Jump to content

Harry Partch: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Content deleted Content added
(44 intermediate revisions by 24 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American composer (1901–1974)}}
{{short description|American composer (1901–1974)}}
{{distinguish|Harry Patch}}
{{distinguish|Harry Patch}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| image = Harry Partch album scan headshot.jpg
| image = Harry Partch portrait 1952.jpg
| caption = Portrait of Partch in his workshop, {{circa|1969}}
| caption = {{circa|1952}}
| alt = portrait of Harry Partch, circa 1969
| alt = portrait of Harry Partch, circa 1952
| birth_date = {{birth date|1901|6|24}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1901|6|24}}
| birth_place = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.
| birth_place = [[Oakland, California]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1974|09|03|1901|06|24}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1974|09|03|1901|06|24}}
| death_place = [[Encinitas, California]], U.S.
| death_place = [[Encinitas, California]], U.S.
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Composer]]|writer|[[pianist]]|publisher|teacher}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Composer|writer|pianist|publisher|teacher}}
}}
}}


'''Harry Partch''' (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American [[composer]], [[music theory|music theorist]], and creator of unique [[musical instruments]]. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in [[just intonation]], and was one of the first 20th-century composers in the West to work systematically with [[microtonality|microtonal]] scales, alongside [[Lou Harrison]]. He built [[Experimental musical instrument|custom-made instruments]] in these tunings on which to play his compositions, and described the method behind his theory and practice in his book ''[[Genesis of a Music]]'' (1947).
'''Harry Partch''' (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, [[music theorist]], and creator of unique [[musical instruments]]. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in [[just intonation]], and was one of the first 20th-century composers in the West to work systematically with [[microtonal]] scales, alongside [[Lou Harrison]]. He built [[List of instruments by Harry Partch|his own instruments]] in these tunings on which to play his compositions, and described the method behind his theory and practice in his book ''[[Genesis of a Music]]'' (1947).


Partch composed with scales dividing the octave into [[Harry Partch's 43-tone scale|43 unequal tones]] derived from the natural [[Harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]]; these scales allowed for more tones of smaller [[Interval (music)|intervals]] than in standard Western tuning, which uses twelve [[Equal temperament|equal intervals]] to the octave. To play his music, Partch built [[List of instruments by Harry Partch|many unique instruments]], with such names as the Chromelodeon, the Quadrangularis Reversum, and the Zymo-Xyl. Partch described his music as corporeal, and distinguished it from [[Absolute music|abstract music]], which he perceived as the dominant trend in Western music since the time of [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]]. His earliest compositions were small-scale pieces to be intoned to instrumental backing; his later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments. [[Theatre of ancient Greece|Ancient Greek theatre]] and Japanese [[Noh]] and [[kabuki]] heavily influenced his [[music theatre]].
Partch composed with scales dividing the octave into [[Harry Partch's 43-tone scale|43 unequal tones]] derived from the natural [[Harmonic series (music)|harmonic series]]; these scales allowed for more tones of smaller [[Interval (music)|intervals]] than in standard Western tuning, which uses twelve [[Equal temperament|equal intervals]] to the octave. To play his music, Partch built [[List of instruments by Harry Partch|many unique instruments]], with such names as the Chromelodeon, the Quadrangularis Reversum, and the Zymo-Xyl. Partch described his music as corporeal, and distinguished it from [[abstract music]], which he perceived as the dominant trend in Western music since the time of [[Bach]]. His earliest compositions were small-scale pieces to be intoned to instrumental backing; his later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments. [[Ancient Greek theatre]] and Japanese [[Noh]] and [[kabuki]] heavily influenced his [[music theatre]].


Encouraged by his mother, Partch learned several instruments at a young age. By fourteen, he was composing, and in particular took to setting dramatic situations.{{what}} He dropped out of the [[University of Southern California]]'s School of Music in 1922, dissatisfied with the quality of his teachers. He took to self-study in San Francisco's libraries, where he discovered [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s ''[[Sensations of Tone]]'', which convinced him to devote himself to music based on scales tuned in [[just intonation]]. In 1930, he burned all his previous compositions in a rejection of the European concert tradition. Partch frequently moved around the US. Early in his career, he was a transient worker, and sometimes a [[hobo]]; later he depended on grants, university appointments, and record sales to support himself. In 1970, supporters created the Harry Partch Foundation to administer Partch's music and instruments.
Encouraged by his mother, Partch learned several instruments at a young age. By fourteen, he was composing, and in particular took to setting dramatic situations.{{clarify|date=December 2022}} He dropped out of the [[University of Southern California]]'s School of Music in 1922, dissatisfied with the quality of his teachers. He took to self-study in San Francisco's libraries, where he discovered [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s ''[[Sensations of Tone]]'', which convinced him to devote himself to music based on scales tuned in [[just intonation]]. In 1930, he burned all his previous compositions in a rejection of the European concert tradition. Partch frequently moved around the US. Early in his career, he was a transient worker, and sometimes a [[hobo]]; later he depended on grants, university appointments, and record sales to support himself. In 1970, supporters created the Harry Partch Foundation to administer Partch's music and instruments.

[[File:The Harry Partch Ensemble.png|thumb|The Harry Partch Ensemble]]


==Personal history==
==Personal history==

===Early life (1901–1919)===
===Early life (1901–1919)===
[[File:Virgil and Jennie Partch wedding photo 1888.jpg|thumb|187px|alt=A black-and-white photograph of a couple. On the left is a seated man with a moustache weraing a dark suit. Standing on the right is a woman in a white dress, body facing left. Both face the camera.|Partch's parents, Virgil and Jennie (1888).]]
On June 24, 1901, Partch was born in [[Oakland, California]]. His parents were Virgil Franklin Partch (1860–1919) and Jennie (née Childers, 1863–1920). The [[Presbyterian]] couple were [[missionaries]], serving in China from 1888 to 1893, and again from 1895 to 1900, when they fled the [[Boxer Rebellion]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}}


Partch moved{{when|date=March 2024}} with his family to Arizona for his mother's health. His father worked for the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|Immigration Service]] there, and they settled in the small town of [[Benson, Arizona|Benson]]. It was still the [[Wild West]] there in the early twentieth century, and Partch recalled seeing outlaws in town. Nearby, there were native [[Yaqui people]], whose music he would hear.{{sfn|Schell|2018}} His mother sang to him in [[Mandarin Chinese]], and he heard and sang songs in Spanish. His mother encouraged her children to learn music, and he learned the [[mandolin]], violin, piano,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}} [[reed organ]], and [[cornet]]. His mother taught him to [[read music]].{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=365}}
[[File:Virgil and Jennie Partch wedding photo 1888.jpg|thumb|187px|alt=A black-and-white photograph of a couple. On the left is a seated man with a moustache weraing a dark suit. Standing on the right is a woman in a white dress, body facing left. Both face the camera.|Partch's parents, Virgil and Jennie (1888)]]


In 1913, the family moved to [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], where Partch began to study the piano seriously. He obtained work playing keyboards for [[silent film]]s while he was in high school. By 14, he was composing for the piano. He developed an early interest in writing music for dramatic situations,{{clarify|date=December 2022}} and cited his lost composition ''Death and the Desert'' (1916) as an early example.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}}
Partch was born on June 24, 1901, in [[Oakland, California]]. His parents were Virgil Franklin Partch (1860–1919) and Jennie ({{nee}} Childers, 1863–1920). The [[Presbyterianism|Presbyterian]] couple were [[missionary|missionaries]], and served in China from 1888 to 1893, and again from 1895 to 1900, when they fled the [[Boxer Rebellion]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}}


In 1919, Partch graduated from high school{{which|date=March 2024}}.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=365}}
Partch moved with his family to Arizona for his mother's health. His father worked for the [[Immigration and Naturalization Service|Immigration Service]] there, and they settled in the small town of [[Benson, Arizona|Benson]]. It was still the [[American frontier|Wild West]] there in the early twentieth century, and Partch recalled seeing outlaws in town. Nearby, there were native [[Yaqui people]], whose music he would hear.{{sfn|Schell|2018}} His mother sang to him in [[Mandarin Chinese]], and he heard and sang songs in Spanish. His mother encouraged her children to learn music, and he learned the [[mandolin]], [[violin]], [[piano]],{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}} [[Pump organ|reed organ]], and [[cornet]]. His mother taught him to [[Musical notation|read music]].{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=365}}

The family moved to [[Albuquerque, New Mexico]], in 1913, where Partch studied the piano seriously. He obtained work playing keyboards for [[silent film]]s while he was in high school. By 14, he was composing for the piano. He early found an interest in writing music for dramatic situations,{{what}} and often cited the lost composition{{whose}} ''Death and the Desert'' (1916) as an early example.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}} Partch graduated from high school in 1919.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=365}}


===Early experiments (1919–1947)===
===Early experiments (1919–1947)===

[[File:Harry Partch high school graduation photo 1919.jpg|thumb|187px|right|alt=A black-and-white photograph. Enclosed in an oval, the face of a young man in a suit and tie faces leftward.|Partch in 1919]]
[[File:Harry Partch high school graduation photo 1919.jpg|thumb|187px|right|alt=A black-and-white photograph. Enclosed in an oval, the face of a young man in a suit and tie faces leftward.|Partch in 1919]]
The family moved to Los Angeles in 1919 following the death of Partch's father. There, his mother was killed in a [[trolleycar|trolley]] accident in 1920. He enrolled in the [[University of Southern California]]'s School of Music in 1920, but was dissatisfied with his teachers and left after the summer of 1922.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}} He moved to San Francisco and studied books on music in the libraries there and continued to compose.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} In 1923 he came to reject the standard twelve-tone [[equal temperament]] of Western concert music when he discovered a translation of [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s ''[[Sensations of Tone]]''. The book pointed Partch towards [[just intonation]] as an acoustic basis for his music.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2pp=365–366}} Around this time, while working as an usher for the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]], he had a romantic relationship with the actor [[Ramon Novarro]], then known by his birth name Ramón Samaniego; Samaniego broke off the affair when he started to become successful in his acting career.{{sfn|Gilmore|1998|p=47}}

