GG:Ostwald/ Writing GG

[Mary Jo Watts <mwatts@rci.rutgers.edu>]

Hello all,

An f_minor member has kindly pointed out to me that Lise Deschamps
Ostwald is Dr. Ostwald's *widow*, not daughter as I mistakenly mentioned
in a previous message today. I'd only had the chance to skim the new
_Glenn Gould_ which includes her bio.  

About the book I quote from _GG_:

"Dr. Ostwald describes in vivid detail what it was like to spend an
evening with Gould, to play chamber music with him, to be his guest, and
to travel with him.  He draws the reader into some personal
conversations with Yehudi Menuhin, Zara Nelsova, Leon Fleischer, Andras
Schiff, and Gould's own physicians, giving us a unique portrait of the
pianist's character.  Dr. Ostwald's reminiscences of Gould were written
under the most harrowing circumstances, yet we are never aware of the
author's inner struggles."

I don't remember the specific details of Ostwald's death (His NY Times
Obit is burried under about 1,000 revisions of my thesis proposal at the
moment) but clearly the Gould book was his last project.  Fascinating to
me that a man of Ostwald's reputation who knew many 'important' musical
figures would spend his last days writing about GG. Perhaps Ostwald's
book will tell us more about him than it will GG.  It's only fair, after
all-- was there a radio show GG did that wasn't autobiographical? 
Aren't we here (in f-minor land) learning as much about each other as we
are about GG?

On the issue of GG's privacy-- I've been thinking about this issue for
some time.  I've concluded that I want to hear what anyone is willing to
tell me about GG. I wonder to what extent Gould was able to shape his
posthumous image simply because of his unprecedented media presence. 
Gould as a figure raises important issues about the the dichotomies
public/private and mind/body in the media age.  Public, Mind: Middle
period Beethoven; Private, Body: Cert. Beaut. Girl.

We have more of his life recorded on tape than anyone else I can think
of-- ecstatic moments-- what most of us would never share much less
record and broadcast (i.e.the physical intensity of the Beet. Bagatelle
and the Elektra clips) A body of recordings which encompasses (probably)
the best qualities of his mind's work and (perhaps) his body's
expression yet there's something missing.  That video series of Sony's
is a haunting-- a ghostly Gould. [Insert your favorite Marshall McLuhan
quotation here]  What are we going to learn about Gould that would hurt
him now? _People_ magazine already violated GG's in the most extreme
sort of way (publishing the Foss story) while he was living.  

Ostwald's book can't get any worse than Kazdin's...

"Enough the man was a monster!" -Glenn Gould (about was it Mahler?)   

;-)

-MJ