Book Description

When Mikhail Baryshnikov defected in Toronto in 1974, he admitted that he knew only three things about Canada: It had great hockey teams, a lot of wheatfields, and Glenn Gould. In Wondrous Strange, Kevin Bazzana vividly recaptures the life of Glenn Gould, one of the most celebrated pianists of our time. Drawing on twenty years of intensive research, including unrestricted access to Gould's private papers and interviews with scores of friends and colleagues, many of them never interviewed before, Bazzana sheds new light on such topics as Gould's family history, his secretive sexual life, and the mysterious problems that afflicted his hands in his later years. The author places Gould's distinctive traits--his eccentric interpretations, his garish onstage demeanor, his resistance to convention--against the backdrop of his religious, upper middle-class Canadian childhood, illuminating the influence of Gould's mother as well as the lasting impact of the only piano teacher Gould ever had. Bazzana offers a fresh appreciation of Gould's concert career--his high-profile but illness-plagued international tours, his adventurous work for Canadian music festivals, his musical and legal problems with Steinway & Sons. In 1964, Gould made the extraordinary decision to perform only for records, radio, television, and film, a turning point that the author examines with unprecedented thoroughness (discussing, for example, his far-seeing interest in new recording technology). Here, too, are Gould's interests away from the piano, from his ambitious but failed effort to be a composer to his innovative brand of "contrapuntal radio." Richly illustrated with rare photographs, Wondrous Strange is a superbly written account of one of the most memorable and accomplished musicians of our times. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Title says it all
His music was wondrous, beautiful, and moving. His behaviour was very strange, off and on stage.
He hated performing, once turning down a million-dollar fee for a recital, but he did perform in his early years; they were bizarre, sometimes difficult to watch, but so wonderful to hear.
One the many stories Bazzana relates is of Gould's first Russian concert. The auditorium was only a third full, but at intermission, concertgoers hurriedly called their friends telling them of the incredible performance. There was a small riot for tickets for the second half of the show.
Later in his career he turned exclusive to the recording studio; bringing us some of the best selling and rarely played classical pieces ever produced.
Kevin Bazzana gives us an in-depth, very personal look at the genius that was Glenn Gould.
The Thursday File

Extraordinary Bio...Very Accessible, Very Intelligent...
I've been perusing this book every chance I get at Borders. I can't wait to buy it! This has got to be hands-down the best bio on Gould you can read. And it is remarkably accessible. I'm no musician so hate it when writers go off on tangents describing a certain "contrapuntal line in 3/10 time over a 2/8...etc, etc", but this book is nothing of the kind. Anyone can come to it and enjoy it for what it is -- a candid, in-depth, and intelligent portrait of a genius. Also, full of revealing photographs. A must-buy for any music-lover, Classical or not, doesn't matter. Gould is indispensable and I agree with the author when he talks about a "cult of personality" surrounding Gould, a cult that approaches a "James Dean, Elvis Presley" stature. Believe it!

AN ENIGMATIC GENIUS
Born in 1932 in Toronto, Ontario, Glenn Gould is surely one of the most enigmatic and celebrated musicians of our time. According to biographer Kevin Bazzana, it's almost as if Gould's gifts were too many for one man to pursue.

Bazzana has spent some two decades studying his elusive subject. Given free rein to explore Gould's papers and granted interviews by any number of the artist's friends and colleagues who were once reluctant to speak, the author is able to shed light on many questions that have piqued the interest of Gould fans. We are privy to much of his family history (the original family name was Gold), and the health problems that plagued him.

Precocious? Yes, indeed. Readers learn that at the estimable age of 3 his talents were obvious. Perfect pitch was but one of them. As a child he was publicly performing on both piano and organ. His musical education was completed in Canada, and although known throughout Canada he did not make his American debut until 1955. His programs were unorthodox and his behavior on stage often very odd. To say Gould was an iconoclast is an understatement, but such a talented one. He was also an industrious writer, and later in life began conducting.

It was in 1964 that Gould deserted the concert stage to perform solely for records, radio, television, and film. His last recording was made in 1982, the year that he died.

Like some before him Gould's fame has grown since his death. Today many visit Toronto, paying their respects to a man who is arguably one of the greatest contemporary musicians.

