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RE: [F_minor] Glenn Gould



Firstly, let me say I had no idea I was so profound :). Let me go on to add I agree with almost everything you say. However, I think we should be less worried about the legacy of Glenn Gould, for I always think that there will always be someone crazy enough to keep it alive. Whether his legacy is made mainstream or not is another story, but irrelevant. Many great artist's names have been forgotten, and others have been overhyped by so much, that they become meaningless. Let us not let this happen To Glenn Gould's name.
 
Singh> From: bobmerk@earthlink.net> To: pwiener@ms.cc.sunysb.edu; F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU> Subject: Re: [F_minor] Glenn Gould> Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:19:18 -0500> > I think the question lurking beneath Chester's question is: Who are we?> > Are we people simply and honestly mesmerized with Glenn Gould's achievements and life?> > Or have we also assumed the responsibility of evangelizing and proselytising Glenn Gould to the Great Unwashed (particularly to teenagers and college students)? Are we also the active guardians and apostles of his legacy? Are we draymen hauling Glenn Gould into the future?> > Does it suffice to kick back, disconnect the phone, and listen to an hour of Byrd and Gibbons on a nice stereo in a comfortable chair?> > Or are we morphing into people who knock on the doors of strangers and offer them a chatty, upbeat introduction to Glenn Gould, and some full-color pamphlets, or a free DVD?> > I don't know ... take Caruso as an example. After he died, how important was an army of his surviving admirers to making him an idol and superstar of the recorded music era? Or does Caruso keep hurtling into the future for the inherent content of his squawky cylinders alone?> > For his entire career, from bobbysoxer teen phenom to death, Sinatra attended obsessively to his fan base -- personal letters and cards, personally autographed photos to any fan who asked, numerous in-person visits to local fan clubs. One high-class magazine article about this -- possibly Esquire -- felt that, beyond Sinatra's inherent great talents, his attention to the folks in the audience played a great role in his ultimate success. (Remember Dick Haymes? Eddy Fisher survives today pretty entirely on his marriage to Debby Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor. Maybe they weren't taking care of the fans.)> > It seems to me that an artist's path to the future is pretty much a crapshoot, and depends on the arbitary whims and accidents of society and industry, of economic and legal forces. There's a six or seven year Hole in the middle of
rners were having intractible contract disputes -- the world was pretty much denied access to any new work, and he intentionally fought back by not working.> > Or perhaps poor product placement -- somebody takes Gene Kelly's delightful, charming, innocent "Singin' in the Rain" and gives it an indelible association with brutal sociopathic teenagers (one of whom sincerely loves Beethoven).> > I don't know, dare we let Glenn find his own path to the future without too much of our active help and interference? Perhaps this is the moment to stop taking worlwide popularity polls, which strikes me as being a lot like tracking cocoa futures?> > Of course it's a pleasure equal to music itself to share beautiful music with others. But, of just the performances, can we trust in their inherent power to keep Glenn Gould as popular with future listeners as Caruso? Or do we need to shower them with ballyhoo and comments left on YouTube? Do we have a mission, and how consonant would our mission seem to the dead gentleman himself? "32 Short Films" plays with these themes of the relations between Glenn Gould and the Outside World. They were very complicated.> > Bob> Massachusetts USA> > > > > [Original Message]> > From: paul wiener <pwiener@ms.cc.sunysb.edu>> > To: Singh <k_dawg71@hotmail.com>; Brad Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>; <f_minor@email.rutgers.edu>> > Date: 1/22/2008 11:13:52 AM> > Subject: Re: [F_minor] Glenn Gould> >> > This would be more or less upsetting if some facts came with it.> >> >> > At 11:48 AM 1/20/2008, Singh wrote:> >> > >Just two days ago, my teacher told me something extremely troubling. > > >Ratings of Glenn Gould's recordings have gone done alot in the past > > >short while. This, for me, points out the resurgence of everything > > >Glenn Gould philosophically tried to disprove. It shows the > > >resurgence of traditionalism, and an increased taste for > > >traditionalist recordings from the general public.> > >I just thought everyone should know. However, this also gives an > > >opportunity for another Glenn 
pe,> > >> > >Chester Singh> +> _______________________________________________> F_minor mailing list> F_minor@email.rutgers.edu> https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/f_minor
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