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Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer. He was one of the first twentieth-centurycomposers to work
extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for instruments he builthimself, tuned in 11-limit just
intonation.
Interested in the potential musicality of speech, Partch worked out his first extended scales to notate the inflections of thespeaking voice. He
built his adapted viola to demonstrate the concept. He then secured a grant, which allowed him to go toLondon to study the history of tuning
systems. While the ...read more
Harry Partch (June 24, 1901 – September 3, 1974) was an American composer. He was one of the first twentieth-centurycomposers to work
extensively and systematically with microtonal scales, writing much of his music for instruments he builthimself, tuned in 11-limit just
intonation.
Interested in the potential musicality of speech, Partch worked out his first extended scales to notate the inflections of thespeaking voice. He
built his adapted viola to demonstrate the concept. He then secured a grant, which allowed him to go toLondon to study the history of tuning
systems. While there, he met the poet W. B. Yeats with the intention of gaining hispermission to write an opera based on his translation of
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. He took another instrument he hadbuilt, an adapted guitar, to the meeting, and accompanied himself in one of his
own songs on it. Yeats was enthusiastic,saying “a play done entirely in this way, with this wonderful instrument, and with this type of music,
might really besensational”, and giving Partch’s idea his blessing.
Partch set about building more instruments with which to realise his opera. However, his grant money ran out, and, back inthe United States, he
began to live as a hobo, travelling around on trains and taking casual work where he could find it. Hecontinued in this way for ten years, writing
about his experiences in journals that were later collected together under the titleBitter Music. « hide |
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