- Gail Cooke

An Enigmatic Genius, Understood a Lot Better
Among the classical musicians of the twentieth century, there was none with as eager a fan base as Glenn Gould. The fans have not diminished in number since Gould's death at age fifty in 1982. Gould was a consummate musician who brought light to neglected but important works, but he was also an oddball who adored the Mary Tyler Moore Show, (...), popped dozens of pills every day to help him over imaginary illnesses, and refused to come out of self-imposed isolation to play a recital for a million-dollar fee. There has been an authorized biography of Gould before, but now _Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould_ (Oxford University Press) by Kevin Bazzana must be the one for all fans to have. Bazzana is the editor of nothing less than GlennGould magazine, and has written a previous book about Gould's musicianship. He brings helpful light on such topics as the influence of Gould's one piano teacher and his love of Canada and his home town Toronto. He is especially helpful in illuminating Gould's early life.

Gould's parents were conservative, strict Protestants who stressed propriety as he was growing up in Toronto's Beach district. They had to make sure he did not practice too much (not too little, like most parents of young musicians) and learned that the strictest punishment they ever needed to enforce was locking up the piano. He remained close to them all his life, only moving out of their home when his parents were elderly in 1959. He knew he was going to be a classical pianist from age around five. He loved his neighborhood and the people who knew he was freakish or famous, but treated him as if he were just an unusual guy. He hated performing and touring. Even so, his performances were regarded by many as high points in their lives as listeners. Among the many stories told here is that of his first Russian concert, in Moscow. The auditorium was only a third full, but at intermission, concertgoers hurriedly called their friends to tell them what was going on. There was a small riot for tickets for the second half of the show.

It was the recording studio to which he was devoted and to which he retired from his hated performing. His premiere recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations in 1955 brought to attention a piece that had only rarely been performed or recorded before, being thought too difficult and rarefied. The recording was a sensation, and remains one of the bestselling classical discs of all time. (It ought to be; there is no better join of dazzling technique, speedy fingers, and loving intimacy with the music.) He liked working with the technicians who helped record his performances, and had good humor in the sessions, but it was him in front of the microphone, in the isolation he preferred; he wrote, "Isolation is the one sure way to human happiness." Bazzana relishes the multiple enigmas that Gould presents, and this one is surely key: Gould isolated himself right into millions of homes, where it was obvious he communicated something important. Today, worshipful listeners, some of whom were not alive when he was, make pilgrimages to see his home sites, and his rickety old chair which he used whenever he played. He said that the purpose of art is "... the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity." If that is the purpose of art, he would have admired this graceful, readable, big biography that underscores the full complexity of a monumentally enigmatic artist.

A well balanced, definitive biography
After having started his career with meticulous analyses of Glenn Gould's musical interpretations, Bazzana immersed himself in all available resources to write the oracle of Toronto's definitive biography. After the previous biographies by Friedrich and Ostwald and all the articles that have appeared on Gould, much of the material in this book has limited novelty value, yet thanks to the depth of the writer's research, the detailed context he provides of the environment in which the young pianist grew up, and the balanced view of Gould the man and the performer, this biography deserves the "definitive" stamp.

Starting the book with the flight that Gould's fame has taken after his death and the almost pathological admiration among some of the fans, Bazzana puts down the fundament for this biography by detailing the political and social climate of Toronto in the late 1930s. He really does a great job in bringing the sheltered surroundings in which Gould grew up to life, shatters myths over his heritage and does not play up the friction in the relationship between Glenn and his father that others have explored.

Gould was both a "high tech" performer/recording artist and a true romantic. Bazzana delves into this dichotomy by analyzing Glenn's admiration for the odd couple Schoenberg / Richard Strauss. He hits a lot of right notes here, as he does later in unflattering, yet fair analysis of Gould's best known composition, the string quartet opus one, which was clearly influenced by Arnold and Richard.

With an intermission chapter of Gould the man, this book follows the world's most articulate keyboard player throughout his career until his untimely death. A great strength of the book is its balanced treatment of the "hero". Both fans and critics get their say, and many details of eccentricities that have so much been the focus of previous publications are either put in proper context or just completely debunked.

Even almost 22 years after his death Gould is still among his labels best selling artists and has become the most important pianist of the twentieth century. This book shows that this success was based on a lot of method and very little madness.

