[f_minor] Perfectionism and Deterioration/Romance on 3 Legs

[Anita Monroe]

"Romance on Three Legs" is my favorite GG book.  A pianist can develop an
attachment to an instrument that might be hard for other people
to understand.  There is a strong feeling for the tone and the feel that
can't be transferred to any other instrument.  He tried all the other
choices
in the Steinway collection and many other brands as well, but CD318 was the
one that spoke to him.  One can only imagine the pain and despair
that he felt when it was dropped and damaged.  It wasn't sentimentality,
but a deep feeling that music can flow best from him only through that
instrument.




On Sat, Jul 27, 2013 at 4:06 PM, Pat <pzumst at bluewin.ch> wrote:

>   Dear all
>
> A big thank you to Tim Conway for giving me a nudge to buy this book
> (bought the audio book version), which is currently playing on the iPod.
>
> Romance On Three Legs is a most fascinating story about a pianist, his
> instrument and the man who would tune CD318 and make sure it would fit the
> needs and standards of GG. It is often forgotten that playing the piano was
> a very tactile experience for GG and if you still think that all the
> humming, conducting on that low chair was just showing off then please
> consider again.  Reckon that book will answer the question I had in the
> first place. I also reckon you will not get that much new insight into GG
> as an artist per se, but you will get a story previously untold. Highly
> recommended stuff !
>
> Pat
>
>  *From:* Timothy Conway <timcon at comswest.net.au>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, July 24, 2013 5:33 AM
> *To:* Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.<f_minor at glenngould.org>
> *Subject:* Re: [f_minor] Perfectionism and Deterioration
>
> Hello Pat,
>
>  On 24/07/2013, at 3:29 AM, "Pat" <pzumst at bluewin.ch> wrote:
>
> How come a man who was a prefectionist to the level of Control Freak when
> it came to playing and recording his music hung on to the same piano for
> years, even when it had been severely damaged in the early 70s and it would
> probably have been cheaper and easier to find a new one that would fit the
> high standards of Mr. Gould ? Instead he spent money on expensive repairs,
> renovations etc and he even made a recording on that bleeding harpspiano or
> whatever that monstrosity is called bacause CD318 was not available. Sheer
> sentimentality ? Fear of the New Unknown Instrument ?
>
>
> It's all explained in Katie Hafner's book, "A Romance on Three Legs: Glenn
> Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano", Bloomsbury, ISBN-13:
> 978-1-59691-525-1, possibly the best book about GG I have read.
>
>
> -- Tim Conway
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
>
>
>
>
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