polyphony

["Glenn Amer" <maestro@dbworld.net.au>]

I am fairly new to this list, but have found the discussions very 
interesting over the last few weeks. The current 'hot' topic has inspired me
to add to the discussion.

I am a professional vocal coach/accompanist in Australia. I usually always
practice the piano whilst actually listening to other music on record/CD. I
have been doing this for years - it originally started when I was a
youngster and had to play in  a busy household. I was delighted to learn,
many years later, that this was a technique Percy Grainger would use for his
students. (I believe the story runs that he was teaching in New York, and
suddenly in the studio next door, someone started playing "Country Gardens".
Percy didn't even notice it, and the students burst into laughter. He then
explained that under no circumstances should they be distracted whilst they
were playing.) Grainger would also have two students in his studio playing
different works simultaneously to encourage them to focus on what they were
doing.

I also usually do my emailing/internet whilst either listening to the radio
or watching television, and generally have a record playing, too! My wife
thought it was a great laugh recently when she came home and I was busy with
correspondence, whilst listening to Ezio Pinza, with the Television news
softly on in the background! I tried to explain that I had to listen to the
Pinza record before I had to give it back to her father, but she wouldn't be
convinced.

I have decided that Glenn Gould must be increasingly popular in Australia,
as recently my video-tape of the highlights of the GG collection was taken
from my video cabinet. (Either at a dinner party or perhaps one of my
students?) Nothing else has gone missing, just GG! Naturally, I now keep the
video cabinet locked...but whoever took it obviously has good taste. I very
much enjoyed seeing Gould as Sir Nigel Twitte-Thornwaite, etc, a humourous
side I hadn't realized he had. But the highlight for me was seeing Gould
perform the extract from Walton's "Facade". Is there any recording of Gould
doing the whole work?

I look forward to more interesting emailing,

Regards

Glenn Amer.