Glenn Gould (25 September 1932 – 4 October 1982)
The best Canadian premier Pianist of all time is Glenn Gould, period! End of all explanations and discussions.
If I had the chance to witness 2 musical acts of the last millennium it would be that of Glenn Gould playing anything and Canada’s own Max Webster. Honestly, I feel like I was gypped by this musical exclusion. (Maybe I shouldn’t have used that word because it is a reference to the negative aspects of “gypsies”, did you know that? Sorry, all of you gypsies of the world. I just thought that people should know the origins of some words.) Ok class, now on to the subject at hand.
I am proud and honored to announce that I live just outside his neighbourhood. He lived at 32 Southwood Drive in Toronto, Ontario. Main St. turns into Southwood Dr., and it’s south of Danforth Ave very close to where we currently own a home. He lived out his life in an apartment at 110 St Clair Ave. W, near Avenue Road. Across the road, on the north-west corner of Avenue Road and St. Clair, is the Glenn Gould Park. We used to live in that area too when we were apartment dwellers. This is another small park that has recently been named in honour of the internationally famous pianist.
This giant was a tortured genius. In 1957, he was the first musician to play in the former USSR after WWII. And you thought someone else was the first to play there, ha!
He was a Presbyterian of Scottish extraction. Gould made his debut as an organist, not as a pianist, at the Eaton Auditorium, Toronto, on December 12, 1945, not yet 13 years of age. Later on in his life he said that this was his favorite and best acoustic quality venue in which to play in, in Toronto. People were said to be greatly impressed and astonished by Gould, the child, who could play with such brilliant technique and interpretive ability. On May 8, 1946, Gould performed, for the first time, as piano soloist with the Toronto Conservatory Orchestra at Massey Hall in Toronto.
In the fall of 1977, the U.S. Government sent two ships, Voyager 1 and 2, into outer space. A variety of messages were placed on board these earthly space craft that were capable of communicating the existence of intelligent creatures living on our planet. Among these was included a short prelude by Johann Sebastian Bach, as performed by Glenn Gould.
He became a frail hypochondriac who lived in a solitary nocturnal existence. For fear of injuring his hands, he refused to shake hands, even with conductors after a show. Gould was obsessed with the Canadian Arctic and dreamed of spending an entire winter above the Arctic Circle. He also had a unique obsession with his piano chair and animals. He was aware of this unique obsession of Buffalo NY from Torontonians.
He was also said to be witty and fun-loving. I had met a person who was working at CBC as a camera man and he told me that he never ever spoke to him but, saw him on a regular basis at CBC. He remembers all the eccentric traits that he was said to have. Glenn Gould also suffered stage fright. He would sit very low in his chair, humming and singing as he played.
Not that I’m comparing myself to him but, when I play difficult pieces, I too hum and sing certain phrases of a piece that I am playing. He was known for his nocturnal living habits but I am not. By doing all of his work at the CBC recording studios at night, this allowed him unheard of access to all aspects of recording technology.
He decided in 1964, a year before my birth, at the age of 32 to quit doing all live concerts. His final performance was in Los Angeles, in 1964, what a drag on my part. So why do you think he did this? This is why he quit playing live.
My favorite documentary that he produced was called “The idea of North“. You get an idea of what is like at the 7:08th minute of this video. This was really out there for the times but in today’s environment it is just plain BRILLIANT! This is a must to see.
My favorite documentary about him is called “32 short stories of Glenn Gould”. This is another must to see if you can catch it on CBC. Strangely, this documentary strangely captures the feeling of being Canadian.
Two days after his 50th birthday he suffers a massive stroke. He was rushed to Toronto General Hospital where he died a week later on Oct. 4, 1982. The world was stunned by Gould’s sudden death. All the more shocking due to the fact that he, almost neurotic, went to great lengths to avoid getting sick.
I just wish that more people had the opportunity to have seen him live.
