Finding Aid for Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914-2007 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

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

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Collection Overview

Title: Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection, 1914-2007

ID: 35/3/82

Primary Creator: Partch, Harry (1901-1974)

Other Creators: Cutler, Jean (1927-2010), Johnston, Ben

Extent: 23.1 cubic feet

Arrangement:

Series 1: BMI Collection consists of the complete contents of their publicity file about Partch; given in December 1987.

Series 2: Jean Cutler Collection consists of a group of materials documenting Jean Cutler's association with Partch from 1962 to 1970; collection purchased from Jean Cutler in June 1996.

Series 3: Oliver Daniel Collection consists of photocopies (and some originals) of correspondence and articles between and about Partch and Daniel; obtained ca. 1988.

Series 4: Betty Freeman Collection consists of recordings of rehearsals, performances, and interviews, correspondence, transcripts, and publications; the bulk of the collection was donated in January 1979, with supplements in later years, especially 1999.

Series 5: John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Collection consists of photocopies of materials in the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation files.

Series 6: Barnard Hewitt Collection consists of original materials from Barnard Hewitt ; given in 1978.

Series 7: Robert Kostak Collection consists of original materials; purchased from Kostka in November 1987.

Series 8: Lynn Ludlow Collection consists of original and photocopies of brochures, programs, announcements, newspaper and magazine clippings; given in April 1989.

Series 9: Lauriston C. Marshall Collection consists of materials relating to Harry Partch; given to the University of Illinois Music Library by Larry and Lucie Marshall between 1976 and 1980.

Series 10: Danlee Mitchell Harry Partch Collection consists of personal materials relating to Partch; Donated in 1991 on the occasion of a commemorative concert to honor the retirement of Jack McKenzie as Dean of Fine and Applied Arts at UIUC.

Series 11: Stephen Pouliot Harry Partch Collection consists of materials given to the Archive by Stephen Pouliot, in 1990 and 1998.

Series 12: Peter Yates Harry Partch Collection consists of photocopies of materials available in the University of California, San Diego's Mandeville Special Collections Library's Peter Yates Collection.

Series 13: Subject Files consists of original materials collected or created for the Archive, not part of individual collections above.

Series 14: Musical Scores consists of blue-line original or photocopies of Partch autograph scores; assembled from various sources.

Series 15: Photographs consists of photographic material (slides, prints, and negatives transferred from various collections and/or folders.

Series 16: Bibliography Project files consists of originals or photocopies of articles (or sections in books) published about Partch.

Series 17: Oral History Tapes consists of recordings of interviews with or about Partch.

Series 18: Performance Tapes consists of recordings of performances and lectures.

Series 19: Microfilms, slide strips, video tapes and films consists of items in the titular formats.

Series 20: Philip Blackburn Harry Partch Collection consists of materials collected and created by Philip Blackburn in relation to his INNOVA and Enclosures products devoted to publishing materials about Partch under the auspices of the American Composers Forum, Minneapolis.

Series 21: Kenneth Gaburo Papers consist of materials related to The Bewitched and had been in the possession of Philip Blackburn, as part of his INNOVA and Enclosures publication project; transferred to the archive in April 2008.

Series 22: Oversize Materials consists of photograph and posters of Harry Partch and his instruments.

Series 23: Madeline Tourtelot Harry Partch Collection consists of Madeline Tourtelot's own cassettes, tapes, and a book that had been given to Philip Blackburn in relation to his Enclosures publishing project; transferred to the Partch Archive in April 2008 as part of Blackburn's donation of his Enclosures material.

Series 24: Duplicate Tapes consists of 15 1/4" audio tapes made as listening copies by the Music and Performing Arts Library's Special Collections department. These tapes were transferred from MPAL Special Collections in April, 2015, and correspond to the tapes listed on pages 87 to 93 of the 2005 Harry Partch Guide to the Collection linked in Administrative Information.

