Hoob Partch Analysis

In my opinion the director of this documentary did an excellent job portraying Partch’s life from birth to death and mainly focusing on his legacy and determination to remain as an individualist composer. It was really sad at the same time inspiring to see Partch deal with his problems including his homosexuality, heavy drinking issue, and the impact of the Great Depression of the 1930s on his career. In fact, during the 1930s Partch gave up music and became a hobo, a lifetime experience that sparked a new and even better creative experiences and opportunities for him. To be honest, I didn’t really like the word “hobo” and would prefer to think of Partch as the “explorer” of his own journey. While living a life as hobo, Partch went through a lot of difficulties and kept
compose works inspired by his situation. Aside from composing, Partch would build a large number of unique custom-made instruments ranging from strings to percussion to discard the standard equal-tempered scale.This really blew my mind, for he didn't have any background in instrument making or repairing classes in college and only stayed at college for two years. Partch’s goal was to unite arts; whether it is dance, film, or music. He loves the idea of collaboration; unity of sight and sounds as well as the use of multimedia. His concept of “corporeality” really stood out to me. The role of musician as an active part in the production including the attitude, posture, footwork, use of costume, etc. To me this concept is very ritualistic and relates to the music of Southeast Asia. In Thailand, the concept of corporeality still exist till today. While performing Royal Thai court music, musicians would dress up in traditional attire and head dress. Finally, I really enjoyed watching this documentary and I am really curious to learn more about Harry Partch in the future. I look forward to reading his biography and learn about