Genesis Of A Music: An Account Of A Creative Work, Its Roots, And Its Fulfillments, Second Edition (Da Capo Paperback) (Paperback)

by Harry Partch (Author) "IT WOULD seem axiomatic that any music, whether it is that of a well writer of symphonies or that of an anonymous folk singer, reveals..." (more)
Key Phrases: comparative consonance, ratios with identities, harmonic canon, Bass Marimba, Numerary Nexus, Diamond Marimba (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Among the few truly experimental composers in our cultural history, Harry Partch's life (1901–1974) and music embody most completely the quintessential American rootlessness, isolation, pre-civilized cult of experience, and dichotomy of practical invention and transcendental visions. Having lived mostly in the remote deserts of Arizona and New Mexico with no access to formal training, Partch naturally created theatrical ritualistic works incorporating Indian chants, Japanese kabuki and Noh, Polynesian microtones, Balinese gamelan, Greek tragedy, dance, mime, and sardonic commentary on Hollywood and commercial pop music of modern civilization. First published in 1949, Genesis of a Music is the manifesto of Partch's radical compositional practice and instruments (which owe nothing to the 300-year-old European tradition of Western music.) He contrasts Abstract and Corporeal music, proclaiming the latter as the vital, emotionally tactile form derived from the spoken word (like Greek, Chinese, Arabic, and Indian musics) and surveys the history of world music at length from this perspective. Parts II, III, and IV explain Partch's theories of scales, intonation, and instrument construction with copious acoustical and mathematical documentation. Anyone with a musically creative attitude, whether or not familiar with traditional music theory, will find this book revelatory.

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; Enlarged edition (August 21, 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030680106X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306801068
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #363,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE desk reference on Just Intonation, November 1, 1999

By	Bob Lee (Cloverdale, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a steel guitarist, I find the entire subject of Just Intonation (JI) fascinating. It's a beautiful sound, perfectly aligned with the laws of physics. Partch's book includes tables of all of the JI ratios, translated into cents. This is the ultimate reference book for anyone experimenting with tunings.

Partch's music may not be your cup of tea, but the logic behind it is top notch. With this book and his home-made instuments (there are pictures and descriptions), Partch kicked open the door for the modern micro-tonal movement. The musical universe will never be the same.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You had to be there., January 23, 2005

By	William B. Loughborough (Goldendale, WA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was a part of Harry's world for a time in the mid 1950s, maybe even a colleague as well as a devotee of sorts. I took a 40 year sabbatical and am again working in the field of musical instrument design/manufacture/performance.

This book is like a bible to me in many ways but what most of the reviews lack is the experience of having "been there, heard/felt that" which is a requirement for really getting it.

All the theoretical/philosophical considerations are mere historical/philosophical blather compared to actually being around the music itself. The implications of "corporeal" in terms of making/experiencing music rather than talking *about* music are very profound. You can get some idea from sound recordings, videos/films, or Web sites but unless you take part in the experience, you have no idea what's happening here.

I'm sure plenty (most?) people who encountered it were isolated from experiencing it fully by their backgrounds (nature or nurture), but for those who were moved, his work was the palpable exemplification of "profound". His picture should appear in the dictionary entry for "genius".

Love.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

I read this quite a few years ago, and my memory is a little vague, but I can give you some idea what we it is. Harry Partch was a musical maverick who invented a forty-three-(or forty-something)-note scale (forty-three notes to the octave, that is) based on the eleventh partial (partial, not harmonic: Harry is fussy about the distinction). Here he explains his scale, the instruments he invented to play it, his aesthetic of "corporeality" (not "corpulence"--don't be confused), and rants and raves a bit. Fascinating. By the bye, some equally--or even more--fascinating musical ramifications of acoustical theory are to be found in PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.