Date Acquired: 00/00/1975. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Compositions-Music, Instrumental music, Photographs

Formats/Genres: Financial Records, Motion Pictures/Videotapes, Newspaper Clippings, Sound Recordings

Scope and Contents of the Materials

Consists of books, music, films, personal papers, artifacts and sound recordings collected by the staff of the Music and Performing Arts Library and the University of Illinois School of Music documenting the life and career of Harry Partch, and those associated with him, throughout his career as a composer and writer.

Biographical Note

Born in Oakland, CA in 1901, Harry Partch was an American composer, theorist, instrument designer and performer. He is best known for the work he did with just temperment: developing a 43 tone octave scale, writing pieces to showcase it, and building instruments upon which it could be played. His musical knowledge was largely self-taught and his interest in intonation emerged out of microtonal experimentation conducted on string instruments. Many of his thoughts on the matter are outlined in his 1947 treatise, Genesis of a Music.

By the early 1950s, he had established the Gate 5 Ensemble and record label and begun a musical partnership with fellow composer Ben Johnston that would take him to the University of Illinois in 1956, where Johnston was then teaching. While at Illinois, Partch premiered his large stage work, The Bewitched, as part of the Festival of Contemporary Arts and also composed and had performed the stage works Revelation in the Courthouse Park and Water! Water! He returned to California in 1962 where he completed his last project, the text and music for a film, The Dreamer that Remains before his death in 1974.

Subject/Index Terms

Compositions-Music
Instrumental music
Photographs

Administrative Information

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: Many accruals between 1975 and 2015, both in the form of individual collections and individual items.

Acquisition Source: Donation and acquisition

Acquisition Method: In 1975 the Music and Performing Arts Library acquired a set of scores reproduced from Partch's vellum masters through Irv Wilson. The Music and Performing Arts Library Harry Partch Collection was created in 1978 by Professor Ben Johnston and Thomas McGeary for the purpose of collecting relevant material documenting the life and musical work of Harry Partch. The impetus for the Collection was a donation by Lauriston C. Marshall of a group of tapes, recordings, documents, and letters. Over the following decade, many more accretions were added to the archive. Much of the work of collecting, organizing, and cataloging the material has been make possible through a generous grant to the Archive made by Betty Freeman in 1986.

Box and Folder Listing

Series 13: Subject Files

This series consists of original materials collected or created for the Archive, not part of individual collections above.

Box 19

Folder 6: Albuquerque, New Mexico, ca. 1914-1919: Documents about Partch and his family at Albuquerque
Folder 7: American Festival of Microtonal Music (New York): Program, newsletters, and materials by the American Festival of Microtonal Music, organized by Johnny Reinhard, director, which has performed some of Partch's compositions.
Folder 8: Arnautoff, Phillip, 2001: "Remembering Harry"
Folder 9: Barzun, Jacques, 1983: Correspondence between Thomas McGeary and Barzun; McGeary?s notes on the Partch letters, etc., in Barzun's papers at Columbia University.
Folder 10: Beckwith, John, 1958-1964: Photocopies of letters between Partch and Beckwith (provided courtesy of Danlee Mitchell) (1957-87)
Folder 11: Benson, Arizona, undated: Magazines, notes, etc., about Benson, Arizona; with McGeary notes about possible materials about Benson for further investigation
Folder 12: Biglow, Bill, 1971-1973: Photocopies of letters to Partch; copies courtesy of Bob Gilmore
Folder 13: Bookman, Steven, 1973: Photocopy of letter from Partch to Steven Bookman (provided courtesy of Johnny Reinhard)
Folder 14: Brant, Henry, 1982 and 1985: Transcript of interview between Betty Freeman and Henry Brant (tape in Harry Partch Archive) (1985); photocopy of relevant portion of interview with Brant from Soundpieces: Interviews with American Composers (1982)
Folder 15: British Harry Partch Society, undated: Various newsletters and publications
Folder 16: Cage, John, 1980: Note-O-Gram carbon from Cage to McGeary about Partch
Folder 17: Cameron, Janet, 1981: Seminar paper on Li Po Settings
Folder 18: Carnegie Corporation of New York, 1934-1940: Photocopies of letters, etc., regarding Partch's 1934-35 research trip to England
Folder 19: Copland, Aaron, 1979: Letter from Copland to Tom McGeary about Partch. [Note: Photographs from Box 19 Folder 19 "Cecil Charles, 1969" were transfered to Box 28 folder 1 when the collection was processed in 2007. However, the collection finding aid was not updated to reflect this transition until October of 2017. Box 19 Folder 19 is now updated as "aaron copland, 1979," which was originally Box 19 Folder 20, the remaining folders in Box 19 have also been updated accordingly.]
Folder 20: Couper, Mildred, 1986: Photocopies of letters, etc., about Couper (micro-tonal composer), who was a friend of Partch in Santa Barbara from the 1930s (photocopies courtesy of Rosalind Nordli)
Folder 21: Cunningham, Imogene, 1987: Photocopied proof sheets of Partch photographs
Folder 22: Daniel, Oliver, 1985: Transcript of interview with Betty Freeman (tape of interview is series 18, box 33, item 65)

