A Romance on Three Legs
Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
National Bestseller
“A fascinating story, with a wealth of neatly drawn characters and dripping with vivid details, that is sometimes touching, sometimes whimsical, always interesting.” — Kevin Bazzana
Glenn Gould was famous for his obsessions: the scarves, sweaters, and fingerless gloves that he wore even on the hottest summer day; his deep fear of germs and illness; the odd wooden “pygmy” chair that he carried with him around the world, wherever he performed; and his sudden withdrawal from the public stage at the peak of his career. But perhaps Gould’s greatest obsession of all was for a particular piano, a Steinway concert grand known as CD 318 (C to signify its special status as having been put aside for the use of Steinway Concert Artists, and D, denoting it as the largest that Steinway built). A Romance on Three Legs is the story of Gould’s love for this piano, from the first moment of discovery, in a Toronto department store, to the tragic moment when the piano was dropped and seriously damaged while being transported.
In presenting the story of CD 318, Hafner also introduces us to the world and art of piano tuning, including a central character in Gould’s life, the nearly blind tuner Verne Edquist, who lovingly attended to CD 318 for more than two decades. We learn how a concert grand is built, and the fascinating story of how Steinway & Sons weathered the war years by supplying materials for the military effort. A Romance on Three Legs is a treat for readers new to and familiar with the life of this eccentric and captivating man.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This evocative, detailed account of the compulsive search for a sensitive, highly responsive concert piano by Canadian musical wunderkind Glenn Gould combines the parallel histories of one of the most controversial and brilliant pianists of the last century and the incredible keyboard instrument on which he played for some of his most important recordings. Hafner, a New York Times correspondent, presents a fascinating biography of Gould, who was known for his quirks, including his wearing of winter gear on summer days, his donning of fingerless gloves while playing, his manic fear of germs and hand shaking. The book will greatly appeal to those intrigued by the history of the influential German-bred Steinway piano company, but it is the close interaction of Gould and Charles Verne Edquist, the nearly blind piano tuner, with a Steinway CD 318 concert piano, that lift the book above the usual biography. This book will aid the reader to fully appreciate Gould's creative work in interpreting the early sonatas of Mozart and his majestic rendition of the Goldberg Variations.
