Carrillo, Julián

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Carrillo, Julián (b Ahualulco, Mexico, 1875; d San Angél, 1965). Mexican composer. In his teens showed exceptional interest in fractional divisions of the accepted intervals and coined term sonido 13 (13th sound) for the first 2-octave harmonic on the vn.'s 4th str., this being for him the first pitch outside the traditional 12 semitones to the octave. Gave concerts to demonstrate potentialities of microtonal intervals and invented special instrs., incl. the octavina (8th-tones) and arpa citera (16th-tones). In 1926 his microtonal works were championed by Stokowski, who cond. the Sonata casi-fantasia (in 4ths, 8ths, and 16ths), and in the 1930s Stokowski and Carrillo toured Mexico with the Sonido 13 Orch. In 1947 built a pf. tuned in 3rds of a whole tone. Comps. divide into 3 periods: traditional tuning up to 1911, atonal from 1911 to 1922, and in sonido 13 idiom thereafter. They incl. operas, syms., str. qts., vn. conc., and pf. mus. His Horizontes (1950) employs a small orch. tuned in 4ths, 8ths, and 16ths, combined with conventionally tuned orch.

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