Glenn Gould: So You Want To Write A Fugue?

Glenn Herbert Gould (September 25, 1932 -- October 4, 1982) was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known and most celebrated classical pianists of the 20th century. He was particularly renowned as an interpreter of the keyboard music of Johann Sebastian Bach. His playing was distinguished by remarkable technical proficiency and capacity to articulate the polyphonic texture of Bach’s music. Gould rejected most of the standard Romantic piano literature and, after his adolescence, avoided Liszt, Schumann, and Chopin. Although his recordings were dominated by Bach, Gould’s repertoire was diverse, including works by Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, pre-Baroque composers such as Jan Sweelinck, and such 20th-century composers as Paul Hindemith and Arnold Schoenberg. Gould was well known for various eccentricities, from his unorthodox musical interpretations and mannerisms at the keyboard to aspects of his lifestyle and personal behavior. He stopped giving concerts at the age of 31 to concentrate on studio recording and other projects. Gould was also known as a writer, composer, conductor, and broadcaster. He was a prolific contributor to musical journals, in which he discussed music theory and outlined his musical philosophy. His career as a composer was less distinguished. His output was minimal and many projects were left unfinished. There is evidence that, had he lived beyond 50, he intended to abandon the piano and devote the remainder of his career to conducting and other projects. As a broadcaster, Gould was prolific. His output ranged from television and radio broadcasts of studio performances to musique concrète radio documentaries about life in the Canadian wilderness... Lyrics „So you want to write a fugue? You’ve got the urge to write a fugue, You’ve got the nerve to write a fugue, So go ahead and write a fugue that we can sing. Pay no heed to what we’ve told you, Give no mind to what we’ve told you. Just forget all that we’ve told you, And the theory that you’ve read. For the only way to write one, Is just to plunge right in and write one. So just forget the rules and write one, Have a try, yes, try to write a fugue. So just ignore the rules and try, And the fun of it will get you, And the joy of it will fetch you, It’s a pleasure that is bound to satisfy. So why not have a try? You’ll decide that John Sebastian, Must have been a very personable guy. But never be clever for the sake of being clever, For a canon in inversion is a dangerous diversion And a bit of augmentation is a serious temptation While a stretto diminution is an obvious solution Never be clever for the sake of being clever For the sake of showing off. It’s rather awesome, isn’t it? And when you’ve finished writing it, I think you’ll find a great joy in it (hope so)... Well, nothing ventured nothing gained they say... But still it is rather hard to start. Let us try. Right now? We’re going to write a fugue right now!“ – GLENN GOULD: So you want to write a fugue...? A link to this wonderful artists personal website: Please Enjoy! I send my kind and warm regards,