Partch and audience post-concert in Gate 5 studio
Sausalito, CA 1953

Because of the extraordinary nature of both the instruments and the music Partch composed for them, the end of most concerts would see an enthusiastic congregation of audience members in and around the ensemble. This photo, from a concert of Plectra and Percussion Dances at Partch’s Gate 5 Studio, is a typical scene (Harry, with his ever-present pipe, has his back to the camera). These particular concerts came after a successful premiere at the International House in Berkeley, sponsored by radio station KPFA. The Dances were very favorably received by the audiences; the composer himself felt that the success was in part an "unconscious response to a longed-for antidote, a small and sudden relief because -- in the face of wizardous dials and juke-box comic books -- there is still such a thing as ancient rhythmic magic."