Gould Inclusion

For all of the civility and sophistication the Western World has chosen to associate with “classical” music, fans of it do appear to wax rabid at any hint of controversy. Do they know that Bach didn’t have a radio in his living room? And that what today we call “classical” music was effectively pop music at the time when it was composed. They didn’t have hit singles but there was a brisk trade in sheet music. Write a good piece and as soon as word of it got ‘round, everyone with the means wanted their own copy. It has always paid to be popular.…