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Glenn Gould's Chair

9/22/2012

10 Comments

 
Picture
Gould crosses the street, with his chair.
Tuesday would be Glenn Gould’s 80th birthday, if he were still with us.

Sadly, he only lived to 50. Yet, the world remains fascinated with Canada’s most famous pianist. His recordings still sell well, and he’s been the subject of many books, articles and films. (For my own contribution to this mountain of material – my book Remembering Glenn Gould – see here.)


And when “Gouldies” get to talking about their hero, one question that sometimes arises is “What would Glenn Gould be doing today, if he were still alive?”

I believe I can propose a modest answer to this question. If he were alive and still playing the piano, he would do so while carefully balancing himself on the crossbars of a broken-down chair that’s six decades old.


Picture
Picture
Picture
Left to right: Gould's chair in its current state; a Gould chair in its original state; detail from the underside of the chair, showing the manufacturer. (Photos courtesy Music and Beyond)
Much has been said about Glenn Gould’s relationship with the piano. In fact, an entire book – A Romance on Three Legs, by Katie Hafner – was written on the subject of his search for the perfect instrument.

Less has been said about Gould’s intense attachment to his chair. Yet it was a matter of no small significance to him.

The chair that Gould used throughout his career was built by his father, Bert Gould, in 1953. Bert took an ordinary folding chair, cut the legs shorter, and installed adjustable extenders on each leg – so that not only the chair’s height but also its angle could be precisely modified.

Gould was clearly obsessed with this thing. He refused to part with it, even after the stuffing fell out of the seat – and despite the creaking noises it made in recording sessions. When his concert manager presented him with a new chair as a replacement, Gould set it aside and returned to his fetish-object.

For many years after Gould’s death, the chair (or what’s left of it) resided in Canada’s National Library and Archives. And it’s now on display in a plexiglass case at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre.

However, its original source has remained a mystery.

A couple of weeks ago, Julian Armour, who runs Ottawa’s Music and Beyond Festival, phoned me with some exciting news. While organizing a fundraising auction for his festival, he received a donation of four “Glenn Gould chairs,” in excellent condition.

The donor had noticed a strong resemblance between Gould’s chair and a set of chairs that he owned. And photographic evidence (above) shows that they are indeed the same chairs. A label on the donated chairs clearly indicates that they were manufactured by Hourd & Company Limited, of London, Ontario, as
part of a table-and-chairs set for playing cards.

Armour’s discovery raises the likelihood that other Hourd folding chairs may be discovered. There are probably more of them out there, in attics, basements and garages.

What is an “authentic” Gould chair worth? That question will be answered on Tuesday, when Music and Beyond’s online auction closes. (For more information, see here.)

And you can see for yourself just how attached Gould was to his beloved chair. Here’s a film clip by Bruno Monsaingeon.

© Colin Eatock 2012
10 Comments
Alan Gasser link
10/6/2012 08:08:48 am

The recent Gould conference at the University of Toronto's Con Hall had quite a surprising element of its performance presentation deriving from the chair. There was a Gould impersonator, moderating and interpolating between the 20-minute segments from other speakers. In between his outbursts, and occasionally at centre stage, he dragged that chair with him and crouched in it. He did everything in that chair BUT play the piano, as he was more of a ukulele player, and an actor. Surprisingly effective, by my reckoning.

Reply
casinos en ligne link
9/19/2013 04:17:16 am

yes, really a pity that such talented people like by Glenn die so early. it would be so much more could be done. but alas. mourn, remember and love.

Reply
girls bedding link
10/8/2013 10:26:55 am

This is a genuinely fantastic read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Appreciate it for posting this informative post. My kindest regards.

Reply
Ryan link
1/14/2014 01:52:32 am

I have no words to express how useful your blog was to me in completing my job work successful. Thanks a lot.

Reply
Sean link
1/22/2014 12:37:26 am

Good placement from your side. Such type of information must be spread in such a way that people could easily find good stuff for their knowledge enhancement.

Reply
Rachel
9/6/2014 11:08:27 am

Hey!
Did anyone ever find out what the chairs are worth? I have the whole set!!

Reply
Marni
10/8/2014 06:26:36 am

Did you ever find out? I have some too! I can't find any info on them😕

Reply
Rachel
10/8/2014 07:57:15 am

They are the same but they produces a lot of then so no real value.

Reply
Marni
10/8/2014 10:20:38 am

Poop lol thanks for the reply though😊

Reply
Ali Mahmoudi
10/24/2022 09:49:30 pm

Bonjour a tous. Depuis ce matin 24-10-2022, je suis tout excité. Grand coureur des marchés aux puces et vides greniers ...Sans le deviner, j'ai acheté ce matin même 4 vieilles chaises pliables, que je trouvais bizarres, mais vraiment intéressantes par leur conception. Pour faire une histoire courte, j'ai fouillé toute la journée, sur le Net et me voila face à la fascinante histoire du grand pianiste Canadien Glenn Goulde et sa fameuse chaise....Ce sont les mêmes anciennes chaises, encore avec l'étiquette du Fabricant Ontarien Hourd Company Limited London Canada et les mêmes sièges en plastique rouge et le mécanisme métal. Je ne sais pas où publier les photos. Evidemment la cotation de ces chaises me laisse perplexe et serais tenté de vendre deux au moins. Merci pour votre collaboration et me dire comment faire. Avec mes salutations a tous.

Reply



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    Eatock Daily

    I'm a composer based in Toronto – and this is my classical music blog, Eatock Daily.

    When I first started blogging, Eatock Daily was a place to re-post the articles I wrote for Toronto’s Globe and Mail and National Post newspapers, the Houston Chronicle, the Kansas City Star and other publications.

    But now I have stepped back from professional music journalism, and I'm spending more time composing.

    These days, my blog posts are infrequent, and are mostly concerned with my own music. However, I do still occasionally post comments on musical topics, including works I've discovered, enjoyed, and wish to share with others.


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