Conversations with Glenn Gould
by Jonathan Cott, Glenn Gould
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One of the most idiosyncratic and charismatic musicians of the twentieth century, pianist Glenn Gould (1932–82) slouched at the piano from a sawed-down wooden stool, interpreting Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart at hastened tempos with pristine clarity. A strange genius and true eccentric, Gould was renowned not only for his musical gifts but also for his erratic behavior: he often hummed aloud during concerts and appeared in unpressed tails, fingerless gloves, and fur coats. In 1964, at the show more height of his controversial career, he abandoned the stage completely to focus instead on recording and writing. Jonathan Cott, a prolific author and poet praised by Larry McMurtry as "the ideal interviewer," was one of the very few people to whom Gould ever granted an interview. Cott spoke with Gould in 1974 for Rolling Stone and published the transcripts in two long articles; after Gould's death, Cott gathered these interviews in Conversations with Glenn Gould, adding an introduction, a selection of photographs, a list of Gould's recorded repertoire, a filmography, and a listing of Gould's programs on radio and TV. A brilliant one-on-one in which Gould discusses his dislike of Mozart's piano sonatas, his partiality for composers such as Orlando Gibbons and Richard Strauss, and his admiration for the popular singer Petula Clark (and his dislike of the Beatles), among other topics, Conversations with Glenn Gould is considered by many, including the subject, to be the best interview Gould ever gave and one of his most remarkable performances. show lessTags
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This quick little book contains two transcribed telephone conversations from the 70's between piano virtuoso/genius Glenn Gould and Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Cott. These interviews paint an intimate portrait of the enigmatic musician, showing him to be as brilliant an improviser in conversation as he was at the piano. Cott is the ideal interlocutor of Gould – admiring and intelligent, he manages to arouse Gould to novel insights and all the while follow the circuitous train of thought of his answers. Though parts of their discussion slip into the recherché, digressing into extremely subtle points of musicology and music theory, there a plenty of gems along the way, such as Gould voicing his thoughts on The Beatles, on show more recording techniques, and best of all, on himself – his humming, his posture, and his tone. The book also begins with a satisfying and touching introduction by Cott, recounting his lifelong adoration of and friendship with Gould. A must for any Gould fan. show less
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Author Information
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Jonathan Cott is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone and has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker. He is author of twenty books, including Listening: Interviews, 1970-1989 (Minnesota, 2020), and is editor of Beyond the Looking Glass: Extraordinary Works of Fairy Tale and Fantasy. He lives in New York City. show more Maria Popova is founder of the weekly newsletter Brain Pickings and author of Figuring. A writer and literary and culture critic, she lives in Brooklyn, New York. show less
257+ Works 1,733 Members
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Conversations with Glenn Gould
- People/Characters
- Glenn Gould
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Music, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 786.2 — Arts & recreation Music Keyboard, mechanical, electrophonic, percussion instruments Pianos [formerly: keyboard string instuments]
- LCC
- ML417 .G68 .A5 — Music Literature on music Literature on music History and criticism Biography
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 127
- Popularity
- 256,821
- Reviews
- 1
- Rating
- (3.97)
- Languages
- English, French, German, Spanish
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 12
