How do ya tell the gay composers?

Harry Partch

I just bought a used copy of GAY AMERICAN COMPOSERS Vol.2. It’s a terrific repackaging of old CRI recordings. Based on this collection, I like gay composers.

I read the program notes, expecting to read something like “…Harry Partch first knew he was gay when he hit on the TA in his biology class…” but no. The notes were rather straight ahead — to use the wrong analogy — although one bit poked out by, of course, Virgil Thomson.

When Virgil Thomson met Ben Weber for the first time, he remarked, “I understand that you are a serialist composer.” “Yes,” replied Weber. “And I understand that you are a homosexual,” Thomson continued. “Yes, ” Weber again replied. “Well,” Thomson sniffed, “which is it? because you can’t be both.”

Virgil Thomson