the music on Glenn Gould's tombstone in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, Toronto / ars longa, vita brevis

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This is the guy, right?

Wikipedia:

Musical quotation from Goldberg Variations (Aria) by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750). Made using Sibelius 4 by Jashiin. The music quoted is in the public domain, and the image is hereby released into the public domain by Jashiin (version 2, errors in bars 5-6 fixed).

Thanks very much, Elaine. I do drivebys and train-throughs of Toronto, and Toronto always pleases me and invites me back, but I haven't yet visited the gravesite.

Perhaps f_minor might declare a date of significance, see who shows up to do him honor and bring him flowers, and then scare up a nice restaurant. Or the diner that made him comfortable and happy.

This thread has been "wondrous strange." In just twenty-eight years, these measures so clearly and lovingly engraved into stone -- our benchmark for our best efforts at capturing permanence and forever -- have faded so much that we wondered, briefly, what the tune might have been. 

The notes have been eroded by something far more permanent: rain, snow, wind, time itself.

Glenn Gould will have to seek his permanence not through stone carvers' hands, but through our good fortune that he played while recording technology blossomed (with his skilled help) into full maturity. He matured recording not just to hint at or capture distant echoes of beautiful music, but to send the beautiful music, affordably, around the world, even into outer space, someday, with just a little luck, to thrill music lovers on other planets.

Somebody pick a date, I'll meet you all there.

Bob

Massachusetts USA

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stop in at the information  building at the cemetery.    they'll tell you it's  located in the ashes scattering area. and will probably give you a map.  but,  please, use a taxi . ( even in the cemetery ! ) - the distances in there ,    in 90 degree heat  , are terrible. 

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From: "Houpt, Fred"
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Sent: Thu, July 8, 2010 3:36:31 PM
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

thanks Katherine....I will try to visit him before the year is out.   I just have to stop forgetting.

Fred Houpt

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From: f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org] On Behalf Of Kpapademas@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 3:24 PM
To: f_minor@glenngould.org
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

Hello F_Minors
According to the biographies, GG's attorney,S. Posen, designed the gravestone.

Katherine (also sweltering in Chicago)

PS: enter the Mount Pleasant cemetery on Bayview Street (where you can park) and stay on course a little to the right, section 38, No. 1050

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=2128&page=gr

gives some pictures of the grave site as well.

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In a message dated 7/8/2010 11:01:04 A.M. Central Daylight Time, fred.houpt@rbc.com writes:

I have checked and in fact it is true that the musical notes on his stone are the first 3 bars of the Goldberg.  What threw me off is that there don't appear to be any ornamentations in the music, so it confused me.  GG and Goldberg are wedded forever in stone.  Nice effect.

Fred Houpt

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From: f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org] On Behalf Of Elaine Parks
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 12:17 AM
To: f_minor@glenngould.org
Subject: [f_minor] (no subject)

Hi GG fans,

 Here's a recent photo from Mt. Pleasant cemetery.

 Elaine

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G'day f_minor

I find today's conversation quite touching. If I should ever visit Canada (definetly one day) I still don't know if I should visit his grave, but if I do, I'll bring along a bottle of Poland water and pay hommage.

You know, the Internet is a very loony place. There are actually several websites out there that are dedicated to grave locations and tombstones of famous people/ celebrities, whether one finds that funny or just morbid (or both), is up to you. In any case, here is the entry on GG from findagrave.com:

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=2128

How come there aren't any flowers ????

Pat

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From: Houpt, Fred
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 9:36 PM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

thanks Katherine....I will try to visit him before the year is out.   I just have to stop forgetting.

Fred Houpt

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From: f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org] On Behalf Of Kpapademas@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 3:24 PM
To: f_minor@glenngould.org
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

Hello F_Minors
According to the biographies, GG's attorney,S. Posen, designed the gravestone.

Katherine (also sweltering in Chicago)

PS: enter the Mount Pleasant cemetery on Bayview Street (where you can park) and stay on course a little to the right, section 38, No. 1050

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?GRid=2128&page=gr

gives some pictures of the grave site as well.

-----------------------------------------------

In a message dated 7/8/2010 11:01:04 A.M. Central Daylight Time, fred.houpt@rbc.com writes:

I have checked and in fact it is true that the musical notes on his stone are the first 3 bars of the Goldberg.  What threw me off is that there don't appear to be any ornamentations in the music, so it confused me.  GG and Goldberg are wedded forever in stone.  Nice effect.

Fred Houpt

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Hi all,

I'm quoting this from Mr. Kevin Bazzana's Wondrous Strange:
"--bearing only his name and dates and the first three bars of the Goldberg Variations (the carver left off the ornaments)"

I love this book: wonderfully written.

Best,
SDC

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From: Anne French
Date: Thursday, July 08, 2010 9:20 AM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

I cut and pasted this text from

http://reocities.com/athens/oracle/3545/gould.html

"On Gould's gravestone (a small plaque actually), there is appropriately etched the first bars of Bach's Goldberg Variations. It was his signature piece, the recording which made him famous in 1955."

I have also read in different books/articles that the first few bars of the Goldberg are etched on his grave marker. So, I think we can safely say that ?that is indeed the case. I lived in Buffalo my entire life, a mere 90 miles from Toronto, and never went to see GG's grave. Now I have moved to California... I'll probably fly 3,000 miles to see it someday!

Cheers,
Anne

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On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 8:10 AM, Houpt, Fred wrote:

The first two bars appear so, but the third bar gives me trouble

fred

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From: f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org [mailto:f_minor-bounces@glenngould.org] On Behalf Of Anne French
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 11:06 AM
To: Discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.
Subject: Re: [f_minor] (no subject)

It is the first four (I think) measures of the Goldberg Variations aria. I need a closer shot to see the number of measures, but for sure that is the music.

Best,
Anne

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On Thu, Jul 8, 2010 at 7:56 AM, Houpt, Fred wrote:

Anyone recognize the music written on GG's tomb stone? I come up with a blank....maybe some of his own?

regards,

Fred Houpt