People You Should Know: Harry Partch

So, he’s been dead for 35 years, but still, have you heard of him?

I was watching a bit of President Obama’s press conference last night and a question was asked concerning families who are living in tents. This was fairly common in New York City and other urban areas, I presume, in the rough and tumble late 70’s through mid 80’s, but I hadn’t heard mention of it yet as a present day issue. Today, The New York Times ran a  front page story with lead photo about the tent cities emerging.  It made me think of The Great Depression, the Hoovervilles, of John Steinbeck, Upton Sinclair, Walker Evans–the ways in which that time was chronicled and given voice by some of the greatest artists of the day.

Sadly, few know of Harry Partch. Partch was composer, theorist, inventor, historian, and without question was of the most important and innovative composers of that crazy innovative, American composer driven 20th Century.

Partch composed using a 43 tone scale. While he wasn’t the first composer to use what are called “microtones,” he certainly is one of the most important. He also created his own set of instruments to play in this musical system. And, when I use the term system, I don’t use it lightly as Partch developed an extremely well thought through system of just intonation that will give a headache to anyone math-challenged or music theory challenged.

So, you may ask, does this make him someone I should know?

Uh-huh.

Let’s look at one of Partch’s works, that places him in the context of great artists who illuminated life during the Great Depression.

US High Ball is one section of The Wayward, available on recordings in versions led by Partch himself (CRI Records) and The Kronos Quartet (Nonesuch) in a splendid arrangement by Partch colleague and wonderful composer, Ben Johnston. The Wayward is based upon Partch’s riding the rails, hobo-style. Yup, he was a hobo for a time. You can read about it in any number of books, or even watch the Preston Sturgis film Sullivan’s Travels, or Emperor of the North, or Boxcar Bertha among others, should you need a refresher on the term hobo.

If you want to hear it, hear the voices, real words and lyrics and feel it through the musical genius of Harry Partch, check out US High Ball, and then give a listen to the entire The Wayward.

I have always thought that Partch’s work would make the most wonderful curriculum for study by K-12 students. Wanna talk integration of the arts across the curriculum? Head straight for Harry Partch and you will find music, history, science, math, social studies, and more. This is integration of the arts across the curriculum, the curriculum of life. It’s one of those projects I hope to get to someday…

And, the way things are shaping up with our and the world’s economy, US High Ball may be closer than we think.

Partch documentary on Youtube.