Memories of Maude Harbour - or - Variations on a theme of Arthur Rubinstein

["Harding.Matthew" <Matthew.Harding@CIC.GC.CA>]

Yes yes yes!

This is one of the funniest GG stories written of all time (in my humble
opinion, etc.etc.).

BUT - do you know the context? In fact this thread ties in very neatly
with the Brendel discussion that was just started.

Maude Harbour - Variations on a theme of Arthur Rubinstein first
appeared in the Piano Quarterly magazine, Summer 1980 (issue #110). It
is placed in the magazine right after a book review of Arthur
Rubinstein's autobiography, which had just been released. The book
review is written by Robert J. Silverman, the editor/publisher of PQ and
also one of GG's closest friends. Needless to say, RJS was a definite
pro GG fan.

GG's piece is really a take-off of the Rubinstein book. In it,
Rubinstein talks mainly about his sexual conquests, his ferocious
appetite for expensive food, his high-society connections, and basically
how he technically plays very poorly (mostly due to lack of practice),
but the fact that he can memorize a piece in 3 hours on the way to a
concert means his fans will never know the difference. It's quite a
supercilious, obnoxious account of a celebrity who (although admittedly
a halfway decent piano player) sounded like a pompous ass.

So GG was writing a parody of this autobiography. As we all know,
Rubinstein represented everything that GG despised in the performer...
pandering to a simpering public, bowing to pianistic "tricks" to wow the
audience while clearly not liking or respecting them enough to want to
connect with them.

GG, although labelled a "recluse" and ridiculed for quitting the
performance circuit in 1964, obviously loved and respected his audience
enough to want to connect with them by recording his works, developing
his radio and TV documentaries, and writing to communicate to the
general layperson. This clearly shows a far greater devotion to the
audience than the concertizing performers of the day, who clearly didn't
care about anything except glory and $$$ (convert to your local currency
symbol as required).

I urge you to read the original PQ magazine if you can get your hands on
it... it's truly brilliant.

In another PQ magazine (I forget which one), they include a chapter from
an _unauthorized_ biography of Horowitz, in which clearly he was 10
times worse. It portrays Horowitz as a money-hungry, elitist snob who
didn't care for people and only wanted to maximize his glory. Some of
the stories of Horowitz and his wife (who was his business manager) are
outrageous in their audacity (they regularly cancelled concerts if they
weren't completely full, they took 90% of the gross take, leaving 10%
for the promoter, etc.).

So the moral of the story? As someone mentioned before, most concert
pianists of the day had enormous respect for GG and his beliefs. The few
that didn't, (Horowitz, Rubinstein, Brendel) were leftover from a bygone
era where pianists were considered virtuosos and the ground they walked
on was worshipped.

I think GG was more than a little ahead of his time in that regard. I
think he realized that the concept of a performer as a public idol was a
short-lived concept, whereas the multi-media, multi-track thinking
machine that he became has far more staying power. After all, we're
celebrating his achievements still 20 years after he died, and when was
the last time there was a Horowitz/Brendel/Rubinstein Gathering, or new
plays or novels being written about those guys? I rest my case.

Best regards,
Matthew

-----Original Message-----
From: Anne Chrystine [mailto:glenn24p@HOTMAIL.COM] 
Sent: August 19, 2002 11:53 PM
To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
Subject: Re: Celebrity Death Match


Fred, yes, that's where I read it. I think it's under 'miscellany.' It's
really funny. Notice how his girlfriend's name in the story was Peggy.
Wasn't he also interested in the singer Peggy Lee? Maybe it's just a
coincidence......:)
P.s. Sorry Fred, I think I did it again! You'll probably get this twice.


>From: Fred Stubbings <velfred@EARTHLINK.NET>
>Reply-To: velfred@earthlink.net
>To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
>Subject: Re: Celebrity Death Match
>Date: Mon, 19 Aug 2002 13:53:48 -0700
>




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