The family moved to Los Angeles in 1919 following the death of Partch's father. There, his mother was killed in a trolley accident in 1920. He enrolled in the [[University of Southern California]]'s School of Music in 1920, but was dissatisfied with his teachers and left after the summer of 1922.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xvii}} He moved to San Francisco and studied books on music in the libraries there and continued to compose.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} In 1923 he came to reject the standard twelve-tone [[equal temperament]] of Western concert music when he discovered a translation of [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s ''[[Sensations of Tone]]''. The book pointed Partch towards [[just intonation]] as an acoustic basis for his music.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2pp=365–366}} Around this time, while working as an usher for the [[Los Angeles Philharmonic]], he had a romantic relationship with the actor [[Ramon Novarro]], then known by his birth name Ramón Samaniego; Samaniego broke off the affair when he started to become successful in his acting career.{{sfn|Gilmore|1998|p=47}}


By 1925, Partch was putting his theory into practice by developing paper coverings for violin and viola with fingerings in just intonation, and wrote a string quartet using such tunings. He put his theories in words in May 1928 in the first draft for a book, then called ''Exposition of Monophony''.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2pp=365–366}} He supported himself during this time doing a variety of jobs, including teaching piano, proofreading, and working as a sailor.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} In New Orleans in 1930, he resolved to break with the European tradition entirely, and burned all his earlier scores in a [[potbelly stove]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}}
By 1925, Partch was putting his theory into practice by developing paper coverings for violin and viola with fingerings in just intonation, and wrote a string quartet using such tunings. He put his theories in words in May 1928 in the first draft for a book, then called ''Exposition of Monophony''.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2pp=365–366}} He supported himself during this time doing a variety of jobs, including teaching piano, proofreading, and working as a sailor.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} In New Orleans in 1930, he resolved to break with the European tradition entirely, and burned all his earlier scores in a [[potbelly stove]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}}
Line 42: Line 38:
Partch had a New Orleans violin maker build a viola with the [[fingerboard]] of a cello. He used this instrument, dubbed the Adapted Viola, to write music using a scale with twenty-nine tones to the octave.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} Partch's earliest work to survive comes from this period, including works based on Biblical verse and Shakespeare, and ''Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po'' based on translations of the Chinese poetry of [[Li Bai]].{{efn|"Li Po" and "Li Bai" are different renderings of the same name: 李白.}}{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} In 1932, Partch performed the music in San Francisco and Los Angeles with sopranos he had recruited.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} A February 9, 1932, performance at [[Henry Cowell]]'s New Music Society of California attracted reviews. A private group of sponsors sent Partch to New York in 1933, where he gave solo performances and won the support of composers [[Roy Harris]], [[Charles Seeger]], Henry Cowell, [[Howard Hanson]], [[Otto Luening]], [[Walter Piston]], and [[Aaron Copland]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}}
Partch had a New Orleans violin maker build a viola with the [[fingerboard]] of a cello. He used this instrument, dubbed the Adapted Viola, to write music using a scale with twenty-nine tones to the octave.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} Partch's earliest work to survive comes from this period, including works based on Biblical verse and Shakespeare, and ''Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po'' based on translations of the Chinese poetry of [[Li Bai]].{{efn|"Li Po" and "Li Bai" are different renderings of the same name: 李白.}}{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} In 1932, Partch performed the music in San Francisco and Los Angeles with sopranos he had recruited.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}} A February 9, 1932, performance at [[Henry Cowell]]'s New Music Society of California attracted reviews. A private group of sponsors sent Partch to New York in 1933, where he gave solo performances and won the support of composers [[Roy Harris]], [[Charles Seeger]], Henry Cowell, [[Howard Hanson]], [[Otto Luening]], [[Walter Piston]], and [[Aaron Copland]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}}


Partch unsuccessfully applied for [[John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation|Guggenheim]] grants in 1933 and 1934. The [[Carnegie Corporation of New York]] granted him $1500 so he could do research in England. He gave readings at the [[British Museum]] and traveled in Europe. He met [[W. B. Yeats]] in Dublin, whose translation of [[Sophocles]]' ''[[Oedipus Rex|King Oedipus]]'' he wanted to set to his music;{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} he studied the spoken inflection in Yeats's recitation of the text.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=366}} He built a keyboard instrument, the Chromatic Organ, which used a scale with forty-three tones to the octave.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He met musicologist [[Kathleen Schlesinger]], who had recreated an ancient Greek [[kithara]] from images she found on a vase at the [[British Museum]]. Partch made sketches of the instrument in her home,{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} and discussed [[Music of ancient Greece|ancient Greek music theory]] with her.{{sfn|Foley|2012|p=101}}
Partch unsuccessfully applied for [[John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation|Guggenheim]] grants in 1933 and 1934. The [[Carnegie Corporation of New York]] granted him $1500 so he could do research in England. He gave readings at the [[British Museum]] and traveled in Europe. He met [[W. B. Yeats]] in Dublin, whose translation of [[Sophocles]]' ''[[King Oedipus]]'' he wanted to set to his music;{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} he studied the spoken inflection in Yeats's recitation of the text.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=366}} He built a keyboard instrument, the Chromatic Organ, which used a scale with forty-three tones to the octave.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He met musicologist [[Kathleen Schlesinger]], who had recreated an ancient Greek [[kithara]] from images she found on a vase at the [[British Museum]]. Partch made sketches of the instrument in her home,{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} and discussed [[Music of ancient Greece|ancient Greek music theory]] with her.{{sfn|Foley|2012|p=101}}
Partch returned to the U.S. in 1935 at the height of the [[Great Depression]], and spent a transient nine years, often as a [[hobo]], often picking up work or obtaining grants from organizations such as the [[Federal Writers' Project]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} For the first eight months of this period, he kept a journal which was published posthumously as ''Bitter Music''.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xix|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} Partch included notation on the speech inflections of people he met in his travels.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=366}} He continued to compose music, build instruments, and develop his book and theories, and make his first recordings.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He had alterations made by sculptor and designer friend Gordon Newell to the Kithara sketches he had made in England. After taking some woodworking courses in 1938, he built his first Kithara{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} at [[Big Sur]], California,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} at a scale of roughly twice the size of Schlesinger's.{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} In 1942 in Chicago, he built his Chromelodeon—another 43-tone reed organ.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He was staying on the eastern coast of the U.S. when he was awarded a Guggenheim grant in March 1943 to construct instruments and complete a seven-part ''Monophonic Cycle''. On April 22, 1944, the first performance of his ''Americana'' series of compositions was given at [[Carnegie Hall|Carnegie Chamber Music Hall]] put on by the [[League of Composers]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}}
Partch returned to the U.S. in 1935 at the height of the [[Great Depression]], and spent a transient nine years, often as a [[hobo]], often picking up work or obtaining grants from organizations such as the [[Federal Writers' Project]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} For the first eight months of this period, he kept a journal which was published posthumously as ''Bitter Music''.{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xix|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} Partch included notation on the speech inflections of people he met in his travels.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=366}} He continued to compose music, build instruments, and develop his book and theories, and make his first recordings.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He had alterations made by sculptor and designer friend Gordon Newell to the Kithara sketches he had made in England. After taking some woodworking courses in 1938, he built his first Kithara{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} at [[Big Sur]], California,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} at a scale of roughly twice the size of Schlesinger's.{{sfn|Harlan|2007|p=179}} In 1942 in Chicago, he built his Chromelodeon—another 43-tone reed organ.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He was staying on the eastern coast of the U.S. when he was awarded a Guggenheim grant in March 1943 to construct instruments and complete a seven-part ''Monophonic Cycle''. On April 22, 1944, the first performance of his ''Americana'' series of compositions was given at [[Carnegie Hall|Carnegie Chamber Music Hall]] put on by the [[League of Composers]].{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}}


===University work (1947–1962)===
===University work (1947–1962)===

Supported by Guggenheim and university grants, Partch took up residence at the [[University of Wisconsin]] from 1944 until 1947. This was a productive period, in which he lectured, trained an ensemble, staged performances, released his first recordings, and completed his book, now called ''[[Genesis of a Music]]''. ''Genesis'' was completed in 1947 and published in 1949 by the [[University of Wisconsin Press]]. He left the university, as it never accepted him as a member of the permanent staff, and there was little space for his growing stock of instruments.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}}
Supported by Guggenheim and university grants, Partch took up residence at the [[University of Wisconsin]] from 1944 until 1947. This was a productive period, in which he lectured, trained an ensemble, staged performances, released his first recordings, and completed his book, now called ''[[Genesis of a Music]]''. ''Genesis'' was completed in 1947 and published in 1949 by the [[University of Wisconsin Press]]. He left the university, as it never accepted him as a member of the permanent staff, and there was little space for his growing stock of instruments.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}}


