Re: GG funeral music

["L. Lalonde" <llalonde@lightspeed.net>]

Marilyn Dingwell wrote:
> 
>  Hi,
> 
> Does anyone know what hymns and/or music was played at GG,s
> funeral and if so who chose the music?
> 
> Also I just finished watching the video GG The Early Years and I noticed
> in the segment where he was playing the Beethover 1st piano concerto
> that he was not sitting on his famous chair.  It looks like he is sitting on
> a smaller version of a piano bench but I am not sure.  Has anyone else
> noticed this?  The recording was made in 1954 before he became famous
> internationally. I thought he had been using his chair since his early teens
> but I must be mistaken.
> 
> Regards. Marilyn


Dear Marilyn,

According to Andrew Kazdin in his biography of GG, Ray Roberts, 
Glenn's personal friend, made all the arrangements at the funeral 
including making the list of hymns sung.  (Kazdin, who didn't bother 
to attend the funeral, added the zinger that even Glenn's father had 
no say in the matter.)

In Friedrich's "Life and Variations" biography,  "They listened to 
Gould's admirers singing the 'Old Hundreth', one of those statley 
hymns that he had loved ever since his childhood.". .. They watched 
Robert Airken play a Bach flute sonata, and the Orford Quartet play 
the Cavatina from Beethoven's Opus 130.  They watched Maureen 
Forrester in tears sing "Have Mercy Lord" from the St. Matthew 
Passion. . . They watched John Peter, Lee Roberts. . .delivering his 
tribute.  . . . There sounded throughout the vaulted church a taped 
recording . . .that  stately sarabande that Bach had used as the 
foundation of the Goldberg Variations."

In the "Collected Letters" compiled by PL Roberts, the service is 
listed as " Ecumenical Memorial Service (Anglican, Catholic, Jewish, 
Salvation Army??receiver of 50% of his estate??) for Glenn Gould, with 
several thousand people present, St. Paul's Anglican Church, Toronto 
(October 15).  Music is provided by leading Canadian musicians as a 
tribute to Gould."

Oh and yes, we too noticed the "Bench" GG is sitting upon during that 
particular recording. We had assumed the chair had not yet been made, 
but we also noticed Gould is quite tense during this performance, not 
engaging in his usual performance characteristics.  Maybe he just 
didn't have it with him.

Lori Lalonde