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Hybrid forms in Beethoven's first string quartets: Op. 18 No. 4, Marco Alejandro Gutierrez

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     Beethoven’s Op. 18 is the subject of debate, speculation, and uncertainty when referring to the order in which the pieces in the opus (6 total) were composed. It is suspected that Op. 18 No. 4 was the last one to be composed of the set.      Built from C minor it has a stormy mood throughout the first movement, which has a very recognizable and rather famous and catchy Main Theme. (Spoiler: The most recognizable and catchy themes are found in Rondos). I highly recommend Quator Ebene's recordings as a wonderful example of this music in performance. Main theme of first movement.      If we take a typical four movement piece (from the Classical epoch), we expect the second movement to be a slow one and the third to be a light, generally Scherzo or Menuet-like composition. Nonetheless, in this opus, the second movement is characterized by a very different character, tempo, ...
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The key to understanding 20th century music: On Hemitonicism and Webern's Op. 11, No. 2 & No. 3, Marco Alejandro Gutierrez

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Marco Alejandro Gutierrez           Hemitonicism is a system characterized by a combination of the semitone and chromaticism. It is the key to understanding the structure of Anton Webern’s music and his compositional process.             It is an independent pitch system and self-sufficient. As can be said of twelve tone technique, or traditional tonal music with its characteristic management of Tonic, Dominant, and Subdominant.             Harmony always develops faster than form. Despite Johann Sebastian Bach’s advances in the field of harmony, his musical compositions are in older genres and styles***. It was until Ludwig van Beethoven that these advances in harmony met their match in musical form. The same can be said of the advances in harmony made by Arnold Schoenberg at the very beginning of the XX century. Much like Bach (who Schoenberg referred to as the very first twelve tone co...
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On the Exposition of Beethoven's Sonata in Fm Op. 2 No. 1, I. Allegro, Marco Alejandro Gutierrez

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Marco Alejandro Gutierrez          NOTE: This article though published some time ago, it was written even before then. Some, albeit just a few of my views have since changed. See newer articles for more up to date information.            Anton Webern used to refer to Ludwig van Beethoven as the highest point in the development of musical form. In his view, everything related to musical form goes towards or comes from Beethoven.             The Sonata is a tribute to Joseph Haydn. Yet to the displeasure of Haydn it is famously not dedicated “to my teacher, Joseph Haydn''. In a possibly unrelated note, despite this dedication, the presence of the Mannheim Rocket in the initial motif is more reminiscent of Mozart if anything else.             This sonata is built from F minor. The piece begins with the main theme, eight measures long. It is structured in the fol...
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Pedagogical Proposal on The Teaching Music Theory 1: Solfege, Marco Alejandro Gutierrez

Marco Alejandro Gutierrez           This is my view on the ideal teaching of Solfege. It is based on both my studies in various countries with a large emphasis on the work I did with my professor Vladislav Soyfer, and my own experience as a tutor and eventually a teacher of solfege.             What is Solfege? It is the capacity to turn the written score into sounds in one’s mind, and to be able, via the instrument of our voice, to bring those sounds from the world of music and art into the real one through singing. The use of the voice is crucial to help train the ear, but if singing is difficut for the pupil, an alternative can be found. Singing nonetheless, is everyone’s first and most natural instrument.             Solfege therefore is not just about singing but more about hearing acutely! Not with the physical ears but with the mind’s ear. It is through this training of the mind's...
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