Bazzana on the 6th Galliard

[Jim Morrison <jim_morrison@sprynet.com>]

Here's another good quote from Bazzana on Gould's version of Gibbon's 6th
Pavan and Galliard.

"Listen in the closing strains of the Sixth Galliard, as he easily, casually
draws integral voices from the harmonic and clearly distinguishes them from
both bass and treble, pointedly opening up the music for close inspection
yet never disturbing the overall atmosphere of tenderness, intimacy, and
gently humour."


Now that's great music criticism aimed directly at a non-musician music
lover like myself.  I only just received this book, but surely it must  be
one of the two or three essential books on Gould, and certainly the best
I've seen on Gould the performer.

Don't let the 30 dollars of this book scare you off.  It's worth it, and
comes with a 26 track 72 minute CD that helps demonstrate the points that
Bazzana is making.  The Cd, by the way, includes such unusal Gould items as
the atemporal Prelude to Handel's  Suite for Harpsichord in A Major, the
Meistersinger Prelude, for movements from Mozart (including a great look at
the variations in Sonata k331) two peices from the multi-miked Sibelius
recording, and the cd concludes with the great presto from the Italian
Concerto.

Only one peice by Beethoven though, the second, very fast and silly movement
in Gould's hands of The Sonata in F#major, op 78.


Also included are useful charts on Gould's extreme slow and fast tempos as
well as tempo variations in pieces that he recorded more than once.

Those aren't the only charts in the book.  Many more in there.

And I'm pretty sure most of you can tell I'm a chart kind of guy.


Bye


Jim