William Byrd Galliard No.6

[CardinalPugwash]

Well, if you're going to play music written for the harpsichord on a piano, that's the way to do it!

[Malachayas]

Well, in my opinion Glenn Gould gave the most distinct Pro for playing baroque pieces on the piano with his playing style. I do not think that he would have been able to distinguish the multiple layers of this piece so wonderfully without the key dynamics of a piano.

[nyo267n]

One should make a difference between "should not be performed" and "should not be perceived as authentic". People do have a point when they stress that this music was written for harpsichord and that performing it on the anachronistic piano, no matter how "stylistically accurate" you are, will never sound exactly the way the composer intended.

Regardless, a piece can work excellent on another instrument. Simply claiming that it should never be performed on the piano is a narrow, purist view.

[Yoshi5020]

(There is such an excitement to this, like a new unveiling, I don't know how it is not infectious for some people!)

[Yoshi5020]

You can play anything on whatever you want, in whatever way you want. Music, like art, should be whatever one is inspired to do. The only thing that makes it valid is sincerity, and Gould was supremely sincere. He's not posing as the authority; he simply wants to show you what he's found, what he sees, and share what he personally enjoys.

[broadwood1830]

die gesten eines schimpansen machen es verständlicher. die triller sind prima. auf computer eingespielt klingt s genauso bis auf die triller.

wars jetzt dreier oder viererrhythmus?

ist schon verloschen

da fällt mir ein: im kino läuft planet der affen

martin dalheimer

[1AdrianR]

Love Byrd. Gould interprets the music wonderfully on the modern piano.

[craftsjames]

His is my favorite relationship between man, instrument, and music. Such a unity of the technical, emotional and spiritual - like Bach! Gould is a gift; a light! And such joy...

[PrickStanda]

mascariciul asta si-a bagat nasul prin toate epocile. i-a venit randul lui byrd la pocit!

[vanderbilt887]

Most excellent.

[KABRIS1]

Gould sounds like he actually lived in the Baroque era.

[spinoza1111]

Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings

Of those white elders; but, escaping,

Left only Death's ironic scraping.

Now, in its immortality, it plays

On the clear viol of her memory,

And makes a constant sacrament of praise.

Wallace Stevens

[JakobTG]

I personally don't agree with keyboard music that was composed this early being played on the piano...it doesn't sound right...

[walshamite]

@JakobTG I can understand the sentiment you express, but can't find it reasonable, hence, I disagree, feeling pretty certain the old composers would have used a piano (or electric keyboard) if they'd had such a thing. Many were limited to the technology of leather, wood and string, valveless brass and quite primitive forerunners of modern instruments. The sound was different, often nice enough in its way, but the technical possibilities were very constrained.

[fluffytom82]

@walshamite Maybe, but they would have written different music if they had access to "modern" instruments. The music they wrote, they wrote for a specific instruments with its flaws and advantages in mind. Look to the tiny but important differences between the melodic lines of Bach's violin concerti and his own transcriptions for harpsichord. I am sure he would have done it differently on a "modern" piano.

[fluffytom82]

(cont.) Byrd wrote for virginal, don't play it on a piano. Just as you wouldn't play Brahms' horn sonatas on a recorder or Grieg's piano concerto on an organ.

[Tursunzore]

@fluffytom82 Brahms' "horn sonatas"? Is this something you have discovered, a well-kept secret for more than a hundred years? Do you care about GG's performance or is your main interest to present us with your "purist" view on performance practise of early music?

[fluffytom82]

@Tursunzore Brahms' Horn trio of course... Sorry for being a baroque musician knowing little about romantic music :P But you get my point.

It is not a purist view, I just stress the fact that a harpsichord is NOT a piano (and vice versa). Some music has been written for the harpsichord with the acoustic and physical features and shouldn't be played on a piano because that would go straight into the composers wishes.

[daniel15671]

Gould's tempo isn't out of line with other performances of Byrde Galliards to be found on you tube. He definitely still preserves the dancelike character of the piece.

Frankly, the version performed on the vibraphone is my favorite all all versions.

