If our March 2015 story on Harry Partch’s microtonal marimba made you curious, here’s your chance to play one yourself.
We devoted our March 2015 Now Playing page to the Quadrangularis Reversum, a microtonal marimba built by composer/inventor Harry Partch. On the list of coolest-looking instruments we’ve ever seen, Partch’s creation ranks very high—but what’s it like to play the thing? Well, it just so happens that about 10 years ago, San Francisco Symphony musical director Michael Tilson Thomas presented a public radio series called American Mavericks, which featured Partch, among other notable composers. The series website still exists online, and among its many features is a virtual Quadrangularis Reversum. So go here and give it a try!