In 1949, pianist [[Gunnar Johansen]] allowed Partch to convert a [[Forge|smithy]] on his ranch to a studio. Partch worked there with support from the Guggenheim Foundation,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}} and did recordings, primarily of his ''Eleven Intrusions'' (1949–1950).{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} He was assisted for six months by composer [[Ben Johnston (composer)|Ben Johnston]], who performed on Partch's recordings.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} In spring 1951, Partch moved to Oakland for health reasons, and prepared for a production of ''King Oedipus'' at [[Mills College]],{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} with the support of designer [[Arch Lauterer]].{{sfn|Foley|2012|p=101}} Performances of ''King Oedipus'' in March were extensively reviewed, but a planned recording was blocked by the Yeats estate, which refused to grant permission to use Yeats's translation.{{efn|A recording with Yeats' translation has since been released, as Yeats's text has passed into the [[public domain]].}}{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}}
In 1949, pianist [[Gunnar Johansen]] allowed Partch to convert a [[Forge|smithy]] on his ranch in [[Blue Mounds, Wisconsin]] into a studio. Partch worked there with support from the Guggenheim Foundation,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}} and made recordings, primarily of his ''Eleven Intrusions'' (1949–1950).{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} He was assisted for six months by composer [[Ben Johnston (composer)|Ben Johnston]], who performed on Partch's recordings.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} In early 1951, Partch moved to [[Oakland]] for health reasons, and prepared for a production of ''[[King Oedipus]]'' at [[Mills College]],{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} with the support of designer [[Arch Lauterer]].{{sfn|Foley|2012|p=101}} Performances of ''King Oedipus'' in March were extensively reviewed, but a planned recording was blocked by the [[Yeats]] estate, which refused to grant permission to use Yeats's translation of Sophocles's play.{{efn|A recording with Yeats' translation has since been released, as Yeats's text has passed into the [[public domain]].}}{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}}


In February 1953, Partch founded the studio [[Gate 5]] in an abandoned shipyard in [[Sausalito]], California, where he composed, built instruments and staged performances. Subscriptions to raise money for recordings were organized by the Harry Partch Trust Fund, an organization put together by friends and supporters. The recordings were sold via mail order, as were later releases on the Gate 5 Records label. The money raised from these recordings became his main source of income.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} Partch's three ''Plectra and Percussion Dances'', ''Ring Around the Moon'' (1949–1950), ''Castor and Pollux'', and ''Even Wild Horses'', premiered on Berkeley's [[KPFA]] radio in November 1953.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}}
In February 1953, Partch founded a studio, named [[Gate 5]], in an abandoned shipyard in [[Sausalito]], California, where he composed, built instruments and staged performances. Subscriptions to raise money for recordings were organized by the Harry Partch Trust Fund, an organization put together by friends and supporters. The recordings were sold via mail order, as were later releases on the Gate 5 Records label. The money raised from these recordings became his main source of income.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} Partch's three ''Plectra and Percussion Dances'', ''Ring Around the Moon'' (1949–1950), ''Castor and Pollux'', and ''Even Wild Horses'', premiered on Berkeley's [[KPFA]] radio in November 1953.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}}


After completing ''The Bewitched'' in January 1955, Partch tried to find the means to put on a production of it.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} Ben Johnston introduced [[Danlee Mitchell]] to Partch at the [[University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign|University of Illinois]]; Mitchell later became Partch's heir.{{sfn|Johnston|2006|p=249}} In March 1957, with the help of Johnston and the [[Fromm Foundation]], ''The Bewitched'' was performed at the University of Illinois, and later at [[Washington University in St. Louis]], though Partch was displeased with choreographer [[Alwin Nikolais]]'s interpretation.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} Later in 1957, Partch provided the music for [[Madeline Tourtelot]]'s film ''Windsong'', the first of six film collaborations between the two. From 1959 to 1962, Partch received further appointments from the University of Illinois, and staged productions of ''Revelation in the Courthouse Park''{{efn|''Revelation in the Courthouse Park'' was based on ''[[The Bacchae]]'' by ancient Greek dramatist [[Euripides]].{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} }} in 1961 and ''Water! Water!'' in 1962.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} Though these two works were based, as ''King Oedipus'' had been, on [[Greek mythology]], they modernized the settings and incorporated elements of popular music.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} Partch had support from several departments and organizations at the university, but continuing hostility from the music department convinced him to leave and return to California.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}}
After completing ''The Bewitched'' in January 1955, Partch tried to find the means to put on a production of it.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} Ben Johnston introduced [[Danlee Mitchell]] to Partch at the [[University of Illinois]]; Mitchell later became Partch's heir.{{sfn|Johnston|2006|p=249}} In March 1957, with the help of Johnston and the [[Fromm Foundation]], ''The Bewitched'' was performed at the University of Illinois, and later at [[Washington University in St. Louis]], though Partch was displeased with choreographer [[Alwin Nikolais]]'s interpretation.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} Later in 1957, Partch provided the music for [[Madeline Tourtelot]]'s film ''Windsong'', the first of six film collaborations between the two. From 1959 to 1962, Partch received further appointments from the University of Illinois, and staged productions of ''Revelation in the Courthouse Park''{{efn|''Revelation in the Courthouse Park'' was based on ''[[The Bacchae]]'' by ancient Greek dramatist [[Euripides]].{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} }} in 1961 and ''Water! Water!'' in 1962.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} Though these two works were based, as ''King Oedipus'' had been, on [[Greek mythology]], they modernized the settings and incorporated elements of popular music.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} Partch had support from several departments and organizations at the university, but continuing hostility from the music department convinced him to leave and return to California.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}}


===Later life in California (1962–1974)===
===Later life in California (1962–1974)===
Partch set up a studio in late 1962 in [[Petaluma]], California, in a former chick hatchery. There he composed ''And on the Seventh Day, Petals Fell in Petaluma''. He left northern California in summer 1964, and spent his remaining decade in various cities in southern California. He rarely had university work during this period, and lived on grants, commissions, and record sales.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} A turning point in his popularity was the 1969 [[Columbia Records|Columbia]] LP ''The World of Harry Partch'', the first modern recording of Partch's music and his first release on a major record label.{{sfn|Schell|2017}}


His final theater work was ''[[Delusion of the Fury]]'',{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} which incorporated music from ''Petaluma'',{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} and was first produced at the [[University of California]] in early 1969. In 1970, the Harry Partch Foundation was founded to handle the expenses and administration of Partch's work. His final completed work was the soundtrack to [[Betty Freeman]]'s ''The Dreamer that Remains''. He retired to San Diego in 1973, where he died after suffering a heart attack on September 3, 1974.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|pp=xxii–xxiii}} The same year, a second edition of ''Genesis of a Music'' was published with extra chapters about work and instruments Partch made since the book's original publication.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxvi}}
Partch set up a studio in late 1962 in [[Petaluma, California|Petaluma]], California, in a former chick hatchery. There he composed ''And on the Seventh Day, Petals Fell in Petaluma''. He left in summer 1964, and spent his remaining decade in various cities in southern California. He rarely had university work during this period, and survived on grants, commissions, and record sales.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} A turning point in his popularity was the 1969 Columbia LP ''The World of Harry Partch'', the first modern recording of Partch's music and its first release on a major record label.{{sfn|Schell|2017}}


In 1991, Partch's journals from June 1935 to February 1936 were discovered and published—journals that Partch had believed to have been lost or destroyed.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} In 1998, musicologist [[Bob Gilmore]] published a biography of Partch.
His final theater work was ''[[Delusion of the Fury]]'',{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} which incorporated music from ''Petaluma'',{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=367}} and was first produced at the [[University of California]] in early 1969. In 1970, the Harry Partch Foundation was founded to handle the expenses and administration of Partch's work. His final completed work was the soundtrack to [[Betty Freeman]]'s ''The Dreamer that Remains''. He retired to [[San Diego, California|San Diego]] in 1973, where he died after suffering a [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] on September 3, 1974.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|pp=xxii–xxiii}} The same year, a second edition of ''Genesis of a Music'' was published with extra chapters about work and instruments Partch made since the book's original publication.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxvi}}

In 1991, Partch's journals from June 1935 to February 1936 were discovered and published—journals that Partch had believed to have been lost or destroyed.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}} In 1998, musicologist [[Bob Gilmore]] published a biography of Partch.


