121 Years Ago, In Oakland, California

Today marks Partch’s 121st birthday.

I confess that I just don’t have anything remarkable to add to this, especially while mixed in with the news of the day at large. Let us just pause for a moment and think about how strong an individual came amongst us back then, who worked virtually his entire adult life to bring a personal vision into being.

Well, maybe that is remarkable enough. I’ll be back soon with more news.

Harry Partch and the Binaural Bewitching

It has taken 41 years, but you can finally put a Witch between your ears.

In January of 1980, a large portion of Harry Partch’s unique instruments landed in Berlin to open the eyes and ears of Europe to his vision. The vehicle for this was a new production of “The Bewitched”, under the musical direction of long-time Partch associate Danlee Mitchell and stage direction by Kenneth Gaburo. The San Diego ensemble that had been performing since 1972’s “The Dreamer That Remains” had been preparing the production for six months and had previewed it a month before… and then crated up the instruments for the long trip.

I’ll leave more of the story (below) to Philip Blackburn, who has now released - in his new position at Neuma Records - a recording that was done in Berlin but only recently unearthed. As Philip notes, this is a binaural recording: to do it justice, you really want to listen with headphones to capture the ambience of the moment and the room. As such, it is a unique document of the production; I don’t for a moment suggest it competes with the live recording done a few days later in Koln, but an undeniably interesting perspective! Info on ordering is to be found after Mr. Blackburn’s notes on the release. Be sure to scroll to the bottom for a surprise element, as well!

Here’s one that I never thought would see the light of day, and one of the most corporeal outings for HP in the decades. Consider it.

Scene from Harry Partch’s The Bewitched - Berlin New Music Festival, 1980

“Dramatic moments of enlightenment – when the mask is dropped and truth revealed – are found in tales from the Buddha and Euripides to Scooby Doo and Star Wars. And few artists have been as fascinated by niggling the clueless or deflating the stuck-up as Harry Partch (1901-1974). As a lifelong outsider, the conformist society he experienced and the narrow-minded attitudes (not to mention musical delusions) that permeated it, are themes to which he often returned. In the 1950s, seeing a world that could use a good dose of reality, he hit upon the idea of a witch who would go around scenes of everyday American life, and, wielding her ancient magical powers, deliver a much-needed smiting of self-awareness. Harry would write the ‘background music’ for them.”

“With a real-life chorus of lost musicians at his disposal (renegade players from the Bay Area, disillusioned by their regular gigs, who would show up at his Gate 5 studio in Sausalito to hang loose and play his instruments), he had the basis of The Bewitched (A Ballet Satire). The set ups for the denouements occur in ten scenes covering a soap opera’s range of episodes: students out for an exotic club night, a dreary music class, a smarmy seducer, a new-music fan, a losing basketball team taking a hot shower, first kissers in a stairwell, slapstick detectives, a judge in his court, a politician in paradise with the scandalous houris, and a cocktail party of the fashionable elite. You get the idea. It’s a good dose of fun with a serious intent. The musicians themselves also participate in the psychological stripteases, united by the common bond of music, conjuring their collective energy before disappearing again.”

“Only produced a few times since its premiere in Illinois in 1957, this 1980 production on his original set of instruments, directed by Danlee Mitchell, was the first Partch work to be taken abroad (in a radical production conceived by Kenneth Gaburo). It was the centerpiece of the huge Für Augen und Öhren, Berlin Festival, in West Germany, and took place in the Academy of Arts, a few feet from the Berlin Wall (repression, anyone?). An outfit from the RIAS (Radio in the American Sector) came to record the performance with a binaural head microphone setup. This recording (best heard on headphones) therefore most closely represents the experience of an audience member at a live Partch event, featuring the natural acoustic balance of the instruments, occasionally punctuated by coughs of the packed audience, dancers’ footsteps, and flying basketballs. All generating the rare Corporeal magic that fuels the power of much-needed perception.”

~ Philip Blackburn

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The new release of “The Bewitched” is available through Neuma Records and at Amazon, currently in CD format, with a digital edition on April 16. Note that the Neuma page has additional information, including a video/film that has also been discovered by Philip. He edited and titled a portion of the existing footage, but for another extra bit, take a look here to see the footage as originally discovered. Note that it should be cued up to the 8:00 mark, and what you’ll see are a few moments of solo shots of the instrumentalists, followed by Scene 3 of The Bewitched. I can tell you, honestly, that it is surreal to see yourself playing, 41 years after the fact. Enjoy.

