Petals [Partch] wow

I had "Spinner" on today, and listened to Harry Partch's: _And on
the Seventh Day Petals Fell on Petaluma_(1967)

Maybe that's the Partch piece I've been looking for...

Is that his best piece or what?

Anybody else feel that way?

JP

Joe,

--- In tuning@y..., "jpehrson2" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> I had "Spinner" on today, and listened to Harry Partch's: _And on
> the Seventh Day Petals Fell on Petaluma_(1967)
> Maybe that's the Partch piece I've been looking for...

It's a shame you missed the Newband show in September: it was the
first live performance of it since the 1980's.

> Is that his best piece or what? Anybody else feel that way?

Well, talk about subjective questions! In any event, it certainly
appeals to a certain audience: those that don't like words, a
dramatic sub-text, or any other 'program' beyond notes, rhythms, and
harmonies.

But it certainly has an interesting niche in Partch's output: after
finally leaving the University of Illinois (area), and having been
discouraged with an increasing lack of support and competant players,
he headed back west, settling in Petaluma. He then decided to write
music that he *knew* could be played but would rely only on himself
and whomever he knew would be dedicated to consummate musical skills.
Petals became a sketch pad that became almost entirely integrated
into the musical fabric of his last large stage work "Delusion of the
Fury".

Petals was first recorded (or at least started) in the converted
chick hatchery / studio, and the tapes that I have in the Partch
archives bear witness that during the last series of 'sessions' they
had to stop at times as the other end of the hatchery was being
demolished!

It is pretty amazing that he conceived this 'piece' among the
instruments, and could probably have played all the parts, although
he used Danlee Mitchell and Michael Ranta for recordings along with
himself. And many people get a great deal of interest from this
piece, but you might want to hear it a couple of times and then
listen to "Delusion". In only one person's opinion, it then becomes
an experience similar to listening to piano sketches of... I
dunno... "Boris Gudonov" or something, and then finally hearing the
full opera.

More than you probably wanted to read about "Petals...", eh? :)

Cheers,
Jon

Jon and Joseph!!
I couldn't with jon's comments here more. For me I will go further and claim "Delusion" as the
peak.

jonszanto wrote:

> It is pretty amazing that he conceived this 'piece' among the
> instruments, and could probably have played all the parts, although
> he used Danlee Mitchell and Michael Ranta for recordings along with
> himself. And many people get a great deal of interest from this
> piece, but you might want to hear it a couple of times and then
> listen to "Delusion". In only one person's opinion, it then becomes
> an experience similar to listening to piano sketches of... I
> dunno... "Boris Gudonov" or something, and then finally hearing the
> full opera.

-- Kraig Grady
North American Embassy of Anaphoria island
http://www.anaphoria.com

The Wandering Medicine Show
Wed. 8-9 KXLU 88.9 fm

--- In tuning@y..., "jonszanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_31621.html#31625

> Joe,
>
> --- In tuning@y..., "jpehrson2" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> > I had "Spinner" on today, and listened to Harry Partch's: _And
on
> > the Seventh Day Petals Fell on Petaluma_(1967)
> > Maybe that's the Partch piece I've been looking for...
>
> It's a shame you missed the Newband show in September: it was the
> first live performance of it since the 1980's.
>

Hi Jon!

I had *absolutely* no idea the piece was like that! This is an
amazing piece... and I'm sure Newband did a "bang up" job of it,
literally...

> > Is that his best piece or what? Anybody else feel that way?
>
> Well, talk about subjective questions! In any event, it certainly
> appeals to a certain audience: those that don't like words, a
> dramatic sub-text, or any other 'program' beyond notes, rhythms,
and harmonies.

ABSOLUTELY subjective... like lots of things in the arts. I think
this one is *my* Partch piece, if I can claim one... and, yes, I
don't like words and blah, blah... well, you know what I'm like by
now...! :)

>
> But it certainly has an interesting niche in Partch's output:

... (Important and interesting stuff by Jon in earlier post)

And many people get a great deal of interest from this
> piece, but you might want to hear it a couple of times and then
> listen to "Delusion". In only one person's opinion, it then becomes
> an experience similar to listening to piano sketches of... I
> dunno... "Boris Gudonov" or something, and then finally hearing the
> full opera.