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
Partch was first cousins with gag cartoonist [[Virgil Partch]] (1916–1984).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADuyy0FeFfwC&q=virgil+%22harry+partch%22&pg=PA38|author-link=Jonathan Williams (poet)|last=Williams|first=Jonathan|title=A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude|publisher=David R. Godine|year=2002|isbn=9781567921496}}</ref> Partch believed he was [[Infertility|sterile]] due to childhood [[mumps]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Phil |date=November 27, 1998 |title=Music: First, find your hub cap |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music-first-find-your-hub-cap-1187574.html |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> and he had a romantic relationship with the film actor [[Ramon Novarro]].{{sfn|Ross|2005}}

Partch was first cousins with gag cartoonist [[Virgil Partch]] (1916–1984).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADuyy0FeFfwC&q=virgil+%22harry+partch%22&pg=PA38|author-link=Jonathan Williams (poet)|last=Williams|first=Jonathan|title=A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude|publisher=David R. Godine|year=2002|isbn=9781567921496}}</ref> Partch was [[Infertility|sterile]], probably due to childhood [[mumps]], and he had a romantic relationship with the film actor [[Ramon Novarro]] (Ramón Samaniego).{{sfn|Ross|2005}}


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
[[File:Harry Partch (center) directing four Mills College students.jpg|thumb|Partch (center) directing four college students in rehearsal]]

Partch met Danlee Mitchell while he was at the University of Illinois; Partch made Mitchell his heir,{{sfn|Johnston|2006|p=249}} and Mitchell serves as the Executive Director of the Harry Partch Foundation.{{sfn|Taylor|2010|p=251}} [[Dean Drummond]] and his group [[Newband]] took charge of Partch's instruments, and performed his repertoire.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=370}} After Drummond's death in 2013, [[Charles Corey]] assumed responsibility for the instruments.{{sfn|De Pue|2014}}
Partch met Danlee Mitchell while he was at the University of Illinois; Partch made Mitchell his heir,{{sfn|Johnston|2006|p=249}} and Mitchell serves as the executive director of the Harry Partch Foundation.{{sfn|Taylor|2010|p=251}} [[Dean Drummond]] and his group [[Newband]] took charge of Partch's instruments, and performed his repertoire.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=370}} After Drummond's death in 2013, Charles Corey, a former doctoral student of Drummond, assumed responsibility for the instruments.{{sfn|De Pue|2014}}


The [[Sousa Archives and Center for American Music]] in Urbana, Illinois, holds the Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=10747&q=partch|title=Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991 – The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music}}</ref> which consists of Partch's personal papers, musical scores, films, tapes and photographs documenting his career as a composer, writer, and producer. It also holds the Music and performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007,<ref>[http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=10752&q=partch Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007], Sousa Archives and Center for American Music</ref> which consists of books, music, films, personal papers, artifacts and sound recordings collected by the staff of the Music and Performing Arts Library and the University of Illinois School of Music documenting the life and career of Harry Partch, and those associated with him, throughout his career as a composer and writer.
The [[Sousa Archives and Center for American Music]] in Urbana, Illinois, holds the Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=10747&q=partch|title=Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991 – The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music}}</ref> which consists of Partch's personal papers, musical scores, films, tapes and photographs documenting his career as a composer, writer, and producer. It also holds the Music and performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007,<ref>[http://www.library.illinois.edu/archives/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=10752&q=partch Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007], Sousa Archives and Center for American Music</ref> which consists of books, music, films, personal papers, artifacts and sound recordings collected by the staff of the Music and Performing Arts Library and the University of Illinois School of Music documenting the life and career of Harry Partch, and those associated with him, throughout his career as a composer and writer.
Line 75: Line 68:
Partch's notation is an obstacle, as it mixes a sort of [[tablature]] with indications of pitch ratios. This makes it difficult for those trained in traditional Western notation, and gives no visual indication as to what the music is intended to sound like.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=368}}
Partch's notation is an obstacle, as it mixes a sort of [[tablature]] with indications of pitch ratios. This makes it difficult for those trained in traditional Western notation, and gives no visual indication as to what the music is intended to sound like.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=368}}


[[Paul Simon]] used Partch's instruments in the creation of songs for the album ''[[Stranger to Stranger]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/06/08/harry-partch-instruments-now-at-uw-featured-on-new-paul-simon-album|title=Harry Partch instruments, now at UW, featured on new Paul Simon album}}</ref>
[[Paul Simon]] used Partch's instruments in the creation of songs for his 2016 album ''[[Stranger to Stranger]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/06/08/harry-partch-instruments-now-at-uw-featured-on-new-paul-simon-album|title=Harry Partch instruments, now at UW, featured on new Paul Simon album}}</ref>


===Recognition===
===Recognition===
In 1974, Partch was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the [[Percussive Arts Society]], a music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pas.org/About/HOFMain.cfm|title=Percussive Arts Society: Hall of Fame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002094552/http://www.pas.org/About/HOFMain.cfm|archive-date=October 2, 2008}}</ref> In 2004, ''U.S. Highball'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]]'s [[National Recording Preservation Board]] as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/USHighball.pdf|title=U.S. Highball, Added to the National Registry in 2004, Essay by S. Andrew Granade|website=[[Library of Congress]] }}</ref>

In 1974, Partch was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Percussive Arts Society, a music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation throughout the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pas.org/About/HOFMain.cfm|title=Percussive Arts Society: Hall of Fame|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081002094552/http://www.pas.org/About/HOFMain.cfm|archive-date=2008-10-02}}</ref> In 2004, ''U.S. Highball'' was selected by the [[Library of Congress]]'s [[National Recording Preservation Board]] as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/USHighball.pdf|title=U.S. Highball, Added to the National Registry in 2004, Essay by S. Andrew Granade|website=[[Library of Congress]] }}</ref>


==Music==
==Music==

===Theory===
===Theory===

{{Expand section|date=January 2013}}
{{Expand section|date=January 2013}}


[[File:Partchdiamond.svg|thumb|right|alt=|The [[tonality diamond|11-limit tonality diamond]], part of the basis for Partch's music theory]]
[[File:Partchdiamond.svg|thumb|right|alt=|The [[tonality diamond|11-limit tonality diamond]], part of the basis for Partch's music theory]]
Partch made public his theories in his book ''[[Genesis of a Music]]'' (1947). He opens the book with an overview of music history, and argues that Western music began to suffer from the time of [[Bach]], after which twelve-tone equal temperament was adopted to the exclusion of other tuning systems, and abstract, instrumental music became the norm. Partch sought to bring vocal music back to prominence, and adopted tunings and scales he believed more suitable to singing.{{sfn|Ross|2005}}


Inspired by ''[[Sensations of Tone]]'', [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s book on acoustics and the perception of sound, Partch based his music strictly on [[just intonation]]. He tuned his instruments using the [[overtone series]], and extended it up to the eleventh partial. This allowed for a larger number of smaller, unequal intervals than found in the Western classical music tradition's twelve-tone [[equal temperament]]. Partch's tuning is often classed as [[microtonality]], as it allowed for intervals smaller than 100 [[cent (music)|cent]]s, though Partch did not conceive his tuning in such a context.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|pp=368–369}} Instead, he saw it as a return to pre-Classical Western musical roots, in particular to the music of the ancient Greeks. By taking the principles he found in Helmholtz's book, he expanded his tuning system until it allowed for a division of the octave into 43 tones based on ratios of small integers.{{sfn|Ross|2005}}
Partch made public his theories in his book ''[[Genesis of a Music]]'' (1947). He opens the book with an overview of music history, and argues that Western music began to suffer from the time of [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], after which twelve-tone equal temperament was adopted to the exclusion of other tuning systems, and abstract, instrumental music became the norm. Partch sought to bring vocal music back to prominence, and adopted tunings and scales he believed more suitable to singing.{{sfn|Ross|2005}}


Partch uses the terms [[Otonality and Utonality]] to describe chords whose [[pitch class]]es are the [[harmonic]]s or [[subharmonic]]s of a given fixed [[root (chord)|tone]]. These six-tone chords function in Partch's music much the same that the three-tone [[Major chord|major]] and [[Minor chord|minor]] chords (or [[Triad (music)|triad]]s) do in classical music.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=370}} The Otonalities are derived from the [[overtone series]], and the Utonalities from the [[undertone series]].{{sfn|Madden|1999|p=87}}
Inspired by ''[[Sensations of Tone]]'', [[Hermann von Helmholtz]]'s book on acoustics and the perception of sound, Partch based his music strictly on [[just intonation]]. He tuned his instruments using the [[Harmonic series (music)|overtone series]], and extended it up to the eleventh partial. This allowed for a larger number of smaller, unequal intervals than found in the Western classical music tradition's twelve-tone [[equal temperament]]. Partch's tuning is often classed as [[microtonality]], as it allowed for intervals smaller than 100 [[cent (music)|cent]]s, though Partch did not conceive his tuning in such a context.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|pp=368–369}} Instead, he saw it as a return to pre-Classical Western musical roots, in particular to the music of the ancient Greeks. By taking the principles he found in Helmholtz's book, he expanded his tuning system until it allowed for a division of the octave into 43 tones based on ratios of small integers.{{sfn|Ross|2005}}


Partch's [[Genesis of a Music]] has been influential on later generations of composers interested in new intonational systems, such [[Ben Johnston (composer)|Ben Johnston]] and [[James Tenney]] (both of whom worked with Partch in the 1950s).
Partch uses the terms [[Otonality and Utonality]] to describe chords whose [[pitch class]]es are the [[harmonic]]s or [[subharmonic]]s of a given fixed [[root (chord)|tone]]. These six-tone chords function in Partch's music much the same that the three-tone [[Major chord|major]] and [[Minor chord|minor]] chords (or [[Triad (music)|triad]]s) do in classical music.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=370}} The Otonalities are derived from the [[Harmonic series (music)|overtone series]], and the Utonalities from the [[undertone series]].{{sfn|Madden|1999|p=87}}


===Style===
===Style===
{{Expand section|date=December 2012}}
{{Expand section|date=December 2012}}

{{quote box|The age of specialization has given us an art of sound that denies sound, and a science of sound that denies art. The age of specialization has given us a music drama that denies drama, and a drama that—contrary to the practices of all other peoples of the world—denies music.|Partch, in ''Bitter Music'' (2000){{sfn|Partch|2000|p=179}}|width=30em}}
{{quote box|The age of specialization has given us an art of sound that denies sound, and a science of sound that denies art. The age of specialization has given us a music drama that denies drama, and a drama that—contrary to the practices of all other peoples of the world—denies music.|Partch, in ''Bitter Music'' (2000){{sfn|Partch|2000|p=179}}|width=30em}}


