Résumés
Abstract
The Idea of North is the first of Glenn Gould’s Solitude Trilogy documentaries. Like the two works that follow it in the trilogy, North attracts a significant amount of attention for its place in a nether region between Gould as a performer and Gould the intellectual. The bulk of the literature on the work debates categorizing it as documentary, radio drama/theatre, or music. Gould’s own descriptions of it encompass all three and render the task of pigeonholing the work difficult. This article will explore what makes The Idea of North musical. I contend that, even if considered as documentary, drama, or music, the work is musically conceived and musical and, as such, is a milestone for Gould in developing his compositional voice.
Keywords:
- Glenn Gould,
- The Idea of North,
- radio,
- documentary,
- music
Résumé
The Idea of North est le premier des documentaires de la Solitude Trilogy de Glenn Gould. Tout comme les deux oeuvres qui le suivent dans la trilogie, North attire notre attention sur le fait qu’il situe Gould dans une zone obscure entre l’interprète et l’intellectuel. Dans la littérature écrite sur le sujet, on argumente sur la manière de définir cette oeuvre comme un documentaire, une pièce de théâtre ou un drame radiophonique, ou encore comme de la musique. La description qu’en fait Glenn Gould réunit ces trois genres et rend difficile son catalogage. Cet article examine les aspects qui font de The Idea of North une pièce musicale. En effet, l’auteur pose que bien que cette oeuvre soit à la fois documentaire, dramatique et musicale, elle est d’abord musicale et conçue comme telle, constituant ainsi une étape importante dans le parcours compositionnel de Glenn Gould.
Mots-clés :
- Glenn Gould,
- The Idea of North,
- radio,
- documentaire,
- musique
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Bibliography
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Parties annexes
Note biographique
Anthony Cushing est candidat au doctorat en musicologie à la University of Western Ontario. Il est détenteur d’un diplôme de premier cycle en musique de l’Acadia University. En 2005, il a complété un Master en composition à la University of Southern Maine, où il a étudié avec J. Mark Scearce, Elliott Schwartz et Daniel Sonenberg. Ses recherches portent présentement sur les oeuvres radiophoniques de Glenn Gould à la CBC, sujet qui découle de sa thèse sur les contrepoints issus de mélanges de genres.