The Scene of the Dramatic Culmination in The Tidings Brought to Mary, a Mystery Play by Paul Claudel, from the 1912 Edition. Organization of the Sound Space

Abstract

The article examines the sound space in the second scene of Act II, the culminating
scene of The Tidings Brought to Mary, the first edition of Paul Claudel’s mystery play. An analysis
is made of the composition and dramaturgy of this scene in order to discern the functions of
theatrical music as well as the particularities of sound dramaturgy in the sacred space of the
mystery play. The author arrived at the conclusion that the organization of the musical space in
Act III, Scene 2 has engendered a new understanding of the universal meaning of the mystery in
the 20th century.

Keywords: Claudel, The Tidings Brought to Mary, mystery play, sound dramaturgy, sound space