Harry Partch: June 24, 1901 - Sept. 3, 1974
Today, we think of Harry Partch, born on this day in 1901. It is a shame that he died relatively young, but that chassis had many hard miles on it, and he left us with a remarkable and non-duplicatable legacy. It is impossible to know where he would have gone, artistically, in the next years, and would have been highly interesting to see how he reacted to his concepts of performing eventually finding a little traction.
I am aware that momentous changes are occurring in the world today. Harry would have been aghast at many of the events in recent months and the trends that are playing out. I don't know if his music gives positive comfort or hope to anyone, but it would be nice to think it does. For me, it is the fact that Harry kept up his fight, sticking to long-held principles all the way out, which serves as my inspiration. He will always be the Dreamer that remains.
In light of today, I will use that inspiration to work on new content for the site. Check back in a couple of days (or subscribe to the RSS feed, since I'll announce here, as well). I'm behind, but I'm not dead yet.