Harry Partch - 'The Letter' 1943, rev. 1972

'The Letter' (1943, revised 1972).

Exerpt liner notes from 'The Harry Partch Collection, Volume 2'; 2004; New World Records:

The Letter was originally written in 1943 for voice with Adapted Guitar and Kithara ... The present version dates from may 1972, and was made on request for inclusion in the film 'The Dreamer That Remains: A Portrait of Harry Partch'. In a note on the piece, which is a setting of a letter he recieved from a hobo pal in 1935, Partch commented:

The piece is stylized, partly to underline the perverse humor and the obviously warm regard, but mostly to convey-through sound and rhythm-the delight of reading a very unexpected letter from an old companion for the first time.

Harry Partch (intoning voice, Omicron Belly Drum) / David Dunn (New Kithara I, Surrofate Kithara) / Dennis Dunn (Harmonic Canon III) / Randy Hoffman (Omicron Belly Drum); with dubbed in interludes from the 1950 recording by Harry Partch, Ben and Betty Johnston, and Donald Pippin.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Harry Partch
• The Letter
• Avant Garde
• 1972
• The Dreamer That Remains

[CatJabZ]

Good night to all the hobos.

[abrahmrusty32]

Craziest music made in the last 2000 years

[dalisman]

THANK YOU!!! How great of you to post this! Thanks so much!

Those big, thick chords just kill me...I tried to describe them to someone as something like a honky tonk piano being hit by a train...,but that doesn't quite describe it.

Thanks again!!!