Gould, Glenn (1932-82) Canadian virtuoso pianist and composer who quit live performances in 1964 and pioneered the use of studio “punching in” for classical music recording. The technique allows the performer to replace, much like a word-processor, specific segments without altering the entire work. In a published debate violinist Yehudi Menuhin deplored the practice as ‘artificial.’ Gould defended his studio techniques by suggesting that a listener’s relationship to recorded music was just as personal as a live performance, albeit within a different type of reality. In their dialogue Menuhin stressed the importance of live audience feedback. But Gould was resolute by saying that he could personally produce better work in the studio (see excerpt from The Music of Man by Yehudi Menuhin and Curtis W. Davis. Toronto: Methuen, 1979). And time seems to have proven him right. The debate between Gould and Menuhin prefigured issues discussed today by adherents and critics of digital sampling in particular and electronic music in general. It also foreshadowed recent debates about the nature of reality and human interaction. Such debates were not introduced by the internet and virtual reality but are well illustrated and further developed by these new media. » Cockburn (Bruce), Polyphonic Chant
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