Partch rejected the Western concert music tradition, saying that the music of composers such as Beethoven "has only the feeblest roots" in Western culture.{{sfn|Yang|2008|p=53}} His Orientalism was particularly pronounced—sometimes explicitly, as when he set to music the poetry of [[Li Bai]],{{sfn|Yang|2008|pp=53–54}} or when he combined two Noh dramas with one from Ethiopia in ''The Delusion of the Fury''.{{sfn|Yang|2008|p=56}}
Partch rejected the Western concert music tradition, saying that the music of composers such as Beethoven "has only the feeblest roots" in [[Western culture]].{{sfn|Yang|2008|p=53}} His non-Western orientation was particularly pronounced—sometimes explicitly, as when he set to music the poetry of [[Li Bai]],{{sfn|Yang|2008|pp=53–54}} or when he combined two [[Noh]] dramas with one from [[Ethiopia]] in ''The Delusion of the Fury''.{{sfn|Yang|2008|p=56}}


Partch believed that Western music of the 20th century suffered from excessive specialization. He objected to the theatre of the day which he believed had divorced music and drama, and strove to create complete, integrated theatre works in which he expected each performer to sing, dance, play instruments, and take on speaking parts. Partch used the words "ritual" and "corporeal" to describe his theatre works—musicians and their instruments were not hidden in an [[orchestra pit]] or offstage, but were a visual part of the performance.{{sfn|Sheppard|2001|pp=180–181}}
Partch believed that [[20th-century classical music|Western music of the 20th century]] suffered from over-specialization. He objected to the theatre of the day, which he believed had divorced music and drama, and he strove to create complete, integrated theatre works, in which he expected each performer to sing, dance, play instruments, and take on speaking parts. Partch used the words "ritual" and "corporeal" to describe his theatre works—musicians and their instruments were not hidden in an [[orchestra pit]] or offstage, but were a visual part of the performance.{{sfn|Sheppard|2001|pp=180–181}}


===Rhythmic range===
===Rhythmic range===
Partch's approach to rhythm ranged from unspecified to complex. In ''Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po'' for the Adapted Viola, Partch "doesn't bother with rhythmic notation at all, but simply directs performers to follow the natural rhythms of the poem."{{sfn|Schell|2018}} His rhythmic structures that were specified in ''Castor and Pollux'' were far more structured: "Each of the duets last 234 beats. In the first half (Castor) the music alternates between 4 and 5 beats to a bar, and there’s usually a rest on the eighth of the nine beats. In the second half (Pollux) the rhythm’s a bit more complicated, with six bars of 7 beats alternating with six bars of 9 beats until 234 beats are reached."{{sfn|Schell|2018}}
Partch's approach to rhythm ranged from unspecified to complex. In ''Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po'' for the Adapted Viola, Partch "doesn't bother with rhythmic notation at all, but simply directs performers to follow the natural rhythms of the poem."{{sfn|Schell|2018}} His rhythmic structures that were specified in ''Castor and Pollux'' were far more structured: "Each of the duets last 234 beats. In the first half (Castor) the music alternates between 4 and 5 beats to a bar, and there's usually a rest on the eighth of the nine beats. In the second half (Pollux) the rhythm's a bit more complicated, with six bars of 7 beats alternating with six bars of 9 beats until 234 beats are reached."{{sfn|Schell|2018}}


===Instruments===
===Instruments===
{{Main|List of instruments by Harry Partch}}
{{Main|List of instruments by Harry Partch}}


Partch called himself "a philosophic music-man seduced into carpentry".{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} The path towards Partch's use of various unique instruments was gradual.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=369}} Partch began in the 1920s using traditional instruments, and wrote a string quartet in just intonation (now lost).{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} He had his first specialized instrument built for him in 1930—the Adapted Viola, a viola with a cello's neck fitted on it.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}}
Partch called himself "a philosophic music-man seduced into carpentry".{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} The path towards Partch's use of various unique instruments was gradual.{{sfn|Gilmore|Johnston|2002|p=369}} He began in the 1920s using traditional instruments, and wrote a string quartet in just intonation (now lost).{{sfnm|1a1=McGeary|1y=2000|1p=xviii|2a1=Gilmore|2a2=Johnston|2y=2002|2p=366}} He had his first specialized instrument built for him in 1930—the Adapted Viola, a viola with a cello's neck fitted on it.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xviii}}


Most of Partch's works used the instruments he created exclusively. Some works made use of unaltered standard instruments such as [[clarinet]] or [[cello]]; ''Revelation in the Courtyard Park'' (1960) used an unaltered small wind band,{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} and ''Yankee Doodle Fantasy'' (1944) used unaltered [[oboe]] and flute.{{sfn|Gann|2006|p=191}}
Most of Partch's works exclusively used the instruments he had created. Some works made use of unaltered standard instruments such as clarinet or cello; ''Revelation in the Courtyard Park'' (1960) used an unaltered small wind band,{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} and ''Yankee Doodle Fantasy'' (1944) used unaltered oboe and flute.{{sfn|Gann|2006|p=191}}


In 1991, [[Dean Drummond]] became the custodian of the original Harry Partch instrument collection until his death in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/31/arts/some-offbeat-instruments-move-to-new-york.html|title=Some Offbeat Instruments Move to New York|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=31 July 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/arts/music/dean-drummond-composer-and-musician-dies-at-64.html|title=Dean Drummond, Composer and Musician, Dies at 64|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=18 April 2013}}</ref> In 1999 Drummond brought the instruments to [[Montclair State University]] in [[Montclair, New Jersey]] where they resided until November 2014 when they moved to University of Washington in Seattle. They are currently under the care of Charles Corey.{{sfn|De Pue|2014}}
In 1991, [[Dean Drummond]] became the custodian of the original Harry Partch instrument collection until his death in 2013.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/31/arts/some-offbeat-instruments-move-to-new-york.html|title=Some Offbeat Instruments Move to New York|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=July 31, 1991}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/18/arts/music/dean-drummond-composer-and-musician-dies-at-64.html|title=Dean Drummond, Composer and Musician, Dies at 64|first=Allan|last=Kozinn|newspaper=The New York Times |author-link=Allan Kozinn|date=April 18, 2013}}</ref> In 1999 Drummond brought the instruments to [[Montclair State University]] in [[Montclair, New Jersey]], where they resided until November 2014, when they were moved to the [[University of Washington, Seattle]]. They are currently under the care of Charles Corey, Drummond's former PhD student.{{sfn|De Pue|2014}}

In 2012 a complete set of replicas was built by Thomas Meixner under commission by [[Ensemble Musikfabrik]] and used in performances of Partch's work including ''[[Delusion of the Fury]]''.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Michael |title=Reviving a Harry Partch Work With Hubcaps and Wine Bottles |work=The New York Times |date=July 21, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/22/arts/music/reviving-a-harry-partch-work-with-hubcaps-and-wine-bottles.html |access-date=May 27, 2023}}</ref>


<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
<gallery widths="200px" heights="160px">
Line 125: Line 117:
{{Main|List of works by Harry Partch}}
{{Main|List of works by Harry Partch}}


[[File:The Harry Partch Ensemble.png|thumb|The Harry Partch Ensemble (2019).]]
Partch's later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments.{{sfn|Sheppard|2001|pp=180–181}}
Partch's later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments.{{sfn|Sheppard|2001|pp=180–181}}


Partch described the theory and practice of his music in his book ''Genesis of a Music'', which he had published first in 1947,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}} and in an expanded edition in 1974.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxvi}} A collection of essays, journals, and librettos by Partch was published as posthumously as ''Bitter Music'' 1991.
Partch described the theory and practice of his music in his book ''Genesis of a Music'', which he had published first in 1947,{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xx}} and in an expanded edition in 1974.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxvi}} A collection of essays, journals, and librettos by Partch was published as posthumously as ''Bitter Music'' 1991.


Partch partially supported himself with the sales of recordings, which he began making in the late 1930s.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He published his recordings under the Gate 5 Records label beginning in 1953.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} On recordings such as the soundtrack to ''Windsong'', he used [[multitrack recording]], which allowed him to play all the instruments himself. He never used synthesized or computer-generated sounds, though he had access to such technology.{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} Partch scored six films by Madeline Tourtelot, starting with 1957's ''Windsong'', and was the subject of a number of documentaries.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}}
Partch partially supported himself with the sales of recordings, which he began making in the late 1930s.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xix}} He published his recordings under the Gate 5 Records label beginning in 1953.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxi}} On recordings such as the soundtrack to ''Windsong'', he used [[multitrack recording]], which allowed him to play all the instruments himself. He never used synthesized or computer-generated sounds, though he had access to such technology.{{sfn|Harrison|2000|p=136}} Partch scored six films by Madeline Tourtelot, starting with 1957's ''Windsong''. He has been the subject of a number of documentary films.{{sfn|McGeary|2000|p=xxii}}


