WARNING: THE NEXT TWO PARAGRAPHS ARE CLEARLY PRETENTIOUS - READING IT MAY RESULT IN THE URGE TO BUY A BOW TIE AND/OR READ THE SPECTATOR.
I've just finished listening to Glenn Gould's 1981 recording of the Goldberg Variations because I wanted to compare it with his original 1955 recording.
Man, did he mess up that Steinway. According to the sleeve notes he tinkered around under the bonnet because he was trying to get a sound somewhere between a piano and a harpsichord. Well, it doesn't sound like either instrument so I guess he succeeded. The odd thing is, it actually adds to the quality of the recording because his playing is so individual.
THIS BIT IS LESS PRETENTIOUS, YOU MAY WISH TO START HERE:
Do you technician geezers and geezesses ever get asked to fundamentally change the sound of pianos? I'd like to get better informed about the technical side of the instrument but don't really know where to start. Anything I can read to get started? In Openwood's Crazy World of Dreams I'd stop teaching in a few years and go into business as a technician but I guess it will never happen and I'll just end up a sad, cynical shell of a man who never fulfilled his dreams. Pass the razor blades.....
Glenn Gould's Piano
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WinstonChurchill
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Not in answer to your question, but:
Pretty sure Glenn's first recording of the Goldbergs was on a Steinway regulated pretty much as per normal practice -- he always liked a light touch, but his 'harpsipiano' recordings (as he called them) didn't come until later. I believe the two- and three-part inventions fall into this category.
The later recording of the Goldbergs was on a Yahama, I believe -- not sure how much he fiddled with it, though. He switched after a long search for a piano to replace his favourite Steinway, which was dropped(!) in transport. He had it rebuilt, but felt it was never the same.
A lot of people seem to like one recording and hate the other. Gotta say, I love 'em both.
Pretty sure Glenn's first recording of the Goldbergs was on a Steinway regulated pretty much as per normal practice -- he always liked a light touch, but his 'harpsipiano' recordings (as he called them) didn't come until later. I believe the two- and three-part inventions fall into this category.
The later recording of the Goldbergs was on a Yahama, I believe -- not sure how much he fiddled with it, though. He switched after a long search for a piano to replace his favourite Steinway, which was dropped(!) in transport. He had it rebuilt, but felt it was never the same.
A lot of people seem to like one recording and hate the other. Gotta say, I love 'em both.
Thanks, Mr C - please charge a very fat cigar to my account.
I had another listen to the inventions and the sleeve notes describe his 'war' with the technicians and the infamous 'hiccuping' Steinway.
I hadn't realised that the 1981 recording was on a Yamaha. I've just got the 'State of Wonder' 3 disc set which has both 'Gouldberg' recordings and a third disc consisting of a radio interview with Gould and some out-takes from the first recording session. Interesting stuff it is too.
I also love both recordings - must admit I shed a few tears when I heard the second one, it's like his farewell. Seemed like that after a few gins anyway...
I had another listen to the inventions and the sleeve notes describe his 'war' with the technicians and the infamous 'hiccuping' Steinway.
I hadn't realised that the 1981 recording was on a Yamaha. I've just got the 'State of Wonder' 3 disc set which has both 'Gouldberg' recordings and a third disc consisting of a radio interview with Gould and some out-takes from the first recording session. Interesting stuff it is too.
I also love both recordings - must admit I shed a few tears when I heard the second one, it's like his farewell. Seemed like that after a few gins anyway...
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WinstonChurchill
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Re: Glenn Gould's Piano
Stay in teaching mate. Far easier life!Openwood wrote: Do you technician geezers and geezesses ever get asked to fundamentally change the sound of pianos? I'd like to get better informed about the technical side of the instrument but don't really know where to start. Anything I can read to get started? In Openwood's Crazy World of Dreams I'd stop teaching in a few years and go into business as a technician but I guess it will never happen and I'll just end up a sad, cynical shell of a man who never fulfilled his dreams. Pass the razor blades.....
In answer to the question, yes, on a number of occasions I have been asked to voice pianos on-stage for various artists, and this is where things can get tricky. Imagine you're a technician faced with tuning for an internationally famous artist and a Very Expensive Steinway D which is not the artist's property, and then he insists that the whole thing is voiced to a Blüthner-like tone before he'll give a concert on it. What follows is a delicate combination of gentle needling and a whole wedge of persuasion that you've done the job that he wants you to do.
Re: Glenn Gould's Piano
[Imagine you're a technician faced with tuning for an internationally famous artist and a Very Expensive Steinway D which is not the artist's property, and then he insists that the whole thing is voiced to a Blüthner-like tone before he'll give a concert on it.[/quote]
Yikes, I can see how that could cause problems. At least Gould took his piano with him - even if he did turn it into a complete wreck.
Yikes, I can see how that could cause problems. At least Gould took his piano with him - even if he did turn it into a complete wreck.
Hi,
A brief dip into Kevin Bazzana's GG biography reveals that early in 1955 Gould adopted an 'almost ideal' Model D Steinway CD174, built in 1928: this was used for the 1955 Goldberg Variations. In 1957 CD174 was dropped and had to be completely rebuilt, and like most rebuilds was never the same again (to its user). Gould always fiddled with his pianos: there's no mention of CD174 being made to sound 'harpsichordish' but it is a recurring theme in Gould's life.
