Finding Aid for Harry Partch Estate Archive, 1918-1991 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

By Tom McGeary, Noah Lenstra, Elizabeth Surles and Scott Schwartz

Collection Overview

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Biographical Note

Subject/Index Terms

Administrative Information

Box and Folder Listing

Series 3: Music Score Manuscripts

Consists of autograph (pencil or ink) scores, drafts, and blue-line (ozalid) copies of Partch's musical compositions. The designation "( = HPCat )" indicates those items that are the final score for a version of a composition, and that are catalogued and described in The Music of Harry Partch: A Descriptive Bibliography. See this publication for further information about the compositions and their versions.

Box 11

Folder 1: "U.S. Highball" (FS, P), 1943-44

Ink-on-paper score (and chromelodeon part) of "U.S. Highball" (second version, HPCat 35B). Score with numerous pencil additions, cuts, comments, paste-overs, etc. Score on 70 pages, chromelodeon part (also with additions, cuts) on 45 pages

Folder 2: "Y.D. Fantasy" (FS, P), 1944

Full score and parts for "Y. D. Fantasy" (HPCat 40) plus second flute part to "Two Settings from Finnegan's Wake". Ink score with various pencil and ink corrections and revisions. Presumably the performing material used for the 1944 Carnegie Hall concert. 22 pp. in ink and pencil

Folder 3: "Polyphonic Recidivism on a Japanese Theme" (FS), 1945

Full score for "Polyphonic Recidivism on a Japanese Theme" (HPCat 21). Ink score. 3pp

Folder 4: "Two Psalms" (Version B) (FS, P), 1943-1955

"Two Psalms": (1) full score to "The Lord Is My Shepherd" (HPCat 16B), (2) full score and two (of four) parts to "By the Rivers of Babylon" ( HPCat 5B), plus fragment in pencil of "Harmonic Canon" part to "U.S. Highball" (1955 version). 13pp, score in ink and pencil

Folder 5: "Two Settings from Finnegans Wake" (FS, P), 1944

Full score and parts to "Two Settings from Finnegans Wake" ( HPCat 31). 17pp. in ink

Folder 6: "San Francisco" and "Letter from Hobo Pablo" (FS), 1943-1955

Original ink-on-paper score, with later pencil additions made in 1955 for enlarged instrumentation. 6 leaves. San Francisco ( HPCat 26A), Letter ( HPCat 15A)

Folder 7: "Dark Brother" (FS, P), 1942-1943

Ink-on-paper score (HPCat 8B) with parts for voice, viola, and kithara, with pencil addition for Bass Marimba part. 8 leaves of parts, score on 13 pages

Folder 8: "U. S. Highball" (FS), 1943

Full score of first version of "U.S. Highball" (Feb. - March 1943) ( HPCat 35A). 64pp in pencil

Folder 9: "14 Intrusions" (FS, P), 1946-1955

Complete ink-on-paper manuscript score as described in (HPCat 13), version A. 56 pages. Also separately, bass marimba parts for "Soldier", "War", "Another War", "Cloud-Chamber Music", and "Lover", (three leaves), soprano part for "Lover" (one leaf), guitar II part for "Vanity" (one leaf), Guitar III part for "Cloud-Chamber Music", and "Soldier", "War", "Another War" (two leaves), kithara and deer hooves rattle part for "Cloud-Chamber Music" (one leaf), diamond marimba & bowls part for "Cloud-Chamber Music" (three pages on two leaves)

Folder 10: "Seventeen Lyrics of Li Po" (FS), undated

Li Po settings (version E) as notated in ratios and Chromelodian notation, (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 86-89).: nos. 1-9 (p. [1] contains fragment of pencil Bowls solo from "Even Wild Horses", Act 3, scene 2 (information provided by Danlee Mitchell, 12-31-1993); nos. 11-17. Note: "A Dream" (no. 10), original india-ink-on paper score, notated all in ratios on blank paper, originally in folder 10, is now in box 15, folder 4.

Folder 11: "Mock Turtle Song" (draft), 1954

Pencil draft for full score of "Mock Turtle Song" from "Two Settings from Lewis Carroll" (HPCat 32/1). 15pp. in pencil (torn from 8 1/2 x 7 spiral-bound music notebook)

Folder 12: "Potion Scene" (draft), 1931-1955

"'Potion Scene' from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet", 16 pages of draft in black and red pencil, numerous performance and interpretive directions, inscribed; rewritten at Gate 5, 10 July 1955, draft for score of second version (cat. no. 22, version b)

Folder 13: "U.S. Highball" (FS), 1955

Pencil draft of full score of enlarged instrumentation for "U.S. Highball" (HPCat 35C), plus three sheets of instrument tunings. 50 pp. in pencil

