Erik Satie?

Question

Can anyone give me some sort of short biography or at least glimpse into his work. Its rather curious you know? His very simple variations on the same scale but they are haunting and cerebral reaching out to a timid personality in all of us. Anyone know how he does it or how he got so popular?

Answer 1

Erik Satie was an important French composer from the generation of Debussy and other impressionists. Best remembered for several groups of piano pieces, including Trois Gymnopédies (1888), Trois Sarabandes (1887) and Trois Gnossiennes (1890), he was championed by Jean Cocteau and helped create the famous group of French composers, Les Six, which was fashioned after his artistic ideal of simplicity in the extreme. Some have viewed certain of his stylistic traits as components of Impressionism, but his harmonies and melodies have relatively little in common with the characteristics of that school. Much of his music has a subdued character, and its charm comes through in its directness and its lack of allegiance to any one aesthetic. Often his melodies are melancholy and hesitant, his moods exotic or humorous, and his compositions as a whole, or their several constituent episodes, short. He was a musical maverick who probably influenced Debussy and did influence Ravel, who freely acknowledged as much.

Trois Gymnopedies has been recorded by numerous classical ensembles and notably, by Blood, Sweat and Tears on their self-titled second album. This version uses theme and variations with flutes, recorders and brass choir.

Answer 2

Satie was a strange and eccentric man. His music, written almost exclusively for the piano is unique. It tends to be musically retrospective, yearning for earlier simpler times, but also acidly commenting on other composers. I'm afraid redeemer has rather an unconventional opinion with respect to Satie's music. It is very listenable and although at times eccentric (like the man). Satie's eccentricities include changing the spelling of his first name (nobody seems to know why he changed it to EriK). When he died it was discovered that he lived in very poor part of town and his wardrobe contained numerous sets of identical suits.
I recommend you listen to one the albums of his complete piano works, Aldo Ciccolini's is perhaps the best.
Then consider the milieu in which he created this music. A time in which other composers where going down new roads with respect to musical harmony and language. Satie's music speaks to the listener on a very personal level. He hated the trend, especially in Austro-German music towards giantism. The internet has many reference sources on Satie, a unique figure in the history of classical music.

Answer 3

Erik Satie was a loving man who died saving his family from a plane crash. During his entire life he refused to receive credit for any of his incredible work. Some say he was crazy, some say he was a modern day hero, I say that he was a revolutionary musician who forever changed the world as well as the hearts of the people around him.

Answer 4

redeemer, check your sources. Satie died in 1925. Electronic scores???

Try a little research.

As tm99 says "google it!!"

Answer 5

Erik Satie made alot of dumb music that was hard to understand. Especially all his electronic scores, which sound scary. The only good thing he made was the pieces for piano titled Gymnopedie. Simplistic, unlike his other work.

Answer 6

google it!!