In 1961 Gould had a harpsi-piano made for him by Steinway, a small grand adapted by using T-shaped metal pins inserted into the hammers (!) to produce a metallic twang. This was actually used in several concerts and recordings. It can only be described as an abberation.
In 1960 Gould moved to Steinway CD318, built in 1943. It had a bright translucent sound and a quick tight action. Later Gould adapted this piano to give 'a much lighter action.. with the hammers somewhat closer to the strings, so that one gets a more immediate bite.' He also wanted little or no aftertouch, immediate and total damping, and a shallow key dip. The hair-trigger action aometimes produced a double hit at slow tempos, noticable on some recordings.
In 1971 CD318 suffered the same fate as its predecessor and was dropped. 'The piano was apparently dropped with great force and the point of impact would appear to be the front right (treble) corner.' The lid was split and otherwise damaged, its plate was fractured in four critical places, the soundboard split at the treble end, some pins and screws were bent and the key frame and action were put completely out of alignment. The damage took over a year to repair. It never fully recovered.
Tired of Steinway and their dowwards spiral in the '70s, in early 1981 Gould tried Yamahas and was impressed with the action which had the responsiveness that he wanted, along with a clear and bright sound. He bought a CF concert grand built in 1975 and used this for his New York recordings for the remainder of his life. This too was modified, 'Think harpsichord - I want a harpsichord.' This piano was used for the 1981 Goldberg Variations.
There's probably a full list of every piano Glenn Gould ever played somewhere, including the ideal Chickering, but I don't have it.
Rgds.
A brief dip into Kevin Bazzana's GG biography reveals that early in 1955 Gould adopted an 'almost ideal' Model D Steinway CD174, built in 1928: this was used for the 1955 Goldberg Variations. In 1957 CD174 was dropped and had to be completely rebuilt, and like most rebuilds was never the same again (to its user). Gould always fiddled with his pianos: there's no mention of CD174 being made to sound 'harpsichordish' but it is a recurring theme in Gould's life.
In 1961 Gould had a harpsi-piano made for him by Steinway, a small grand adapted by using T-shaped metal pins inserted into the hammers (!) to produce a metallic twang. This was actually used in several concerts and recordings. It can only be described as an abberation.
In 1960 Gould moved to Steinway CD318, built in 1943. It had a bright translucent sound and a quick tight action. Later Gould adapted this piano to give 'a much lighter action.. with the hammers somewhat closer to the strings, so that one gets a more immediate bite.' He also wanted little or no aftertouch, immediate and total damping, and a shallow key dip. The hair-trigger action aometimes produced a double hit at slow tempos, noticable on some recordings.
In 1971 CD318 suffered the same fate as its predecessor and was dropped. 'The piano was apparently dropped with great force and the point of impact would appear to be the front right (treble) corner.' The lid was split and otherwise damaged, its plate was fractured in four critical places, the soundboard split at the treble end, some pins and screws were bent and the key frame and action were put completely out of alignment. The damage took over a year to repair. It never fully recovered.
Tired of Steinway and their dowwards spiral in the '70s, in early 1981 Gould tried Yamahas and was impressed with the action which had the responsiveness that he wanted, along with a clear and bright sound. He bought a CF concert grand built in 1975 and used this for his New York recordings for the remainder of his life. This too was modified, 'Think harpsichord - I want a harpsichord.' This piano was used for the 1981 Goldberg Variations.
There's probably a full list of every piano Glenn Gould ever played somewhere, including the ideal Chickering, but I don't have it.
Rgds.
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WinstonChurchill
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Many thanks for a such a full answer, Fumbler. I'm on something of a Glenn Gould mission right now, having never heard more than the 1955 Goldberg until fairly recently. I can't really buy into his piano modification ideas but he certainly brought out the individual lines of music like nobody else. It's such earthy playing, I love it - humming, heavy-breathing, wrecked pianos and all! I was playing a Yamaha grand the other day and it struck me that Gould would have liked the brightness - nice to know I wasn't imagining it! I wonder what he would have made of the digital piano technology that's around now? I can't help thinking that he would have been obsessed by using it to create the ultimate hybrid 'harpsipiano' sound. And of course it wouldn't matter so much if they dropped it 
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I had to modify a Chappell grand. We put in two knee stops, they were for lifting the bass and treble dampers independently, had to saw the damper lift rail in two and modify the damper lift so it would now lift all the dampers. We had to put two drawing pins in each hammer he also had a large ring on the soundboard filled with ball bearings and 40 ping pong balls on the strings. I had to respace all the hammers so that they missed the right string. After tuning all the right hand strings had to be detuned evenly so when he used the shift pedal the out of tune string came into play I tuned for this guy for about 5 years in the 80s sadly he passed on.
Glenn Gould plays Prokofiev Piano Sonata No.7 3rd mov.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSXY3AkK-E
Barrie,
Glenn Gould plays Prokofiev Piano Sonata No.7 3rd mov.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaSXY3AkK-E
Barrie,
Barrie Heaton
Web Master UK Piano Page
Web Master UK Piano Page
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Gill the Piano
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