This is the first of a two part series looking at the piece for guitar by Leo Brouwer which dates from 1964, the ‘first period’ for the composer in which he composed music in a Cuban dance style.
The first movement is marked Lento, around 60 bpm and it starts with an arpeggiated chord over an E bass. The chord is F# A# D and C# which is the B Harmonic minor scale and the E in the bass gives the modal sound of E Dorian #4 (See Example 1). There is then a series of unusual note alterations that are essentially a simple circular sequence to and from B harmonic minor in bars 4 – 5, shown in Example 2:
B H. min – B N. min – B Locrian nat 7 – C H. Maj – D N. Maj b5 – A H. Maj b5 – A Persian – A Persian nat 6 – B H. min
Now, when the scales are explicitly named that contain the altered notes in the music, we can get an idea of the sound these scales create and, when used in conjunction with one another, a certain palette of sounds is available. If this was a baroque piece, for example, the choice of notes that are altered would be in a different order and thus the scales are limited to a dozen at most. But with 20th century music, the composers are altering the notes in a different order and so the scales that are implied are more unusual ones. To make my point clear, I’ll give you an example. Bach might make a circular sequence from B H. minor to B H. minor as follows:
B H. min – B Hung. Min – F# H. Major – F# H. min – F# N. min – D Major – B H. min
You can see in the example I have given in a Bach style, because of the note alterations, the scale choices are Harmonic minor, Harmonic Major, Hungarian minor, Major and Neapolitan minor. Whereas in the Brouwer sequence, he has opted for different note alterations which come from lesser known scales and give the music a more 20th century sound because of these note choices. Notice in the Brouwer sequence that there are five scales that have a b5 in their formulae: Locrian natural 7, Neapolitan Major b5, Harmonic Major b5, Persian and Persian natural 6. These scales are used much less frequently in baroque and classical music, although they are used, but in 20th century music they are often the fundamental scales. In fact, I would go so far as to say that scales that contain the b5 are a large part of the later 20th century music sound.
After the repeat, the music continues with B Neapolitan minor in bar 8 to G Major in bar 9 and then a wave sequence:
This sequence occurs with just one note being altered, the A to Ab and back again. You see, mode II in G Major is A Dorian, and when its root is flattened it becomes Ab Lydian +#26, mode II of C Harmonic Major #4. This is what I mean about the 20th century sound, the 2nd degree of a major scale being flattened is not common in Bach’s music, for example.
Now, instead of returning to G Major, Brouwer continues from C Harmonic Major #4 into F minor territory in bars 18 – 19, shown in example 3:
(C Harmonic Major #4) – C Harmonic Major – C Harmonic minor – Eb Major – F Melodic
This is a much more conservative sequence, the #4 flattened and the the 3rd flattened for C Harmonic minor, then the Bb flattened for Eb Major and then its Ionian mode (+1) to get us into F Melodic. This is then repeated before the next change comes with a C Harmonic Major leading us into this sequece:
(C Harmonic Major) – E Neapolitan Major – E Neapolitan minor – E Harmonic minor
Now, first I must say that the Ab in the C Harmonic Major scale does not make a reappearance until bar 26 as an A natural, and as such I am implying in my analysis that Brouwer is assuming the A is natural from the start of this sequence. You can see this in example 4.
The next section is a simple wave again, this time leading us back to the original key of the piece, B minor in bars 28 – 34:
(G Major – D Major) x2 – (G Major – C Major) x2 – D Melodic – B Harmonic minor
Brouwer first goes one way and repaeats it (G to D) and then the other (G to C) and repeats, a nice balance, and then the suprise of D Melodic to B Harmonic minor and not D Harmonic minor, which would be easier. Here he is using a relative minor change but not from a Major scale but its parallel minor D Melodic (instead of Major) to B minor. Very clever.
We now move back into the first subject, the chord played in example 1, but this time a subtle change. Instead of B Harmonic minor, the chord implies B Harmonic Major with a D# instead of a D natural. See example 5.
Now the last sequence, and it is a variation on the previous one from bars 4 -5:
E Mel – E Maj – A Maj – A Ionian b5 – A Mel b5 – A H. min b5 –
A Mel b5 – G H. Maj – G Maj – B N. min – B H. min
Here is another example of the late 20th century sound, with 3 scales containing a b5 being used. It is quite simple, although it may not look it. The alterations are raise the 3rd (E Maj) back a fifth, drop the 5th (A Ionian b5), drop the 3rd (Melodic b5), drop the 6th (H. minor b5), raise it again and then drop the 7th G# to G (G H. Major), raise the 2nd (B N. minor) and then raise the 2nd once more.
This is shown in example 6.
The piece now ends with the same B Harmonic minor phrase from the start, and we move on to the second movement. See you soon.
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