Folder 14: "Ulysses Departs from the Edge of the World" (draft), 1955, 1958

Pencil draft of score of original, first version (Cat. no. 34, version a), with numerous interpretive notes, inscribed Harry Partch, Gate 5. July 20, 1955 (12 pages); pencil parts for "Ulysses" as recorded in Evanston, IL, in 1958, for alto and baritone sax. Two parts on four pages, nineteen numbered, braced systems for chromelodeon, alto and baritone sax, and diamond marimba parts and on two pages (numbered 4 & 5), braced systems numbered 18-33, for diamond marimba and boo parts; (information provided by Danlee Mitchell, 12-31-93)

Box 12

Folder 1: "Windsong" (draft), undated

Small music notebook containing pencil drafts for musical scenes, each scene with title, cues to film, instrument tunings, indications of performers, tape speed, from front (inscribed percussion beginning here) pages numbered 32-47 [including inside front cover], from back (inscribed strings beginning here) [not including inside cover pages numbered 1-31]; 47 pages of draft score

Folder 2: "Bless This Home" (draft), 1961

Pencil sketch of full score. 3pp in pencil

Folder 3: "Water! Water!" (FS), 1961

Pencil draft of full score for "Water! Water!" 117pp.

Folder 4: "And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma" (FS), 1964

Pencil draft of full score. 40pp. in pencil.

Folder 5: "Revelation in the Courthouse Park" (FS), undated

Pencil draft of full score, pencil voice parts, pencil sketch of "Deep Inside", and original pencil manuscript of "Rotate the Body". approx. 250 leaves for full score, part 1 of 2, plus additional ca. 35 leaves

Folder 6: "Revelation in the Courthouse Park" (FS), undated

Pencil draft of full score, pencil voice parts, pencil sketch of "Deep Inside", and original pencil manuscript of "Rotate the Body". Part 2 of 2, approx. 250 leaves for full score, plus additional ca. 35 leaves

Box 13

Folder 1: "Delusion of the Fury", 1965-1966

Pencil draft of full score (HPCAt 10), plus related 20pp of sketches. 188pp. in pencil

Folder 2: "Oedipus", 1951-1954

Blue-line copy of full score of second version of Oedipus with numerous pencil and ink corrections and typed paste-overs (especially of spoken texts). Altered score presumably similar to or prepatory to final (third) version of "Oedipus". 131pp.

Folder 3: "Windsong", 1958

Blue-line copy of final score for "Windsong", with Partch's pencil notes for later instrumental "concert version" ["Daphne of the Dunes"], 19 pages

Folder 4: "Ulysses Departs from the Edge of the World" (FS, P), 1955

Blue-line copy of first-version score, except for Partch's manuscript title on first page, no manuscript additions. 11 pages. Also, Bb trumpet part prepared by Jack Logan

Folder 5: "Ulysses Departs from the Edge of the World," 2nd version (FS), 1955

Blue-line copy of score, second version, title page and 7 pages. No manuscript additions

Folder 6: "Ulysses at the Edge of the World," 3rd version (FS, P), undated

Two blue-line copies of score, third version, (second copy with system numbers in red pencil) with parts for Eb baritone sax and Eb alto sax. No other manuscript additions. 9 pages (for each score) and two parts in Partch manuscript comprising 6 pages. Also, parts (4 pages) for Eb baritone sax prepared by Jack Logan, 1974

Folder 7: "Eleven Intrusions" (FS), 1950

Blue-line copy of score with numerous pencil or ink markings, annotations, revisions, corrections, especially for nos. 1-2. 22 pages

Box 14

Folder 1: "Monophonic Cycle" cover, undated

Cover only

Folder 2: "Oedipus" (FS), 1951, 1954

Blue-line copy of full score of second version of Oedipus with Partch's pencil corrections, additions, revisions, type-script paste-overs (carbon copy), prepatory to preparing final (third) version of composition. 131 pages plus five leaves of Jocasta part and leaf marked "Pre-Introduction". Pencil annotations suggest this copy was used for performance and recording purposes

Folder 3: "Delusion of the Fury" (FS), 1965-1966

Blue-line score made from original set of vellum masters, with many annotations, corrections, and additions made by Partch in pencil or as paste-overs. According to Danlee Mitchell, these were not transferred to the set of vellum masters. Comments provided by Danlee Mitchell about this score: "This score is one of three sets of the complete score with covers made by Betty Richards [wife of Emil Richards] in Los Angeles, shortly after vellum score was finished, for Harry's personal use. I have the second copy, which was the score I used to conduct the work in 1969 at UCLA, and I am keeping it." Pasted onto inside front cover Corrections and additions to data on instruments. Cover plus 250 pages. Systems numbered in red-orange pencil

Box 15

Folder 1: Images from Bitter Music, undated

Labelled as "Oversize folder"