A must for everyone interested in a visionary artist. ... Read more

Book Description

Since Glenn Gould's death in 1982, the pianist's extraordinary talent has captivated new listerners through the re-release of his most famous recordings. Recently, a stage play and a feature film, "32 Short Films About Glenn Gould," introduced the eccentric artist to a new audience. With the publication of these 184 letters, a wide range of Gould's artistic activities is presented. Whether he is writing to esteemed musicians such as Leonard Bernstein or Leopold Stokowski, or to friends and colleagues in the world of performing and broadcasting, or answering the numerous fans who sent him questions, Gould explores all aspects of the art of making music.

In his own words, we hear about his favorite Bach, the choice of tempi for Beethoven's late piano sonatas, the power of Richard Strauss and Arnold Schoenberg, to name only a few of the musical concerns that fill his correspondence. His letters, which concentrate on the creative life, provide a rare glimpse into how the man worked, suggesting, finally why he devoted himself to music with such dedication and single-mindedness. A valuable addition to "Gouldiana," Glenn Gould: Selected Letters will give pleasure to all students of the piano, admirers of Gould, and music-lovers who have ever wondered how a great musician thinks about his art. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Must Read Book For Anyone Interested in Gould's Philosophies
I think the best way to look at this book is as a book by Gould filtered through the mind of a professional philosopher. Read Friedrich's book for an example of the influence that Gould had on how this book was written. Although this might detract from this book as an objective analysis of Gould's thought (I got the same sense reading the book that I do when listening to or reading a transcript of one of Gould's famous scripted "off-the-cuff" interviews), it is still very important as a compendium of his ideas, articulated in a coherent framework. Especially interesting is Gould's denunciation of much of the Romantic piano literature, and his admission (gasp) that he would occasionally play Chopin for himself at home. (and,yes, I am aware of the recording of the B minor sonata.) If you are interested in Gould or modern thought on music and the relationship of media to music, buy this book.

Mr Payzant ........very little real content
If you wish to read this book, you must first know that Mr Payzant almost pays homage to Gould and allowed Gould to change the book in his own words. As I read the book, I felt as though he was being worshipped and looked for mechanisms to the mechanics of Goulds philosophy on music as though it were a science.....we'll it was not...Gould himself never wanted to know how or Why he could play the piano as he could for fear of loosing his gift...this is we'll documented....I liken the book to a Fan who is a worshipper and not a biographer in any sense.

David_Carlin@vtel.com

Glenn Gould Review from Philadelphia
A real masterpiece - insightful and comprehensive. The reader is actually able to see inside the mindset of Gould. Great for anyone who appreciates music and performance at the highest level.

A wonderful tribute to a genius.
I read this book when it was first published by the Author. His comments concerning one of the greatest creative geniuses ever are a fitting tribute. His recognition of Gould's special place in the scheme of things is evidenced on every page. ... Read more

Book Description

"This is a fascinating book about a fascinating musician." -- Los Angeles Times

He was a virtuoso of the piano who inspired an almost religious fervor in his fans, yet he hated performing and left the concert stage forever at the age of 31. He was a tireless advocate of the technology of recording, an artist who looked forward to a time when mere musicians would be rendered obsolete. He was a notorious -- and, some thought, a deliberate -- eccentric, who muffled himself in scarves and gloves, liberally dosed himself with pills, and once sued Steinway & Sons because one of its employees had shaken his hand too roughly. He lived in hermetic solitude and liked to call himself "the last Puritan," but those who watched Glenn Gould play piano saw an eroticism so intense it was almost embarrassing.

Drawing on extensive interviews and on archival materials that were previously inaccessible. Otto Friedrich has written a biography of exemplary depth and stylishness. Ranging over Gould's brief but spectacular public career and his prodigious exploits as teacher, author, and lecturer, his public opinions and his intensely private life. Glenn Gould; A Life and Variations does justice to a multifaceted and perverse genius. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

A very good Biography
I found this book to be the best overall general biography on Glenn Gould. Mr Friedrich did not personally know Gould, so we have what is a good look, objectively, of Gould. He had some very good interviews with some of Glenn's closest friends and those whom he worked with. I've read it more than 4 times. We are not overwhelmed from a Musician's biographical data here, but more of what is percieved through others here. Of Course, Friedrich has some personal views but really helps to move the book along. The biggest surprise is finding out how some individuals coped with having discussions (pre-written by Gould), and their responses prewritten for them....Interesting.
Great Book....

