Harry Partch: A Portrait

Selecting illustrative works from the lifetime of a creative person is a daunting task; doing so with a singularly individual artist like Harry Partch is all the more difficult. In the more than four decades since Partch’s death, interest in his both his life and his compositional output has continued to grow, and there remains a place for documents that can offer insights, suggest paths, and give new life to that creator’s endeavors.

Even as duplicate instrumental ensembles are beginning to appear, and the original Partch instrumental resources have found a new home for performance and study, there is considerable value in returning to the many recordings he crafted over his lifetime of composition and performance. These are recordings that carry not only the stamp of the author, but his voice as well—Partch himself appears in every single track of this record, either as singer, instrumentalist, or both.

This remastered version of has never been available before and is making its first appearance in any format. The 12-page booklet includes an essay by the Harry Partch Foundation’s Jon Szanto and numerous rare photographs provided by the foundation and other sources. An invaluable document for both Partch enthusiasts and neophytes!

Side One

(1972); From (1949–50): ; ; ; from (1963–64, rev. 1966)

Side Two

(1943, rev. 1955)