==References==
==References==
Line 147: Line 140:
|publisher = University of Washington School of Music
|publisher = University of Washington School of Music
|url = https://music.washington.edu/news/2014/11/20/harry-partch-instrumentarium-takes-residency-uw
|url = https://music.washington.edu/news/2014/11/20/harry-partch-instrumentarium-takes-residency-uw
|access-date = 18 April 2015}}
|access-date = April 18, 2015}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|first = Lou
|first = Lou
Line 194: Line 187:
|pages = 365–372
|pages = 365–372
|chapter = Harry Partch (1901–1974)}}
|chapter = Harry Partch (1901–1974)}}
* {{cite book
|last=Granade
|first=S. Andrew
|title=Harry Partch, Hobo Composer
|url=http://www.urpress.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=14574
|year=2014
|publisher=University of Rochester Press
|isbn=978-1-580-46495-6}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|last = Harlan
|last = Harlan
|first = Brian Timothy
|first = Brian Timothy
|title = One Voice: A Reconciliation of Harry Partch's Disparate Theories
|title = One Voice: A Reconciliation of Harry Partch's Disparate Theories
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ta-j3J8Xeu8C
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ta-j3J8Xeu8C
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170111145827/https://books.google.com/books?id=ta-j3J8Xeu8C
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = January 11, 2017
|year = 2007
|year = 2007
|isbn = 978-0-549-29631-7}}
|isbn = 978-0-549-29631-7
}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|last = Johnston
|last = Johnston
Line 247: Line 252:
|author-link = Alex Ross (music critic)
|author-link = Alex Ross (music critic)
|magazine = The New Yorker
|magazine = The New Yorker
|date = 2005-04-18
|date = April 18, 2005
|publisher = Condé Nast
|issn = 0028-792X}}
|issn = 0028-792X}}
* {{cite web
* {{cite web
Line 257: Line 261:
|publisher = Second Inversion
|publisher = Second Inversion
|url = https://www.secondinversion.org/2017/05/30/harry-partch-party-celebrating-a-musical-maverick/
|url = https://www.secondinversion.org/2017/05/30/harry-partch-party-celebrating-a-musical-maverick/
|access-date = 8 May 2018}}
|access-date = May 8, 2018}}
* {{cite web
* {{cite web
|last = Schell
|last = Schell
Line 265: Line 269:
|publisher = Second Inversion
|publisher = Second Inversion
|url = https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/05/09/not-even-harry-partch-can-be-an-island/
|url = https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/05/09/not-even-harry-partch-can-be-an-island/
|access-date = 10 May 2018}}
|access-date = May 10, 2018}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|first = W. Anthony
|first = W. Anthony
Line 300: Line 304:
|url = http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html
|url = http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040609184925/http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040609184925/http://musicmavericks.publicradio.org/features/feature_partch.html
|archive-date= 9 June 2009
|archive-date= June 9, 2004
|url-status = dead
|url-status = dead
|title = Harry Partch's Instruments
|title = Harry Partch's Instruments
|publisher = [[American Public Media]]
|work = American Mavericks
|work = American Mavericks
|publisher = [[American Public Media]]
|date = February 2003
|date = February 2003
|access-date = 2012-01-09}}
|access-date = January 9, 2012}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|first = Philip
|first = Philip
Line 342: Line 346:
|publisher = [[University of California Press]]
|publisher = [[University of California Press]]
|isbn = 978-0-520-93593-8}}
|isbn = 978-0-520-93593-8}}
* {{cite book
|last=Granade
|first=S. Andrew
|title=Harry Partch, Hobo Composer
|url=http://www.urpress.com/store/viewItem.asp?idProduct=14574
|year=2014
|publisher=University of Rochester Press
|isbn=978-1-580-46495-6}}
* {{cite book
* {{cite book
|last = Hopkin
|last = Hopkin
Line 423: Line 419:
* [http://www.corporealmeadows.com/ Corporeal Meadows – The Legacy of Harry Partch: produced for the Harry Parch Estate]
* [http://www.corporealmeadows.com/ Corporeal Meadows – The Legacy of Harry Partch: produced for the Harry Parch Estate]
* [http://www.corporeal.com/ Corporeal Meadows Archive – of the earlier incarnation of Corporeal Meadows]
* [http://www.corporeal.com/ Corporeal Meadows Archive – of the earlier incarnation of Corporeal Meadows]
* [http://www.musicmavericks.org/features/feature_partch.html American Mavericks: Harry Partch's Instruments – playable with explanations and musical examples] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705213840/http://www.musicmavericks.org/features/feature_partch.html |date=2008-07-05 }}
* [http://www.musicmavericks.org/features/feature_partch.html American Mavericks: Harry Partch's Instruments – playable with explanations and musical examples] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705213840/http://www.musicmavericks.org/features/feature_partch.html |date=July 5, 2008 }}
* [https://www.secondinversion.org/2017/05/30/harry-partch-party-celebrating-a-musical-maverick/ Harry Partch: Celebrating a Musical Maverick] at Second Inversion
* [https://www.secondinversion.org/2017/05/30/harry-partch-party-celebrating-a-musical-maverick/ Harry Partch: Celebrating a Musical Maverick] at Second Inversion
* [https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/05/09/not-even-harry-partch-can-be-an-island/ Not even Harry Partch can be an island] at Second Inversion
* [https://www.secondinversion.org/2018/05/09/not-even-harry-partch-can-be-an-island/ Not even Harry Partch can be an island] at Second Inversion
Line 436: Line 432:
* [https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/musa/publications/musa-9-harry-partch Harry Partch] at Music of the United States of America (MUSA)
* [https://sites.google.com/a/umich.edu/musa/publications/musa-9-harry-partch Harry Partch] at Music of the United States of America (MUSA)
* {{IMDb name|0663945}}
* {{IMDb name|0663945}}
* {{Find a Grave|19868210}}
* [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0629.html Harry Partch Music Scores] MSS 629. [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/ Special Collections & Archives], UC San Diego Library.
* [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/speccoll/findingaids/mss0629.html Harry Partch Music Scores] MSS 629. [http://libraries.ucsd.edu/collections/sca/ Special Collections & Archives], UC San Diego Library.


Line 451: Line 446:
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American composers]]
[[Category:20th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:20th-century American inventors]]
[[Category:20th-century American LGBT people]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:20th-century LGBT people]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicologists]]
[[Category:20th-century American musicologists]]
[[Category:20th-century classical composers]]
[[Category:American avant-garde musicians]]
[[Category:American avant-garde musicians]]
[[Category:American classical composers]]
[[Category:American classical composers]]
[[Category:American classical violists]]
[[Category:American classical violists]]
[[Category:American experimental composers]]
[[Category:American gay musicians]]
[[Category:American gay musicians]]
[[Category:American LGBT composers]]
[[Category:American male classical composers]]
[[Category:American male classical composers]]
[[Category:American multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:American multi-instrumentalists]]
[[Category:American music theorists]]
[[Category:American music theorists]]
[[Category:American musical instrument makers]]
[[Category:American musical instrument makers]]
[[Category:American outsider musicians]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Columbia Records artists]]
[[Category:Experimental composers]]
[[Category:Gay composers]]
[[Category:Inventors of musical instruments]]
[[Category:Inventors of musical instruments]]
[[Category:Inventors of musical tunings]]
[[Category:Inventors of musical tunings]]
[[Category:Just intonation composers]]
[[Category:Just intonation composers]]
[[Category:LGBT artists from the United States]]
[[Category:LGBT classical composers]]
[[Category:LGBT classical composers]]
[[Category:LGBT classical musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT classical musicians]]
[[Category:American LGBT musicians]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:LGBT people from California]]
[[Category:Marimbists]]
[[Category:Marimbists]]
Line 479: Line 474:
[[Category:Music theorists]]
[[Category:Music theorists]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Musicians from Oakland, California]]
[[Category:Outsider musicians]]
[[Category:People from Benson, Arizona]]
[[Category:People from Benson, Arizona]]

Revision as of 20:11, 9 August 2024

Harry Partch
portrait of Harry Partch, circa 1952
c. 1952
Born(1901-06-24)June 24, 1901
DiedSeptember 3, 1974(1974-09-03) (aged 73)
Occupations
  • Composer
  • writer
  • pianist
  • publisher
  • teacher

Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer, music theorist, and creator of unique musical instruments. He composed using scales of unequal intervals in just intonation, and was one of the first 20th-century composers in the West to work systematically with microtonal scales, alongside Lou Harrison. He built his own instruments in these tunings on which to play his compositions, and described the method behind his theory and practice in his book Genesis of a Music (1947).

Partch composed with scales dividing the octave into 43 unequal tones derived from the natural harmonic series; these scales allowed for more tones of smaller intervals than in standard Western tuning, which uses twelve equal intervals to the octave. To play his music, Partch built many unique instruments, with such names as the Chromelodeon, the Quadrangularis Reversum, and the Zymo-Xyl. Partch described his music as corporeal, and distinguished it from abstract music, which he perceived as the dominant trend in Western music since the time of Bach. His earliest compositions were small-scale pieces to be intoned to instrumental backing; his later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments. Ancient Greek theatre and Japanese Noh and kabuki heavily influenced his music theatre.

Encouraged by his mother, Partch learned several instruments at a young age. By fourteen, he was composing, and in particular took to setting dramatic situations.[clarification needed] He dropped out of the University of Southern California's School of Music in 1922, dissatisfied with the quality of his teachers. He took to self-study in San Francisco's libraries, where he discovered Hermann von Helmholtz's Sensations of Tone, which convinced him to devote himself to music based on scales tuned in just intonation. In 1930, he burned all his previous compositions in a rejection of the European concert tradition. Partch frequently moved around the US. Early in his career, he was a transient worker, and sometimes a hobo; later he depended on grants, university appointments, and record sales to support himself. In 1970, supporters created the Harry Partch Foundation to administer Partch's music and instruments.

