[f_minor] Idea of North Transcript

[MJ Watts]

Hi Bruni,

I'll send you an article I have from my archives that includes a little bit
of the text of *The Latecomers*.

I never did do a complete transcript of either *tQit*L or *The Latecomers*.
I did the *Idea of North *for dissertation research-- for a PhD I never
completed. (That's why I started f_minor in 1995.) They're beautiful
pieces, and quite complex. By the time I finished the IoN transcript in the
mid 1990's (!) I had grown dissatisfied with my attempts to represent the
pieces in text form so I was working with diagrams.  Once GG had stereo to
work with he went crazy manipulating space. To some extent that the actual
text, what the speakers were saying, became secondary, at least for me, to
the way he made them say it. I never did come up with a good solution to
represent them.

I did have some lovely discussions with Lorne Tulk about how they were
produced, and what GG had hoped the listeners would take away. He had many,
many diagrams in boxes in his basement that GG and he had made in the
process of mixing the IoN.  I sincerely hope he desposited them in a
library.  He'd offered to let me see them then and I regret not having
taken him up on the offer.  I was young and American (still am!) and a
student and I didn't have the means to travel to Canada at the time. But I
do wish I'd have made it happen.

I got to the Glenn Gould Gathering in Toronto and I was supposed to talk
about the *Trilogy* on a panel.  I sat next to the producer. I was in awe
that she'd done a radio piece with MLK right before working on this with
GG. Lorne Tulk was on the panel and by the time they got to me I was so
overwhelmed, all I could do was gesture-- to talk about what GG did with
space with my hands like I was hearing it on a screen.  I don't remember
what exactly I said but Lorne said -- that's it-- that's IT. That's what
Glenn was on about. I felt depleted and very happy.  I just didn't have
words.  At the GG b-day gala dinner the foundation flabbergasted me by
honoring me an award for spreading the gospel of GG around the world with
f_minor. As I went to receive the plaque someone who knew him well, stopped
me on the way and whispered in my ear that Glenn would have loved me. I was
so overwhelmed, dumbfounded, so appreciative. After spending so many years
working with his work I felt like I knew his brain to a degree and I just
didn't have the wherewithal to continue with the thesis.  I had too much to
say and was at the same time at a loss for words about the *Trilogy*.
Because they were meant to be heard and I didn't know how to write about
them.  Then there was the issue of GG's other radio programs. The Stokowski
in particular-- the Schoenberg, etc.  So much goodness.  One of my chapters
was to be on *The Slaughterhouse Five* and *The Wars*.  Those works
presented me with even more complex problems of expression.

I think having these many years pass I might now have something to say
about it all.  I'm not sure.

I hope maybe that explains a little bit to the f_minor "old timers"
partially why I haven't participated much in the last few years.  But I am
honored and so appreciative that you all have kept it alive.  When it
started I remember my goal was to have 8 people on the list to talk to!

Best,
Mary Jo


On Fri, Sep 28, 2012 at 1:00 PM, bsi <bsi at intranette.de> wrote:

>  Hi Mary Jo, hi All,
>
> Thank you so much for the transcript of The Idea of North! This is
> something I have been waiting for for years. For me as a non-native speaker
> it has always been so difficult to understand what a single speaker is
> saying when they speak all at the same time. But I love the piece.
> Does anyone know if transcripts of the Latecomers and The Quiet in the
> Land do also exist? Especially the latter would make me so happy. I have
> listened to the Quiet in the Land many times - with meagre success.
> So, thank you again! I love the f_minor group!
>
> Best wishes,
> Bruni
>
>
>
> Am 28.09.2012 16:47, schrieb MJ Watts:
>
> All,
>
> I recently got a request for a transcript I dis several years ago of *The
> Idea of North*.  Here it is if you're interested:
>
> https://sites.google.com/site/ggfminor/home/idea-of-north-transcript
>
> Best,
> Mary Jo
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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