RE: [F_minor] Glenn Gould

[Singh <k_dawg71@hotmail.com>]

I do not doubt that many geniuses have emerged in many fields since Gould's time. But has any one of them had a similar impact that Glenn Gould had on the musical world? Perhaps what I meant is not that one will emerge, but that there is now room for one more, to help revitalize Glenn Gould's message. Perhaps a Gouldofski? ;)
 
Singh> Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:05:06 -0500> To: bobmerk@earthlink.net; F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU> From: pwiener@ms.cc.sunysb.edu> Subject: Re: [F_minor] Glenn Gould> > Chester hopes for a new Gould-like figure to emerge. If you hope and > look hard enough, one WILL emerge - possibly on American Idol. That's > not the way charismatic geniuses make their mark, however. Such > figures are always a surprise! Gould emerged out of his times , > before the internet, before Bach was brilliantly interpreted and > performed by many other pianists, before a world that worships > celebrity, less than half a century after the birth of the recording > industry, and before a world where good music can be dialed up on > cell phones. Like any unique creative genius, he was there at the > right time, when we needed him most, not when we wanted him. He was > there to usher in a new era of music as a technology. If there is a > backlash against Gould developing, it's probably thanks in part to > the many fans who have hungrily overhyped him and to our wishful > tendency to separate musical experience from mental experience. Two > recent books explore the neurological aspects of musical memory and > reception, and will help us learn why we hear what we hear: Oliver > Sacks' Musicophilia, and Daniel Levitin's This Your Brain on Music.> > Since his death many other geniuses have emerged in many of the arts > (let's not forget his contemporary Leonard Bernstein).> > At 02:19 PM 1/22/2008, Robert Merkin wrote:> >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 > >h
table 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 Prince's most creative years during > >which he and Warners 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 > >strik
> >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 Gould-like figure to emerge. And we> > > >can only hope,> > > >> > > >Chester Singh> >+> > _______________________________________________> F_minor mailing list> F_minor@email.rutgers.edu> https://email.rutgers.edu/mailman/listinfo/f_minor
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