GG: Genes & Genius

[Katherine Lee <klee@dna.bc.ca>]

>"In reading Marsden Hartley's [20th century painter] autobiography, Somehow
>A Past (MIT1996), have found his description of a 6 foot one inch, 200 lb
>poet friend named Wallace Gould, who was also a child prodigy at the piano.
>Hmmm, genes being what they are, do you think he's related to your fellow,
>Glenn Gould?"
>
>
>Any thoughts?

According to Kevin Bazzana and the late Dr. Peter Ostwald (yes, I'm
plugging their upcoming books), early concert programmes and other records
... Glenn Gould's original family was Gold.  It's true.  His birth
certificate says "Gold, Glenn Herbert".  His father signed the official
document with the name, "Russell Herbert Gold".  Why this fact has been
overlooked in all of the bios, etc. that have been published so far is a
mystery.  It's possible that because Bert Gould was a furrier, and because
there was a great deal anti-Semitism, especially before and during the time
Glenn was growing up, that the family decided it was better to try to avoid
possible discrimination.  As to whether or not Glenn Gould's paternal
ancestry actually was Jewish ... there's no real evidence to prove or
disprove this.  Apparently, Glenn was never circumcised.  And Glenn's
grandfather, Thomas G. Gold, taught Sunday School in the Methodist Church,
and was himself the son of a Methodist minister, while the Gould family
itself attended the United Church of Canada.

Perhaps this raises even more questions ...


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