Harry Partch

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Additional information:

Partch built many of his custom instruments from everyday materials he found in California and nearby areas. For example, his Spoils of War was fashioned out of seven brass artillery casings, while his Cloud Chamber Bowls were made of Pyrex chemical bottles that had been transected.
In all, Partch developed 27 instruments tuned to various microtonal scales (including his famous 43-tone scale) before 1970
Partch realized early on that much of what was being termed "American music" was really deeply influenced by European trends such as serialism. He burned his own serial music, destroying it, and set out on his own uniquely American path. Much of his music drew upon his personal experiences, including that of being a "hobo."
His work Barstow: Eight Hitchhiker Inscriptions from a Highway Railing at Barstow, California, exists in several versions. The 1968 version was recorded under Partch's supervision by Danlee Mitchell, and is the first classical recording to use the work "fuck."