Box 20

Folder 1: Driscoll, Harold and Bertha, 1979: Photocopies of letters, score, etc., made in 1979. Both are deceased and the locations of the originals of these items is not known. Includes photocopy of the original india-ink-on-paper score of "Before the Cask of Wine".
Folder 2: Driscoll, Harold and Bertha, 1986: Photocopies of clippings and letters from Partch to Driscolls (1941-72) now in the possession of Jonathan Glasier (made in 1986)
Folder 3: Drummond, Dean, 1966-1972: Photocopies of letters from Partch to Drummond 1966-1972 (photocopies courtesy of Dean Drummond)
Folder 4: Federal Writers' Project, Arizona, 1936: Photocopies of letters about Partch's employment in FWP; plus McGeary correspondence and other materials about the FWP
Folder 5: Federal Writers' Project, Calif, 1979-1980: Photocopies of McGeary correspondence about Partch's employment in FWP
Folder 6: Flanders/Capers, 1980: Letters from Peter Flanders and Roberta Fansler Capers to McGeary about their knowledge of Partch and their families
Folder 7: French, Loran ("Cloudy") and Tilda, 1963-1970: Photocopies of letters from Partch to them
Folder 8: Gaburo, Kenneth, 1979-1986: Correspondence between McGeary and Gaburo (and others) relating to Partch publishing projects and Lingua Press
Folder 9: Garland, Peter, 1970-73: Photocopies of correspondence between Garland and Partch. Largely duplicates of items in the Harry Partch Estate Archive, RS 12/5/45, box 5, folder 17
Folder 10: Granade, Andrew, 2007: "When Worlds Collide: Harry Partch and the Aesthetics of Avant-Garde Film Music"
Folder 11: Hanson, Howard, 1979: Letter from Hanson regarding Partch
Folder 12: Harrison, Lou, 1966-70: Photocopies of sections relevant to Partch from A Lou Harrison Reader (mostly reproduction of letters between Partch and Harrison)
Folder 13: Haverlin, Carl, undated: Photocopy of MS score for Partch's Jine the Cavalry, now owned by Fred Bennet, Northridge, Calif.; also photocopy of Haverlin's published arrangement of Jine the Cavalry; also McGeary corr. with Bennet. One copy of score of Jine the Cavalry is series 14, box 28, item 7.
Folder 14: Historical Pictures Service, 1944: Reproductions of two photographs of Partch
Folder 15: Illini Union Student Activities, 1961-1962: Photocopies of internal documents about Water! Water! production at the University of Illinois
Folder 16: Institute of International Education, New York, 1934-1935: Printout from microfilm of documents from their files (including letters from Partch) regarding Partch's research trip to England. Further duplication is prohibited without permission of original source.
Folder 17: Jacobs, Dr. Jim and Marian, 1969-1973: Photocopies of letters from Partch to them
Folder 18: Johansen, Gunnar, Blue Mound, Wis., 1953-78: Photocopies of material relating to Partch (clippings, programs and brochures from Madison. Wis., concerts and recordings); incl. photocopies of letters from Partch to the Marshall and Johansens
Folder 19: Johnston, Ben, 1956-88: Articles, clippings, and writings about Partch, including photocopies of letters to and from Partch; grant applications; corr. with various persons; publications and interview transcript
Folder 20: Kassel, Richard, 1991: Copy of article about Partch's indian music transcription (with cassette) from Musicworks 51
Folder 21: Keats, Donald, 1957: Letter from Keats to Betty Freeman describing Partch's stay in Yellow Springs, Ohio
Folder 22: Lauterer, Arch, 1987: Various materials about Lauterer, director of Mills College production of King Oedipus
Folder 23: League of Composers/N.Y. Public Library Museum and Library of Performing Arts, 1944: Photocopy of concert program (at N.Y. Public Library)
Folder 24: Library of Congress, Music Division, 1980-1989: correspondence with Thomas McGeary about their Partch scores
Folder 25: Library of Congress - Elizabeth S. Coolidge Collection, 1932: Photocopies and notes of correspondence between Partch and Coolidge; includes McGeary notes on the collection.
Folder 26: Library of Congress - Serge Koussevitzky Music Foundation, 1966-1974: Photocopies and notes of correspondence regarding commissioning of Delusion of the Fury
Folder 27: Library of Congress - Slonimsky Collection, 1963-1965: Photocopies and notes of materials sent by Partch to Nicolas Slonimsky, including draft scenario of Delusion of the Fury ; includes McGeary notes on the collection
Folder 28: Luening, Otto, 1980-87: Correspondence by McGeary with Luening about obtaining copies of Partch letters; photocopy of portion of Luening's The Odyssey of an American Composer; photocopies of other letters
Folder 29: McChesney, Robert and Mary, 1978: Correspondence with them, photocopies of materials about them and clippings about Partch
Folder 30: McClure, John (Columbia Records), 1968-1972: Copies of letters from Partch

