[f_minor] New transcription edition of 1981 Goldberg

[Kevin Bazzana]

           A unique and very interesting publication was recently announced
on the Glenn Gould Foundation's website (www.glenngould.ca): Glenn Gould's
Goldberg Variations: A Transcription of the 1981 Recording of The Goldberg
Variations by Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed and edited by Nicholas
Hopkins and just published by Carl Fischer, in New York. (Hopkins is the
company's managing editor.) I recently received a copy, and thought a brief
report on it might be appreciated here.

           The publication, which runs to 155 pages, is just what the title
says: A notated transcription of Gould's 1981 Goldberg interpretation, based
on both his recording and the Monsaingeon film. The edition comprises, on
facing pages, Bach's original score and Gould's interpretation thereof.
Every pertinent aspect of his performance is indicated, in amazing detail:
tempos and rhythmic nuances, dynamics, articulation and phrasing,
ornamentation, fingering and hand-crossing, pedaling, contrapuntal
relationships, repeats.

The 47-page introduction discusses the Goldberg Variations itself and
Gould's relationship with it, and includes comments on every aspect of his
1981 interpretation, with particular attention given to his unifying scheme
of proportional tempos (Hopkins has a lot that is new and interesting to say
about this). There are further, detailed notes on each variation.

The result is a kind of "study guide" to Gould's 1981 Goldberg.

Moreover, Hopkins's printing of Bach's original score, on the verso side of
each page, itself amounts to an excellent, reliable Urtext edition of the
piece, based on close study of Bach's original publication and his later
corrected copy thereof.

This new publication is supposed to be available through the Carl Fischer
website and Amazon, and presumably all the other usual outlets for sheet
music and music books. Kevin Bazzana

 

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