Glenn Gould : A Life and Variations
This is a well researched and well written book. It would primarily be interesting for someone who is very interested in Glenn Gould. That is, it is not for the casual reader. Parts of it are very dense, with little in the way of true drama. Nonetheless, Glenn Gould comes across as a very complex and brilliant man. One develops a compassion for him, and this makes the ending rather sad. One thing I wanted to point out that the other reviews did not was that the author was condescending and derisive at times. This was not all the time, but in parts he clearly mocks some of the things Gould did. This bothered me considerably. While one might say that the author was being balanced, it gave me a sour impression of the author. Obviously Gould had his oddities, however I don't feel Mr. Friedrich was as sympathetic as he could have been.

Great bio
Otto Frierich does an excellent job of putting together the pieces of the unexplainable. His approach to Glenn Gould is journalistic and methodical. Friedrich poured through throusands of personal papers, newspaper articles, audio recordings as well as conducted his own interviews, including some interesting exchanges with the legendary Leonard Bernstein regarding Gould. There are an abudance of newspaper quotations in this book, which is occasionally annoying, and the author at times inserts his own opinion which can be somewhat distracting, but I believe these devices ultimately give the biography a sense of focus and conclusion. Without the minimal type of analysis and opinion that is offered here, this book would be impossible, and from what I've read about other Gould biographies, some biographers have gone on opinion and analytical overkill (much to their own detriment) on this subject. Friedrich's journalistic nature does not permit him to go this far. Instead, one is left with a healthy balance of Gould's dissolution and ambiguity termpered within clearly defined chapters and sections, organized almost as a reference book. Friedrich quite thoroughly follows the Gould-as-a-Canadian-treasure story, especially in the early pages, but as the book progresses Gould is slowly whittled down from national symbol into something more human and recognizable. One is still left with the feeling that it is impossible to truly ever know Gould -- and that nobody has. Still, Friedrich makes it feel like this book is the closest one can ever get to knowing Gould, and recognizing the distance inherent in the subject matter, one has to come away satisfied.

The best Gould bio, period!
Although Mr. Friedrich was a Gould fan, he brought the clear eye of the professional journalist to this work, with a balanced account of the man, the music, and the myth. Much better than Payzant's book, which read like the work of an obsessive sycophant. I'm looking forward to Kevin Bazzana's new bio... this presents a hard act to top.

As brilliant as Gould himself
I am a fanatic when it comes to Bach keyboard music, and so Glenn is my hero. This biography is astounding in its depth, breadth, and compassion. The writing is excellent. Read it... full stop. ... Read more

Book Description

The Canadian pianist Glenn Gould was a child prodigy and amusical genius whose 1955 recording of Bach's "Goldberg Variations"catapulted him to world fame. He was also plagued by lifelong depression,was terrified of playing before liveaudiences, and consumed prescription drugs by the handful. He died atfifty of a massive stroke. In this acclaimed biography, the latepsychiatrist Peter Ostwald-himself an accomplished violinist and longtimepersonal friend of Gould's-raises many questions about Gould and hismusic. Was his genius sponsored by eccentricity or vice versa? Do thosewith genius sacrifice themselves for a higher ideal while remainingpersonally unfulfilled? Ostwald lays bare the energy and contradictionbehind Gould's brilliance. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Rare Glimpses of Gould
This book is valuable for many new anecdotes about Gould when he was out of the spotlight. For example there is a description of a night of chamber music playing at a friend of the author's house that displays both Gould's strengths as a musician and his limitations as a social being. For those tired of the endlessly repeated tales about wearing gloves in the summer and eating arrowroot biscuits, this is a refreshing book. I won't comment on the psychobiographical aspects of the book because I don't know anything about psychology, but at the very least, Ostwald was an intelligent man who had experience with psychiatry, music, and Gould, so I think there is some value in what he says. Also, unlike some of the other books about relationships that authors have had with pianists (read: Evenings with Horowitz by David Dubal) Ostwald keeps himself in the background for much of the book. I disagree that Ostwald used the book to get back at Gould. It is admittedly a book based on personal experience, and one of his experiences with Gould was that he was ultimately rejected. Why shouldn't he write about being hurt by this experience? At least he didn't try to cast himself as the most important thing in Gould's life, a la Dubal, and recognizes that any relationship with Gould was tenuous, something that he explores in the book.

