An Analytical Study of Leo Brouwer's Canticum and its Significance in Contemporary Guitar Music

Abstract

This article examines Canticum, one of the prominent works from the second creative period of Cuban composer Leo Brouwer, in terms of its formal, harmonic, and structural features. Composed in 1968, the piece consists of two movements (Eclosion and Ditirambo) and is particularly notable for its systematic use of dissonant intervals such as major sevenths, minor seconds, augmented fourths, and diminished fifths. The study analyzes the work through a segmented examination of its core motifs, intervallic relationships, and rhythmic organization. In the analysis of the work, the systematic use of dissonant intervals—especially major seventh, minor second, augmented fourth, and diminished fifth—is considered a fundamental determinant in the construction of the structure in both the horizontal and vertical dimensions. In the first movement, the alternating use of figural motifs in the fermata-defined segments stands out as a fundamental element determining the form of the work. Exploiting the guitar’s wide timbral range, Brouwer demands from the performer a high level of technical mastery, refined dynamic sensitivity, and advanced positional agility. The second movement, on the other hand, introduces a fixed structural foundation built on an E-flat pedal tone, which expands the figurative gestures of the first movement and provides a point of balance within an otherwise non-centered harmonic framework. Canticum stands not only as a representation of Brouwer’s compositional approach during his second period, but also as a distinctive example within the contemporary guitar repertoire that enables multi-layered inquiry in technical, formal, and aesthetic terms. The systematic use of intervallic structures, figural variations, and pedal-based rhythmic tension positions the work as a special position both in terms of analytical exploration and performative interpretation. Canticum should be evaluated as an original work that expands the expressive boundaries of modern guitar music and redefines the performer-composer relationship as a conceptual whole completed by performance.