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Fwd: GG -the quality of ecstasy



From: Megan Ken and Anne <smithqa@NEXICOM.NET>
Reply-To: Megan Ken and Anne <smithqa@NEXICOM.NET>
To: F_MINOR@EMAIL.RUTGERS.EDU
Subject: GG -ecstasy
Date: Sun, 14 May 2000 20:09:54 -0700

Kate wrote:
<snip>
by 'ecstasy I mean the marvellous experience of standing
>> 'outside' yourself and your normal everyday consciousness, which can be
>> induced by emotion, art, love...you name it, whatever has the deepest
>> importance to you. "Standing outside" is, I suppose, the original
meaning
>>of  the word ecstasy
ANNE WROTE
My dictionary says:
"deep emotion; especially rapturous joy."

Whether you take my definition or yours,  this is probably part of the
reason
that GG decided to leave the concert stage.  Even Glenn Gould suffered from
stage fright.  It is very hard (impossible) to get into the 'ecstasy' frame
of mind when you are worried about your fingers or mind freezing in front
of
a thousand people. Much easier to obtain 'ecstasy'  when you can let just
yourself go.  While
recording your soul can
soar while your fingers are doing their thing.  There is always
"take two" to fall back on.


Music allowed Glenn Gould to experience rapturous joy and also to step out of himself. His recordings help us do the same.

Anne Smith

Quite! And in addition it occurs to me that depression and tension could be described as the exact opposite of 'ecstasy" ...they are states when you are locked inside yourself, trapped without any ability to reach out to new emotions, with no hope of touching the reality outside. Gould's music can unlock the door of that prison. (Well, I think thats so, anyway). I believe someone once wrote that he thought it the greatest complement if someone considered his music to be 'therapeutic'. I'm not 100% certain what he meant by this, but it certainly beats pills and potions! Kate

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