"Occasionally irritated, often enthralled, usually impressed, and constantly fascinated." -Critic
Born in 1932 and dead 50 years later, the Canadian classical pianist Glenn Gould is the most enthralling and enigmatic character classical music has ever seen.
Gould was born in Toronto on September 25, 1932 to Florence and Bert Gould. Ever since he was born, he displayed a natural aptitude for piano, and started playing at just three years old. He demonstrated perfect pitch, as well as an uncanny ability to memorize music quickly. Despite clear gifts and skills, Gould never did well in school, and never earned his high-school diploma. He studied with the Chilean pianist Alberto Guerrero, and became a world-renowned pianist at just 21 with his
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He was a creature of habit, wearing a scarf, hat and mittens in all temperatures, playing on the same chair for 30 years, and only eating one meal a day (it was always the same order at the same restaurant at the same time - scrambled eggs at a 24-hour diner around 4 A.M). Gould was also an extreme hypochondriac, once eating 2,000 pills in nine months, and recording his blood pressure every 30 minutes near the end of his life. These quirks naturally decreased his social life - Gould was never married. Gould was said to have been a lonely person, although those who knew him remembered him as a warm, kind, and funny man. He loved nature, and often retreated alone to Northern Ontario.
Glenn Gould: reluctant performer, recording aficionado, television and radio extraordinaire, reclusive eccentric, autistic savant, and a man that left a long-lasting legacy. He was different than any musician who had come before or after him in every single respect. But it’s also important to remember that he was the modern Renaissance-man - he also composed, made radio and television documentaries, and wrote about music. And even though he died nearly 35 years ago, thanks to dozens of books, documentaries and commemorations, we will never forget the 50 years when Glenn Gould captivated the musical
Daniel Felsenfeld reveals a positive, impactful significance — one that has completely changed his life — in his literacy narrative “Rebel Music” by drawing upon what his early adolescent years of music were like before his shift into a new taste for music, how this new taste of music precisely, yet strangely appealed to him, and what this new music inspired him to ultimately become. Near the beginning of his narrative, Felsenfeld described his primal time with music in Orange County, Calif. He had developed his musical skills enough to jumpstart a career around music — working in piano bars and in community theater orchestra pits. However, Felsenfeld stated that the music he worked with “... was dull, or at least had a dulling effect on me — it didn’t sparkle, or ask questions,” and that “I [he] took a lot of gigs, but at 17 I was already pretty detached” (pg. 625). Felsenfeld easily
room and play then, he took piano lessons when he was seven. By the age of
Though Jelly Roll Morton began his career without formal training, he grew to live an influential life. His piano style, musical notations on paper, and creative compositions thrived in the 1910s and the 1920s and even weaved its way into the later eras as musicians used Morton’s music as the foundation for their own. Even past his death, Jelly Roll Morton remains a legendary figure. His works are meticulously preserved and displayed in the prestigious Smithsonian Museum and universities around the world continue his legacy by teaching students about Jelly Roll Morton and his influential career.
Throughout history, and even today, music has shaped America’s culture, society, and even politics. One of the most outstanding and enduring musical movement has been from African American artists, ranging from bebop to jazz to hip-hop to rap. During the 1920’s , jazz artists stepped into the limelight and began their impact on American and even world history. Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential leaders during the Harlem Renaissance and his jazz legacy and impact of American history is everlasting. A master of his craft, Armstrong and his music heavily influenced America’s white and black populations from the 1920’s and up until his death.
The musical events Miles Davis created during his so-called electric period (1969-1975), are acts of constant exploring in c...
In the poem “Interlude,” Annette Hope Billings describes the art of music in a heartfelt way. She uses a unique approach where she talks about how music is in a sense conveyed to her and the rest of the world. A reader can recognize at the end of this poem that Billings has a passion and appreciation for music. In the same sense, a reader can also take with them that music and human beings sort of intertwine and connect, they go hand in hand, like where an “art and artist convene” (Billings 16). Also, the intent of this poem may be to open other reader’s eyes and show them that music is a warm, essential gift to life and it should not be taken for granted, but glorified for what kind of works it does through people’s lives.
