Abstract:

The Contrabass is the first theatre text of Patrick Süskind published in 1984. The narrator of the text is a musician who plays the contrabass instrument. The criticisms about music and life of the unhappy and lonely contrabassist who plays as a civil servant in an orchestra, were in a monologue. Moreover, this text, which offers criticism of Western music, also includes the hierarchical structure in the music, the divisions in the orchestra, and the problems of harmony rules. In this sense, the Contrabass makes sociological analysis possible since the image of the contrabass in its relation of the theater text with the music, the sounds being heard loudly, and its being a formless instrument; argue noise, hierarchy and gender issues with music. As a result, this play which was also a critique of German Idealism, responds to many problems of music with contrabass instrument. Besides, contrabass which is an easily excludable instrument beyond its own sadness and sorrow exemplifies instruments’ female body descriptions through the hierarchical structure of music, power and commodity production.

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