~ Jon Szanto

In the Midst of Chaos, a Date Lands

Until time stops, we mark the days, dividing up our awareness with these discrete blocks of moments passing. No matter the crazed winds blowing through our collective existences, this particular day has arrived.

On June 24, 1901, Harry Partch was born in Oakland, CA. Today he would be 119 years old.

Some years it has been easier to tie this into a small portion of information. At the best of times there are important happenings to report, ongoing activities, or major announcements. None of that is transpiring, and I’m left to just wonder what Harry would think of all the madness of the moment. Like many of us, he would be stunned that so many of these discordant events are occurring synchronously, allowing no respite from the crazy. There is no doubt he would be upset and angered by many of the injuries and injustices being inflicted on so many, especially here in the United States.

But he isn’t here, and this is all wondering and projection, so we’ll just pause for a moment and wish him well on his birthday.

Actually, there is something to tell you about. I had somewhat hoped to have a new piece online today, but things got in the way and rather than rush it and not do it properly, I’ll have it up by the weekend. For now, I’ll leave you with an audio teaser and, as a bonus, we’ll hear a little of Partch himself. Check back in a few days for a journey.

NW Forecast: Partch in Puget Sound

Yes, you have another opportunity to view the instruments and hear some of the works of Harry Partch in the NW region. Chuck Corey and the Harry Partch Ensemble will present and perform on Partch’s original instruments in a week-long residency at the University of Puget Sound Department of Music. Brief scenario:

• Tuesday, Feb. 4 6:30-8 p.m.: Open House and Instrument Tour

• Wednesday, Feb. 5, noon: Informal Recital and Conversation

• Saturday, Feb. 8, 7:30 p.m.: The Harry Partch Ensemble in Concert

All events are free. More details on the University site here.

2/6/20: IMPORTANT UPDATE - I’ve just received word today that the concert will be live-streamed at 7:30 PST on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. It also appears that the stream will stay archived for at least a small number of days in case you can’t get to it as it happens. Link below…

https://www.pugetsound.edu/academics/departments-and-programs/undergraduate/music/schneebeck-live/

Partch's Petals Populates Petaluma Paper!

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Chris Samson regarding an article he was preparing on Harry Partch’s time in Petaluma. A former reporter and managing editor for the Petaluma Argus-Courier, now retired, Chris noted:

Shortly after I moved to Petaluma in September 1974, I read about Partch in Rolling Stone magazine. He had died recently and the article said that he had once lived and worked in an old hatchery in Petaluma and composed “And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma” here. I became intrigued about Partch and always wondered why he had lived in Petaluma. Finally, 45 years later, I had the opportunity to research and write this story about this fascinating man for the current issue of the Argus-Courier. My article was limited to 1,200 words. Because the Argus-Courier is a hyper-local newspaper, my article had to focus primarily on Partch’s time in Petaluma. But there is so much more about him that I could have included if I had been allowed a longer word count.

Image from front page of the paper - click to go to the article…

I gave Chris some information and resources, he spoke with Danlee, and yesterday the paper hit the streets, as well as the net. It’s a good look at Partch’s time in the early ’60s in a chicken hatchery, and Chris does a fine job of rounding out the picture with current events. We think you’ll enjoy the read - don’t miss the 12 photos in a slideshow at the top of the piece..

In the article, Chris includes links to other Partch materials, one of which is the project we did in 2017 in partnership with New World Records:

The New World Records limited-edition reissue of Petals, with bonus material.

I am lax in adding both this album and our earlier “Harry Partch: A Portrait” to our resources page, but I will correct that this weekend. Just note that these vinyl LPs are limited editions, there are still a few left, and you should go purchase them at New World Records right now. As time moves on, and the world starts to get comfortable with pseudo-Partchian product, it seems all the more important to take a good look at the real thing. Nothing is better than the real thing.

Goodbye, Emil.

Yesterday we lost a great one, a singular one. Emil Richards passed away and left the world with an unparalleled legacy in music and percussion. Having started playing the xylophone at age six, Emil ended up making music for over 80 years, and in so many styles and every corner of the globe that no one will likely duplicate his accomplishments. Above and beyond his playing, Emil also managed to amass what most people consider to be the largest one-person collection of percussion (and other) instruments ever assembled.

