(Expansion of prompt 3)

Upon first listening, the first section (aria) of Glenn Gould’s 1955 recording of “The Goldberg Variations”  has a much fuller sound than the 1981 recording of the same piece. The 1981 recording is much quieter, and Gould plays the aria in a much more delicate fashion. However, the audio in the 1981 recording is much less compressed, meaning there is a larger dynamic range in this recording. The 1955 recording is also recorded at a lower frequency, and has a rather damp sound because of this; The higher frequencies only appear in the 1981 recording, leading to a tinnier but fuller sound overall. Additionally, there is less reverb present in the 1955 recording, and the 1981 recording has much more echo. This is most likely because the 1955 version was recorded in a smaller room than the 1981 version, which is recorded in a seemingly large room according to its visual component. The recording quality is not the only aspect that sets the two recordings apart; Gould also plays the aria nearly twice as slowly in the 1981 recording. This leads to a more dramatic sounding performance, as the 1981 recording is also more liberal with the tempo than the 1955 recording, which keeps a consistent tempo, as if a metronome was used. The pianos used in the two recordings even seem to be tuned differently; Although it is hard to tell which piano is out of tune, the 1955 recording sounds slightly detuned compared to the 1981 recording. All in all, it is clear that Gould is a much more experienced performer in the 1981 recording just from listening to the differences in the two performances. While the 1955 recording remains true to Bach’s original composition, and is technically and rhythmically perfect, Gould truly puts his heart and soul into the 1981 performance, injecting his own emotions into the piece and making it his own.