OK... I'll try that... but, remember, I'm an "absolutist" and the
theatre part doesn't always make it "better" for me! :) I may end
up liking *Petals* better, to many people's consteration...

>
> More than you probably wanted to read about "Petals...", eh? :)
>

Absolutely not! I was entranced by that piece. Should I be honest
with you and say it was the first Partch piece that did that for
me?? Why not...

JP

Joe,

--- In tuning@y..., "jpehrson2" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> Absolutely not! I was entranced by that piece. Should I be honest
> with you and say it was the first Partch piece that did that for
> me?? Why not...

Honesty is *always* the best, and while I enjoy helping people with
some of my background on HP, I would never deign to say what they
should or shouldn't like.

Tell you what, though: if you aren't familiar, "Delusion of the Fury"
has two extended instrumental sections - the "Exordium", which acts
similar to a prelude to the first 'act', and "Sanctus", which sits
like an entracte to part two. *Especially* the Exordium, which in my
cards is _hands_down_ the most amazing 10 minutes of instrumental
microtonal power in existence. It was this opening segment that
caused the initial recording, in 1968, to be so thoroughly covered in
the audiophile press! Crank it up and blow down the walls!

So even if you don't want to get into the vocalisms of the rest of
the piece (and Delusion really needs to be seen, with little
understandable spoken/sung text), this music takes the raw materials
of Petals, adds coherence and fullness, and brings all those dorky
otonal and utonal resources into the service of spellbinding.

If you want instrumental Partch, that's the 10 minutes I'd live with.

Cheers,
Jon

--- In tuning@y..., "jonszanto" <JSZANTO@A...> wrote:

/tuning/topicId_31621.html#31629

> Joe,
>
> --- In tuning@y..., "jpehrson2" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> > Absolutely not! I was entranced by that piece. Should I be
honest
> > with you and say it was the first Partch piece that did that for
> > me?? Why not...
>
> Honesty is *always* the best, and while I enjoy helping people with
> some of my background on HP, I would never deign to say what they
> should or shouldn't like.
>
> Tell you what, though: if you aren't familiar, "Delusion of the
Fury"
> has two extended instrumental sections - the "Exordium", which acts
> similar to a prelude to the first 'act', and "Sanctus", which sits
> like an entracte to part two. *Especially* the Exordium, which in
my
> cards is _hands_down_ the most amazing 10 minutes of instrumental
> microtonal power in existence. It was this opening segment that
> caused the initial recording, in 1968, to be so thoroughly covered
in
> the audiophile press! Crank it up and blow down the walls!
>
> So even if you don't want to get into the vocalisms of the rest of
> the piece (and Delusion really needs to be seen, with little
> understandable spoken/sung text), this music takes the raw
materials
> of Petals, adds coherence and fullness, and brings all those dorky
> otonal and utonal resources into the service of spellbinding.
>
> If you want instrumental Partch, that's the 10 minutes I'd live
with.
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

Hello Jon...

I really appreciate your expertise here. It's nice to have an
HP "expert" right on this very list...

Anyway, I have advance knowledge that Santa Claus is going online for
me this year, so I went ahead and ordered both the _Delusion_ *and*
_Petals_ from CDNOW.

Actually _Petals_ completes my set of HP CRI disks, anyway... I have
the other two...

_Delusion_ was on "backorder" meaning, apparently, that it is
a "sought after" item.

I'm sure I'll get into it... maybe turn the lights down low, and
maybe a little good spirit... not that HP would think of anything of
the kind...

Anyway, I'll look forward to receiving them..

CDNOW seems pretty good. Amazon.com didn't have both these CDs...
and CDNOW lets a person listen to selections from various CDs.. very
useful...

best,

Joe