Emil’s career started taking off as a jazz vibraphonist, including stints with George Shearing and later, a world tour in 1962 with Frank Sinatra. After having been cajoled into picking up a few auxiliary percussion items when doing studio calls, he used the opportunity Sinatra’s plane afforded him to bring back the first of many loads of instruments collected from countries near and far. Thus began his love affair with unique and unusual sound sources and an unleashing of his musical imagination.

Having gained further interest in music of other cultures, at some point he became aware of Harry Partch. Emil began writing to Partch in Petaluma in the early 60s and when Partch moved to Van Nuys in 1964, Richards began a friendship that assisted Partch in various ways, notably by finding players from the pool of Los Angeles musicians to help perform his music. There were a number of one-off concerts in the ensuing years, along with the final recordings of “And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma”, and the well-known Whitney Museum Concerts in New York in 1968 (which lead to the recording of “The World of Harry Partch“). Lastly, Emil’s help in both playing and garnering other musicians was instrumental in the realization of Partch’s largest work, “Delusion of the Fury“ in 1969 at UCLA. Without the aid of noted philanthropist Betty Freeman, as well as Richards’ help, this magnum opus might never have been realized.

Emil at the Quad again, circa 1968, rocking the Madras shorts.
Photo: Harry Partch Estate Archive

Few people manage to have this wide of an impact, and if you are unfamiliar with Emil’s long career, it will be easy to find examples all over the net at the moment. From the iconic bongos on the “Mission: Impossible“ theme, touring and recording with artists such as George Harrison and Frank Zappa, to his own explorations of microtonality and complex metric structures, Emil never, ever stopped being delighted with the always-expanding world of music. Above and beyond these gifts and accomplishments, he was one of the most convivial people you could ever want to meet, a man for whom the term raconteur could have been invented. I was graced to meet him during the recording and filming of “The Dreamer That Remains“ and he always remained in touch after. When we performed “U.S. Highball“ at the Monday Evening Concerts in 1976, he wasn’t just in attendance, but insisted we come to his house and hang out. We did, until very wee hours, time filled with laughter and endless stories from Emil’s already colorful time on the planet. His remarkable zeal for life, music, and people carried all the way to the end.

We’ll leave with zesty notes from the man, at age 82, still laying down blistering blues lines with abandon. We give thanks to Emil for all he did for Harry, and for all that he has done for the world of music. We bid him Peace in his new digs.

Partch @ Opus One

Many of Partch’s most significant personal and creative moments came during his times spent in the California bay area. While born in Oakland, the family soon moved to Arizona. He lived in San Francisco for five years starting in 1925, soon after discovering just intonation and the beginning of his new direction in music. After a brief stay in New Orleans, he returns and begins performances of some of his first songs; before leaving again in 1932, he presents a recital for Henry Cowell’s New Music Society.

It rolls like this for the rest of his life. There is a particularly fertile period that starts when he moves out to the North Coast in 1947, living in an old smithy in Gualala. He was already starting into the building of his instrumental resources, including the new Bass Marimba, and would soon embark on his first major staged work, King Oedipus.

This short history I present is preamble to an intriguing article posted today by author Michael Flanagan, in the Bay Area Reporter, entitled Harry Partch at Opus: How the Iconoclastic Composer Performed at a 1950s San Francisco Gay Bar. Mr. Flanagan chronicles events of a period in the later 1950’s when Partch had become somewhat better known in the area. The article also sheds light on Partch’s engagement, if only on occasion, with the gay community of the time. He may not have often sought this audience regarding his artistic endeavors, but his uniqueness and charisma drew people to him and, in any event, he needed and wanted people to be aware of his work. One aspect of the draw, naturally, was the original nature of the sounds - and instruments - of his music. The photograph above shows Harry in a very common scenario: demonstrating his instruments for a fascinated gathering of people, taken in his studio within roughly the same time as the events in the article. I was glad to assist Michael and enjoy seeing another small episode in the continually intriguing life of Harry Partch, as well as a window into that era and locale.

