Julián Carrillo, <i>Laws of Musical Metamorphosis</i>, and the Landscape of Early Atonal Thought

I offer a translation of, and commentary on, Julin Carrillo's Leyes de metamorfosis musicales, Chapter 1 (self-published originally as Julin Carrillo, Leyes de metamorfosis musicales [Laws of Musical Metamorphosis], 1949).In my commentary, I show how Carrilo's text brings together a unique constellation of theoretical interests, encompassing whole-tone collections, microtonality, and pitch multiplication.I also show how Carrillo positioned his theories in relation to those of his international peers, particularly Arnold Schoenberg.Alongside many composer-theorists of the early twentieth century, Carrillo developed a conception of the atonal that was both technically systematic and deeply mythological.Understanding his ideas today contributes to an expanded history of early atonal music theory, beyond its habitual geographical boundaries.