Box 21

Folder 1: McGeary, Thomas, 1979-89: Correspondence with various persons and organizations in course of collecting material for the Archive.
Folder 2: McGeary, Thomas/Timings for CDs and DVDs, c. 2004: Notes from Partch and Danlee Mitchell about an unidentified recording project
Folder 3: McGeary, Thomas/Music for Petals, c. 2005: Photocopies of the score of "And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma" with annotations for a recording project
Folder 4: McMillan, Ann E., 1942: Photocopy of letter from Partch
Folder 5: Mills College, Oakland, Calif., 1952: Photocopies of material relating to production of King Oedipus
Folder 6: Mitchell, Danlee, 1981: McGeary correspondence with, and copies of various materials
Folder 7: Moldenhauer Archives (Harvard University), 1959: McGeary correspondence about their Partch holdings; photocopy of letter from Partch to Moldenhauer
Folder 8: Moore, Douglas, Columbia University Library, Special Collections Department, 1952-1959: Photocopies of Partch letters to Moore. Further duplication is prohibited without permission of original source
Folder 9: New York Public Library, 1978-87: McGeary correspondence about their Partch holdings
Folder 10: Nikolais Dance Company, Alwin, 1957: Photocopies of letters from Partch and of photos of The Bewitched production
Folder 11: Oliveros, Pauline, 1985: Photocopy of letter from Oliveros to Betty Freeman about Partch
Folder 12: Onslow-Ford, Gordon, 1987: McGeary correspondence with, and material about his paintings
Folder 13: Partch Family, 1980-89: Photocopies of various materials about Virgil and Jenny Partch; land deeds and homestead claims in Arizona; material regarding Partch and brother and sister
Folder 14: Partch, Harry/ And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma, undated: Preliminary notes, scenarios, etc. (photocopies of material in the Harry Partch Estate Archive)
Folder 15: Partch/Harry/ BMI brochures, undated: Brochures about Partch distributed by BMI