Ben Johnston: March 15, 1926 - July 21, 2019

We note today, sadly, of the passing of composer Ben Johnston. A unique voice in the American composition landscape, Mr. Johnston created a singular body of work that was primarily involved with a focus on intonation, and specifically just intonation. Much of the inspiration from this came from an early period in his life, which he describes thus (from “A Conversation with Ben Johnston”):

In 1949 and ‘50 I went out to California and worked for six months with Harry Partch. It was going to be a whole year, but he got ill and closed up his studio. So I went to Mills and studied with Milhaud for the balance of the year. Then I got a job at the University of Illinois, and within a few years we brought Partch there and did some of his large works. I was involved very heavily in the business end of the production of The Bewitched, but not in subsequent productions. That was atypical of me, and they were sponsored not by music but by theater, and later by the student groups. He was around in this area, including Chicago. He was living in Evanston for a while and did a film with Madeline Tourtelot during the late fifties or early sixties, but he went back to California where he stayed the rest of his life. This was a fruitful period for him, being in this part of the country. I don’t think he liked it terribly well; he likes the west, but it was fascinating to have him around. So all during that period I was exposed to something. The reason I went to study with him was because a musicologist told me — after we had a discussion about how music theory wasn’t based on acoustics, and I was objecting that it ought to be and that it wasn’t — he said, “I have a book you should read,” and gave me Genesis of a Music. So I read it, and then I wrote to the publisher and they forwarded the letter — which they won’t always do, but it was a friend of his. So she forwarded the letter to him and we corresponded for a while. I realized rather quickly that I couldn’t get very far without really being there and hearing what was going on; that if I tried to do it myself, I would probably come to grief, and I think I would have. It’s just too difficult and too expensive, and too a lot of things. So I went out there, and that was the beginning of my active interest in that kind of thing.

His relationship with Partch was complicated and not always smooth. There were difficult issues almost from the beginning. In spite of that, or perhaps because of it, Mr. Johnston took those early influences and went on to create a body of music that has no real parallel. In the sense that he carved his very own path over a long and dedicated musical journey, there could be no better tribute to his work with Partch than striking out on his own. We hope he rests in amazing grace.

In Search of a Witch in Seattle

In a little more than a week I will head north to Seattle for a concert on Saturday, April 13th by the UW Partch Ensemble. Taking place in the Meany Studio Theater, Dr. Charles Corey and his assembled musicians will survey a number of Partch’s works, large and small. I may have to amend/alter this, but I believe the pieces on this evening are:

• And On The Seventh Day Petals Fell In Petaluma (excerpts)

• Even Wild Horses - Act II, Scene 1

• Two Studies on Ancient Greek Scales

• The Letter

• The Mock Turtle Song

• The Bewitched

Title page of the score from the early, unperformed version of The Bewitched.

I’ve highlighted the last piece because Charles has decided to do a 1st performance of an earlier version of The Bewitched. This consists of ten scenes that appeared in the final version, slightly smaller in ensemble size and length, and without the opening Prologue and closing Epilogue. Also (as I understand), no dancers. A different serving of tapioca, so to speak.

Partch originally wrote The Bewitched in 1955 with a small-ish ensemble in mind, the better to consider touring. In very short order - less than a year - he had revised those thoughts and started on a larger score and production, realizing that even minimal staging would still require more resources than he could muster, and the piece would be better suited for a residency situation. He expanded the work and it was premiered in March of 1957 at the University of Illinois. This concert in Seattle will be the first fully realized (concert) performance of the initial version.

I’m looking forward to experiencing Sarah Kolat in the titular role of The Witch, as well as being transported back in time to my own numerous performances of Bewitched from the 1970s and 80s. Fascinating and colorful music - I do hope there is a full house for this rare opportunity to hear a bit of the unheard.

The Annual Observance: On this day...

I try to remember to catch this date, even when at times I haven't done much else. It was on June 24, 1901 that Harry Partch came into this world and in ways small and large, left an indelible mark. I posit nothing absolutely about what he would think of how things have played out since his death in 1974, though knowing him just a bit, I certainly have a good clue. If nothing else, he would range somewhere in the continuum between bemusement and extreme aggravation. It is even possible that he would chuckle at how much notice his work has gotten in the academic world, a world that he was at odds with most of his life. It's a shame that more of that attention couldn't have been there during his lifetime.

In any event, he's not here and can't join in any celebrations. A decade+ ago I threw together a little something for a one-day flinging of microtones, an online showcase of small-interval sounds. Just for the hell of it, I've dragged it out, because Harry inspired it. The vigor with which he showed his distaste for hands-off summations of art comes through in just a few words. His guest appearance is an urgent poking to actually do something!