When a biographer bears a personal grudge...
_

For many reasons Peter Ostwald appears to have borne something of a grudge against Glenn Gould.

There is some explanation for this. For example, at one point, Gould allegedly dismissed Ostwald's earlier biography of Schumann with "why don't you write a book about a really important musician". But this is after Ostwald insults Gould's recording (with Laredo) of the Bach violin and keyboard sonatas.

Additionally, it is true that their friendship cooled over the years, to the point that, in the last five years of Gould's life, they were not in contact at all. Ostwald implies Gould's interest in him was motivated by a desire to mooch off him in a professional capacity, by getting Ostwald, a psychiatrist, to endorse his hypochondriacal excuses for cancelling concerts, and that once Gould understood Ostwald wasn't about to play ball, Gould ended the friendship.

It would be nice if Gould could present his side of the story. The tacit implication is that there could be no other reason for not wishing to be Ostwald's friend. Well, I can think of a few. Ostwald's descriptions of Gould often fairly drip with disdain. It is clear that they disagree on many personal and aesthetic levels. In the end it doesn't seem Ostwald liked Gould much. He has little good to say about his character, or even his recordings. It is hard to see what an enduring friendship was supposed to be based upon.

Ostwald's musical comments are, on occasion, strikingly naive for a music biographer, and in at least one respect grossly in error. For example, he dismisses Gould/Laredo's brilliant recording of the Bach violin sonatas, but praises Gould/Menuhin's recording of the c minor sonata as "a flawless rendition". Objectively, their rendition is anything but "flawless". Menuhin's tone and attack are off throughout the entire piece. But even ignorning Menuhin's technical problems, the musicians don't seem to be in synch interpretively, and their performance is wooden and dull.

When Gould dismisses Mozart's great G minor symphony, Ostwald asks "Had Glenn ever listened to the late viola quartets. How could anyone 'hate' such sublime music?" Well, why evoke the viola quartets after Gould has dismissed K. 550?? Isn't it far harder (or at least as hard) to understand why anyone would hate K. 550?

Ostwald has much company in criticizing Gould's Well Tempered Clavier, but he complains only of Gould's broken chords (a trivial criticism). He then goes on to praise Gould's recording of the Liszt-Beethoven 5th symphony as an example of Gould's ability to "toe the line" and "to play with authentic respect for the composer". But this recording is extremely wayward and eccentric, even for Gould. What could Ostwald have been thinking?

Ostwald does praise both of Gould's studio recordings of the Goldberg variations, and (correctly, IMO) argues that both have their virtues. But he unwittingly diplays shocking ignorance when he remarks on page 318 (re: Monsaingeon's filmed version of the Goldbergs) that "...Glenn's hands are often jittery--see for example variation 17...". This piqued my curiosity, so I popped the DVD in the player for a look. Gould's hands are steady as a rock in variation 17. Again, I had to ask myself what Ostwald was thinking. It then hit me, he must not know the correct number of the variation.... On a hunch I looked at *track* 18 of the DVD. Track 18 is where variation 17 would be found if the DVD began numbering tracks with the opening aria. But there is some biographical footage and a short interview which occupy tracks 1 and 2. Hence, all variations are "off" by 3. The aria is on track 3. Var 1 is on track 4, and so on.... This means track 18 is, in fact, variation 15. Indeed Gould's hands *are* shaking in this variation.

This must seem very trivial, but it isn't. Every student of the Goldbergs must know variation 15 from the others. For one, it is the first of Bach's minor key variations, and it occupies a crucial point in the structure of the Goldbergs (it is the last variation of the first half, before the French "overture"). For Ostwald to get the variation number wrong betrays a startling level of ignorance. Anyone who undertakes a biography of Gould should know these variations forward and back. As trivial as Ostwald's error may seem, it is startlingly telling.

