Glenn Gould

Glenn Herbert Gould (September 25, 1932–October 4, 1982) was a Canadian pianist who became one of the best-known & most celebrated classical pianists of the 1900's. He is 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. He is widely considered one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. After his adolescence, Gould rejected most of the standard Romantic piano literature including 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 Pieterszoon Sweelinck, Orlando Gibbons & William Byrd, and such 20th-century composers as Paul Hindemith, Arnold Schoenberg & Richard Strauss. Gould was 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 31 to concentrate on studio recording and other projects. Gould was also a writer, broadcaster, conductor, and composer. He was a prolific contributor to music journals, where he discussed music theory and outlined his musical philosophy. As a broadcaster, Gould performed on television and radio, and produced 3 radio documentaries called the Solitude Trilogy, about isolated areas of Canada.