In the Shape of a Home: Balancing Harry Partch's Corporeality and Abstraction in Just Intonation Music

Focusing on the compositional mechanics and theoretical framework of the author's vocal sextet In the Shape of a Home, this paper demonstrates a novel method for reconciling Harry Partch’s foundational dichotomy of Corporeality and Abstraction with spectral acoustic derivation. Drawing from the acoustic resonances of physical rooms via Polyphonic Spectral Analysis, the composition derives specialized scales using Extended Helmholtz-Ellis Just Intonation (HEJI). We analyze how the work integrates Ben Johnston’s extended just intonation tuning system to navigate the materialist aesthetics of Partch's voice-centered corporeality alongside contemporary computer-aided frequency analysis. The analysis details how the formal sections construct specific pitch-space analogues for physical structures, showing how the tension between spectrally derived physical room tones and abstract, non-spectrally derived pitch collections structures the work's larger dramatic trajectory.