Revelation in the Courthouse Park (1960). Harry Partch /after the bacchae of euripides/

This is the first time I've heard Revelation in the Courthouse Park but so far, I find it too odd and disturbing for my taste, and I'm not overly fond of this YouTube clip either....

Comments

[Alex V. Cook]

For my money, "The Dreamer That Remains" is Partch at his best. Those long pieces like Revelations come off like playing scales over and over.

[Bob Green]

I've heard 'Revelations' a few times now on last.fm - I've been listening to music with 'unconventional structure' for years now, but even so this is fairly alien to my ears. I prefer music that rolls and flows with a pulse even if it is out of tempo over jerky stop-start music (big fan of Terry Riley and John Luther Adams) and I have to say that after a few listens I am really enjoying Harry Partch, and I love the sounds of some of the custom built instruments.

[Bob Green]

Thinking a bit more about the Partch sound, it's less meditative than, say, Riley or JLA, but it makes a kind of strange sense, or inhabits its own world, in a similar way to some of Sun Ra's music. Also an influence on some of Tom Waits' later sound too, perhaps.