But also any good Gould biographer should at least bring up the possibility that Gould's trembing hands are trembling with a purpose, not uncontrollably. As absurd as it may sound, Gould sometimes applied "vibrato" to the piano keys. He insisted, in typical eccentric fashion, that this had an effect on the sound. This theory is bolstered by the fact that, early on in the variation, Gould, who often (equally absurdly) "conducted" his own performances, brings his left hand up briefly and makes a vibrato gesture, the sort an orchestral conductor would make when he wants more sweetness from the strings. Thus, it seems likely that Gould is applying his trademark "paino vibrato" throughout the variation, especially since his hands, otherwise, seem very steady and controlled.

So why do I give this biography 3 stars? Because it offers some first hand insights which will be important to Gould fans and Scholars, and because the writing is good, not "inapt" as one reviewer puts it below. This is a page turner, and, for someone for whom writing is an avocation or a side line, Peter Ostwald offers lucid, engaging and well-organized prose. Even with its faults, I put this biography above Payzant's but below Friedrich's. I disagree with the reviewer who claims Gould lived without regrets. It is clear he was deeply troubled, and in many ways a tragic figure. Ostwald's biography communicates the "tragedy of genius" very eloquently. Genius need not be tragic, but part of Ostwald's point is to show, using Gould as a case in point, how the level of intensity genius requires can be its own sort of trap.

An excellent, interesting life review and interpretation
Ostwald has done an excellent job of ferreting out the details of an unusual life and making it readable, regardless of the readers experience in music and/or medicine. The book can be read cover to cover, or the reader can easily jump around without losing too much from not reading previous chapters.
I have heard it said that Ostwald is somehow "jealous" of Gould and that his book is a restitution for Gould's scorning of the Psychiatrist-author. On the contrary, I don't think that Ostwald is severe enough in his description of Gould's neurotic antisocial behavior. Nor is he critical enough of Gould's self-serving (mis)interpretation of various piano pieces, such as the very difficult sonata #29 by Beethoven. Or, try listening to Beethoven's "pathetique" sonata played by Gould. It is so violently fast as to lose all sense of musical flavor, phrasing and inflections.
My only other criticism of Ostwald is his (or his editor's) less-than-perfect grammar usage, such as the misuse of the words "whom" and "myself". Small points, at best.
In all, Gould was brilliant at the keyboard and an interesting though troubled figure away from it. This book captures the essence of the man to the point that I feel like I met him, and wish that I had.

Interesting, but should be read with reservations.
Glenn Gould was, by all accounts, a fascinating and extraordinary man, but difficult to know ; apart from his art, he was renowned for his perceived eccentricity, his reclusiveness, and his wish to keep his private life entirely hidden and separate from his public persona. Various books and endless articles have attempted to present a portrait of Gould, but to my mind, no writer has ever come close to the "essence" of the man; perhaps this is as Gould himself would have wished. His primary mode of communicating with the world was with his music, and music -related writing and broadcasting, and the author of this book makes that very clear. It is mostly concerned with the glorious music, not with Gould's private life, and this is how it should be. But Peter Ostwald, the author, was a doctor and a psychiatrist as well as a gifted musician,(Well, I have read that he was a gifted musician; I've never heard him play!) and does therefore concentrate one one aspect of Gould that he finds interesting and important to understanding the man: his attitude to health, and his emotional state. Gould was, notoriously, considered to be a hypochondriac, although this is not to suggest that his ill-health was imaginary; he did indeed suffer with a number of serious health problems throughout his short life that affected his ability to play the piano. Ostwald considers these, and Goulds mental states, from a medical point of view, although he rather irritatingly does not form any definite conclusions about the roots of Gould's difficulties and does not offer the reader more than a mere suggestion of diagnosis. (there is a brief mention of the possibility that Gould had Asperger's syndrome .... an idea that seems to arouse the wrath of many Gould admirers!) Yet the subject is fascinating, although I feel that some of the personal details given are a little intrusive. But then, Ostwald knew Gould personally.
And therein lies my greatest reservation about this book. Ostwald writes as though he wishes us to believe that he and Gould were very close friends (despite the fact that he is describing a man who, sadly, seems never to have been truly close to anyone outside his family) but this idea is belied by the facts. Ostwald's last meeting with his subject was some years before Gould died: and he mentions that even that meeting took place after a gap of several years. They had some disagreement at this final meeting and it appears that subsequently Gould cut off all communication beteween them. And this , alas, seems to have affected Ostwald's attitude towards his subject; despite the protestations of friendship and admiration, there is an undertone of bitterness and resentment throughout the book that shows in the writing, as of a friend scorned. No; this book certainly does not leave the reader with the impression that the two men were ever truly close. Despite this, though, it is an informative book, and will interest many, especially - but not only! -those who find Gould's music incomparable . But perhaps it is best not to trust all the conclusions that the author draws; when it comes to Glenn Gould, we will probably never know the man's heart.

