source file: mills2.txt Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 07:12:52 -0700 Subject: Re: The Reply, Part Last: Whither Harry... From: Johnny Reinhard "This thing began with the truth and truth does exist." Harry Partch (quoted by Jon Szanto) The truth is Harry Partch promoted corporeality and his heir Danlee Mitchell performed *Revelation in the Courthouse Park* in Lincoln Center in total concert form, thereby giving the opposite impression of his mentor. The truth is that Partch decried recordings for their abstract nature, while creating the Gate 5 label for his music, an early an successful Indie.' The truth is that their are many versions of Harry Partch's music where instruments are exchanged and different music is substituted (e.g. 3 versions of both Barstow and U.S. Highball). The truth is that every performance of Partch since 1974 has been a variation. The instruments, some held with rubber bands, have been updated, replaced, and even improved. Still, Harry's voice is not recreateable and every performance demonstrates a difference. The truth is that Newband issued a CD with transcriptions, even as Mr. Mitchell was railing against all such transcriptions, this one in particular, while insuring Mr. Drummond complete and absolute control. If only _Partch Instruments_ are used, and all competition is marginalized, then monopoly is achieved. The truth is that their is a morbid qualtiy to Mr. Partch and what might now be called his Bi-Polar personality. The instruments were treated as having mortality like humans. The cloud chamber bowls have no calculable way to be replaced, and the rubber bands examples of holding the corporeal body of the instrument together. The truth is there is no other example in any other realm of art that follows the deamnds that the Mitchell/Szanto canon of Partchian ideology make...that I can think of. The truth is I am on a single day off from a residency in upstate New York and have to get back for another week. I could introduce Harry Partch to the youngsters, as I have many times before, or I can be intimidated by Mr. Mitchell's previous admonition to me against lecturing on Harry Partch as if I was a Partch scholar. Truth is indeed stranger than fiction. Johnny Reinhard Director American Festival of Microtonal Music 318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW New York, New York 10021 USA (212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495 reinhard@ios.com Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Fri, 2 Aug 1996 16:21 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id HAA21421; Fri, 2 Aug 1996 07:21:27 -0700 Date: Fri, 2 Aug 1996 07:21:27 -0700 Message-Id: <009A640BD5C197A4.32FF@ezh.nl> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu