Acknowledged as one of the most radically experimental American composers, Harry Partch's life (1901-1974) and music embody the rootlessness, isolation, pre-civilized cult of experience, and dichotomy of practical invention and transcendental visions that characterizes American history. Partch's works incorporated Indian chants, Japanese kabuki and Noh, Polynesian microtones, Balinese gamelan, Greek tragedy, dance, and mime, as well as sardonic commentary on Hollywood and commercial pop music of modern civilization.
 
First published in 1949, Genesis of a Music is a manifesto of Partch's radical compositional practice and instruments. Parts II, III, and IV explain Partch's theories of scales, intonation, and instrument construction with copious acoustical and mathematical documentation. 
 
- Da Capo Press