Evenings on the Roof:
Harry Partch Series No. 6

From a program recorded in 1965, Peter Yates introduces Harry Partch's “Oedipus”. This is a classic example of Partch's speech-music form of musical drama and dance. Part eccentric and part genius, Harry Partch was famous for his 43-note microtonal scale, typically played on instruments of his own design. Partch often incorporated dance or theatrics in his compositions, with this work “King Oedipus” being based on both the original play by Sophocles as well as additonal texts by William Butler Yeats. Although Partch died in 1974, a cohort of past students and enthusiasts have kept his legacy alive and his works might indeed be better known today than they were when this program first aired, a trend that radiOM.org hopes to further.