Box 22

Folder 1: Partch, Harry/ The Bewitched, 1955-57: Scenarios: Originals and photocopies of scenarios to The Bewitched, from various sources
Folder 2: Partch, Harry/Birth and death certificates, 1974-80: Photocopies of birth and death certificates
Folder 3: Partch, Harry/Bitter Music, ca. 1940: Printout from microfilm in the Marshall Collection (series 9, sub-series 1, box 14, item 1)
Folder 4: Partch, Harry/Bitter Music (musical examples), undated: Printout of music examples for Bitter Music, from microfilm in the Marshall Collection (series 9, sub-series 1, box 14, item 1)
Folder 5: Harry Partch/Composers Recording, Inc., 1963-1973: Correspondence between CRI and Partch regarding Petals and The Bewitched recordings (photocopies of originals at CRI, New York)
Folder 6: Harry Partch/Concert programs, 1957-83: Photocopies and originals of concert programs during Partch's life and after his death

Box 23

Folder 1: Harry Partch/Correspondence, 1952-1959: Printout from microfilm (made by Partch at U. of Illinois about 1960) that contains letters Partch wrote to various persons; original film in the Harry Partch Estate Archive
Folder 2: Harry Partch/Da Capo Press, 1968-1974: Correspondence between Da Capo and Partch regarding second edition of Genesis of a Music (photocopies of material in the Harry Partch Estate Archive)
Folder 3: Partch, Harry/The Dreamer That Remains, 1972: Special dedicatory page to Stephen Pouliot (photocopy of original vellum master sheet in the Harry Partch Estate Archive)
Folder 4: Partch, Harry/End Littoral, ca. 1947: Printout of microfilm in the Marshall Collection
Folder 5: Partch, Harry/"Even Wild Horses", undated: Photocopy of original typescript scenarios in the Peter Yates papers, UCSD library, Mandeville Department of Special Collections
Folder 6: Partch, Harry/"Exposition of Monophony", 1933: Photocopy of original typescript now owned by Jonathan Glasier, San Diego
Folder 7: Partch, Harry/"Life in the Houses of Technitution", 1953, 1980: Photocopy of facsimile printed in Allos: 'Other' Language, ed. Kenneth Gaburo
Folder 8: Partch, Harry/"Manual on the Maintenance and Repair of . . . Musical Instruments", 1963: Photocopies of original in the Harry Partch Estate Archive, San Diego (47 pp.)

