RE: GG

["Williamson, Mark" <MWilliamson@alston.com>]

One thing I think we overlook in these discussions is Gould's complete
mastery of baroque ornamentation practice and style.  We take that for
granted because, these days, most players who are good enough to make
major recordings have a good understanding of how these ornamentations
should be realized and what is characteristic of the style period.  But
nonetheless, it takes a lifetime of study to develop that expertise.  So
we know we have to take Gould seriously, albeit on his own terms, as a
scholar and student of the works of Bach.  His many idiosyncrasies
notwithstanding.

Mark

	-----Original Message-----
	From:	Xavier Otazu [SMTP:xavier@fajnm1.am.ub.es]
	Sent:	Tuesday, October 06, 1998 1:51 PM
	To:	T W
	Cc:	f_minor@email.rutgers.edu
	Subject:	Re: GG


		Hi!

	> Hi there!
	> Are there any piano students among you who like to share their
thoughts
	> about Glenn Gould and his Bach-interpretations with me? 
	> Please let me know!
	> 

	 I am a piano student (7th course) and I listen to many Gould's
	 recordings.
	 
	 Forgetting speak about HIP, or other topics that people like, I
am
	 going to answer your original message.
	 
	 I think I am at a balanced or intermediate position about Gould
	 playing.
	 
	 I think it's obvious that from a scholarship or from a
	 conservatory-teacher point of view, one must compeltely avoid
Gould.
	 But I think that these are too conservative positions, and to
	 evolve it is necessary to take different positions ("Only fool
or
	 unmature people discover new things").

	 About Gould I like his cristal clear voice independence. One
can listen
	 and follow each voice without score in front. Each voice is
well
	 explained. Obviously his general point of view about Bach music
is far
	 from the rest, but it is good in its own. He has a conception
about Bach
	 music, and his basic ideas are right and coherent. He apply
this ideas
	 and plays. Perhaps he is a "unbalanced mind", but "from mad to
genius
	 there is only a step". He is a man with revolutionary
conceptions. He
	 is a genius in his own world, because his world and his
conceptions are
	 right. Using this basic ideas he has built a personal world.
One can
	 like or dislike, but everybody has to recognize that in spite
of his
	 annoying characteristics, he is great. At the oposite of main
people
	 ideas, I think he has some really sensitive and romantic
moments even
	 playing Bach. He has some fugues and movements from his
Partitas
	 recording which are impossible to play better.
	 
	 I like his separated quavers, his voices independence, his
articulations
	 and his strict conception of score.

	 About the "Humming topic", I cannot understand people who tells
that
	 they feel not comfortable with humming. If everybody is able to
	 "forget" the criks and cracks from old LP's, or the outside
building noise,
	 or the usual noise of tapes (partially eliminated by Dolby
system), why
	 are you not able to "forget" Gould's humming?
	 
	 Even more, humming is one of the greatest things Gould gave to
us.
	 With humming one can listen what is the player thought, what is
the
	 voice he is paying attention, and what is his conception of
piece.

	 On the other hand I think that Gould fails in some points. The
main is
	 the tempo. Sometimes it is so fast that it is impossible to
understand
	 what he is playing. He want to show that he is a great pianist,
and it
	 is not good. The separated semiquavers (as somebody calls
"typewriter
	 sound") are the main characeristic to identify a Gould
performance. In
	 some moments it is good, but in others it is bad, very bad.
Some of his
	 interpretations are aggressive and stiff. Pieces which are full
of
	 sense and feeling are played in a fast and hard way.


	 Summarizing: Gould is a great genius, who built a own world
from a very
	 solid basic conception about Bach music. Gould is not a genius,
	 because sometimes his reading of some pieces are completely
oposite to
	 original composer conception, and overall, his F1-fast tempo.


	 		
				Xavier
			
	
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	Xavier Otazu-Porter

	Departament d'Astronomia i Meteorologia
	Facultat de Fisica
	Universitat de Barcelona
	Avgda. Diagonal 647
	08028 Barcelona
	SPAIN


	xavier@fajnm1.am.ub.es
	http://www.am.ub.es/~jorge/xavier/xavier.html

	
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