Re: Another quote?

[Bradley Lehman <bpl@umich.edu>]

At 12:23 AM 1/18/01 +0000, Kate Clunies-Ross wrote:
> In the film "32 Short Films about GG" there is a section called "Practice"
> in which Gould is heard speaking in voice-over, apparently from a letter; he
> describes the shortcomings of some of the pianos he had to play whilst on
> tour, and goes on to say:
>
> "I'm not one of those piano freaks, you know.Of course I'm aware there are
> people who would gladly sit in the most uncomfortable chairs with three
> thousand  other people in uncomfortable chairs, and listen to hours and
> hours of the stuff, but its nothing I would ever subject myself to. I just
> dont like the sound of piano music that much."
> (...) in the published screenplay of  "32 Short Films" the credits make
> no mention of the source of the text for the "Practice" section, although
> credits are given for many other parts of the film. And I cant find any such
> quote in the Selected Letters, but of course I may have searched too
> carelessly!
>
> So: Is this  quote about not really enjoying the sound of the piano really
> from   Gould, or was it simply written for the film? Where did it some from?

I remember reading it somewhere else, but can't recall exactly where it was.

Last night I sat with a mug of Poland water and watched the 32 Short Films
(hadn't seen it since the first time it was in the theater, years ago),
while thumbing through the _Selected Letters_ and the _Reader_.  Didn't
find that quote.  But it was a nice evening.  After the section where they
have the animation over Bach's WTC 1 f# minor fugue, which is thoroughly
gripping, I had to stop the tape and go play that fugue for myself...just
for another way to experience the music.  Wonderful!  That was my favorite
part of the film.

On that quote about GG's not liking piano music, my best guess now is that
it's in Jonathan Cott's book, which I don't have access to...I read it in
c1985, a library copy.  I'd halfway suspected the interviews with
Rubinstein, Tim Page, and himself (in the _Reader_), but I didn't see it in
those.  I checked the David Dubal interview, too, but it's not there.

My second best guess is Elyse Mach's book.

Say, in the 32, why did they have him typing the draft of his whimsical
personal ad?  Didn't he always work longhand?  Or am I remembering that
biographical detail incorrectly?



Bradley Lehman, Dayton VA
home: http://i.am/bpl or  http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl
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"Music must cause fire to flare up from the spirit - and not only sparks
from the clavier...." - Alfred Cortot