The Gould article for Pulse Part 2

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Glenn Gould: The Website Varaitions
by Skip Heller

The sonic tone of a classical piano recording is usually best described as
"remote", as if to simulate the notion of a pianist way in the back of a
concert hall safe from arm's reach.

In 1955 came a recording of a fairly obscure Bach work, THE GOLDBERG
VARIATIONS, played by a young Candian pianist who was different from the first
note.  The closeness of his sound set him apart as an intimate.  His Bach
playing so clear as to make the listener feel as if he was hearing a secret
revealed. 

The legend and mythology of Glenn Gould is alive and well, even if the corpse
is nearly sixteen years cold.  Sony Classical's GLENN GOULD EDITION disc
series covers his many recordings, ranging from pre-Bach through twentieth-
century music.  Gould's Bach output alone was prodigious, about sixty LP's
worth of definitive interpretation.  The sixteen laser discs show us Gould,
sitting in a low folding chair, nose nearly pecking the keyboard.  He sings as
he plays.  His left hand conducts his right.  He's truly eccentric.

In the nine years following the release of the GOLDBERG's, Gould embarked on a
brilliant, if idiosyncratic, concert career.  In 1964, he gave up the stage,
concentrating instead on television and radio broadcasting, recording, and
some of the most quixotic music journalism ever written.  The reclusive Gould
beacme a congenial hermit.  As far back as the mid-sixties, he predicted that
listeners would be able to buy unfinished takes, then edit and assemble their
own finished versions (an idea now coming to fruition via CD-ROM).  In 1968 he
stated that "perhaps the future of recording is recording combined with some
sort of videotape cartridge".

It is safe to say Gould would have loved the internet, specifically e-mail.
He thrived on annonymous communication, late night phone calls, and everything
else e-mail encourages.

And the internet loves Gould.  There are two official sites, countless "fan"
sites, and a newsgroup, F Minor,  devoted to every aspect of his life and
work.  Sony Classical sponsors the main site, <<www.glenngould.com>>, and it
is a treasure chest of sound, pictures, writings, and arcana.  The most
compeling, however, is the Glenn Gould Virtual Museum (<<www.gould.nic-
bnc.ca>>), where one may view scores, a passport, and many personal effects.
The F Minor list correspondance, too, is on view at
<<http://erebus.rutgers.edu/~mwatts/glenn/fminor.html>>, and offers a variety
of humorous, insightful, informative, and occasionally baffling infotainment.

I asked several people on the F Minor list why Gould has found such a happy
home on the net.

"I think it's important that people recognize what a technology advocate Gould
was", says Kristen,  "Isn't it interesting that as soon as CD ROM technology
provided the opportunity, Peter Gabriel and Todd Rundgren did exactly what GG
had predicted - release CD ROMs consisting of various takes of music that the
listener could mix and match to their preference."

Arin, a cellist and vocalist, added, "He was ravenous about new recording and
broadcasting techniques; he felt that as our society picked up technological
speed, music might be left behind, so he chose to devote a lot of energy to
making sure music had a place in that technological rush.  Then again, he was
quite eccentric, which ensures a place in history for anyone."

Indeed, Gould's many eccentricities make for amusing chats, but strangeness
does not insure the near-religious devotion that Gould inspires.  "Rvpiano"
stuck to the music when asked to explain the Gould phenomenon.

"Gould is one of the truly original musicians of the 20th century.  Some call
him willful and disrespectful of the composer's intensions. But he is one of
the very few performing classical musicians who had the breadth of musical
insight and imagination to think right along with the great composers.  I
believe what attracts those who are "more into another style" is his
improvisatory approach."

There is the occasional list member who is put off by the often often hyper-
musicological dialogs.  Member Harold Sinclair offered the following:

"At times, my enjoyment of Gould's playing is lessened by it.  I feel like I'm
listening to old Russians speaking in their native tongue." 

The F Minor list is, truly, the Gould Community Center.  He is debated
heatedly, lovingly, and endlessly.  HIs writings to provoke thought, his
neuroses to provoke speculation and post-humous gossip.  Mostly, though, his
playing is some of the greatest music of our century.  No other classical
music figure has found Gould's status on the web, and why can only be
speculated.

"Perhaps," offers Greg,  "the obsessiveness of GG triggers a similar
obsessiveness in certain of his fans."

This is almost as good an explanation as any.  

But the real cause for celebration and devotion is still best experienced by
actually hearing Gould -- his intimate, singing tone, and his way of making
the listener feel "let in" to the music.  It is this that makes him unique,
and this that will insure an audience for his work as long as there are
recordings.