Glenn Gould

[perprocrastinate]

I was listening to Gould's recordings of the Bach Goldberg Variations with earphones last night, and his whispering creeped me out.

I jumped out of my couch to see if there was a ghost in the room! Haha, that was one scare I'll never forget.

I knew that people said that Gould did that while playing, but I never actually believed it until last night.

Jeez, I'm never listening to Gould recordings with earphones ever again.

[chopin2015]

Haha! Which recordings were they? I wanna hear!

[patrickd]

It could have been this recording.

[m1469]

Super interesting, thanks for posting, patrick!

[indianajo]

I read a great review of that Colombia recording in a magazine in 1969, went and wasted 3 hours pay on his JSB 2 and 3 part inventions Colombia Masterworks MS6622,  and was grossed out by his humming along with the piano. I had speakers and a 70 W tube amplifier.  I think the reviewer in that magazine was either paid, or deafened by his physical appearance.  
I was really insensed when PBS wasted a 2 hour program of American Masters on his biography last year.  My mother and my piano teacher broke me of stupid mannerisms when playing when I was an adolescent.  You are supposed to look somber, not wag your head, look at the audience, etc.  And my Dad got me to stop humming tunelessly in the car when I was seven.  Where were Gould's parents?  I think I play JS Bach better than him, I believe he is best forgotten.  
The best LP I have of Goldberg Variations is Wanda Landowska, RCA Victor Red Seal LM1080, and who remembers who she is?  Paid a half dollar for it at Goodwill charity resale shop two years ago.  

[m1469]

*dreamy eyes*

Glenn Gould is amazing.

[mikeowski]

I read a great review of that Colombia recording in a magazine in 1969, went and wasted 3 hours pay on his JSB 2 and 3 part inventions Colombia Masterworks MS6622,  and was grossed out by his humming along with the piano. I had speakers and a 70 W tube amplifier.  I think the reviewer in that magazine was either paid, or deafened by his physical appearance.   
I was really insensed when PBS wasted a 2 hour program of American Masters on his biography last year.  My mother and my piano teacher broke me of stupid mannerisms when playing when I was an adolescent.  You are supposed to look somber, not wag your head, look at the audience, etc.  And my Dad got me to stop humming tunelessly in the car when I was seven.  Where were Gould's parents?  I think I play JS Bach better than him, I believe he is best forgotten. 
The best LP I have of Goldberg Variations is Wanda Landowska, RCA Victor Red Seal LM1080, and who remembers who she is?  Paid a half dollar for it at Goodwill charity resale shop two years ago. 

Backing up arguments with "I was told that you're not supposed to do..." is something you're not supposed to do.

Also, you should really polish your arguing skills a bit. You sound like this:

I heard Wanda Lindowski was a great cembalist, so I listened to her recording of the goldberg variations. I was grossed out by her stupid hair and by the fact that she was a woman. Women are not supposed to play instruments, my piano teacher and my father taught me that when I was 4. Where were her parents?
Also she looks ugly and old and I don't want to look at her face, why doesn't she wear a mask or something. I'm not ugly, actually I'm very good-looking and also I play the cembalo a lot better than her.
I bought a recording from some artist who is unknown and he is also way better than her, and I got it for 2 cents at the flea market, and no one remembers him. How stupid are these people!
With this it is now properly explained why Wanda Lindowski sucks and should be forever forgotten.



My opinion:
Glenn Gould is awesome and his humming is, at worst, a bit annoying sometimes!

[m1469]

I love his humming.  

*sighs*

[perprocrastinate]

I read a great review of that Colombia recording in a magazine in 1969, went and wasted 3 hours pay on his JSB 2 and 3 part inventions Colombia Masterworks MS6622,  and was grossed out by his humming along with the piano. I had speakers and a 70 W tube amplifier.  I think the reviewer in that magazine was either paid, or deafened by his physical appearance.   
I was really insensed when PBS wasted a 2 hour program of American Masters on his biography last year.  My mother and my piano teacher broke me of stupid mannerisms when playing when I was an adolescent.  You are supposed to look somber, not wag your head, look at the audience, etc.  And my Dad got me to stop humming tunelessly in the car when I was seven.  Where were Gould's parents?  I think I play JS Bach better than him, I believe he is best forgotten. 
The best LP I have of Goldberg Variations is Wanda Landowska, RCA Victor Red Seal LM1080, and who remembers who she is?  Paid a half dollar for it at Goodwill charity resale shop two years ago. 

I am at a loss for words.

--
And I was listening to these set of recordings.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLED93E743D222298C

[m1469]

I am at a loss for words.

--
And I was listening to these set of recordings.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLED93E743D222298C

Oh man.  I could listen only to the first 3:05 of the Aria ... but it was a giant glimpse.  So much listening in life to do... and not just to Gould  (but LOTS of Gould, nonetheless).

[iansinclair]

I do think that Glenn Gould is an acquired taste -- and, I must admit, not one that I have acquired, although I admire his playing tremendously.  I just don't happen to care for his interpretations.

