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Glenn Gould's birth name was Glenn Herbert Gold; the family surname was subsequently altered to Gould.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould was born Glenn Herbert Gold. While the family surname was informally changed to Gould, the question implies a direct statement of fact which is true, though the year 1932 mentioned in the raw data is not present in the supporting flashcard, which states 'around 1939'. The core assertion of the name change is correct.
Contrary to the assertion that his mother, Florence Emma Gold, actively discouraged his musical development in favor of general education, evidence suggests otherwise.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould's mother, Florence Emma Gold, was instrumental in fostering his musical development from infancy, teaching him the piano and exposing him to music extensively.
As a toddler, Glenn Gould demonstrated perfect pitch, engaging in the practice of striking single piano notes and intently observing their decay, a behavior his father reportedly deemed unusual for a child.
Answer: True
Explanation: Reports indicate that as a toddler, Glenn Gould exhibited perfect pitch and a fascination with piano notes, which his father recognized as atypical behavior for a child.
What was Glenn Gould's complete birth name?
Answer: Glenn Herbert Gold
Explanation: Glenn Gould's birth name was Glenn Herbert Gold. The surname was later changed by his family.
Who served as Glenn Gould's principal piano instructor?
Answer: Alberto Guerrero
Explanation: Alberto Guerrero was Glenn Gould's primary piano teacher, imparting crucial technical concepts such as the 'pulling down' method.
The technical piano concept of 'pulling down' at the keys, often associated with Gould's technique, was reportedly learned not from his mother, but from his primary instructor.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould's primary piano teacher, Alberto Guerrero, instructed him in the 'pulling down' technique at the keys, which facilitated greater finger independence and control.
The adjustable-height chair Glenn Gould utilized throughout his life was a custom-designed piece, not a standard model acquired from a furniture store.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould's distinctive adjustable-height chair was specially designed, notably by his father, to accommodate his unique playing posture and technique, rather than being a commercially available item.
Glenn Gould's habit of humming while playing the piano originated not from his father, but from his mother's pedagogical approach.
Answer: True
Explanation: The habit of humming or singing while playing the piano, which Glenn Gould exhibited, originated from his mother's musical instruction.
What distinctive feature characterized the specialized chair utilized by Glenn Gould?
Answer: It allowed him to sit very low, facilitating his unique playing technique.
Explanation: The chair Gould used was adjustable, enabling him to sit exceptionally low, which was integral to his distinctive piano playing technique.
What distinctive vocal habit did Glenn Gould manifest during his piano performances?
Answer: He hummed or sang along with the music.
Explanation: Glenn Gould frequently hummed or sang along with the music while playing the piano, a habit originating from his mother's teaching.
Glenn Gould's primary renown stems not from interpretations of Romantic composers such as Chopin and Liszt, but rather from his engagement with other repertoire.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould is predominantly celebrated for his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach and other Baroque composers, rather than the Romantic repertoire of Chopin and Liszt, which he largely eschewed.
Glenn Gould's cessation of public performances at age 31 was not motivated by insufficient financial rewards from studio work, but by other factors.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould discontinued public concerts at age 31 due to his profound dislike for the performance environment, which he viewed as an 'anachronism' and a 'force of evil,' preferring the controlled setting of the recording studio.
In 1962, Glenn Gould articulated a philosophy of art that posited its justification not in public manifestation or immediate emotional release, but in its capacity for internal cultivation.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould stated in 1962 that art's justification lies in the 'internal combustion it ignites' and the 'lifelong construction of wonder and serenity,' rather than superficial public displays or momentary emotional release.
Glenn Gould did not primarily consider Bach an emotional composer excelling in human feelings; instead, he emphasized Bach's architectural and structural genius.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould viewed Bach principally as an 'architect' and 'constructor of sound,' highlighting his admiration for the composer's structural and compositional prowess over overt emotional expression.
Glenn Gould's assessment of Bach's toccatas as less interesting stemmed from their relative lack of polyphony compared to other Bach works, not from being overly polyphonic.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould found Bach's toccatas less compelling primarily because they exhibited less polyphonic complexity than many of his other keyboard compositions.
Glenn Gould's stance on Frédéric Chopin's music was largely dismissive, and he did not frequently perform his nocturnes.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould expressed significant criticism of Chopin's music, indicating he rarely felt compelled to perform his works, particularly his nocturnes.
