Sonido 13

Sonido 13 is a theory of microtonal music created by the Mexican composer Julián Carrillo around 1900[1] and described by Nicolas Slonimsky as "the field of sounds smaller than the twelve semitones of the tempered scale."[2] Carrillo developed this theory in 1895[3] while he was experimenting with his violin. Though he became internationally recognized for his system of notation, it was never widely applied.[4] His first composition in demonstration of his theories was Preludio a Colón (1922).[4]

The Western musical convention up to this day divides an octave into twelve different pitches that can be arranged or tempered in different intervals. Carrillo termed his new system Sonido 13, which is Spanish for "Thirteenth Sound" or Sound 13, because it enabled musicians to go beyond the twelve notes that comprise an octave in conventional Western music.

Julián Carrillo wrote: "The thirteenth sound will be the beginning of the end and the point of departure of a new musical generation which will transform everything."[5][6]

  1. ^ Randel, Don Michael, ed. (1996). "Carrillo (Trujillo), Julián (Antonio)", The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music, p. 138. ISBN 0-674-37299-9.
  2. ^ Slonimsky, Nicolas (1945). Music of Latin America, p.229. 1972 ISBN 9780306711886. Cited in Bethell (1998), p.95.
  3. ^ Malmström, Dan (1974). Introduction to Twentieth Century Mexican Music, pp. 34–36. ISBN 91-7222-050-3.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Cultural was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Carrillo, Julián (1923). "El Sonido 13", Pláticas musicales, Vol. II. Mexico City. Also Carrillo (1923) "The Thirteenth Sound", Musical Advance 10, no. 10, pp. 1–4. Quoted in Madrid, Alejandro L. (2015). In Search of Julián Carrillo and Sonido 13, p.137. Oxford. ISBN 9780190215781.
  6. ^ "El Sonido13 será el principio del fin, y el punto de partida de una nueva generación musical que llegue a transformarlo todo." Carrillo (1938). Teoría lógica de la música, p.5. Quoted in Zaramella, Enea (2017). "Estridentismo and Sonido Trece: The Avant-garde in Post-Revolutionary Mexico", International Yearbook of Futurism Studies, Vol. 7, p. 13, n. 28. Aguirre, Sarabia, Silverman, and Vasconcelos; eds. De Gruyter. ISBN 9783110527834.