Someone mentioned Wanda Landowska.  Her recordings are very hard to find at this point -- I'm fortunate enough to have a number.  Her interpretations of Bach, however, are, in my humble opinion, not as idiosyncratic as Gould's, and her technique is unparallelled.  If you can get hold of her recordings and you play Bach routinely, as you should (it's good discipline, if nothing else), you should -- again in my humble opinion -- pay attention to her.

Glenn Gould is by no means the only performer who hums along with the music.  There are a number of conductors who do or did.  It can be entertaining -- but it doesn't speak well for the recording engineers that it is audible on a recording (it usually isn't in a live performance).

[rachmaninoff_forever]

I love his humming.  

*sighs*

Glen Gould for you is like Valentina Lisitsa for me?

[m1469]

Glenn Gould for you is like Valentina Lisitsa for me?

Well, I massively enjoy his mind.  And, he is also not the only pianist who massively fills my head and interests (I've got my favorites  ).  Does it sound the same to you?  

[asuhayda]

What's funny is that what you're hearing is post edit.  Sound engineers scrambled to get as much of that humming out of the recording as possible.  If you listen to some of his self recordings you'll know what I'm talking about.  He actually sings really loudly.  It's not a whisper at all!  He was an eccentric guy for sure.

[indianajo]

I'm glad Iansinclair remembers Wanda Landowska.  She was worthy of emulation, in my opinion.  and my musical education on JS Bach involves mostly listening to the radio.  I am not academically approved.  
There are certain practices that are acceptable in a culture, and performing unmusically in public, or worse on a commercial recording, is unacceptable in ours.  There are people who sing when they play piano, and if they do it well as Diane Krall  or Michael Feinstein do,  then we reward them with popularity.  Others are best forgotten.  But if an artist  had  "dreamy eyes" then perhaps some people will forgive the poor music. This is what I suspected happened to the Audio magazine reviewer in 1969.   Certainly most of the pop "music" popular these days involves more a popular appearance than musical substance.  
 

[m1469]

I recently listenend to quite a bit more Gould again.  It must be said, he's got some pretty rockin' LH skills.

[asuhayda]

I recently listenend to quite a bit more Gould again.  It must be said, he's got some pretty rockin' LH skills.

most definitely... he was a genius.  Crazy as a Loon, but a genius nontheless.

[m1469]

He was a genius ....   *daydreams for a moment*    Yes, but not crazy as a loon.  He just saw things in the world that many people didn't/don't, and he wasn't afraid to share it.  But, we all have our own, unique perspectives.  Sometimes we even share it with it others .

*17 pages of Opera Scene down, 6 more to go*  *forces work*

[j_menz]

but not crazy as a loon.  He just saw things in the world that many people didn't/don't. 

That's a pretty textbook definition of crazy.

And why we all are.

[m1469]

That's a pretty textbook definition of crazy.

Textbooks eventually turn to dust, as do definitions of crazy and genius, for that matter.

[landru]

Glenn Gould is a genius. Listening to his Bach playing is priceless.

Listening to Glenn Gould play Bach with top-of-the-line headphones? Bad Idea! I agree with the original poster - it seriously can freak you out and having you look under your chair or around the door.

[pianist88]

I've recently got into Glenn Gould. I would recommend his version of Mozart's Alla Turka! It's very different to the "standard" performane. I love how he makes every performance his own. But then again, he is an acquired taste

[andreslr6]

I've recently got into Glenn Gould. I would recommend his version of Mozart's Alla Turka! It's very different to the "standard" performane. I love how he makes every performance his own. But then again, he is an acquired taste

You want to know a funny thought, you know that some call that movement a "march", so, maybe GG really got the right tempo. Before hearing GG's version I always wondered why everyone thought it should be played as fast as possible, and though it was nonsense, I'm glad GG recorded it at that tempo. There are others that play it at a similar tempo too, but I can't recall anyone right now.

[ajspiano]

You want to know a funny thought, you know that some call that movement a "march", so, maybe GG really got the right tempo. Before hearing GG's version I always wondered why everyone thought it should be played as fast as possible, and though it was nonsense, I'm glad GG recorded it at that tempo. There are others that play it at a similar tempo too, but I can't recall anyone right now.

I played it in a local comp when I was a teenager. Adjudicator gave me a hard time for not playing it at march tempo.

[j_menz]

I played it in a local comp when I was a teenager. Adjudicator gave me a hard time for not playing it at march tempo.

I think too many people get confused between it and Beethoven's Turkish March.  I don't think it should be played as fast as possible by any means (and a (quick) march tempo is probably about right) but it is called a Rondo, and Mozart did tend to know what he was doing in such things. It shouldn't, IMO, sound like the Turks are invading.  (They had, after all, recently stopped)

[pianist88]

That's interesting... I played it ages ago at the "correct" tempo, and got a highly commended. I wonder what would have happened if I played it like Gould (minus the humming) 

[ajspiano]

I think too many people get confused between it and Beethoven's Turkish March.  I don't think it should be played as fast as possible by any means (and a (quick) march tempo is probably about right) but it is called a Rondo, and Mozart did tend to know what he was doing in such things. It shouldn't, IMO, sound like the Turks are invading.  (They had, after all, recently stopped)

Was it not written structurally as a Rondo, but also in a style as to imitate a Turkish military band?

