1932–1982
Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Section 38 Lot 1050
Glenn Herbert Gould was a Canadian pianist whose genius reshaped classical music. Born in Toronto, Gould displayed prodigious talent early, reading music before words and earning his Royal Conservatory diploma at just 13. His meteoric rise began with a 1955 US debut and a groundbreaking recording of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Goldberg Variations in 1956, which stunned audiences with its clarity and speed. Gould’s interpretations of Bach remain provocative and legendary, marked by an uncannily crystalline articulation and intellectual rigour that challenged Romantic traditions and prevailing standards of keyboard mastery.
Eccentric yet intensely brilliant, Gould abandoned live performance at 31, declaring the recording studio his true stage. He became a founder of media artistry, producing innovative radio documentaries like The Idea of North and writing extensively on music and technology. His devotion to perfection earned him multiple Grammy Awards and a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Today, visitors can pay tribute at his resting place in Section 38 where a simple marker indicates the final resting place one of the 20th century’s greatest musicians, Glenn Gould: the man who forever changed how the world hears not only Bach, but the piano itself.
Sources:
• Wikipedia – “Glenn Gould”
• Britannica – “Glenn Gould – Canadian Pianist”
• Canadian Music Hall of Fame – “Glenn Gould”
• Find a Grave – “Glenn Gould”
Photos:
• At piano - Don Hunstein / Glenn Gould Foundation
• Younger Glenn Gould - Portrait of Glenn Gould in 1961, © Walter Curtin / Library and Archives Canada | Bibliothèque et Archives Canada / PA- 203274
• Albert Guerrero with Glenn Gould, his most famous student, circa 1955. Image Library and Archives of Canada, Public domain
• Glenn Gould at 13 with Nicky, his beloved English Setter dog, and his bird Mozart (on top of the sheet music), c.1940, Archives Ontario, February 20, 1945; cf. Kevin Bazzana, Wondrous Strange: The Life and Art of Glenn Gould, New Haven & London 2004, p. 14, Creator: Gordon W. Powley, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons
