Erik Satie
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| "It is hardly necessary to consider here the fantastic fashionings of [[Erik Satie]], the "newest" French composer. He seems to have out-Schoenberged [[Schoenberg]] in his little piano pieces bearing the alluring titles of ''[[Embryons desséchés]]'', preludes and pastorales. Apart from the extravagant titles, the music itself is [[ludicrous]] qua music, but not without subtle irony. That trio of [[Chopin]]'s [[Funeral March played in C]] and declared as a citation from the celebrated [[mazurka]] of Schubert does touch the rib risible. There are neither time signature nor bars. All is gentle chaos and is devoted to the celebration, in tone, of certain sea-plants and creatures. This sounds like [[Futurism]] or the passionate patterns of the [[Cubists]], but I assure you I've seen and tried to play the piano music of Satie. That he is an arch-[[humbug]] I shall neither maintain nor deny. After Schoenberg anything is possible in this vale of agonising [[dissonance]]. I recall with positive satisfaction a tiny composition for piano by [[Rebikoff]], which he calls a setting of ''[[The Devil's Daughters]]'', a mural de sign by [[Franz von Stuck]] of Munich. To be sure, the bass is in C and the treble in D flat, nevertheless the effect is almost piquant. The [[humour]] of the new composers is melancholy in its originality, but [[Gauguin]] has said that in art one must be either a plagiarist or a revolutionist. Satie is hardly a plagiarist, though the value of his revolution is doubtful."--''[[Ivory, Apes, and Peacocks]]'' (1915) by James Huneker | "It is hardly necessary to consider here the fantastic fashionings of [[Erik Satie]], the "newest" French composer. He seems to have out-Schoenberged [[Schoenberg]] in his little piano pieces bearing the alluring titles of ''[[Embryons desséchés]]'', preludes and pastorales. Apart from the extravagant titles, the music itself is [[ludicrous]] qua music, but not without subtle irony. That trio of [[Chopin]]'s [[Funeral March played in C]] and declared as a citation from the celebrated [[mazurka]] of Schubert does touch the rib risible. There are neither time signature nor bars. All is gentle chaos and is devoted to the celebration, in tone, of certain sea-plants and creatures. This sounds like [[Futurism]] or the passionate patterns of the [[Cubists]], but I assure you I've seen and tried to play the piano music of Satie. That he is an arch-[[humbug]] I shall neither maintain nor deny. After Schoenberg anything is possible in this vale of agonising [[dissonance]]. I recall with positive satisfaction a tiny composition for piano by [[Rebikoff]], which he calls a setting of ''[[The Devil's Daughters]]'', a mural de sign by [[Franz von Stuck]] of Munich. To be sure, the bass is in C and the treble in D flat, nevertheless the effect is almost piquant. The [[humour]] of the new composers is melancholy in its originality, but [[Gauguin]] has said that in art one must be either a plagiarist or a revolutionist. Satie is hardly a plagiarist, though the value of his revolution is doubtful."--''[[Ivory, Apes, and Peacocks]]'' (1915) by James Huneker | ||
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| - | "[[Carl Van Vechten]] has told us of [[Erik Satie|Erich Satie]], the eccentric French composer, who sets [[snail]]s and [[oyster]]s to music, and, no doubt, has composed a [[Cooties]] Serenade for wind instruments with a fine-tooth comb obbligato, and we are amazed at the critical exposition of such a perplexing "case." To let his music speak for it self, would be unwise, as it is not sufficiently explicative. [[Rhizopod]]s can't converse. Just here is where your music-critic, your [[calico]] cat, intervenes. After Van Vechten has polished off his man, we feel that we know all about Satie, so much so that we never wish to hear a bar of his [[crustacean]] music. The difference between [[tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee]] is infinitesimal, but that very difference may contain great art."--''[[Bedouins (James Huneker)|Bedouins]]'' (1920) by James Huneker | + | "[[Carl Van Vechten]] has told us of [[Erik Satie|Erich Satie]], the eccentric French composer, who sets [[snail]]s and [[oyster]]s to music, and, no doubt, has composed a [[Cooties]] Serenade for wind instruments with a fine-tooth comb obbligato, and we are amazed at the critical exposition of such a perplexing "case." To let his music speak for it self, would be unwise, as it is not sufficiently explicative. [[Rhizopod]]s can't converse. Just here is where your music-critic, your [[Calico cat|calico cat]], intervenes. After Van Vechten has polished off his man, we feel that we know all about Satie, so much so that we never wish to hear a bar of his [[crustacean]] music. The difference between [[tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee]] is infinitesimal, but that very difference may contain great art."--''[[Bedouins (James Huneker)|Bedouins]]'' (1920) by James Huneker |