Folder 2: Study for Harmonic Canon I and Kithara I (FS), undated

Pencil draft on one bifolium (t.p. and 3 pp. score); one loose sheet, part for Kithara I in pencil, bass marimba part for "Castor and Pollux" in ink

Folder 3: "Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po" (version A), undated

Li Po settings as notated on 5-line staffs with added ratios: "On the City Street"; "An Encounter in the Field"; "The Intruder" (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, p. 79); Pencil drafts for "Before the Cask of Wine" and "By the Great Wall" on one leaf; Incomplete draft of "A Dream", ink and pencil, one leaf; Incomplete draft of "On Hearing the Flute in the Yellow Crane House", one leaf (without added ratios)

Folder 4: "Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po" (version B), 1930-1932

Seven Li Po settings (A - G ) notated using ratios on unlined paper, (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 80-81): "The Long-Departed Love"; "On Ascending the Sin-Ping Tower"; "In the Springtime on the South Side of the Yangtze Kiang"; "The Night of Sorrow"; "On Hearing the Flute in the Yellow Crane House"; "On Hearing the Flute at Lo-cheng One Spring Night"; "A Dream". Note: "A Dream", formerly in box 11, folder 10, and grouped with "Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po" (version E), and described as incomplete, is now properly placed in Folder 4 (manuscript is now complete). On p. [10] of "A Dream" is a pencil transcription by Partch of text of "Christopher Columbus" by Filson Young (pub. Grant Richards, London)

Folder 5: "Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po" (version C) (FS), 1931-1933

Li Po settings notated on double-lined staffs, (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, p. 82): "A Midnight Farewell" and "On Seeing Off Meng Hao-jan", 3 pp of score on three oversize leaves (two leaves are glued back-to-back); "On the Ship of Spice-wood" and "With a Man of Leisure", 6 pp of score on six oversize leaves (all leaves are glued back-to-back)

Folder 6: "Seventeen Lyrics by Li Po" (version D) (FS), 1933

Li Po settings as notated using note heads with diacritical marks: "By the Great Wall", ink-on-paper score, (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, p. 85). Examination of the original manuscript provides a corrected description (now reflecting pages that were not microfilmed). Contents: p. [i], dedication to Richard Buhlig, [1:2], dedication and score, [3], key to diacritical notation and ratio.; Pencil drafts for "Before the Cask of Wine" and "By the Great Wall", on one and one-half leaves.; Pencil draft for "I am a Peach Tree", one-half leaf

Folder 7: "Two Psalms", 1932

Notated in ratios on unlined paper: "By the Rivers of Babylon" (version A), (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, p. 33.); "The Lord Is My Shepherd" (version A), (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, pp. 66-67)

Folder 8: "The 'Potion Scene'" from Romeo and Juliet, undated

Notated in ratios on blank paper: "The Potion Scene" from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet (version A), (as described in The Music of Harry Partch, A Descriptive Bibliography, p. 95)

Folder 9: Southwest Indian music transcriptions, ca. 1933

Partch's working draft transcriptions of southwest Indian and Mexican songs, some from recordings at the Southwest Museum, Pasadena. (See Richard Kassel, "Harry Partch in the Field, Native American Influences on his Music", Music Works 51, Autumn 1991, 6-15): (1) Pencil transcriptions on double-lined staffs: "Luiseno War Dance", pencil introduction by Partch about the transcriptions [continued on next item]; "Hoopa War Song"; "Cahuilla Bird Dance Song"; "Hoopa Brush Dance Song"; "Hoopa Stick Game"; (2) Pencil draft transcriptions on five-lined staffs (with no indications of microtonal inflections), three leaves of drafts and notes for numerous Indian and Mexican melodies, sources of most are identified, one leaf is dated April 13, 1933); (3) One page (of bifolium) of Lou Harrison's ink copy of Partch transcriptions (From Harry Partch / Indian musics), on five-line staffs (with no indications of microtonal inflections): Hoopa Stick Game, Cahuilla Bird Dance Song, Cahuilla Feather dance, Cahuilla General Dance. With envelope mailed to Partch from G. Herzog, New York, 1936

Folder 10: Intonation Examples, 1967

Two sets of numbered, short extracts (from identified compositions or theoretic sources) illustrating examples of intonation

Folder 11: "Dreamer that Remains" (FS), 1972

Blue-line copy (1 of 2) of first version of score with Partch's pencil annotations, corrections and revisions preliminary to the second (and final) version of the score (labeled by Partch "Last Dreamer"). Cover and 37 pages

Folder 12: "Dreamer that Remains" (FS), undated

Blue-line score (2 of 2, with systems numbered in red), score incorporates revisions as called for on previous score. Partch's label "Last Dreamer". Cover and 37 pages