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Glenn Gould: Selected Letters
Since Glenn Gould's death in 1982, the pianist's extraordinary talent has won a new audience through the reissue of his most famous recordings. This volume, containing over 200 of his letters, covers a wide range of Gould's artistic his detailed thoughts about the piano repertoire,
his rejection of the stage for record, T.V., and radio work, and his views on Beethoven's late piano sonatas, the power of Richard Strauss, and his beloved Bach. In addition to correspondence with such esteemed musicians as Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski, this revealing selection also
includes letters to friends and answers to fan mail.
his rejection of the stage for record, T.V., and radio work, and his views on Beethoven's late piano sonatas, the power of Richard Strauss, and his beloved Bach. In addition to correspondence with such esteemed musicians as Leonard Bernstein and Leopold Stokowski, this revealing selection also
includes letters to friends and answers to fan mail.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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About the author
Glenn Gould
43 books39 followersGlenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach. His playing was distinguished by remarkable technical proficiency and capacity to articulate the polyphonic texture of Bach's music.
After his adolescence, Gould rejected most of the standard Romantic piano literature including Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin. Although his recordings were dominated by Bach, Gould's repertoire was diverse, including works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, pre-Baroque composers such as Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and such 20th-century composers as Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schoenberg and Richard Strauss. Gould was well known for various eccentricities, from his unorthodox musical interpretations and mannerisms at the keyboard to aspects of his lifestyle and personal behaviour. He stopped giving concerts at the age of 31 to concentrate on studio recording and other projects. Gould was the first pianist to record any of Liszt's piano transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies (beginning with the Fifth Symphony, in 1967).
Gould was also known as a writer, composer, conductor, and broadcaster. He was a prolific contributor to musical journals, in which he discussed music theory and outlined his musical philosophy. His career as a composer was less distinguished. His output was minimal and many projects were left unfinished. There is evidence that, had he lived beyond 50, he intended to abandon the piano and devote the remainder of his career to conducting and other projects. As a broadcaster, Gould was prolific. His output ranged from television and radio broadcasts of studio performances to musique concrète radio documentaries about life in the Canadian wilderness.
After his adolescence, Gould rejected most of the standard Romantic piano literature including Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin. Although his recordings were dominated by Bach, Gould's repertoire was diverse, including works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, pre-Baroque composers such as Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck, and such 20th-century composers as Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schoenberg and Richard Strauss. Gould was well known for various eccentricities, from his unorthodox musical interpretations and mannerisms at the keyboard to aspects of his lifestyle and personal behaviour. He stopped giving concerts at the age of 31 to concentrate on studio recording and other projects. Gould was the first pianist to record any of Liszt's piano transcriptions of Beethoven's symphonies (beginning with the Fifth Symphony, in 1967).
Gould was also known as a writer, composer, conductor, and broadcaster. He was a prolific contributor to musical journals, in which he discussed music theory and outlined his musical philosophy. His career as a composer was less distinguished. His output was minimal and many projects were left unfinished. There is evidence that, had he lived beyond 50, he intended to abandon the piano and devote the remainder of his career to conducting and other projects. As a broadcaster, Gould was prolific. His output ranged from television and radio broadcasts of studio performances to musique concrète radio documentaries about life in the Canadian wilderness.
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September 12, 2022
I loved this, despite the fact that (like Beethoven’s letters) Gould’s letters can be pretty dull and business oriented. You are not going to find many (any?) personal revelations in these letters. What I did find was his voice and vocabulary, which to me said a lot, and I found it oddly comforting. I liked having his voice actively around, even if he was just talking about projects.
Displaying 1 of 1 review