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Revision as of 13:32, 21 July 2023
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"Everyone will tell you that I am not a musician. That is correct. From the very beginning of my career I classed myself as a phonometrographer. My work is completely phonometrical."--Memoirs of an Amnesiac (1912) by Eric Satie "It is hardly necessary to consider here the fantastic fashionings of Erik Satie, the "newest" French composer. He seems to have out-Schoenberged Schoenberg in his little piano pieces bearing the alluring titles of Embryons desséchés, preludes and pastorales. Apart from the extravagant titles, the music itself is ludicrous qua music, but not without subtle irony. That trio of Chopin's Funeral March played in C and declared as a citation from the celebrated mazurka of Schubert does touch the rib risible. There are neither time signature nor bars. All is gentle chaos and is devoted to the celebration, in tone, of certain sea-plants and creatures. This sounds like Futurism or the passionate patterns of the Cubists, but I assure you I've seen and tried to play the piano music of Satie. That he is an arch-humbug I shall neither maintain nor deny. After Schoenberg anything is possible in this vale of agonising dissonance. I recall with positive satisfaction a tiny composition for piano by Rebikoff, which he calls a setting of The Devil's Daughters, a mural de sign by Franz von Stuck of Munich. To be sure, the bass is in C and the treble in D flat, nevertheless the effect is almost piquant. The humour of the new composers is melancholy in its originality, but Gauguin has said that in art one must be either a plagiarist or a revolutionist. Satie is hardly a plagiarist, though the value of his revolution is doubtful."--Ivory, Apes, and Peacocks (1915) by James Huneker "Carl Van Vechten has told us of Erich Satie, the eccentric French composer, who sets snails and oysters to music, and, no doubt, has composed a Cooties Serenade for wind instruments with a fine-tooth comb obbligato, and we are amazed at the critical exposition of such a perplexing "case." To let his music speak for it self, would be unwise, as it is not sufficiently explicative. Rhizopods can't converse. Just here is where your music-critic, your calico cat, intervenes. After Van Vechten has polished off his man, we feel that we know all about Satie, so much so that we never wish to hear a bar of his crustacean music. The difference between tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee is infinitesimal, but that very difference may contain great art."--Bedouins (1920) by James Huneker |
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Eric Satie (1866 – 1925) was a French composer and pianist known for compositions such as Gymnopédies (1888-1895).
Overview
Satie was a colourful figure in the early 20th century Parisian avant-garde and his work was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.
An eccentric, Satie was introduced as a "gymnopedist" in 1887, shortly before writing his most famous compositions, the Gymnopédies. Later, he also referred to himself as a "phonometrician" (meaning "someone who measures sounds") preferring this designation to that of a "musician", after having been called "a clumsy but subtle technician" in a book on contemporary French composers published in 1911.
In addition to his body of music, Satie also left a remarkable set of writings, having contributed work for a range of publications, from the dadaist 391 to the American culture chronicle Vanity Fair. Although in later life he prided himself on always publishing his work under his own name, in the late nineteenth century he appears to have used pseudonyms such as Virginie Lebeau and François de Paule in some of his published writings.
See also
- Erik Satie in 1909
- Mémoires d'un amnésique
- Ambient music
- Anti-music
- Dada
- Impressionist music
- List of compositions by Erik Satie
- Surrealism
- Furniture music
- Trois morceaux en forme de poire
