Speaking of Gould, I happen to have a previously unpublished recording of him playing his own composition "Suite for Twelfth Night". This might seem like an odd way of sharing it, but I've been putting it off for a long time because I thought it would be properly published at some point. I now realize it's never going to happen unless I do it myself, so here it goes: https://gofile.io/d/f5ORYZ
I'm no expert, but if this is fake it's rather well made (including Glenn Gould introducing the piece at the beginning). If it's not published, how did you get it?
"Years later, Verne often took to quoting his tuning teacher, J. D. Ansell, whose favorite aphorism was “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”"
That's a lovely line.
There is a similar person living in Toronto who tunes pianos for Lowrey, his name is Mark Zillman. Incredibly good at what he does. This must be one of the few professions where not being able to see well or at all is an advantage.
I have a 1964 recording of Bach's Two and Three Part of Inventions in which the piano emits an audible double-tap hiccup/echo throughout the middle register. It is pretty maddening. If I recall correctly from the CD liner notes (remember those!), Gould apparently loved the character of the piano and how close it was in character to harpsichord so much that the hiccup was somehow alright with him. Which is completely bizarre to me because it sounds like such a huge and obvious "bug". I wonder if Edquist worked on or had an opinion on that piano.
Man what an extraordinary guy. I love reading about people like Mr. Edquist who kind of live in the shadow of great artists like GG and make their art possible, especially when dealing with such artists requires a bit of head-butting.
Highly recommend the author's book "A Romance On Three Legs", which she mentions in the article.
There was an interesting article in Scientific American 25 years ago about a shortage in expert piano technicians for supporting concert pianists. Very few people were apprenticing, and the only US bachelor's degree program in piano technology had just shut down.
I wonder if the situation has improved since then?
The UK still runs a couple of courses, one 3 years full time. But it's an increasingly rare profession.
Beginner/amateur-level acoustic pianos have largely been replaced by electronic instruments. In fact it's almost impossible to give them away. Some homes still have them, but there are far fewer than there were twenty years ago.
I know the concert tuners who work in Leeds, and there's enough professional work for roughly one and a half people.
Even in London the total number of tuners serving the Royal College, Royal Academy, the concert halls and opera houses, recording studios, and the other music colleges is under double figures.
I disagree. It's like a painter putting their name/face in a painting. I always smile when I hear his humming come through and I rather enjoy his own vocal counterpoint.
You exaggerate but it sure is irritating. It goes to show how someone's fame will generate all manner of excuses for behavior that would get slapped out of a beginner--or novice--or any other professional.
And--just guessing--I doubt many composers would appreciate the new, improvised parts.
[+] [-] Gladdon|5 years ago|reply
If anyone wants to mirror it, that would be nice.
[+] [-] miles|5 years ago|reply
"Suite for Twelfth Night, for piano (1949; MS lost)" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_compositions_by_Glenn_...
[+] [-] ani-ani|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] darylteo|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] jacquesm|5 years ago|reply
That's a lovely line.
There is a similar person living in Toronto who tunes pianos for Lowrey, his name is Mark Zillman. Incredibly good at what he does. This must be one of the few professions where not being able to see well or at all is an advantage.
Edit: here is an article about him:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/mark-zillmann-o...
[+] [-] daviddaviddavid|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thirteenfingers|5 years ago|reply
Highly recommend the author's book "A Romance On Three Legs", which she mentions in the article.
[+] [-] tzs|5 years ago|reply
I wonder if the situation has improved since then?
Here's a reprint of that article: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~boyk/essay.htm
[+] [-] TheOtherHobbes|5 years ago|reply
Beginner/amateur-level acoustic pianos have largely been replaced by electronic instruments. In fact it's almost impossible to give them away. Some homes still have them, but there are far fewer than there were twenty years ago.
I know the concert tuners who work in Leeds, and there's enough professional work for roughly one and a half people.
Even in London the total number of tuners serving the Royal College, Royal Academy, the concert halls and opera houses, recording studios, and the other music colleges is under double figures.
[+] [-] GnarfGnarf|5 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] frakt0x90|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wackget|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] googlryas|5 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mynameishere|5 years ago|reply
And--just guessing--I doubt many composers would appreciate the new, improvised parts.