Solitude Trilogy

Solitude Trilogy

The "Solitude Trilogy" is a collection of three hour-long radio documentaries produced by Canadian pianist Glenn Gould (1932–1982) for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Gould produced the documentaries as individual works between 1967 and 1977, then collected them under the title "Solitude Trilogy", reflecting the theme of "withdrawal from the world" [Lehman, Bradley. [http://www-personal.umich.edu/~bpl/QITL.htm "Review of Glenn Gould's "The Quiet in the Land"] . Accessed August 15, 2006.] that unites the pieces. " [They are] as close to an autobiographical statement as [I intend] to get in radio," [Hebb, Joan. [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/glenngould/028010-503.5.8-e.html "Glenn Gould, Word Painter"] , The Glenn Gould Archive, Library and Archives Canada. Accessed August 15, 2006.] Gould wrote.

The three pieces employ Gould's idiosyncratic technique of simultaneously playing the voices of two or more people, each of whom speaks a monologue to an unheard interviewer. Gould called this method "contrapuntal" radio. (The term "contrapuntal" normally applies to music in which independent melody lines play simultaneously; this type of music, exemplified by J. S. Bach, was the major part of Gould's repertoire.)

The first, and most well-known, of the documentaries is "The Idea of North", produced in 1967, in which five speakers provide contrasting views of Northern Canada. Gould introduces the documentary:

"I've long been intrigued by that incredible tapestry of tundra and taiga which constitutes the Arctic and sub-Arctic of our country. I've read about it, written about it, and even pulled up my parka once and gone there. Yet like all but a very few Canadians I've had no real experience of the North. I've remained, of necessity, an outsider. And the North has remained for me, a convenient place to dream about, spin tall tales about, and, in the end, avoid. This programme, however, brings together some remarkable people who have had a direct confrontation with that northern third of Canada, who've lived and worked there and in whose lives the North has played a very vital role."

In 1969, Gould made "The Latecomers", about life in Newfoundland outports, and the province's program to encourage residents to urbanize. The third documentary, 1977's "The Quiet in the Land", is a portrait of Mennonite life at Red River, near Winnipeg, Manitoba. The speakers discuss the influence of contemporary society on traditional Mennonite values.

The documentaries employ ambient sound and music. The rumbling of a train is heard frequently in "The Idea of North"; the ocean in "The Latecomers"; and a church choir in "The Quiet in the Land". Making an analogy again to musical devices, Gould referred to these components as ostinatos. "The Idea of North" ends with the last movement of Karajan's recording of Sibelius' Symphony no. 5, the only use of a complete movement from the classical repertoire in the trilogy.

References

External links

* [http://www.collectionscanada.ca/glenngould/028010-310.1-e.html The Inner Eye] , a series of collages portraying each member of the Solitude Trilogy.
* [http://archives.cbc.ca/IDCC-1-68-320-1709/arts_entertainment/glenn_gould/ Audio excerpt] from "The Idea of North".


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Solitude (disambiguation) — Solitude is a state of personal isolation from others.It may also refer to:In literature* One Hundred Years of Solitude , a 1967 novel by Gabriel García Márquez * Solitude , a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox with the famous opening Laugh and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Mars trilogy — Red Mars redirects here. For the planet, see Mars. Red Mars   …   Wikipedia

  • The New York Trilogy —   …   Wikipedia

  • The Invention of Solitude — infobox Book | name = The Invention of Solitude title orig = translator = image caption = author = Paul Auster illustrator = cover artist = country = flag|United States language = English series = genre = Memoir publisher = Faber Faber release… …   Wikipedia

  • Glenn Gould — Infobox Musical artist Name = Glenn Gould Img size = Img capt = Gould rehearsing in 1974 Landscape = Yes Background = non vocal instrumentalist Birth name = Glenn Herbert GouldSome sources list his birth name as Glenn Herbert Gold , for example… …   Wikipedia

  • Marvin Kaye — Marvin Nathan Kaye Born March 10, 1938(1938 03 10) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Occupation Novelist, editor Genres mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror …   Wikipedia

  • Glen Gould — Glenn Herbert Gould (sprich Glenn Guhld ) (* 25. September 1932 in Toronto, Kanada; † 4. Oktober 1982 ebenda) war ein kanadischer Pianist des 20. Jahrhunderts und zudem Komponist, Organist und Musikautor. Er ist vor allem für seine originellen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Glenn Gould — Statue in Toronto Glenn Herbert Gould ([gu:ld]) (* 25. September 1932 in Toronto, Ontario; † 4. Oktober 1982 ebenda) war ein kanadischer Pianist, Komponist, Organist und Musikautor. Er ist vor allem für seine …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Glenn Herbert Gould — (sprich Glenn Guhld ) (* 25. September 1932 in Toronto, Kanada; † 4. Oktober 1982 ebenda) war ein kanadischer Pianist des 20. Jahrhunderts und zudem Komponist, Organist und Musikautor. Er ist vor allem für seine originellen und umstrittenen Bach… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Bonjour Monsieur Gould — Glenn Gould Pour les articles homonymes, voir Gould …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”