Glenn Gould

Glenn Herbert Gould (September 25, 1932–October 4, 1982) was a celebrated Canadian pianist, noted especially for his recordings of Johann Sebastian Bach. He gave up live performances in 1964, dedicating himself to the recording studio for the rest of his career.

Gould as a musician

Gould was known for his vivid musical imagination, and listeners regarded his interpretations as ranging from brilliantly creative to, on occasion, outright eccentric. It was said of Gould that he never played the same piece twice in the same way.

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His playing had great clarity, particularly in contrapuntal passages. Gould lived at a time when a heavy, grandeur-emphasizing approach to the performance of Bach, dating from the 19th century, was still very much on the musical scene. In comparison, many listeners found Gould's own approach to Bach to be refreshing, even revelatory. Gould's style arguably has strongly influenced later pianists who have played Bach, notably Andras Schiff and Angela Hewitt.

Related Topics:
Contrapuntal - Andras Schiff - Angela Hewitt

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Gould had a formidable technique that enabled him to choose very fast tempos while retaining the separateness and crisp clarity of each note. Part of the technique consisted of taking an extremely low position at the instrument which allowed him more control over the keyboard. As Charles Rosen points out, this position is crippling for purposes of playing the louder and more virtuosic music of the 19th century, and Gould occasionally had to fake certain effects in his recorded performances of Liszt by overdubbing. This did not impede Gould's playing much, though, as he generally disliked the virtuosic Romantic period music which required these monumental fortissimos. Despite its shortcomings in Romantic period music, Gould's one-of-a-kind technique yielded excellent results in the Baroque period music (much of it was originally written for the harpsichord) which was the core of his repertoire and the music for which he is remembered.

Related Topics:
Charles Rosen - 19th century - Liszt - Overdubbing - Baroque period - Harpsichord

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