Re: GG plays Byrd & Gibbons

["RIchard F. Makse" <maxrail@worldnet.att.net>]

I've had my own theory about Gould and Gibbons. I can't find the reference
by one of his biographers, but Gibbons mentioned somewhere that his love of
Gibbons developed from a hearing of a performance of anthems of Gibbons by
the late Alfred Deller. No doubt 'O clap your hands together' was amongst
those recorded by Deller. And with Gould's early experience as organist, he
undoubtedly spent time with both Gibbons and Byrd.

I had a couple of recordings of the Byrd pieces before I had purchased
Gould's recording. There's a special kind of passion, especially in
Gibbons' Italian Ground and Byrd's Sixth Pavan and Galliard (Kinborough
Good). And yet, as a harpsichordist myself, I prefer Gould. IMHO, if you
listen to Gould side by side with Hogwood (Oiseau-Lyre 430-484-2) for the
Byrd pieces and Colin Tilney (Dorian 90195) for the Italian Ground, your
heart and your ears love the Gould. 

Maybe Gould rarely performed Gibbons in public because Gibbons was one of
the few things he could keep private.


Richard F. Makse
dickm@bigfoot.com
Member, HTML Writers Guild