The interconnection between light and any other material objects is quite obvious, in the sense that, whether we understand it or not, how light "affects" them determines how these objects are seen. The connection between light and sound is not as predetermined but no less, and sometimes more, influential in defining the concept of the lighting score.
An example of this is the enormous popularity of light-music performances at different periods in history, from A.Y. Scriabin to the popular French musician Didier Marouani in Russia—these are attempts to creatively demonstrate the synthesis of light and music.
We will not discuss the works of scientists and musicians whose works are dedicated to finding technical regularities for translating music into light-color compositions.
At different periods in history, various exotic concepts were proposed, including the latest developments by St. Petersburg professor V.V. Afanasyev on the "mathematical" translation of music into light, but the obvious subjectivity of translating music into light and color is unlikely to give us an unambiguous key.
It is known that even composers such as A.Y. Scriabin and N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov "saw" colors in music differently.
Not only music, which undoubtedly influences the lighting score of an opera, musical, ballet, or rock concert, but also other sounds (sound effects) can decisively influence the lighting score of a performance and require corresponding changes in lighting.
The sound of a slamming door, breaking glass, the noise of a train, or the beginning of rain no less demand a change in lighting, just like a change in theme in a musical piece.
Audiences always assume a close connection between sound and changes in light, even if this connection is not obvious. You can easily check this by creating a semblance of a "light-music" performance.
Create a sequence of lighting positions in the stage box space, varying different properties: changing color, lighting angle, brightness, contrast, speed, and rhythm of changing positions. Then simply record your sequence on a computer in automatic playback mode so that your "show" can be repeated identically several times.
Once you do this, try replaying your sequence while playing different musical excerpts with different tempos and moods.
As a result, you will notice that in all your musical excerpts, when changes in light and sound coincide, an interesting resonance undoubtedly arises, but even when the character of the lighting "breaks" the mood or structure of the music, the resulting "dissonance" makes the music more interesting to no lesser extent.
In some cases, such disharmony of the "struggle" between light and sound can provide a good tense dramatic effect that can be used at some special moment in the action.
But in general, the lighting designer always strives for a coordinated "parallelism" of light and sound—specifically emphasizing the structure and moods of the musical score; some changes in the music become a motivated basis for changes in lighting. "Accidental," unmotivated changes in lighting are acceptable only in special cases when the task is to attract the audience's attention in a particular way.
Usually, in performances, light and sound work together and, along with other components of the performance, shape the corresponding reaction (mood) of the audience.
In most cases, the music used in the performance, being the foundation, itself sets the style of the performance, bringing a certain "dramaturgy" into it. Changes within the music push for changes in other components of the performance corresponding to the musical composition.
Speaking of ballet, for example, it is precisely the music that, more than anything else, motivates the movements, choreography, and therefore is the main motivation for lighting as well.
In dramatic performances, opera, or musicals that are staged quite realistically, an aria or song usually stylistically distances itself; changes in lighting at this moment quite justifiably emphasize the main changes in mood in the music.
In fact, in most cases, it is an organic need for musicals and dramatic performances to highlight songs from the flow of the main action; an example is the "songs" in Bertolt Brecht's plays. To highlight, concentrating the audience's attention on the performance of the song, sometimes it is not enough without special "accompaniment" by light. It may be difficult for the performer to "sell" the song to the audience.
The complex dynamic lighting of rock concerts has evolved towards complexity precisely because musicians realize how much lighting can stir emotions and enhance the impact of the music. It is no secret that the intensive skillful use of lighting effects can help "sell" a mediocre song as a good one.
For rock musicians, it is even a matter of competitive pride—how many containers of lighting equipment are used in the show.
Usually, lighting tries to emphasize, enhance the moods in the music, trying to find some stimulating lighting that provokes the same reaction from the audience as intended in the music itself.
A large number of songs in a musical performance are arranged not by chance. The regular (or planned) development of emotional tension from number to number is very important, so the same requirements are set for lighting—the same construction scheme, correspondence of color, brightness, dynamics.
Often, the lighting designer plans changes in lighting between the stanzas of a song, which is probably correct, but it is very important not to miss vocal transitions, changes in rhythm, the introduction of new voices and instruments, and especially dance inserts in the number should be reflected.
Most songs embedded in dramatic action use the old traditional solution. The character steps forward from their partners, the remaining ensemble freezes or plays in dimmed space. The focus of lighting brightness shifts to the singing soloist, the remaining space "darkens" or is illuminated with a contrasting color.
Sometimes a second focus of attention is created on the character who is the "addressee," the one to whom the song is sung. Duets, trios, and quartets can be resolved by introducing different points for each character or even completely different lighting systems in quality.
I don’t want to repeat the endless number of clichés developed by practice over many years.
I would like to advise approaching the lighting of musical numbers with the same thoroughness as you work on the entire performance.
After all, in general, a musical number, song, or aria is a miniature performance built and developed according to the same laws.
It is important to devote sufficient time to this part of the performance ("performance within a performance"), observing the important principle of "unity" both at the level of the part and the whole.
The emotional interdependence of sound and light (color) is so close and obvious that the countless attempts over many years to find a precise and unambiguous algorithm for transformation, an unambiguous correspondence of a certain color to each sound, are quite understandable.
If I were to give a brief overview of these attempts and the results of research by various scientists and musicians, such an overview could be endless.
The search for an algorithm of correspondence between sound and color has always existed, primarily driven by humanity’s eternal desire to find "universal harmony"; these searches were most popular in the mid to late 19th and early 20th centuries. We can list many names: Scriabin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Malevich, Chagall, and many, many others… It is important to note that, despite the similarity of approach and identity of purpose, all such works were based on the subjectivity of the authors. And if we imagine that one day someone will find that very technically correct algorithm of correspondence between light and sound, it seems to me that at that moment, lighting design would cease to be an object of art.
It is precisely the subjectivity of the artist’s interpretation and the audience’s perception that gives birth to such a diversity of artistic forms and the results of their "mastery" by the audience.
Therefore, when reading and analyzing the musical score of a work, the lighting designer must be very sensitive to the emotions that the music evokes in their perception and find such techniques and qualities of lighting that can stimulate adequate emotions in the audience’s perception.
Research in the psychology of perception offers some keys that allow, in an approximate form, to determine directions in the search for specific solutions.
For example, it is known that the viewer associates low-pitched sounds with more saturated, bright, and warm colors located in the middle of the spectrum, and high-pitched sounds with cold and purer colors. We will return to these patterns later when analyzing the features of psycho-physiological perception.
The lighting designer, listening to the music, reading the score of the musical work, must approach the analysis of the musical score of the performance with the same thoroughness as they conduct the dramatic analysis of the play.
Here, many parallels can be drawn; essentially: in music, the emergence of a new theme is similar to the appearance of a new character in a drama; the development of themes and characters, mood, conflicts are equally inherent in both drama and the structure of the musical score, just like rhythm and tempo.
It is quite common for changes in lighting to occur depending on changes happening in the music, and the duration of lighting pictures is set by the duration of the musical fragment; in any case, the accuracy of placing lighting transitions, their temporal characteristics, the adequacy of tonality and mood, show to what extent the musical component of the performance is understood.
Of course, it is a great fortune when there is an opportunity to discuss the features of the score with the composer, to imbue oneself with his understanding, to compare his interpretation with one’s own conclusions.
In any case, the composer, conductor, artistic director—these are the people who can help in finding lighting techniques related to the musical interpretation of the performance.
