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Harry Partch was one of the most distinctive and influential American composers of the mid-twentieth century, an inventor of a new musical scale and builder of his own unique instruments . Tom profiles the "hobo" composer with the help of S. Andrew Granade whose recent study focuses on Partch the person alongside the cultural icon he represented and Bob Gilmore who wrote the 1998 biography of the composer. We also hear from two musicians who have first-hand experience of playing Partch’s music - the percussionist Jared Soldiviero from Newband (recent custodians of Partch’s original instrument collection) and Helen Bledsoe of ensemble musikFabrik, who have developed a complete set of reconstructions for performances of Partch’s music, including Delusion of the Fury at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Broadcast in November 2014