Genesis of a Music

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First edition
(publ. The University of Wisconsin Press)
File:Partchdiamond.svg
The 11-limit tonality diamond, part of the basis for Partch's music theory
A closeup of a keyboard, whose keys are colorfully painted and marked with numbers
Part of the keyboard of the Chromelodeon

Genesis of a Music is a book first published in 1949 by microtonal composer Harry Partch (1901–1974).

Partch first presents a polemic against both equal temperament and the long history of stagnation in the teaching of music; according to Alex Ross, this is "the most startling forty-five-page history of music ever written". In particular, Partch holds Johann Sebastian Bach responsible for a downhill trend in music, holding him responsible for "the movement toward equal-tempered tuning, which meant that composers could not absorb the scales of other world traditions; and the urge to make music ever more instrumental and abstract."[1]

He then goes on to explain his tuning theory based on just intonation, the ensemble of musical instruments of his own invention (such as the "Surrogate Kithara, a struck-string, harplike instrument",[2] and the guitar with movable frets he used to compose Barstow[3]), and several of his largest musical compositions.

The book has been highly influential to succeeding generations of microtonal composers, including Lou Harrison,[4] Ben Johnston,[5] and James Tenney.[6] A revised and enlarged second edition was published just before Partch's death in 1974.[7]

Concepts

Partch presents 4 "basic monophonic concepts":

  1. Consonance and dissonance: "The ear informs us that tones which are in small-number proportion, say in the relation of 2 to 1, are strong, clear, powerful, consonant."[8]
    • "The smaller the number involved in the [interval] ratios, the more consonant the ratio; the larger the numbers, the more dissonant".[9]
  2. "Dual Identity": "Every ratio of a Monophonic system is at least a dual identity."[8]
    • "Odentity [is] determined by the odd-number ratio component of the numerator, and another one, the Udentity [is] determined by the odd-number component of the denominator. A ratio thus always belongs to two tonalities, an Otonality in accordance with its Odentity, and an Utonality in accordance with its Udentity."[9]
  3. Minor: "Under-number Tonality, or Utonality ("minor"), is the immutable faculty of ratios, which in turn represent an immutable faculty of the human ear."[8]
  4. History: Music has appeared to have advanced up the harmonic series throughout history.[8]

Editions

  • Genesis of a Music: Monophony: the relation of its music to historic and contemporary trends; its philosophy, concepts, and principles; its relation to ... and its application to musical instruments, University of Wisconsin Press, 362 pp., 1949. ASIN B0007DM7I8
  • Genesis Of A Music: An Account Of A Creative Work, Its Roots, And Its Fulfillments, Second Edition, Da Capo Press, Paperback, 544 pp., 1979. ISBN 0-306-80106-X. 2009: ISBN 9780786751006.

References

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  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Partch (2009), p.86-90. ISBN 9780786751006.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dunn, David (2000). Harry Partch: An Anthology of Critical Perspectives, p.27-8. ISBN 9789057550652.

External links

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