The magical music of Harry Partch
By Jennifer Rossi '02

Long before Harry Potter waved his wand to conjure up magic in movie theaters this fall, musicians were swinging their mallets, mesmerizing audiences with the magical sights and sounds of the Harry Partch Instrument Collection at Montclair State University.

Since coming to the University in 1999, Harry Partch's instruments have been welcomed and admired by all those who see and hear them. Soon the instruments, whose unique shapes and multi-syllabic names are as eclectic as the man who invented them, will have a permanent space in the University's new theater.

An experimental American composer, innovative theorist and instrument inventor, Partch is well known for challenging traditional perceptions of music. He died in 1974 at the age of 73, but his music continues to sound through musicians and students dedicated to studying his life and work.

Tricia Galvez is one of those dedicated followers. "I read Harry Partch's book, Genesis of Music, and have taken the Harry Partch theory class," said the sophomore music education major. "Partch has a more open view of music that allows for unlimited possibilities."

Plans are in the works for a new minor in Harry Partch studies to begin next year. As part of the curriculum, students will have the opportunity to perform works by Partch and learn the complex tuning system of his unique instruments. They also will learn to maintain and repair the instruments and will be encouraged to create new instruments of their own.

Dean Drummond, director of the New Music Institute, and an assistant professor in the Music Department, was a friend of and assistant to Partch. Following in his mentor's footsteps, Drummond creates instruments of his own. "He opened up a world of possibilities for me," Drummond said. "He inspired me to think for myself." Drummond, who studied trumpet with Don Ellis and John Clyman, and composition with Leonard Stein, performed in the Partch premieres of "Daphne of the Dunes," "And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma," and "Delusion of the Fury."

At Montclair State, Drummond is exposing enthusiastic students to Partch's music, theory and work.

"I love being a part of the Harry Partch Ensemble," said sophomore Stephanie Rinear, a music performance major. "Dean Drummond is an excellent teacher. It is evident he has a love for Harry Partch and a keen appreciation of Partch's contributions to modern music."

The lower level of new 500-seat theater, expected to be completed in fall 2003, will house the Harry Partch Instrument Collection, an Instrumentarium and the New Music Institute. "The Instrumentarium will be a great asset to the University," said Stepfani Starin, co-director of the New Music Institute. "People from all over will come to Montclair State for performances and the music will reach a wide audience."

Drummond welcomes a permanent residence for the instruments. No longer will they have to be disassembled and transported to and from performances and practices. "It also will provide an appropriate acoustic hall for the music," he said.
Music students are equally eager. "I can't wait until the new theater is built," Rinear said. "It will allow people to truly hear Partch's music the way it was meant to be heard. Our current theater swallows up most low notes, and Partch had a love for low notes."

The theater will allow also musicians to play instruments in the collection they haven't been able to use before. "Some of the instruments are very large and the theater will make it possible to use them in performances," Drummond said. "At this time there is no place to even rehearse with the larger instruments."

The Instrumentarium includes the Harry Partch Instrument Collection, Drummond's zoomoozophone and juststrokerods, and a large assortment of exotic percussion pieces. The Harry Partch Instrument Collection includes all the instruments built by the composer-inventor from 1930 to 1974 as well as several instruments replicated by the Harry Partch Foundation between 1974 and 1984, and by Newband since 1990.

Newband, which performs on Partch instruments as well as standard Western instruments, was founded in 1977 by Drummond and Starin. With Drummond's invention of the 31-tone zoomoozophone in 1978, Newband began to explore music using microtonality and alternative tuning systems in an innovative and eclectic repertoire influenced by jazz, rock and world music. Newband includes a core of nine virtuosic multi-instrumentalists who are as at home in concert performances as they are in productions involving theater, dance and film. The group has premiered works by Partch, Drummond and a host of other artists and composers. Their music has been recorded on Mode, Music and Arts, Point and Aurora Records.

Dedicated musicians believe exposure to Partch's instruments have made them become better musicians. Galvez plays the diamond marimba and kithara. "I think these instruments help my ear for music because there are so many different tones to hear," she said. "I also tune the instruments, which is a big task because the notes are so close together."

Rinear agreed. "Playing and listening to Partch's music actually helps me to become a better musician," she said. "Having to find unusual notes helps me train my ear to hear certain intervals better. It is such a unique experience knowing that I am playing on instruments that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. I feel as though I am a part of something really special."

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