Mikrotonalität in Mexiko

A musical pioneer bridging worlds and eras: Julián Carrillo’s “Sonido 13” represents a microtonal revolution that sought to explore the sonic universe beyond the twelve semitones and put Mexico on the map of the musical avant-garde. From the very beginning, however, the compositional system and its inventor were surrounded by suspicions of charlatanism. Not entirely without reason, as this study demonstrates using new, source-based material. At the same time, it precisely and analytically identifies the specific innovative power of Sonido 13.

Between 1921 and 1925, the Mexican composer developed a project that challenged the boundaries of the Western tonal system, yet all too often stumbled over gaps in knowledge and discourse. For the first time, the genesis of Sonido 13 is examined in an insightful manner based on primary sources, including transcriptions of the first five compositions. Carrillo’s talent lay not so much in his compositional genius as in his gift for capitalizing on global disconnections: recipient of the German Federal Cross of Merit and a featured artist at the 1958 World’s Fair in Brussels on the one hand, a marginalized, forgotten composer on the other.

Reichert’s study reconstructs the development of this first microtonal compositional system in Latin America using numerous sources that had long been overlooked, and dispels myths surrounding the reception, historiography, and research on and about Carrillo. A microtonal-microhistorical journey of discovery that navigates the terrain between creativity and megalomania, curiosity and fascination.