overarching theme of the Ghost Sonata, which is the stripping away of the layers of appearances that mask the reality of the world. The second section of the play (scene two), which takes place in the round room, is a series of unmaskings. The unmasking motif is the point of departure from the exposition, and establishes the recurring thematic idea of this section. The first of the unmaskings is carried out by Bengtsson as he exposes the conditions of the house--though the house maintains a beautiful and grand facade, it is crumbling and holds decaying characters like the Mummy. Next, Hummel unmasks the Colonel and the guests at the ghost supper. The Mummy, Bengtsson and the Milkmaid work together to perform the final unmasking in which Hummel collapses, transforms into a parrot, and meets his climactic end in the same closet the Mummy previously inhabited. 

Again, Strindberg’s method in the creation of The Ghost Sonata lies not in the chronological organization of events seen in typical dramatic structure. When analyzing this play through a conventional theatrical lens, where emphasis is placed on individual characterization rather than overall thematic design, Hummel’s death taking place when a third of the play still remains may appear to be a strategic blunder. But if we look closely, we’ll see that the opposite is true: The beginning of scene three, with the Student and the Young Lady contemplating the hyacinth and their love, is a restatement of the first theme from the exposition. Though Hummel is dead, his theme lives on in the form of the cook. I might add that narrative continuity is relatively unimportant in sonata form, though the play does happen to contain narrative extension from the preceding sections. Instead, what is important in the final section (the recapitulation) is the reconsideration of the Student and Hummel themes from the exposition. The end of the play can be interpreted as an expansion of the exposure motif as the Student recognizes the sickness and decay that permeates his environment. The statement of this motif leads to the Young Lady’s death, which provides the second climactic moment of the dramatic action.

Source:

Jarvi, R. (1972, Summer). Strindberg’s the ghost sonata and sonata form. Mosaic, 5(4), 69–84.