5 Facts About Glenn Gould's 1955 Goldberg Variations Recording

Gould recorded the Goldberg Variations over multiple sessions at Columbia’s 30th Street Studio. He did not aim for a single perfect take.

The final recording was assembled from many individual takes spliced together. Gould built his preferred interpretation in the editing suite.

This splicing was done long before digital editing made such assembly easy. It required careful manual work with analog tape.

Gould was not chasing a flawless live performance. He was constructing an ideal version from the best moments of each take.

The result is a definitive recording that could not have been achieved in a single pass. The splicing allowed Gould to realize his exact artistic vision.