The Afterlife of Incidental Music: Two Case Studies
The Afterlife of Incidental Music: Two Case Studies

Summary/Abstract: Remediation as a concept is seldom regarded in connection with incidental music, whether as a technique that composers use in post-theatrical music or a form of study material for researchers when attempting to recreate and understand incidental music. In this article, it is argued that the potential of original incidental music pieces remains largely unexplored and underdeveloped due to the volatile nature of the theatrical act as well as various demands and tasks that are placed upon it within the confines of a play. Remediation, as suggested by Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin, is viewed through a musicological lens in order to understand its importance for the composers and authors of incidental music who intentionally (as well as unintentionally) utilize it. This method can also help us research into post-theatrical life of incidental music when it gains new contexts. This article, therefore, seeks to explore the existence and the usage of remediation based on two case studies: Ivana Stefanović’s incidental mu- sic to the play Otac (The Father) by August Strindberg, and Zoran Erić’s incidental music to the play Pogled u nebo (Skylight) by David Hare. A brief review of socio-eco- nomic and cultural context in which incidental music in Serbia flourished is given, as it is a driving force behind many authors’ decisions to explore the genre of incidental music during the 1990s.

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