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Words and Music
The play takes place in what Katharine Worth describes as "an unidentified ‘listening’ space," another of Beckett’s "skullscapes." The only specific location mentioned is "the tower" – perhaps a folly – so the scene may well be in a castle with Croak in the role of châtelain.
Croak is a doddery old man, testy and maudlin. He is never referred to by name in the play itself but he is well named. Joe addresses to him – albeit somewhat obsequiously – as, "My Lord," since, despite his apparent frailty, he has plainly been someone used to wielding authority. There are only two sound effects used in the entire play, the scuffle of Croak’s feet as he arrives and departs and the thud of his club reminiscent of the rulers wielded by the Animator in Rough for Radio II and the music teacher in Embers. For entertainment, this Beckettian ‘old King Cole’ has only two old stalwarts left to call on, his minstrels, Joe (Words) and Bob (Music).
Croak is a doddery old man, testy and maudlin. He is never referred to by name in the play itself but he is well named. Joe addresses to him – albeit somewhat obsequiously – as, "My Lord," since, despite his apparent frailty, he has plainly been someone used to wielding authority. There are only two sound effects used in the entire play, the scuffle of Croak’s feet as he arrives and departs and the thud of his club reminiscent of the rulers wielded by the Animator in Rough for Radio II and the music teacher in Embers. For entertainment, this Beckettian ‘old King Cole’ has only two old stalwarts left to call on, his minstrels, Joe (Words) and Bob (Music).
Unknown Binding
First published January 1, 1961
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About the author
Samuel Beckett
918 books6,560 followersNovels of Samuel Barclay Beckett, Irish writer, include
Murphy
in 1938 and
Malone Dies
in 1951; a wider audience know his absurdist plays, such as
Waiting for Godot
in 1952 and
Krapp's Last Tape
in 1959, and he won the Nobel Prize of 1969 for literature.
Samuel Barclay Beckett, an avant-garde theater director and poet, lived in France for most of his adult life. He used English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black gallows humor.
People regard most influence of Samuel Barclay Beckett of the 20th century. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce strongly influenced him, whom people consider as one modernist. People sometimes consider him as an inspiration to many later first postmodernists. He is one of the key in what Martin Esslin called the "theater of the absurd". His later career worked with increasing minimalism.
People awarded Samuel Barclay Beckett "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation".
In 1984, people elected Samuel Barclay Bennett as Saoi of Aosdána.
Samuel Barclay Beckett, an avant-garde theater director and poet, lived in France for most of his adult life. He used English and French. His work offers a bleak, tragicomic outlook on human nature, often coupled with black gallows humor.
People regard most influence of Samuel Barclay Beckett of the 20th century. James Augustine Aloysius Joyce strongly influenced him, whom people consider as one modernist. People sometimes consider him as an inspiration to many later first postmodernists. He is one of the key in what Martin Esslin called the "theater of the absurd". His later career worked with increasing minimalism.
People awarded Samuel Barclay Beckett "for his writing, which—in new forms for the novel and drama—in the destitution of modern man acquires its elevation".
In 1984, people elected Samuel Barclay Bennett as Saoi of Aosdána.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 22, 2024
با ترجمهی علی باش. آلوارز دربارهی این نمایش رادیویی میگوید: «روایت دراماتیکی از زحمات و ناکامیهای نهفته در فرایند آفریش هنری... تصویر روشن و شفافی از شکاف میان موسیقی مترنم در سر شاعر و کلمات سنگین و سربی نهفته در حافظهی او».
July 28, 2021
There are just three characters in the narrative — Croak, a poet; and his two servants, Words and Music, whom he calls Joe and Bob.
This is a dazzling, humorous, completely original dramatization of the toil and aggravations of creation — the poet alternately bullying and despairing, with his instruments incompetent, cumbersome, and only slowly becoming usable.
One evening, while waiting to perform for him, Joe practices a piece of prose composition on the subject of “sloth”. When Croak turns up, he proclaims that the theme for the evening is “love”.
Joe recites his composition, substituting the word “love” for “sloth”, but not always even remembering to do that.
Croak feels distraught, and calls upon Bob to try something more apposite.
Bob’s efforts are just as unsatisfactory. Croak suggests another theme, “age”, but feels even more upset by the miserable attempts of his two servants. Slowly but surely, however, the efforts of Joe and Bob lead to the emergence of two lyrics which are sung relatively faultily by Joe.
Finally, Croak can stand no more of it and goes away, leaving the other two still unreconciled.
The plot among other things, demonstrates vibrantly the detachment between the music which a poet hears in his head and the words at his command and the sluggish, disinclined process of controlling these two elements until they as a final point unite in a single work of art.
Many poets have described the different ways in which they build up poems line by line, and Beckett’s play represents one such attempt.
This is a dazzling, humorous, completely original dramatization of the toil and aggravations of creation — the poet alternately bullying and despairing, with his instruments incompetent, cumbersome, and only slowly becoming usable.
One evening, while waiting to perform for him, Joe practices a piece of prose composition on the subject of “sloth”. When Croak turns up, he proclaims that the theme for the evening is “love”.
Joe recites his composition, substituting the word “love” for “sloth”, but not always even remembering to do that.
Croak feels distraught, and calls upon Bob to try something more apposite.
Bob’s efforts are just as unsatisfactory. Croak suggests another theme, “age”, but feels even more upset by the miserable attempts of his two servants. Slowly but surely, however, the efforts of Joe and Bob lead to the emergence of two lyrics which are sung relatively faultily by Joe.
Finally, Croak can stand no more of it and goes away, leaving the other two still unreconciled.
The plot among other things, demonstrates vibrantly the detachment between the music which a poet hears in his head and the words at his command and the sluggish, disinclined process of controlling these two elements until they as a final point unite in a single work of art.
Many poets have described the different ways in which they build up poems line by line, and Beckett’s play represents one such attempt.
October 12, 2022
An enigmatic piece by Beckett, but, they all are, so why should this one differ! It is a dramatic work occurring between Words, Music, and Croak, where they all whine and complain over the intricacies of music and other certain thematic strands. It's in the abstract like most of Beckett's writing in the 1960's.
October 10, 2020
Works best together with the Feldman music: click here.
December 9, 2021
Feldman and Beckett — ორივე ერთად… უუუუუგენიალურესობა
December 12, 2021
Náhled do hlavy zoufalého autora, kterému se v hlavě perou kreativní energie a on je nedokáže zkrotit a přimět spolupracovat. A další Beckettův experiment.
May 27, 2025
3.5 stars. I thought it was fun!
November 15, 2013
Pure Beckett - words and discordant music fighting for our attention. The main voice is that of Croak - another of Beckett's disembodied voices.
The theme Croak opts on for the evening’s diversion is love. He is a decrepit version of Orsino with his famous opening line from Twelfth Night: "If music be the food of love, play on," a hopeless romantic, in love with love, and melancholy from the mere thought of it. Croak could almost be the selfsame man, had he never moved from that spot for the rest of his life and now finds himself on the brink of death.
The theme Croak opts on for the evening’s diversion is love. He is a decrepit version of Orsino with his famous opening line from Twelfth Night: "If music be the food of love, play on," a hopeless romantic, in love with love, and melancholy from the mere thought of it. Croak could almost be the selfsame man, had he never moved from that spot for the rest of his life and now finds himself on the brink of death.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews