... I began to compose from the instrument, that is, I
started being a guitarist
Leo Brouwer*
Suite 1 - Antigua
Leo Brouwer (1939-) composed Suite nr. 1 in 1955, which he called "Antigua" by following the forms of early music in its four movements. It’s a work for a while without registration in his Catalogue and still few presented and recorded. Although proposing traditional forms, it shows essentially Brouwer already connected to the modern – here he was only 16 years old.
Leo Brouwer (1939-) composed Suite nr. 1 in 1955, which he called "Antigua" by following the forms of early music in its four movements. It’s a work for a while without registration in his Catalogue and still few presented and recorded. Although proposing traditional forms, it shows essentially Brouwer already connected to the modern – here he was only 16 years old.
Background - Brouwer
himself has said in reports of scholars on his output (such as Paul Century and
Diane Gordon) that at the beginning of his career he wanted to have a sharper
guitar repertoire on hand, with works such as the greatest names in the history
of Modern music – Debussy, Falla**, Bartók, Stravinsky – his first
compositions would be linked with this referential.
The British guitarist Graham Devine recorded Suite nr.1 (by Naxos, volume 4 –
Brouwer's) and the young composer aim is endorsed in the CD booklet: "With this composition he embarked on his musical journey to fill in the
gaps he perceived in the literature of the guitar. Written in the form of a
baroque suite, the music is closer to the neoclassicism of Bartók or
Stravinsky”.
On Isabelle Hernandez book*** (2000, p.
13), guitarist Jesus Ortega (1935-) recounts about his friend Brouwer phase. Commenting
on this Suite, Ortega recalls
Brouwer's commitment to composing this work, and his intention to do in the old
style (he also mentions a possible Allemande).
During this period, Leo Brouwer made duet with Ortega, they even realized analyses,
arrangements, Continuous Bass and presented alongside with other instruments.
The Brouwer’s initiation of writing for the guitar was assisted by making such arrangements. Interestingly, it was his guitar teacher, Isaac Nicola, who gave him encouragement to compose. His habit of doing arrange and studying compositional processes of nearer authors had contributed to assimilate structures, materials and forms within the musical composition, not only by the interpreter as he was.
Suite nr.
1 - presented in four movements, follows the pattern of some suites from
a prelude and its fugue, a central work of slow tempo like
the Sarabanda and the finale more moved
with a Giga. The indicated tonality is
C Major, crossed by dissonances that expand the harmony.
Prelude - written in two-voice, one of them in ostinato in the bassline. Section A has
a ritornelo that ends in a different way and goes to a modulating B section -
in A flat major, with many dissonances of minor seconds, and scales that make a
transition to A’ with a codeta in a complete
cadence, ironically with a final dissonant chord. The Prelude seems somewhat
overture bordering the authors mentioned above, but also something of
Prokofiev, especially the almost martial ostinato.
Fuga - The composition continues two-voices and in C
major, being the theme of the fugue generated from the bass voice of the Prelude. The Fugue develops and modulates, falling again in the A flat Major; the
exercise of dissonances was re-presented as in the Prelude, with motifs in second
minor; there is a resumption of the initial idea also with a codeta, but unlike the Prelude, here the
finale is tonal.
Giga - it has the formal tempo of the gigue compound metre; the initial cell is approximated to the Gigue from the lute Partita BWV 997 by JS Bach****. The process is very modulating in the opening of the Giga; the tonal ground on C Major now refers much more to the dominant G major. The initial section is repeated, but with a different ending, in the direction of dissonant chords section in a fixed position and ostinato. Modulation continues and enters into section B of the work, un poco menos (poco rubato) more associated with the subdominant Fa Major - the mood of the work changes in this segment, almost a barcarola. This contrasting section is reoriented to Tempo I which reintroduces A section and modulates again to end with a codeta with perfect cadence in a strong C major.
Portrait of the young
artist - Confirming what has
already been said, we realized approaches with Bartók and Stravinsky on two
fronts in Suite 1: - Brouwer's
concern for experiencing harmony with modern extensions, with certain moments
of atonality; - the use of ostinato
times, not only by those named authors, but also Prokofiev and Milhaud. The
modulating manoeuvre almost integrally in the work demonstrates the will to
prove the theoretical knowledge added to his means of the interpreter/arranger
(this is the year in which Brouwer graduates in Conservatory Peyrellade and
makes his debut as soloist), through
openings and subsequent reappearance of the idea that has generated the
movement, that is, he has well well-defined concepts about tension/resolution
and the theme / development / theme recapitulation. At the same time, he tries the
dissonance - the substrate that gradually becomes a sign of his juvenile
poetics.
Ostinato in the
bassline. The freshness from the very first materialized work. Preludio from Suite nr.1
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In such tonal context, dissonances appear. A generated image, which remains on the young author Poetics. Preludio from Suite 1. |
- - - - -
*
Wistuba, Vladimir. La música Leo Brouwer. Clave, No. 14, La Habana, 1989.
** Manuel
de Falla doesn’t follow the same trends from those mentioned creators, but has been
a name that Brouwer admires.
***
HERNANDEZ, Isabelle. Leo Brouwer. La Habana: Editora Musical de Cuba, 2000.
****Some free associations are made between bachian lute works
and Suite 1 segments, only observed.
More:
Suite 1, released
by Ediciones Espiral Eterna.
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