source file: mills2.txt Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 15:22:36 -0700 Subject: Re: A response to Mr. Johnny Reinhard From: Johnny Reinhard Further, following Jon Szanto's responses, when one directs the American Festival of Microtonal Music, one is obligated to include music by Harry Partch. To this end, the AFMM presented Danlee Mitchell intoning Li Po with Doug Laurent in 1984, as well as as the 2 Studies on Ancient Greek Scales by Dean Drummond and Stefani Starin. (If I'm disappointed by the unfair playing field, it should be understandable to the fair minded.) When I performed the 2 Studies for guitar and bassoon the New York Times said: "His "Two Studies on Ancient Greek Scales," played here by Mr. Reinhard and Mr. Catler, occupied a beautifully colored, static, almost incantatory world." When I sent the tape to Mr. Mitchell, he wrote that our performance was ghastly..."a mixture of elephants and giraffes at a watering hole." > > Oh. Danlee was wrong to have ever agreed (if he did) to the synth. I'll drive over > and slap him this afternoon. > > > Dean's regular performance of 2 Studies on Ancient > > Greek Scales for zoomoozophone and flute, and its recording on CD - > > contrary to Danlee and company - belies the fury that keeps Partch under > > wraps, unless it is by the blessed few who worked with Partch directly. > > I also disagree with Dean using non-Partch instruments for the studies, but here is > that little disclaimer: Harry *excepted* his little studies from the rigor that he > imposed on his 'real' works; please see Partch's "These two ideas..." quote in my > Part One reply. You see, this isn't my idea, it's Harry's. And while I wish Dean > would do them with the real instruments (maybe he does now...), the fact of the > matter is that these are JUST STUDIES, little pieces for Partch's investigation into > tunings. They aren't the masterworks. The Partch music that the AFMM Ensemble performs is the material that either had never been played before, or not in NYC for decades. This includes: "Ulysees Departs" in the original version with boobams, trumpet and double bass, Version 2 of US Highball and Barstow, December 1942, Li Po, Dark Brother, Yankee Doodle Fantasy. Bach's 2 part works are masterworks, why not Partch? > > Non-corporeal performances by Mr. Mitchell at Lincoln Center flies in the > > face of further criticisms. > > True. I can only think of one other instance where we did a non-corporeal > performance of a piece, that being a concert version of "The Bewitched" in Cologne > in 1981. In both cases, they were extensions of full-scale staged productions of > the work (Bewitched at Berlin New Music Festival, Revelation at American Music > Theatre Festival); the Bewitched being a live-concert broadcast for West German (my, > how times change...) Radio. To single out one or two concerts out of the dozens I > have known about seems, well... But, the point is well taken: do not perform Partch > non-corporeally. Like any listener, I was reacting to my experiences. I missed the non-corporeal performance in Lincoln Center of Revelation, but I saw the full production in Philadelphia. The instruments were hidden behind the action, they didn't move, and they were poorly amplified. Dean Drummmond has greatly improved the Partch experiences I have had since listening in the NYC area, and gradually so as might be expected. > > And the value of the synthesizer (which was unavailable to Partch) in > > performing "all the notes written" by the composer for his music adds an > > improved dimension - if only the music was listened to, rather than talked > > about. > > Partch's music is not to be simply listened to, but seen, felt and experienced. > Promoting anything less, except in a desire to 'document' a performance, is a > cheapening of the work itself. Go find another composer - there are lot's of them. Exactly, I invite you to see, feel and experience our AFMM Ensemble performances of Partch's music, perhaps when we tour through California during the MIcrotonalLENNIUM. > > territoriality and protectionism. It should not be too surprising - had > > the same problem with the Charles Ives Society. That one worked through > > a bit better, thankfully. > > Wrong. As before, Partch isn't just "a composer in this country". Not better, but > radically different, engendering a completely different set of circumstances, both > when he lived and now. Thanks for the compliment; now, maybe if Ted Mook can get > Yo-Yo Ma, in spite of his "territoriality and protectionism", to release his > Stradivarius cello for Ted's use, we can get a mondo-cool version of "Li Po". > Yo-Yo, that selfish SOB. And it seems the Partch folks aren't the only group Johnny > has had trouble with. Remember, I don't know JR, but have offered to correspond > with him. Jon and I are corresponding separately. I have great respect for his playing skills having heard him in San Diego, though he didn't remember. Is Yo-Yo Ma a selfish SOB...I wouldn't know. I hope there is no inference here about "troublesomeness." I mentioned difficulty with the Ives Society because there is always difficulties, or almost always, with the inheritors of composers - often in the form of socities (e.g. Varese, Wyschnegradsky, Sandberg, Ives, etc.) The difficutly I had with the Ives Society was that they did not believe that anyone on the outside could finish sections B and C of what turned out to be a 74 minute work. Thankfully, their resident musicolgoist found the score admirable and there were no other difficulties. Please don't read into my comments any deeper than I've explained. > I'll close with a final thought. I am not here to say "You are a good person", "You > are a bad person"; I am offering my thoughts, having performed the literature, > worked with Harry Partch and spent a good deal of my life helping to spread the > amazing World of HP and his creations. It bothers me to see phrases such as > > "a guitar "better" than Partch could hope for" Jon Catler's 13-limit stratocaster is better than Parch could hope for. Please note that Partch discontinued useage of the guitar in his later music. Listen to Jon play US Highball version 2 and you feel the train, as with Joshua Pierce performing on the synthesized chromolodeon. Partch's guitars were poor instruments. No need to romanticize them. > "Drummond's hoarding of the instruments" I asked to fix broken instruments, not to borrow a Stradivarious. Dean told me by telephone "You couldn't afford to rent them." > "monopoly on his instruments" I think this is increasingly clear. > "territoriality and protectionism" These terms apply to many who feel they hold something of value and want to retain the power of its use. It is a natural human tendency, if unfortunate. I think it necessary to speak out on this issue because it is in the news, notably the British Harry Partch Newsletter. Look to their review of our Swiss radio broadcast in a coming issue. I look to the British to have a fair perspective. Remember, in this country Charles Ives is still an "amateur" and Harry Partch, well you know. Johnny Reinhard Director American Festival of Microtonal Music reinhard@styx.ios.com Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Tue, 23 Jul 1996 16:33 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id HAA06460; Tue, 23 Jul 1996 07:33:04 -0700 Date: Tue, 23 Jul 1996 07:33:04 -0700 Message-Id: <31960723143013/0005695065PK3EM@MCIMAIL.COM> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu