Gould's hum in his recordings

[ssanderz9]

Hello, I'm new to pianostreet.

I like Gould's recordings of Bach and I know that he hummed when he played.

I just love Gould's hum in his recordings, especially his recording of Goldberg Variations.


...perhaps there's someone else who also likes Gould's humming?

[arda152]

When I first discovered what he was doing, I must admit I was shocked. However, after reading through many reviews of his recordings, I came to the conclusion that the hum was just a personal mark on the recording. It's like: "If you miss my voice after I die, you can find it here..." kind of thing.
If you want to remove it, you can buy a Glenn Gould De-Vocalizer". YES. That's real. https://www.davegrossman.net/gould/

I personally like breathing sounds more. If you listen closely, Richter's WTC has a few of them. It is a really different feeling when you hear Richter taking a deep breath. It is also some good advice, because when you can control your breathing during performance, you can get better results with the phrasing etc., so check that out too

[adodd81802]

The hum adds a personal touch which is fair enough. I don't have an issue with it but I don't think it was appropriate.

The guy was very much a marmite pianist and while I do like his performances, it's like the nostalgia of seeing an actor in real life and thinking they're going to be anything like the part they played. He had issues and was very set in his ways and insulted composers and music that was not to his taste.

[thirtytwo2020]

Marmite pianist!!
 

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-13541148

[ssanderz9]

Thanks for all your replies and the recommendation of Richter's WTC.

I like the breathing sound as well. ...I'm not so good with the phrasing.

Actually my teacher told me to sing along with the music in my mind when I play. So I think that Gould's humming is interesting since it is kind of similar with what I was told to do.

And I searched for the meaning of MARMITE PIANIST. I personally agree that it perhaps best describes Gould.