Visual and Performing Arts
Monstrous North
Document Type
Book Chapter
Abstract
Official Book Description: Matter of North collects essays and source material related to Glenn Gould's landmark 1967 radio documentary The Idea of North. The most famous product (other than his studio piano recordings) of Gould's 1964 decision to abandon the concert stage for the recording studio, it combines Gould's interests in the contrapuntal (by the simultaneous layering of speaking voices) with philosophy and a life-long fascination with the Canadian Arctic. Because the documentary is a multivalent work, the contributors approach the documentary from unique perspectives (sociological, philosophical, music-theoretical, ethnomusicological), each illuminating a salient aspect of the work. The source-material section includes for the first time the complete interview responses by Gould's five participants, along with other important documentation.
Publication Title
Matter of North Essays on Glenn Gould and The Idea of North
Publication Date
7-2025
First Page
203
Last Page
220
ISBN
9798855803143
Keywords
audio recordings, Glenn Gould, The Idea of North, radio documentaries, Canadian Arctic, music
Repository Citation
Wetters, Brent, "Monstrous North" (2025). Visual and Performing Arts. 42.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_visual_performing_arts/42