High hopes disappointed
Biography on a dead man by a dead man (published after Gould's
death by the estate of Peter Ostwald). The first 100 pages tell
the story. The isolated and mother-dominated childhood explain a
lot of Gould's eccentric behaviour (the emotional shields, group
phobias, extreme monologues). In fact, the opening chapter which
describes and psychoanalyses Mr Gould's and Mr Ostwald's first long
encounter is the most enlightening of the whole book. Subsequent
chapters which follow from birth to initial fame are well-documented
and humane. The book then falls apart due to loose organisation and
waffled writing (is here where the author died editing?). High hopes
disappointed. ... Read more

Book Description

This illustrated children's biography paints a sensitive and affectionate portrait of the famous pianist Glenn Gould, an enigmatic figure who made some of the most acclaimed classical recordings of the last century. A former child prodigy and an unpredictable, passionate man, Gould was known as much for his eccentricities as his vast musical genius. After retiring prematurely from performing, Gould branched out into work in film and radio and helped bring classical music recording technology into a new age. He has become a national icon in his native Canada. ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from New Statesman (1996), published by New Statesman, Ltd. on November 18, 2002. The length of the article is 1137 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The last puritan: Henry Sheen on why Glenn Gould still haunts other pianists 20 years after his death. (Classical Music).(Biography)
Author: Henry Sheen
Publication: New Statesman (1996) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 18, 2002
Publisher: New Statesman, Ltd.
Volume: 131Issue: 4614Page: 40(2)

Article Type: Biography

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Book Description

This is a provocative account of pianist Glenn Gould's intellectual and musical thought. Gould was a philosopher who incessantly pursued wisdom through his art. If the reader follows Gould's ardent campaign through the metaphorical thicket found in his ideas, a compelling Gouldian model for a philosophy of music unfolds. Gould argues that music is not only a reflection of social dynamics, but could also be a tool for the betterment of society. The original methodology conceived and implemented in this study contributes an important design for subsequent historical/philosophical studies, particularly in music education. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

For the terminally pedantic only
I must agree with an earlier reviewer, who called this book "an overdone research paper." Utterly useless, pedantic... I wasn't surprised to learn that it began as a dissertation. (Heavens, this is what passes for erudition in our halls of learning these days?) Much, much better: Kevin Bazzana's book, A Performer in the Work.

Philosopher at the Keyboard: Gleen Gould
Philosopher at the Keyboard is a scholarly, well written acoount of Gould's intellectual legacy. This book is a must have in any serious reader's library.

Philosopher at the Keyboard: Glenn Gould
This book stimulates the reader to probe deeper into Glenn Gould's written opus. The author presents a thorough analysis of Gould's thought in the light of the philosophy of music and music education. The book is not for the reader who wants to skim along. It requires re-reading and lots of reflection. But, it is certainly worth the effort. I wholeheartedly recommend it to especially the serious music student, teacher or Gould enthusiast.

This book was a bit repetetive, and over-formalized.
Hoping for an interesting perspective on the ideas of Glenn Gould, I purchased this book. For the most part, the book sounded like an overdone research paper, in which the author stated a thesis, and spent the rest of the book attempting to validate this thesis. If I were grading this paper, I would definitely subtract points for the repetetive set of ideas that kept resurfacing under different headings. These ideas were well recieved the first time around, but I would expect a fan of Glenn Gould to come up with a more creative way of proving that Mr. Gould's ideas were consistent and meaningful. For anyone interested in Glenn Gould, I would suggest something written by Mr. Gould himself, he knew what he was saying, and I see the interpetations of others as a hindrance to Gould's message. ... Read more