Glenn Gould's perspective on Mozart's music was nuanced; while he enjoyed playing the early piano sonatas, he expressed a distinct dislike for Mozart's later compositions.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould found Mozart's later works less appealing, associating them with a perceived 'hedonism,' while acknowledging enjoyment in playing the earlier piano sonatas.
Glenn Gould expressed a significant fondness for the composer Orlando Gibbons, referring to him as his favorite composer.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould held Orlando Gibbons in high regard, calling him his favorite composer and feeling a 'spiritual attachment' to his music.
For which composer's keyboard works is Glenn Gould most famously recognized?
Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach
Explanation: Glenn Gould is most renowned for his interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach's keyboard compositions, which showcased his technical prowess and unique articulation of contrapuntal textures.
Which cohort of composers did Glenn Gould largely eschew, deeming their style excessively focused on emotional affectation?
Answer: Late-Romantic and 20th-century composers like Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff
Explanation: Gould largely rejected the repertoire of late-Romantic and 20th-century composers such as Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff, finding their style overly focused on emotional expression rather than structural clarity.
What was the principal impetus for Glenn Gould's decision to cease public concerts at the age of thirty-one?
Answer: Dislike for public performance, viewing the concert hall as an 'anachronism' and 'force of evil.'
Explanation: Gould abandoned public concerts primarily due to his profound aversion to the concert hall environment, which he considered detrimental to artistic integrity.
As articulated in his 1962 statement, what did Glenn Gould posit as the fundamental justification for art?
Answer: The internal combustion it ignites and the lifelong construction of wonder and serenity.
Explanation: Gould stated that art's justification lies in its capacity to ignite 'internal combustion' and foster a 'lifelong construction of wonder and serenity,' rather than mere public display or emotional release.
What specific architectural quality did Gould most highly regard in Bach's musical compositions?
Answer: Its structural integrity and 'architect' quality.
Explanation: Gould deeply admired Bach's music for its profound structural integrity, referring to Bach as the greatest 'architect of sound'.
What was the rationale behind Gould's finding Bach's toccatas less compelling than other works by the composer?
Answer: They lacked the polyphonic complexity found in Bach's other keyboard music.
Explanation: Gould considered Bach's toccatas less interesting primarily because they contained less polyphonic complexity compared to his other keyboard works.
What was Glenn Gould's general perspective on the music of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
Answer: He enjoyed Mozart's early works but disliked his later compositions.
Explanation: Gould found Mozart's later works less appealing, associating them with a perceived 'hedonism,' while acknowledging enjoyment in playing the earlier piano sonatas.
Which composer did Glenn Gould specifically identify as his 'favorite composer,' with whom he felt a 'spiritual attachment'?
Answer: Orlando Gibbons
Explanation: Glenn Gould expressed a particular fondness for Orlando Gibbons, calling him his favorite composer and feeling a 'spiritual attachment' to his music.
Glenn Gould's characterization of his relationship with the recording studio was not as a 'battlefield' fraught with technical issues, but rather as a highly valued artistic environment.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould described his relationship with the recording studio and microphone as a 'love affair,' valuing the artistic control it afforded him, rather than viewing it as a battlefield.
Glenn Gould's insistence regarding recording studio environments was not for extreme cold, but rather for elevated temperatures to facilitate his concentration.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould demanded that recording studios be kept extremely warm, regardless of the season, as part of his meticulous control over his recording environment.
Glenn Gould challenged the notion that studio-refined recordings, including those utilizing splicing, were inherently less authentic than live performances, drawing parallels to cinematic artistry.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould argued that recordings produced through studio techniques like splicing were not less authentic than filmmaking, asserting that the refined product represented a valid artistic creation.
How did Gould articulate his relationship with the recording microphone?
Answer: A 'love affair' enabling artistic control
Explanation: Gould characterized his relationship with the recording microphone as a 'love affair,' valuing the artistic control it provided.
What particular environmental condition did Gould stipulate for recording studios?
Answer: Extremely warm temperatures, regardless of the season.
Explanation: Gould insisted on maintaining extremely warm temperatures within recording studios to enhance his concentration and comfort.
What was Gould's perspective on the authenticity of recordings produced through studio techniques such as splicing?
Answer: He argued they were not less authentic than filmmaking, allowing for artistic refinement.
