GG:Mozart

[Mary Jo Watts <mwatts@rci.rutgers.edu>]

Let's keep things civilized.  [Firstly, Glenn Gould is spelled with
two "n's"-- not that I should be the one to quibble about spelling
since I usually pay no attention to such things, but since Glenn Gould
is the topic of the list, I just thought I'd mention it.]

Gould was very consistant about his dislike of Mozart. But as in all
things musical he justified (and overjustified) his position time and again.
Any artist will necessarily look towards the music they play with a
critical eye.  As far as I'm concerned this sort of critical attention
to any text be it music, literature, or what have you, is interesting.
One of the things that endears Gould to me is his immunity to what I
call "great man" syndrome.  Where the culture at large accepts as
aesthically valid anything produced by a "great man" or a great
artist-- so pre-ordained by mysterious, and often insideous standards.

I, for one, am terrifically glad that perhaps the most frequently
asked question about Glenn Gould is: "Who does that guy think he was?"

-Mary Jo