Harry Partch Delusion Of Fury

A composer, a theorist, and an innovator, Harry Partch
stands out among so many other American classical artists
as one of the most eccentric. He notably rejected the
tradition of composers like Beethoven and Bach for a lack of
theatricality and drama, and took his greatest inspirations
from Eastern Noh theater, frequently incorporating speech
and dance into his pieces, as well as requiring participants
to perform multiple parts. His theories reflected this
dismissal, which sought to return musical tradition to those
of the pre-Classical era, with a heavy focus on microtonality,
and octave intervals beyond what was traditionally utilized.
Many of the pieces he composed would prominently feature
instruments of his own invention, including heavily modified
string instruments, mallet instruments, and pipe organs.
Over the course of his life, Partch released a number of
records, soundtracked numerous films by Madeline
Tourtelot, and wrote the highly influential text Genesis Of A
Music, which would introduce his theories to a
contemporary audience, and inspire fellow avant-garde
composers as Lou Harrison, Ben Johnston, James Tenney,
and even the famed experimental collective The Residents.
One of his most famed works was the stage play Delusion
Of The Fury, a piece of performance art based upon the
Japanese Noh drama Atsumori, while also taking cues from
Ethiopian folk tales, Shakespearean tragedy, and ancient
Greek traditions. Delusion Of The Fury is looked back
upon by critics and historians as one of Partch's seminal
works, making heavy use of his signature micro-tonal
compositional style, as well as many of his own invented
instruments. It is considered his confrontation with his own
anger towards a world that frequently rejected him, and
dealt him hardship. The play first premiered at the UCLA
Playhouse in 1969, whereupon it was recorded by Columbia
Records, and presented in a double LP format.