Explanation: Gould contended that studio recordings, enhanced by techniques like splicing, were not inherently less authentic than live performances, comparing the process to filmmaking.
Glenn Gould's assessment of the recordings by Artur Schnabel and Rosalyn Tureck did not characterize them as overly sentimental or lacking structural clarity; rather, their influence on his interpretation of Bach was noted.
Answer: True
Explanation: While Gould was influenced by Schnabel and Tureck, particularly Tureck's 'upright' Bach interpretations, the provided information does not support the claim that he found their recordings sentimental or lacking clarity. The question frames the opposite of what the flashcards suggest about his positive influence from Tureck.
While Leonard Bernstein expressed admiration for Gould's playing, his public commentary acknowledged potential divergences in interpretation, particularly concerning tempo.
Answer: True
Explanation: Leonard Bernstein admired Gould's artistry but famously alluded to their differing tempo preferences, indicating a complex professional relationship.
The collaboration between Glenn Gould and soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf on Strauss's *Ophelia Lieder* was notably unsuccessful, often described as a 'fiasco' due to artistic divergences.
Answer: True
Explanation: The recording sessions for Strauss's *Ophelia Lieder* with Elisabeth Schwarzkopf were fraught with difficulty, leading to an 'outright fiasco' due to conflicting artistic philosophies.
Whose recordings significantly shaped Gould's teenage methodology for interpreting Bach, characterized by an approach described as 'upright, with a sense of repose and positiveness'?
Answer: Rosalyn Tureck
Explanation: Rosalyn Tureck's recordings of Bach were particularly influential on Gould's teenage approach, providing a model described as 'upright, with a sense of repose and positiveness'.
What was Leonard Bernstein's reaction to performing with Glenn Gould?
Answer: An expression of admiration alongside a humorous warning to the audience about differing tempos.
Explanation: Bernstein expressed admiration for Gould but also humorously cautioned audiences about potential differences in tempo, acknowledging Gould's unique interpretive style.
Glenn Gould's final public performance occurred in 1964, though not in New York City.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould's last public concert took place on April 10, 1964, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles, California, not in New York City.
The repertoire of Glenn Gould's final concert was not exclusively comprised of works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould's final public performance in 1964 included works by Beethoven and Hindemith, in addition to selections from Bach's *The Art of Fugue*.
Glenn Gould utilized his numerous alter egos not primarily for composing new musical pieces, but for other forms of creative expression and commentary.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould employed his alter egos for satirical, humorous, and didactic purposes, offering commentary on music and art, rather than for the composition of new musical works.
Mark Kingwell's analysis did not portray Glenn Gould as a musician solely focused on preserving traditional musical forms; rather, it highlighted a complex interplay of progressive and anti-progressive elements.
Answer: True
Explanation: Mark Kingwell described Gould as paradoxically 'progressive and anti-progressive at once,' suggesting a complex artistic position that transcended simple adherence to tradition.
Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's *Goldberg Variations* was not his debut album and did not receive mixed reviews; it was a significant breakthrough that garnered widespread acclaim.
Answer: True
Explanation: The 1955 recording of Bach's *Goldberg Variations* was a pivotal moment in Gould's career, earning extraordinary praise and becoming a major commercial success, establishing it as a breakthrough recording.
Glenn Gould's radio documentaries, comprising the *Solitude Trilogy*, employed a technique termed 'contrapuntal radio,' rather than 'monophonic radio,' to weave together multiple voices.
Answer: True
Explanation: In his *Solitude Trilogy* documentaries, Gould utilized 'contrapuntal radio,' a method involving overdubbing and editing multiple voices, distinct from 'monophonic radio'.
Glenn Gould's rendition of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C major was indeed selected for inclusion on the Voyager Golden Record.
Answer: True
Explanation: A performance by Glenn Gould of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C major from Book II of *The Well-Tempered Clavier* was chosen by a committee, including Carl Sagan, for the Voyager Golden Record.
Beyond his primary role as a pianist, what other professional endeavors did Glenn Gould undertake?
Answer: Composing, writing, broadcasting, and conducting
Explanation: In addition to his pianistic career, Glenn Gould was active as a composer, writer, broadcaster, and conductor, contributing significantly to various media.
At what time and location did Glenn Gould deliver his final public concert?
Answer: April 10, 1964, in Los Angeles
Explanation: Glenn Gould's final public concert took place on April 10, 1964, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles.
