Gourd Tree

Built by , ,

Recreation of a instrument designed by Harry Partch

Videos with Gourd Tree

  • Reið (Raidō)II [Ride/Journey] live at REDCAT, June, 2024

    Notes

    World Premiere by PARTCH Ensemble at REDCAT, June 2024

    “Reið (Raidō) II is the sixth in a cycle of chamber pieces I have been composing for the last several years where each work is associated with a specific ancient Runic symbol. “Reið (Raidō)” directly translates to “ride” or “journey.” A journey on horseback is implied, but this can also be interpreted as an experience which connects this life with the afterlife, or this realm with other realms of existence or consciousness. The repetitive and percussive nature of a galloping horse is often further associated with shamanic drumming that accompanies certain primordial esoteric practices. In my work Reið (Raidō) there are 3 groupings of instruments and players, conveying three types of microtonal tunings: a Chromelodeon, tuned to a 43-note division of the octave based on ratios derived from just intonation; a piano and a harp whose standard equal temperament is tuned apart by the difference of a 7th partial of the overtone series, or approximately in equal tempered 1/6th tones; and 3 percussionists who play a variety of indefinite pitched or noise-based percussion instruments. In this dramatic representation of both an ancient and futuristic ritual, these various tunings and timbres are utilized through a carefully controlled harmonic, motivic, and formal personal language, that unifies structure and architecture with intensity and expression.”

    — Jeffrey Holmes

    This performance was made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.

    This performance was also made possible in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Department of Arts and Culture.

    Partch Instruments:
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    Additional Instruments:
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  • Amateur California Prune Picker (2022) — by Kyle Gann

    Notes

    Live at REDCAT, June 16-17, 2023

    Program note by Kyle Gann:

    As a long-time microtonalist, I’ve always wanted to write something for the Harry Partch instruments, so I am extremely grateful to John Schneider for offering me the chance. My idea was to prove, or perhaps I should say test, the universality of Partch’s ensemble by trying to write in a style that didn’t sound like Partch. Accordingly, I concentrated on the microtonal relationships among the various harmonies, and had to wrestle with the fact that not all of his instruments had the same pitches. After fifty years of composing, I was made to feel like a rank amateur in this totally idiosyncratic environment, and as Partch inveighed against his performers looking like an “amateur California prune picker,” I thought I should embrace the title. Were I to attempt a second essay, I would probably surrender and write “à la Harry.” — K.G.

    Partch Instruments:
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  • Making Music: Alex Wand

    Notes

    Alex Wand discusses his composition “Darkness within darkness” for Partch’s Adapted Guitar I, Gourd Tree, Cello, and two Vocalists. Together with Artistic Director John Schneider, they discuss the inspiration behind the work, the sourcing of libretto from Lao Tsu’s “Tao Te Ching,” and the unique manner Alex combines elements of contemporary music, folk music, and Partch’s exquisite intonation to create an ethereal, otherworldly venture into what Alex calls “the darkness that is the eternal Tao.”

    This video is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.