GG: Let me introduce myself

[Leslie Arin Murphy <la_murph@alcor.concordia.ca>]

Ever feel like you've come home?

I am so glad to have found F-Minor! Like Eric Coates, I'm new to the 
Internet, and this might be the best thing that could have happened. I'm 
an Eng Lit MA student, and I'm preparing for a thesis on Glenn Gould's 
writings. (`What a wonderful opportunity,' the professor I approached with 
this rhapsodised, `for interdisciplinary thesis examination!')  Apart 
from the obvious academic side of things, I am, simply, a Gould admirer 
and appreciator. Like others, I discovered Gould after he died - now 
we have to appreciate him the in the way he wanted - he exists 
purely in sound bits, waves, electricity. Somewhere, GG is chortling. I 
know it.

It was `Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould' that introduced me to
him - I tried to chase the movie down because it had Bach and Colm Feore
in it.  (It is my opinion that one can never have too much Bach.) When the
movie proved unobtainable I chased down the soundtrack, and moved on from
there to the 1981 Goldberg Variations. (I eventually tracked down the
video in southern Ontario.) From there I went to the Well-Tempered Clavier
Vol 1, John McGreevy's book `Variations', and Tim Page's `Glenn Gould
Reader'. To discover that Gould is as comfortable with language as he is
with music thrills me. Not only is he comfortable, he's clever, focused,
direct, and has intelligent things to communicate. Thank God I'm a music
student as well, otherwise half of what he says would go merrily sailing
over my head. 

Anyway, all that was about two years ago. I pick up a new book or
recording from time to time (the financial state of a graduate student is
not a happy one) as a treat. I once made the mistake of looking in my wallet,
swallowing my pride and buying a cheap recording of Beethoven's piano
sonatas instead of parting with the eighty dollars required for Gould's
discs, and paid for it by having to listen to rather colourless
renditions. I learned my lesson! The passion, focus and intensity evident
in Gould's recordings is addictive, isn't it? 

My personal favourites are the Byrd/Gibbons album and his recording of 
the Bach keyboard concertos, especially No. 5 in F-minor, BWV 1056. (Has 
anyone else noticed how wonderfully over-separated the cello section is 
in the first movement?) To introduce people to Gould I often put on `So 
You Want To Write A Fugue?' so they can appreciate his sense of humour as 
well as his facility with words and music.

I'm studying English Lit at the graduate level, as I've already stated; I
also play the cello, and I'm a principal singer with a traditional 
Gilbert and Sullivan company. I'm trying to convince my fiance to get 
back into playing the piano, but he's not so sure. I'm lobbying for a 
secondhand piano as a wedding present - maybe that'll spur him on!

Allow me to reiterate how happy I am to have found you all!

Arin Murphy