Identify a musical piece that was notably absent from Glenn Gould's repertoire during his final public concert.
Answer: Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2
Explanation: While Gould performed works by Beethoven, Bach, and Hindemith in his final concert, Chopin's Nocturne in E-flat Major was not part of that program.
For what primary purpose did Glenn Gould employ his numerous alter egos?
Answer: Creating satirical, humorous, and didactic commentary on music and art.
Explanation: Gould utilized his alter egos to provide satirical, humorous, and didactic commentary on music, art, and his own work.
Mark Kingwell's characterization of Gould as 'progressive and anti-progressive at once' implies what about Gould's artistic position?
Answer: An artist who embraced new technologies while critiquing contemporary trends.
Explanation: Kingwell's description suggests Gould was an artist who engaged with new technologies while simultaneously critiquing the prevailing trends of his era.
What was the significance attributed to Glenn Gould's 1955 recording of Bach's *Goldberg Variations*?
Answer: It marked his breakthrough, earning critical acclaim and commercial success.
Explanation: The 1955 recording of Bach's *Goldberg Variations* was a pivotal breakthrough for Glenn Gould, achieving significant critical and commercial success.
In what ways did Glenn Gould's 1981 recording of the *Goldberg Variations* diverge from his 1955 interpretation?
Answer: The 1981 version was slower and more deliberate.
Explanation: Gould's 1981 recording of the *Goldberg Variations* was notably slower and more deliberate compared to the energetic and often frenetic interpretation of his 1955 version.
What specific technique did Glenn Gould utilize in his radio documentaries, such as the *Solitude Trilogy*?
Answer: 'Contrapuntal radio' using overdubbing and editing of multiple voices.
Explanation: Gould employed 'contrapuntal radio,' a technique involving the manipulation of multiple voices through overdubbing and editing, in his radio documentaries like the *Solitude Trilogy*.
What is delineated as the primary mission of the Glenn Gould Foundation?
Answer: To honor Gould's legacy and advance his innovative ideas, awarding the Glenn Gould Prize.
Explanation: The Glenn Gould Foundation's primary mission is to honor Gould's legacy, promote his innovative ideas, and award the triennial Glenn Gould Prize.
How was Glenn Gould's estate allocated following his demise?
Answer: Half to the Toronto Humane Society and half to the Salvation Army.
Explanation: Glenn Gould bequeathed half of his estate to the Toronto Humane Society and the other half to the Salvation Army, reflecting his affection for animals and humanitarian causes.
The surname change from Gold to Gould was primarily motivated by the family's desire to align with a more prestigious-sounding name.
Answer: False
Explanation: The family surname was changed from Gold to Gould around 1939 primarily to avoid being mistaken for Jewish individuals amidst the prevailing antisemitism in Toronto, rather than for reasons of prestige.
The incident involving Glenn Gould in Sarasota, Florida, which led to his arrest, was not for disturbing the peace with loud piano playing, but stemmed from a misunderstanding related to his attire and appearance.
Answer: True
Explanation: Gould's arrest in Sarasota, Florida, was reportedly due to being mistaken for a vagrant, possibly because of his eccentric attire and aversion to cold, rather than any disturbance caused by piano playing.
Glenn Gould's personal habits included abstaining from alcohol and refraining from smoking cigars.
Answer: True
Explanation: Glenn Gould adhered to a disciplined lifestyle, abstaining entirely from alcohol and also not smoking cigars.
What was the primary motivation behind Glenn Gould's family changing their surname from Gold to Gould?
Answer: To distance themselves from perceived negative connotations associated with the name due to antisemitism.
Explanation: The surname change from Gold to Gould was motivated by a desire to avoid being identified as Jewish amidst the antisemitism prevalent in Toronto prior to World War II.
What was the probable cause for Glenn Gould's arrest incident in Sarasota, Florida?
Answer: Being mistaken for a vagrant due to his eccentric attire and behavior.
Explanation: The arrest in Sarasota was likely due to Gould being mistaken for a vagrant, possibly exacerbated by his unusual attire and aversion to cold weather.
Glenn Gould's personal habits included abstaining from alcohol and refraining from smoking cigars.
Answer: He abstained from both alcohol and smoking.
Explanation: Glenn Gould maintained a disciplined lifestyle, abstaining from alcohol and not smoking.