Charles Ives is known in our day as the “Father of American Music,” but in his day, he was known just like everyone else- an ordinary man living his life. He was born in Danbury, Connecticut on October 20, 1894 (Stanley 1) to his mother, Sarah Hotchkiss Wilcox Ives and father, George White Ives (A Life With Music, Swafford 4). His father was renowned for being the Union’s youngest bandmaster and having the best band in the Army (The Man His Life, Swafford 1). Little Charles was influenced early in his life by his father who had libertarian ideas about music (Stanley 1). Although Danbury prided itself as “the most musical town in Connecticut”, the people did not give the musical profession respect or understanding (The Man His Life, Swafford 1). One day, his father commented on a stonemason’s off-key singing by saying, “Look into his face and hear the music of the ages. Do not pay too much attention to the sounds—for if you do you may miss the music. You won’t get a wild, heroic ride to heaven on pretty little sounds” (The Man His Life, Swafford 2). Thus was young Charles’ introduction to music.
Music’s role on society has changed drastically through the course of its history as it has become ever so increasingly expansive. Many of the previous musical movements were only for the wealthy as entertainment
Music can be traced back into human history to prehistoric eras. To this day archeologists uncover fragments of ancient instruments as well as tablets with carved lyrics buried alongside prominent leaders and highly influential people. This serves as a testament to the importance and power of music, as well as its influence in society. Over its many years of existence, music’s powerful invocation of feelings has allowed it to evolve and serve many purposes, one being inspiring change. American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson once said, “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel.” This fuel is the very things that powers the influence of Rock ‘n’ Roll on American society, that author Glenn C. Altschuler writes about in his book, “All Shook Up – How Rock ‘n’ Roll Changed America.” Between 1945 and 1965 Rock ‘n’ Roll transformed American society and culture by helping to ease racial integration and launch a sexual revolution while most importantly developing an intergenerational identity.
Some forty years ago, Gould and Lewontin published an article called The spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian paradigm: a critique of the adaptationist programme. This article resembles Dobzhansky 1973 work based on the similar dynamic created between religion and evolution. This shows a consistence religion aspect in most evolution writing on theories; however, in Dobzhansky 1973, he tried to persuade people to “convert’ to evolution. Furthermore, Gould and Lewontin argue about the Spandrels and its adaptation cost compared to organism’s adaptation provides the reader a great read. Although Gould and Lewontin’s article has several positives, it also has some negatives as well. For instance, one critique of their thinking is that it just
...frican American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2002. 54-100. EBSCOhost. Web. 8 May 2015.
Gould suggests in his Wonderful Life that “replaying life’s tape” (Gould 1989 p51), setting time back to a point previous to the present day and letting events play out, would result in outcomes markedly different from actual history. He posits that we would see radical differences between the results obtained from the replay, and the results obtained from actual history, if even an event seen to be unimportant was altered by a small amount. This is Gould’s concept of the contingency of outcomes. Gould’s idea suggests that results are highly dependent on the events preceding their conception, that they are reliant on their initial conditions. He considers the concept important as it represents the ability of the individual to have large effects on the final outcome of history (Gould 2002 p1341).
In the text book America’s Musical Landscape by Jean Ferris, the book takes us through the history of the evolution of American music. The book delves into the different time periods of America’s music beginning with early North American music all the way to today’s modern music. Additionally, the book also explains how music, theater and film intertwine to provide some spectacular art. Jean Ferris finishes the book by exploring America’s concert music. Let us now take a closer look into the different time periods brought out in the book.
Born on 29th April 1899, Duke Ellington was raised by two middle-class musical parents, James Edward and Daisy Edwards, in the neighborhood of Washington D.C. He had a strong connection with music from the early age. He started learning piano at the age of 7. As early as 15, he
John Williams Interview for Music Express Magazine. Perf. John Williams. YouTube, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.