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<DIV>I believe Gould was having hand problems at the end of his short life.</DIV>
<DIV>Could playing on pianos with no aftertouch have contributed to this?</DIV>
<DIV>Ed Sutton<BR><BR><BR>-----Original Message----- <BR>From: Robin Blankenship <TUNERDUDE@COMCAST.NET><BR>Sent: Feb 25, 2006 1:38 PM <BR>To: College and University Technicians <CAUT@PTG.ORG><BR>Subject: Re: [CAUT] Glenn Gould/Bach stuff <BR><BR></DIV><ZZZHTML><ZZZHEAD><ZZZMETA content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" http-equiv="Content-Type"><ZZZMETA content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2802" name="GENERATOR">
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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Wonderful observations from lots of folks on this list. However, I don't recall seeing anyone mention just how extraordinarly precise and consistent Mr. Gould's technique would have to be in order to even approach playing an instrument so "tightly" regulated, let alone using it in performance or recording. This speaks volumes to me not only of Gould's passion and persistence but of his sheer mastery of the mechanics of playing the piano. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Just an observation, LOL.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robin Blankenship</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Matoaca, Virginia</FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=a440@optonline.net href="mailto:a440@optonline.net">David Denison</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Saturday, February 25, 2006 9:32 AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] Glenn Gould/Bach stuff</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>An excerpt from page 77 of Franz Mohhr's <U>My Life with the Great Pianists reads:</U></FONT></DIV>
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<P>"...<EM>Like many of my clients, Gould was obsessive about the maintenance of his piano. I did my best to satisfy his demands. Over the years I earned his trust; he would not let anyone touch the piano but me. Regulating his Steinway was a challenge. He liked a very shallow touch—</EM></FONT><FONT face="Times New Roman"><EM>so shallow that it sometimes presented problems during performances or recording sessions. As a piano is played, the felt hammer head strikes the strings and then is steadied by the back-check. In Gould's case there was so little "after touch" that the hammer would sometimes dance between the strings and the back-check...</EM>."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2> This may shed some light on the problem heard in the recording. It's a terrific book and I came away with insights from a renowned technician of the inner sanctum of some of the 20th century's greatest pianists. Franz is actually a member of my PTG chapter but I have never seen him at a meeting in the 25+ years I've been a member. I did, however, hear him speak at a local Steinway outlet in my area while touring the country with Horowitz's piano. It was a wonderful!</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Arial size=2>David Denison, RPT</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT face=Arial size=2>Long Island Nassau Chapter</FONT></P></FONT></DIV>
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