Box 24

Folder 1: Partch, Harry/ Bill of lading for moving and letter to the cast of "Bewitched", 1957, 1971
Folder 2: Partch, Harry/Musicians as "Artists", 1947: Photocopy of typescript (original in the Harry Partch Estate Archive) (12 pp.)
Folder 3: Partch, Harry/"On G-String Formality", 1946: Printout of typescript from microfilm in Marshall Collection
Folder 4: Partch, Harry/Vivian Perlis, 1974, 1984: Transcript of oral history interview with Partch (original tape at Yale University; copy of tape series 18, box 33, item 75-78)
Folder 5: Partch, Harry/Published writings, 1967-78: Photocopies of Partch's published writings
Folder 6: Partch, Harry/"A Quarter-Saw Section of Motivations and Intonations", 1967: Original mimeograph transcript of talk Partch gave at ASUC meeting, Tanglewood, Preliminary leaf + 13 pp.
Folder 7: Partch, Harry/Recordings, ca. 1957: Brochures for recordings; originals and photocopies
Folder 8: Partch, Harry/"Resume of Oral Exposition" and "Resume of Exposition of Monophony", ca. 1932: Photocopies of originals now at the Moldenhauer Archive, Harvard University
Folder 9: Partch, Harry/Revelation in the Courthouse Park, undated: Preliminary drafts, notes, scenarios; plus draft scenarios for works never composed (photocopies of material in the Harry Partch Estate Archive 12/5/45, series 1, subseries 1, box 1, folders 34, 38 and 39)
Folder 10: Partch, Harry/"Rhythmic Motivations of Castor and Pollux and Even Wild Horses", undated: Photocopy of original typescript in the Peter Yates papers, UCSD library, Mandeville Department of Special Collections) (8 pp.)
Folder 11: Partch, Harry/Study for Harmonic Canon I and Kithara I, undated: Photocopy of original manuscript (in the Harry Partch Estate Archive 12/5/45, series 3, box 15, folder2)
Folder 12: Partch, Harry/U.S. Highball (two draft librettos and pocket notebook Partch carried on trip), undated: Photocopies of originals (in the Harry Partch Estate Archive 12/5/45, series 1, subseries 1, box 1, folders 43 and 44)
Folder 13: "Harry Partch: el ultimo sonador de la musica", 1975: Article about Partch in 7^o Dia, the Sunday magazine of the Venezuelan newspaper "El Nacional"
Folder 14: Partch, Harry/Water! Water! (press release and program), 1962: Copy of press release and program for original University of Illinois production
Folder 15: Porter, Quincy, 1958, 1988: Photocopy of letter from Partch to Porter
Folder 16: Record jackets, undated: Photocopies of record jackets of Partch's Gate Five and commercial recordings

Box 25

Folder 1: Richards, Emil, 1963-1974: Photocopies of letters from Partch to Richards
Folder 2: Siwe, Tom, 1974: Originals and photocopies of various materials regarding Partch
Folder 3: Southwest Museum, Pasadena, Ca, ca. 1930s: Photocopies of Partch's transcription of Indian songs. Further duplication is prohibited without permission of original source
Folder 4: Stern, Gerd, 1970-93: McGeary correspondence with Stern, and other materials about Partch
Folder 5: Swanson, Jerry, 1961-74: Small group of materials about Partch from performer in Water! Water!; include photocopy of letter from Partch
Folder 6: Temperley, Nicholas, 1961-77: Original typescript of unpublished review article about Partch's Revelation, with photos. Photos removed to Photograph Box
Folder 7: Thomson, Virgil, 1942-1953: Photocopies of letters between Partch and Thomson (originals at Yale University). Further duplication is prohibited without permission of original source
Folder 8: Tourtelot, Madeline, 1986-87: McGeary correspondence with, and photocopies of brochures of her films about Partch.
Folder 9: Tuttle, Preston, 1979, 1986: Letter from Tuttle to Ben Johnston about Partch
Folder 10: University of Southern California, 1979-82: Correspondence with University archivist and emeritus faculty member Pauline Alderman about Partch at USC
Folder 11: University of Wisconsin (1 of 2), 1945, 1979, 1987: Correspondence with Library and Press about their Partch holdings; includes photocopies of two letters from Scudder MeKeel
Folder 12: University of Wisconsin (2 of 2), 1944-49: Photocopies of various materials from UW Press, UW Archives, and local newspapers collected by Ron Wiecki (photocopies courtesy of Ron Wiecki)
Folder 13: University of Wisconsin Press, 1949-1985: Photocopies of selected letters from and about Partch (photocopies courtesy of Ron Wiecki)

Box 26

Folder 1: Wiecki, Ron, 1987-88: Correspondence with and draft copy of an article about Partch
Folder 2: Yeats, W. B., 1977-87: Photocopies of Yeats published correspondence about Partch; copies of other items and Yeats's King Oedipus
Folder 3: Young, Ella, 1951, 1982: Partch letter to Young (original at UCLA library)