source file: m1607.txt Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1998 05:13:17 -0500 Subject: Partch and Synthesizers vs. Harmoniums From: Daniel Wolf Johnny Reinhard brings up the interesting topic of Partch's attitude towards synthesizers. Given the problems with harmoniums, he did indeed receive a Guggenheim with Marshall to build an electronic instrument, but this project was soon abandoned and the funds used for recordings and upkeep or construction of acoustic instruments. = It is unclear how serious the electronic project ever was. I have heard more than once that it was a subterfuge by Marshall to get the Guggenheim to otherwise support Partch's work. Partch would later write (in the second edition of _Genesis_, pp. 210): "The musicality, versatility, and potentialities of these old-fashioned harmoniums are constantly amazing. I would not trade my two Chromelodeons for any electric organs that I have ever heard." Even later, reportedly, when he was told about the Motorola Scalatron project, he apparently reacted with resignation = that it had came 30 years too late for him. Given the musical limitations of the scalatron, with its tacky electic organ swell, it is hard to imagine Partch ever actually using one. Making an electronic substitute for a harmonium is an interesting problem. The breath-like quality of the bellows, the uneven voicing of the individual reeds, and the variable response of the knee swells would all have to be considered. In the case of the Chromelodeons, the double stops and octave coupler introduce additional, considerations in that the added reeds do not respond identically. An alternative to this is manufacturing new reed organs. This is still done in India, albeit in poor quality, and I wonder if Indian makers might produce more useful instruments if commissioned. =