Harry Partch Harry Partch was born on June 24, 1901, in Oakland, California, to missionary parents. Partch moved from place to place in his early life so he became accustomed to the musical styles in many different cultures such as the Asian and Indian musical styles. Growing up in a musical family, Partch began to play the organ and the piano at an early age. In fact, he was so skilled that he was able play for silent films. Harry Partch’s exposure to silent films at a young age is a credible factor that have allowed him to excel in dramatic and theoretical music. As talented as Partch was, he went on to attend the University of Southern California to pursue his passion in music; however, he later left the school to follow his passion for music by himself as a result of dissatisfaction with the program. Harry Partch is referred as one of the most influential American modern composers. He is highly known for his unique musical quality through his method of music intonation. Besides given numerous titles such as inventor, philosopher, instrument builder, it is evidently known that Partch contributed in numerous aspects of music which have progressed even to this day. Harry Partch was fascinated by the works of Hermann Von Helmholtz, German Philosopher. Partch adapted his own…show more content… For example, he fashioned a 43-note octave scale and constructed many new instruments with unique harmonies, scales, and sounds. Instead of going with the traditional musical guidelines, Partch challenged the western musical technique and revolutionized the musical era at the time. To be specific, Partch did not adopt none of the traditional tunings of the western 19th and 20th century which consisted of the twelve-tone equal temperament. Rather, he used an extended, 11- limit just intonation which is defined through