Personal history

Early life (1901–1919)

A black-and-white photograph of a couple. On the left is a seated man with a moustache weraing a dark suit. Standing on the right is a woman in a white dress, body facing left. Both face the camera.
Partch's parents, Virgil and Jennie (1888).

On June 24, 1901, Partch was born in Oakland, California. His parents were Virgil Franklin Partch (1860–1919) and Jennie (née Childers, 1863–1920). The Presbyterian couple were missionaries, serving in China from 1888 to 1893, and again from 1895 to 1900, when they fled the Boxer Rebellion.[1]

Partch moved[when?] with his family to Arizona for his mother's health. His father worked for the Immigration Service there, and they settled in the small town of Benson. It was still the Wild West there in the early twentieth century, and Partch recalled seeing outlaws in town. Nearby, there were native Yaqui people, whose music he would hear.[2] His mother sang to him in Mandarin Chinese, and he heard and sang songs in Spanish. His mother encouraged her children to learn music, and he learned the mandolin, violin, piano,[1] reed organ, and cornet. His mother taught him to read music.[3]

In 1913, the family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Partch began to study the piano seriously. He obtained work playing keyboards for silent films while he was in high school. By 14, he was composing for the piano. He developed an early interest in writing music for dramatic situations,[clarification needed] and cited his lost composition Death and the Desert (1916) as an early example.[1]

In 1919, Partch graduated from high school[which?].[3]

Early experiments (1919–1947)

A black-and-white photograph. Enclosed in an oval, the face of a young man in a suit and tie faces leftward.
Partch in 1919

The family moved to Los Angeles in 1919 following the death of Partch's father. There, his mother was killed in a trolley accident in 1920. He enrolled in the University of Southern California's School of Music in 1920, but was dissatisfied with his teachers and left after the summer of 1922.[1] He moved to San Francisco and studied books on music in the libraries there and continued to compose.[4] In 1923 he came to reject the standard twelve-tone equal temperament of Western concert music when he discovered a translation of Hermann von Helmholtz's Sensations of Tone. The book pointed Partch towards just intonation as an acoustic basis for his music.[5] Around this time, while working as an usher for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, he had a romantic relationship with the actor Ramon Novarro, then known by his birth name Ramón Samaniego; Samaniego broke off the affair when he started to become successful in his acting career.[6]

By 1925, Partch was putting his theory into practice by developing paper coverings for violin and viola with fingerings in just intonation, and wrote a string quartet using such tunings. He put his theories in words in May 1928 in the first draft for a book, then called Exposition of Monophony.[5] He supported himself during this time doing a variety of jobs, including teaching piano, proofreading, and working as a sailor.[4] In New Orleans in 1930, he resolved to break with the European tradition entirely, and burned all his earlier scores in a potbelly stove.[4]

Partch had a New Orleans violin maker build a viola with the fingerboard of a cello. He used this instrument, dubbed the Adapted Viola, to write music using a scale with twenty-nine tones to the octave.[4] Partch's earliest work to survive comes from this period, including works based on Biblical verse and Shakespeare, and Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po based on translations of the Chinese poetry of Li Bai.[a][7] In 1932, Partch performed the music in San Francisco and Los Angeles with sopranos he had recruited.[4] A February 9, 1932, performance at Henry Cowell's New Music Society of California attracted reviews. A private group of sponsors sent Partch to New York in 1933, where he gave solo performances and won the support of composers Roy Harris, Charles Seeger, Henry Cowell, Howard Hanson, Otto Luening, Walter Piston, and Aaron Copland.[8]

Partch unsuccessfully applied for Guggenheim grants in 1933 and 1934. The Carnegie Corporation of New York granted him $1500 so he could do research in England. He gave readings at the British Museum and traveled in Europe. He met W. B. Yeats in Dublin, whose translation of Sophocles' King Oedipus he wanted to set to his music;[8] he studied the spoken inflection in Yeats's recitation of the text.[9] He built a keyboard instrument, the Chromatic Organ, which used a scale with forty-three tones to the octave.[8] He met musicologist Kathleen Schlesinger, who had recreated an ancient Greek kithara from images she found on a vase at the British Museum. Partch made sketches of the instrument in her home,[10] and discussed ancient Greek music theory with her.[11] Partch returned to the U.S. in 1935 at the height of the Great Depression, and spent a transient nine years, often as a hobo, often picking up work or obtaining grants from organizations such as the Federal Writers' Project.[8] For the first eight months of this period, he kept a journal which was published posthumously as Bitter Music.[12] Partch included notation on the speech inflections of people he met in his travels.[9] He continued to compose music, build instruments, and develop his book and theories, and make his first recordings.[8] He had alterations made by sculptor and designer friend Gordon Newell to the Kithara sketches he had made in England. After taking some woodworking courses in 1938, he built his first Kithara[10] at Big Sur, California,[8] at a scale of roughly twice the size of Schlesinger's.[10] In 1942 in Chicago, he built his Chromelodeon—another 43-tone reed organ.[8] He was staying on the eastern coast of the U.S. when he was awarded a Guggenheim grant in March 1943 to construct instruments and complete a seven-part Monophonic Cycle. On April 22, 1944, the first performance of his Americana series of compositions was given at Carnegie Chamber Music Hall put on by the League of Composers.[13]

University work (1947–1962)

Supported by Guggenheim and university grants, Partch took up residence at the University of Wisconsin from 1944 until 1947. This was a productive period, in which he lectured, trained an ensemble, staged performances, released his first recordings, and completed his book, now called Genesis of a Music. Genesis was completed in 1947 and published in 1949 by the University of Wisconsin Press. He left the university, as it never accepted him as a member of the permanent staff, and there was little space for his growing stock of instruments.[13]

In 1949, pianist Gunnar Johansen allowed Partch to convert a smithy on his ranch in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin into a studio. Partch worked there with support from the Guggenheim Foundation,[13] and made recordings, primarily of his Eleven Intrusions (1949–1950).[14] He was assisted for six months by composer Ben Johnston, who performed on Partch's recordings.[15] In early 1951, Partch moved to Oakland for health reasons, and prepared for a production of King Oedipus at Mills College,[15] with the support of designer Arch Lauterer.[11] Performances of King Oedipus in March were extensively reviewed, but a planned recording was blocked by the Yeats estate, which refused to grant permission to use Yeats's translation of Sophocles's play.[b][15]

In February 1953, Partch founded a studio, named Gate 5, in an abandoned shipyard in Sausalito, California, where he composed, built instruments and staged performances. Subscriptions to raise money for recordings were organized by the Harry Partch Trust Fund, an organization put together by friends and supporters. The recordings were sold via mail order, as were later releases on the Gate 5 Records label. The money raised from these recordings became his main source of income.[15] Partch's three Plectra and Percussion Dances, Ring Around the Moon (1949–1950), Castor and Pollux, and Even Wild Horses, premiered on Berkeley's KPFA radio in November 1953.[14]

After completing The Bewitched in January 1955, Partch tried to find the means to put on a production of it.[16] Ben Johnston introduced Danlee Mitchell to Partch at the University of Illinois; Mitchell later became Partch's heir.[17] In March 1957, with the help of Johnston and the Fromm Foundation, The Bewitched was performed at the University of Illinois, and later at Washington University in St. Louis, though Partch was displeased with choreographer Alwin Nikolais's interpretation.[15] Later in 1957, Partch provided the music for Madeline Tourtelot's film Windsong, the first of six film collaborations between the two. From 1959 to 1962, Partch received further appointments from the University of Illinois, and staged productions of Revelation in the Courthouse Park[c] in 1961 and Water! Water! in 1962.[16] Though these two works were based, as King Oedipus had been, on Greek mythology, they modernized the settings and incorporated elements of popular music.[14] Partch had support from several departments and organizations at the university, but continuing hostility from the music department convinced him to leave and return to California.[16]

Later life in California (1962–1974)

Partch set up a studio in late 1962 in Petaluma, California, in a former chick hatchery. There he composed And on the Seventh Day, Petals Fell in Petaluma. He left northern California in summer 1964, and spent his remaining decade in various cities in southern California. He rarely had university work during this period, and lived on grants, commissions, and record sales.[16] A turning point in his popularity was the 1969 Columbia LP The World of Harry Partch, the first modern recording of Partch's music and his first release on a major record label.[18]

His final theater work was Delusion of the Fury,[16] which incorporated music from Petaluma,[14] and was first produced at the University of California in early 1969. In 1970, the Harry Partch Foundation was founded to handle the expenses and administration of Partch's work. His final completed work was the soundtrack to Betty Freeman's The Dreamer that Remains. He retired to San Diego in 1973, where he died after suffering a heart attack on September 3, 1974.[19] The same year, a second edition of Genesis of a Music was published with extra chapters about work and instruments Partch made since the book's original publication.[20]

In 1991, Partch's journals from June 1935 to February 1936 were discovered and published—journals that Partch had believed to have been lost or destroyed.[16] In 1998, musicologist Bob Gilmore published a biography of Partch.