[lilythepink123]

Pre-baroque suits Gould's clear, pure, accurate style so much! Yet it is full of joy and elan. I love this, it's going to my favourites!

[mkgene]

like a flower to a bee!

[orion777temp]

IS FANTASTIC

[paulusvii97]

This is my favorite video ever.

[Rigel1033]

good work

youknowImsaying@

[DeMars3]

on the piano.

[youknowImsaying]

0:00 0:16 , 0:32 0:48 , 1:04 1:22

[youknowImsaying]

so fukin amazing

[LONGLOTTfilms]

Extraordinary!

I've never heard AND seen16 century music interpreted with more swing and groove.

Delicate, beautiful ornamentation, at

It's gorgeous to listen, and seeing the technique is action is an utter treat!

times conveying an almost jazzy rubato.

Thanks for posting this, stephenykevin.

[fluffytom82]

What? Swing and groove? This is the most boring performance I have ever heard. Not only it is far too slow to be a gaillarda, it is too staccato and the accent is completely in the wrong place...

I would say to pianists: stick to music written for piano and touch harpsichord music only when you have learned how to play it.

[Allen869]

@fluffytom82

You little small small brain...

[fluffytom82]

@Allen869

Thanks :)

at least my small brain knows how to play music

[step8410]

i'm looking for Gould playing Wm Byrd's Salinger's Reel. Any suggestions?

[BethDiane]

Try looking under "Sellenger's Round."

[step8410]

Thanks!

[gerrysong]

Only Gould can pull a piece like this off with so much sensitivity. Other pianists tend to come off as unnatural or mechanical. This video is amazing!

[orion777temp]

amazing

[CheesyWafflebrains]

It's like he's dancing on the keys. he looks like he loves his music. He sorta looks like he has a friendship with his piano; he just caresses it as he plays.. beautiful.

[amadeus9man]

I agree, and its interesting to compare how Horowitz's fingers from above look like horses in a race!

[KABRIS1]

@CheesyWafflebrains It is a complete union between the man and the music.

[DeMars3]

God damn... NO PIANO FOR THIS PIECE!!!!

[youknowImsaying]

phaha, kill them

[spinoza1111]

Susanna's music touched the bawdy strings

Of those white elders; but, escaping,

Left only Death's ironic scraping.

Now, in its immortality, it plays

On the clear viol of her memory,

And makes a constant sacrament of praise.

From "Peter Quince at the Clavier", Wallace Stevens

[u7ie]

Glenn GOLD

[simipiano]

beautiful comment i agree :)

[Cadmium77]

Glenn was born too early to find his true metier; early music. He sort of knew it too...this was his favorite kind of music, and he'd actually distort the proper piano playing technique to produce rubrato more appropriate to some earlier clavier instrument.

[tallswede68]

He modified the piano, not just the technique.

[Cadmium77]

How did he do that? What modifications were made?

[tallswede68]

He changed the depth to press down the key, so that it was shallower. Shallower makes it more like a harpsichord.

[ausrotten9]

Lets not fool ourselves into believing that action alteration, in any form, can make a piano akin to a harpsichord. The action of the piano and that of the harpsichord are so different that they shall never resemble each other, and I dont think thats why Glenn liked his action shallow. He had a very unique responsive vision, and a timbral ideal. I recommend(forget the author) A Romance on Three Legs, about Glenns Steinway The man was not only a musical genius, he was also a master of sound

[tallswede68]

He made it shallower so he could hit the note faster, like on a harpsichord. I'm not saying it resembled a harpsichord, but it facilitated the style of bach's music.

[terraflux16]

Byrd, tearing it up.

[lucamadeus]

wonderful Byrd, immense Gould

[tallswede68]

Wow, beautiful

[giuppagiuppa]

ME-RA-VI-GLIO-SO! (Wonderful)

It's music from the heaven.

Rest in peace, GG, and play for us poor earthly men.

[chrullmann]

I'd like to thank you so much for putting this on Youtube. I love it very much, knew it only from cd and didn't know, that there is a movie.

[obanion6]

rather perky, like a boy marching with his chin up.

[thiri1902]

Indenominável!!!

[Scrumtrillescent1]

Fantastic!