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Table of Contents
Harry Partch is a huge figure in experimental music and instrument invention. He was a prolific instrument maker, building instruments to play his unique style of microtonal music. He is one of the most widely known experimental musical instrument builders.
Instruments
List of instruments on Wikipedia, which also features some great photos of each instrument 1)
I have presented Partch's instruments in chronological order in order to better understand the ways his ensemble and interests shifted over time.
There are multiple replica sets of the instruments needed to play various compositions by Partch. The original instruments are mostly located at Montclair State University 2). There is another set located in Los Angeles.
Adapted Viola, Adapted Guitar I, Adapted Guitar II, Adapted Guitar III
Adapted Guitar I 1934
Adapted Guitar II before 1945
Adapted Viola(Monophone) 1933, Made from a cello neck attached to a viola.
Kithara I & II
Kithara I was built 1938
Kithara II was built 1954
Chromelodeons
Chromelodeon I was built in 1945 and is a 73-key pump organ.
Chromelodeon II was built in 1959 and an 88-key pump organ.
Harmonic Canon I, II & III
Harmonic Canon I was built 1945
New Harmonic Canon I was built as a copy of Canon I to allow for an alternative tuning so that the original would not need to be retuned mid performance
Harmonic Canon II called “Castor & Pollux” was built 1953
Harmonic Canon III called “Blue Rainbow” was built 1965
Diamond Marimba
Built 1946
Bass Marimba
Built 1950
Spoils of War
Built 1950
Cloud Chamber Bowls
Built 1950, made from 12 cut Carboys (glass water tanks)
Surrogate Kithara
The Surrogate Kithara was built 1953
Marimba Eroica
Built 1954
Boo I & II (Bamboo Marimba)
Boo I was built in 1955 and updates 1963
Boo II was built in 1971
Crychord
Built in 1959 by an unknown student of industrial design at the University of Illinois
Zymo-Xyl
Built 1963
Mazda Marimba
Built 1963 3)
Gourd Tree
Built 1964
Cone Gongs
Built 1964
Eucal Blossom
Built 1964
Quadrangularis Reversurn
Built 1965
Koto
A modefied instrument that was originally given to Partch by Lou Harrisonin 1966. 4)
Garden of Eden
Built 1972
Bolivian Double Flute
The flute was given to Partch by Ervin Wilson
Bloboy
A “contraption” that gives the impression of a passing freight train.
Makers Influenced by Partch
Notes
Partch has had a strong influence on me, and I have a tendency to be a contrarian about his lineage, as I have taken a very different interpretation of microtonal music in my work. I am a huge fan of his instruments and work, and because of encountering his instruments I leaned away from making string and percussion instruments and away from very large instruments (choosing instead primarily woodwinds and small scaled instruments with very simple interfaces). Something about the complexity of playing and performing his instruments and the monumental scale of his instruments leaves me uneasy about his music (in terms of taking influences that lead to making things like it, not in the critical of it sense). I would love to make huge instruments that are difficult to tune and to play, but the exercise is very against the kind of intuitive musical ecosystems I want to make. I hope one day I will at the very least start working larger with adequate space.
I do not plan to hash out Partch too much beyond his instruments on this wiki, information about him is much more widely available then most of the people featured on this wiki. I will focus on the people he influenced more then focusing on his own life and career.
Instruments of the Partch Ensemble in LA 5)
List of instruments on Wikipedia 6)
Obituary 7)
Harry Partch website 8)
Photographs of the instruments at Montclair state university 9)
