Harry Partch - BBC Documentary - Part 3 of 6

Part 3 of a documentary about the composer Harry Partch who invented his own compositional method using a 43-tone scale and many instruments that he built by hand

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Harry
• Partch
• Composer
• 43-Tone
• Microtonality
• Music
• Tuning
• Intonation
• Instruments
• Inventions
• Experimental
• Creative
• Odd

[robertronics]

what does he say in 7:00?

"One of the very famous experimenters

was Timotheus, from Sparta, ?????"

I can´t make that part out

[ShockTheseTrees]

"One of the very famous experimenters

was Timotheus, from Sparta, of all places"

[themightycelestial]

0:34

I also don't believe in work as an ethic for myself.

And I can prove this by the sloppy, sloth-riddened & substantial girth of my fat ass which is largely due in major part by the amount of my life that I've wasted sitting on it in front of the computer, downloading onion-booty porn, posting girlfight videos on this site & emptily commiseratin' with my fellow youtubers.

[JLMoriart]

@lovesGenet The only reason Scoenberg's system "bore fruit" is because is was supported by 12-edo and current western instruments. Partch was simply unfortunate. He was a little too early for microtuning, getting here just before technology like isomorphic keyboards and theory like linear temperament theory unified tuning into a more simple and powerful paradigm. Therefore he had to make his own more difficult instruments that would not be mass produced.

[RoboticusMusic]

Gay music.

[Muzikman127]

@Mazurada Yes they are microtonal- it's just that it's a scale based off of the natural intonation of the human voice, so it sounds quite natural

[Muzikman127]

@TheReasonableLogic

true- but when I play and listen to 12 TET music I don't rely exclsively on synthesisers. You do kind of limit yourself so weird electronic music when the only resources available to you are messed about with electronic instruments

[TheReasonableLogic]

@Muzikman127 Electronic instruments such as samplers and synthesizers are capable of this,. You don't necessarily have to build a traditional instrument. All you need is creativity.

[15ips]

@themightycelestial My interpretation is that he doesn't see the value of work as a vehicle for wealth creation; instead he sees it as a way to get by and to live a modest, uncluttered life.

[Composerland]

@themightycelestial :Yeah, I've been wondering about that, myself. we have it easy.

[Mazurada]

I'm wondering, even though his instruments are microtonal, it looks like he doesn't sing microtonal (sorry, I'm not an expert) - well, those singing melodies don't sound like that - is that correct? I wonder how hard it is to sing in microtonal pitches...

[lastrevolv]

@themightycelestial no offense but in my opinion youre no diferent from those who work, youre time is consumed by nonesense social sistem activities...

dont get this the wrong way i dont mean to offend you, i just want you to hear my opinion in and if it helps you then even better

[Muzikman127]

this is really interesting. It's a shame that this hasn't been developed any further- I guess it's just too much work to unlearn a lifetime of 12-TET and build a new instrument and start afresh.