(May 2023) Episode 492 is HARRY PARTCH. A composer, music theorist and inventor, he broke ground in the field of just intonation – the tuning of instruments to intervals between the 12 standard tones in Western music. He composed in a scale of 43 unequal tones and created unique instruments to play such works. To the uninitiated ear, it sounds like a bunch of out-of-tune instruments. It’s not music to chill by. But spend a little time getting to know the theory and the labor behind it, and it can be fascinating.
Favorite piece: And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma
Compared to expectations: same
Recommendation: The album “The World of Harry Partch” is a good introduction, as it includes Partch describing what, how and why he is doing on various pieces.
Opus Project 