I think military musicians march around at the same pace regardless of whether or not there's a conflict on..   do the musicians even get to be involved in invasions?

Plus there's those pesky editors who title their arrangements "turkish march"


Admittedly it would've been pretty dumb to stick "rondo" in the title of that though, and would discredit the "B.A., M. mus" he's displaying at the bottom.

[j_menz]

Was it not written structurally as a Rondo, but also in a style as to imitate a Turkish military band?

I think military musicians march around at the same pace regardless of whether or not there's a conflict on..   do the musicians even get to be involved in invasions?

Plus there's those pesky editors who actually title the movement "turkish march"

It was written to imitate the sounds of a military band - a Jannisary (sp?) corps band - but they didn't resemble a militart marching band in the western sense (they were replaced in 1826 with a type of band that did). I'm also not sure how much Mozart knew of their mucic. There was certainly a fad for it at the time, but this is in the days before recordings and the memory of the siege of Vienna probably cut down on visiting musos from the Ottoman Empire.

And bands did actually go into battle at the time. Drummers and buglers were vital in signalling, the rest for keeping up morale and doing a bit of medical tending on the side.

I make no comment on editorial decisions as a rule, other than GAH!!!!! It seems that will work here. Probably from a book of "Favourite Classical Songs".

[ajspiano]

I did wonder if perhaps the term "military band" may mean something different to me than it did mozart.

I make no comment on editorial decisions as a rule, other than GAH!!!!! It seems that will work here. Probably from a book of "Favourite Classical Songs".

lol - you atleast need to keep ALL of the melody if you're going to sell something as an easy arrangement..   you're also going to sound much less pretty if you remove half the thirds and have majority perfect 5ths alone for your harmony at the start of each bar.

Plus, who buys this and doesn't go "hey! wheres the A major section that I like?"

[j_menz]

Plus, who buys this and doesn't go "hey! wheres the A major section that I like?"

Probably eveyone.

"A major"? "Section"? "I like" (meaning has heard it before)?

I think you're envisioning the wrong target market.

And your apostophical offence hasn't gone unnoticed. I'm keeping count. Every 100, a kitten dies you know!

[ajspiano]

Probably eveyone.

"A major"? "Section"? "I like" (meaning has heard it before)?

I think you're envisioning the wrong target market.

And your apostophical offence hasn't gone unnoticed. I'm keeping count. Every 100, a kitten dies you know!

I only heard it once before I learnt it (live concert pianist - I proceeded to learn or at least attempt most of her program) and it was because of the octave A major section that I liked the alla turca.. and at the time I don't think i'd have known better just looking at the score without playing it first. I mean, I was barely done with grade 5 AMEB and catapulted myself blindly into things like the islamey (that one was just an attempt).

......

I do not care for the deaths of (most) kittens.. Infact, I would almost consider advocating for it.. except that trap/neuter/release is both a cheaper and less murderous option when it comes to controlling feral cat populations... 

...and certainly more efficient also than the 100 apostrophe misuses method.

[j_menz]

I only heard it once before I learnt it

I'll wager that even then it wasn't a cut down version, though.
......

trap/neuter/release is both a cheaper and less murderous option

I don't make the rules, I merely have a duty to dob in (serial) infringers. It's in the Pedants' Creed.

[ajspiano]

I don't make the rules, I merely have a duty to dob in (serial) infringers.

I suggest you watch "Repo! The Genetic Opera" before you complain about the dirtiness of your job.

[j_menz]

I suggest you watch "Repo! The Genetic Opera" before you complain about the dirtiness of your job.

A Gothic Rock musical featuring Sarah Brightman and Paris Hilton.  I'll try and schedule it for some time after the real apocalypse.

And I wasn't complaining.

[ajspiano]

and Paris Hilton.

It highlights well how awful she is.

Ofcourse, the reason I suggested you watch it wouldn't require the sound..  though you actually may find some of the sound track as offensive as the extremely gruesome organ repossessions.

[j_menz]

you actually may find some of the sound track as offensive as the extremely gruesome organ repossessions.

Probably moreso.  I have been known to watch recorded episodes of Anatomy for Beginners (and sequels) while eating dinner.

[ajspiano]

Probably moreso.  I have been known to watch recorded episodes of Anatomy for Beginners (and sequels) while eating dinner.

You know what the thing is about anatomy doco's..   they don't cut up living people, AND, they don't throw the body parts at each other afterwards.

[j_menz]

You know what the thing is about anatomy doco's..   they don't cut up living people, AND, they don't throw the body parts at each other afterwards.

An idea for series four, perhaps.

For readers who have got this far and haven't actually heard Gould play the Rondo alla turca, here it is:

[hardy_practice]

Awesome!  Finally some Glenn Gould I can listen to.