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A Romance on Three Legs

Glenn Gould's Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Piano

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A Romance on Three Legs

By: Katie Hafner
Narrated by: William Coon
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About this listen

Hugely talented and famously eccentric, pianist Glenn Gould fought a running battle with a long list of less than perfect pianos. A Romance on Three Legs is the story of a love that changed Gould's life: his partnership with the Steinway CD 318, a piano whose peculiar action and temperament ushered Gould closer than ever to interpretive perfection. Katie Hafner weaves the compelling tale of Gould, his favorite piano, and the men who worked on it, revealing new details and nuances in the work and mind of one of the twentieth century's greatest artists.

©2008 Katie Hafner (P)2013 Katie Hafner Entertainment & Celebrities Music

Critic reviews

"When Gould was paired with the right composer...he could make you wonder if he was altogether human. And reading Hafner on Gould is sometimes as much fun as listening to him play. And that's saying a lot." ( Newsweek)
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'A Romance on Three Legs' is the fondly amusing title of this delightful book - which tells the touching story of Glenn Gould - that unique musical genius - his unique piano tuners (one in particular) and the pianos (one in particular) that they loved.
Not only is the story most movingly written and performed, but it offers unexpectedly profound and fascinating information about the art and practice of piano tuning itself.
A truly wonderful book that musicians and audiences alike would be sure to enjoy.

Unique, Moving and Magical

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