Personal life

Partch was first cousins with gag cartoonist Virgil Partch (1916–1984).[21] Partch believed he was sterile due to childhood mumps,[22] and he had a romantic relationship with the film actor Ramon Novarro.[23]

Legacy

Partch (center) directing four college students in rehearsal

Partch met Danlee Mitchell while he was at the University of Illinois; Partch made Mitchell his heir,[17] and Mitchell serves as the executive director of the Harry Partch Foundation.[24] Dean Drummond and his group Newband took charge of Partch's instruments, and performed his repertoire.[25] After Drummond's death in 2013, Charles Corey, a former doctoral student of Drummond, assumed responsibility for the instruments.[26]

The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music in Urbana, Illinois, holds the Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991,[27] which consists of Partch's personal papers, musical scores, films, tapes and photographs documenting his career as a composer, writer, and producer. It also holds the Music and performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007,[28] which consists of books, music, films, personal papers, artifacts and sound recordings collected by the staff of the Music and Performing Arts Library and the University of Illinois School of Music documenting the life and career of Harry Partch, and those associated with him, throughout his career as a composer and writer.

Partch's notation is an obstacle, as it mixes a sort of tablature with indications of pitch ratios. This makes it difficult for those trained in traditional Western notation, and gives no visual indication as to what the music is intended to sound like.[29]

Paul Simon used Partch's instruments in the creation of songs for his 2016 album Stranger to Stranger.[30]

Recognition

In 1974, Partch was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Percussive Arts Society, a music service organization promoting percussion education, research, performance and appreciation.[31] In 2004, U.S. Highball was selected by the Library of Congress's National Recording Preservation Board as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[32]

Music

Theory

The 11-limit tonality diamond, part of the basis for Partch's music theory

Partch made public his theories in his book Genesis of a Music (1947). He opens the book with an overview of music history, and argues that Western music began to suffer from the time of Bach, after which twelve-tone equal temperament was adopted to the exclusion of other tuning systems, and abstract, instrumental music became the norm. Partch sought to bring vocal music back to prominence, and adopted tunings and scales he believed more suitable to singing.[23]

Inspired by Sensations of Tone, Hermann von Helmholtz's book on acoustics and the perception of sound, Partch based his music strictly on just intonation. He tuned his instruments using the overtone series, and extended it up to the eleventh partial. This allowed for a larger number of smaller, unequal intervals than found in the Western classical music tradition's twelve-tone equal temperament. Partch's tuning is often classed as microtonality, as it allowed for intervals smaller than 100 cents, though Partch did not conceive his tuning in such a context.[33] Instead, he saw it as a return to pre-Classical Western musical roots, in particular to the music of the ancient Greeks. By taking the principles he found in Helmholtz's book, he expanded his tuning system until it allowed for a division of the octave into 43 tones based on ratios of small integers.[23]

Partch uses the terms Otonality and Utonality to describe chords whose pitch classes are the harmonics or subharmonics of a given fixed tone. These six-tone chords function in Partch's music much the same that the three-tone major and minor chords (or triads) do in classical music.[25] The Otonalities are derived from the overtone series, and the Utonalities from the undertone series.[34]

Partch's Genesis of a Music has been influential on later generations of composers interested in new intonational systems, such Ben Johnston and James Tenney (both of whom worked with Partch in the 1950s).

Style

The age of specialization has given us an art of sound that denies sound, and a science of sound that denies art. The age of specialization has given us a music drama that denies drama, and a drama that—contrary to the practices of all other peoples of the world—denies music.

Partch, in Bitter Music (2000)[35]

Partch rejected the Western concert music tradition, saying that the music of composers such as Beethoven "has only the feeblest roots" in Western culture.[36] His non-Western orientation was particularly pronounced—sometimes explicitly, as when he set to music the poetry of Li Bai,[37] or when he combined two Noh dramas with one from Ethiopia in The Delusion of the Fury.[38]

Partch believed that Western music of the 20th century suffered from over-specialization. He objected to the theatre of the day, which he believed had divorced music and drama, and he strove to create complete, integrated theatre works, in which he expected each performer to sing, dance, play instruments, and take on speaking parts. Partch used the words "ritual" and "corporeal" to describe his theatre works—musicians and their instruments were not hidden in an orchestra pit or offstage, but were a visual part of the performance.[39]

Rhythmic range

Partch's approach to rhythm ranged from unspecified to complex. In Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po for the Adapted Viola, Partch "doesn't bother with rhythmic notation at all, but simply directs performers to follow the natural rhythms of the poem."[2] His rhythmic structures that were specified in Castor and Pollux were far more structured: "Each of the duets last 234 beats. In the first half (Castor) the music alternates between 4 and 5 beats to a bar, and there's usually a rest on the eighth of the nine beats. In the second half (Pollux) the rhythm's a bit more complicated, with six bars of 7 beats alternating with six bars of 9 beats until 234 beats are reached."[2]

Instruments

Partch called himself "a philosophic music-man seduced into carpentry".[40] The path towards Partch's use of various unique instruments was gradual.[41] He began in the 1920s using traditional instruments, and wrote a string quartet in just intonation (now lost).[7] He had his first specialized instrument built for him in 1930—the Adapted Viola, a viola with a cello's neck fitted on it.[4]

Most of Partch's works exclusively used the instruments he had created. Some works made use of unaltered standard instruments such as clarinet or cello; Revelation in the Courtyard Park (1960) used an unaltered small wind band,[40] and Yankee Doodle Fantasy (1944) used unaltered oboe and flute.[42]

In 1991, Dean Drummond became the custodian of the original Harry Partch instrument collection until his death in 2013.[43][44] In 1999 Drummond brought the instruments to Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, where they resided until November 2014, when they were moved to the University of Washington, Seattle. They are currently under the care of Charles Corey, Drummond's former PhD student.[26]

In 2012 a complete set of replicas was built by Thomas Meixner under commission by Ensemble Musikfabrik and used in performances of Partch's work including Delusion of the Fury.[45]

Works

The Harry Partch Ensemble (2019).

Partch's later works were large-scale, integrated theater productions in which he expected each of the performers to sing, dance, speak, and play instruments.[39]

Partch described the theory and practice of his music in his book Genesis of a Music, which he had published first in 1947,[13] and in an expanded edition in 1974.[20] A collection of essays, journals, and librettos by Partch was published as posthumously as Bitter Music 1991.

Partch partially supported himself with the sales of recordings, which he began making in the late 1930s.[8] He published his recordings under the Gate 5 Records label beginning in 1953.[15] On recordings such as the soundtrack to Windsong, he used multitrack recording, which allowed him to play all the instruments himself. He never used synthesized or computer-generated sounds, though he had access to such technology.[40] Partch scored six films by Madeline Tourtelot, starting with 1957's Windsong. He has been the subject of a number of documentary films.[16]

References

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ "Li Po" and "Li Bai" are different renderings of the same name: 李白.
  2. ^ A recording with Yeats' translation has since been released, as Yeats's text has passed into the public domain.
  3. ^ Revelation in the Courthouse Park was based on The Bacchae by ancient Greek dramatist Euripides.[14]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d McGeary 2000, p. xvii.
  2. ^ a b c Schell 2018.
  3. ^ a b Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 365.
  4. ^ a b c d e f McGeary 2000, p. xviii.
  5. ^ a b McGeary 2000, p. xviii; Gilmore & Johnston 2002, pp. 365–366.
  6. ^ Gilmore 1998, p. 47.
  7. ^ a b McGeary 2000, p. xviii; Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 366.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h McGeary 2000, p. xix.
  9. ^ a b Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 366.
  10. ^ a b c Harlan 2007, p. 179.
  11. ^ a b Foley 2012, p. 101.
  12. ^ McGeary 2000, p. xix; Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 366.
  13. ^ a b c d McGeary 2000, p. xx.
  14. ^ a b c d e Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 367.
  15. ^ a b c d e f McGeary 2000, p. xxi.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g McGeary 2000, p. xxii.
  17. ^ a b Johnston 2006, p. 249.
  18. ^ Schell 2017.
  19. ^ McGeary 2000, pp. xxii–xxiii.
  20. ^ a b McGeary 2000, p. xxvi.
  21. ^ Williams, Jonathan (2002). A Palpable Elysium: Portraits of Genius and Solitude. David R. Godine. ISBN 9781567921496.
  22. ^ Johnson, Phil (November 27, 1998). "Music: First, find your hub cap". The Independent.
  23. ^ a b c Ross 2005.
  24. ^ Taylor 2010, p. 251.
  25. ^ a b Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 370.
  26. ^ a b De Pue 2014.
  27. ^ "Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918–1991 – The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music".
  28. ^ Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914–2007, Sousa Archives and Center for American Music
  29. ^ Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 368.
  30. ^ "Harry Partch instruments, now at UW, featured on new Paul Simon album".
  31. ^ "Percussive Arts Society: Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on October 2, 2008.
  32. ^ "U.S. Highball, Added to the National Registry in 2004, Essay by S. Andrew Granade" (PDF). Library of Congress.
  33. ^ Gilmore & Johnston 2002, pp. 368–369.
  34. ^ Madden 1999, p. 87.
  35. ^ Partch 2000, p. 179.
  36. ^ Yang 2008, p. 53.
  37. ^ Yang 2008, pp. 53–54.
  38. ^ Yang 2008, p. 56.
  39. ^ a b Sheppard 2001, pp. 180–181.
  40. ^ a b c Harrison 2000, p. 136.
  41. ^ Gilmore & Johnston 2002, p. 369.
  42. ^ Gann 2006, p. 191.
  43. ^ Kozinn, Allan (July 31, 1991). "Some Offbeat Instruments Move to New York". The New York Times.
  44. ^ Kozinn, Allan (April 18, 2013). "Dean Drummond, Composer and Musician, Dies at 64". The New York Times.
  45. ^ Cooper, Michael (July 21, 2015). "Reviving a Harry Partch Work With Hubcaps and Wine Bottles". The New York Times. Retrieved May 27, 2023.

General bibliography

Further reading