Oh, to be 115!

Harry Partch: June 24, 1901 - Sept. 3, 1974

Today, we think of Harry Partch, born on this day in 1901. It is a shame that he died relatively young, but that chassis had many hard miles on it, and he left us with a remarkable and non-duplicatable legacy. It is impossible to know where he would have gone, artistically, in the next years, and would have been highly interesting to see how he reacted to his concepts of performing eventually finding a little traction.

I am aware that momentous changes are occurring in the world today. Harry would have been aghast at many of the events in recent months and the trends that are playing out. I don't know if his music gives positive comfort or hope to anyone, but it would be nice to think it does. For me, it is the fact that Harry kept up his fight, sticking to long-held principles all the way out, which serves as my inspiration. He will always be the Dreamer that remains.

In light of today, I will use that inspiration to work on new content for the site. Check back in a couple of days (or subscribe to the RSS feed, since I'll announce here, as well). I'm behind, but I'm not dead yet.

Upcoming Partch Concert, University of Washington, Seattle

Some of the Partch instruments, now in residence at the University of Washington, Seattle

In just under a week, on April 26, you have the opportunity to hear the original instruments of Harry Partch in concert, under the direction of Dr. Charles Corey. Find more information and ticket link here, and there is a Facebook event page, as well.

In addition, the Seattle Times just published a nice feature on Corey and the instrument's current residency at the university. It's worth a read also for comments from Dr. Richard Karpen, chairman of the Music Department, who was integral in getting them to the campus (and the West coast, for that matter). UPDATE: We've just received notice of another good preview article, this one in the guise of a look at the Partch instruments, from radio station KING. Concert details as follow:

April 26, 2016
Meany Theater, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
Music of Today: The Music of Harry Partch
7:30PM

This program will include Barstow, San Francisco, The Letter, and Daphne of the Dunes, as well as selections from Eleven Intrusions, Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po, and And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma.

Don't miss an opportunity to experience this music, these performers, and these instruments live!

Jon Szanto

It's never too late for a fresh start.

Harry Partch, an American original.

Welcome to our new home.

In the Fall of 1996 I created Corporeal Meadows. I had just become aware of the first instance of Partch's music being appropriated for instruments other than his own (the remarkably ill-advised Kronos Quartet arrangement of "Barstow"). Nearly ten years had passed since his instruments had left San Diego, I missed them, and needed to do something. What an appropriate time to offer basic information about Partch and his work: none of the various books and reissued recordings had yet been produced and published. Honestly? I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into, but having programmed in the past, I figured I'd roll up my sleeves and sling some html, joining the web somewhat early-on.

I never dreamed that site would last 20 years.

Now we sit, a full two decades beyond that, and much has changed. All the same, my prime motivation remains: to maintain a focus on the essential nature of Harry Partch, his creativity and work, and his profound legacy. I feel fortunate to look back over those years and see the documentation footprint: audio projects that present virtually everything Partch ever recorded, important biographical works, and a higher awareness of Partch through many available media. Incomparable contributions by people like Philip Blackburn and the late Bob Gilmore changed our understanding. But it can't rest there.

We are in a new world, one where alternate groupings of Partch-like instruments are growing. With each passing year, the performances ostensibly done in his name stray further from his own aesthetic. The problem is, without adequate exposure to what Harry himself intended, the public won't know any better. So we've got a two-part mission: first, to keep his instruments and their players, at the University of Washington under the capable leadership of Charles Corey, as visible as possible. We'll do everything we can to support those efforts. Secondly, to add to the resources on this site for illumination, education, and inspiration, so that - with hope - an audience will know whether they are getting the right serving of tapioca when they get a chance to experience a live performance.

It's been a bitch to port the old site, and I'll be leaving an archived version up elsewhere. I'm not going to bring all the content over, because I want fresh stuff, and some things aren't a good fit in the new version. I'm excited to utilize the opportunities that this new platform gives me, and I plan on serving up new sights and sounds. It's not all there yet, but somehow it seemed time to Get Going, and I want to rev this up.

I truly believe that Harry can, as he put it so well, "instill ferment". I think he can move people, and we'll do what we can to make that happen. Just remember: Accept no substitutes.

Jon Szanto