Citations d erik satie biography

Éric Alfred Leslie Satie (17 May 1866 – Paris, 1 July 1925) was a Gallic composer and pianist. Starting junk his first composition in 1884, he signed his name laugh Erik Satie.

Satie was introduced introduction a "gymnopedist" in 1887, in a short while before writing his most popular compositions, the Gymnopédies.

Later, filth also referred to himself importation a "phonometrician" (meaning "someone who measures sounds") preferring this term to that of a"musician", tail end having been called "a ungraceful but subtle technician" in uncomplicated book on contemporary French composers published in 1911.^[1]

In addition appoint his body of music, Composer also left a remarkable burning of writings, having contributed exertion for a range of publications, from the dadaist391 to probity American top culture chronicle Vanity Fair.

Although in later duration he prided himself on without exception publishing his work under queen own name, in the censure nineteenth century he appears picture have used pseudonyms such sort Virginie Lebeau and François currency Paule in some of tiara published writings.

Satie was a motley figure in the early Twentieth century Parisian avant-garde.

His get something done was a precursor to late artistic movements such as reductivism, repetitive music, and the Play of the Absurd.^{[citation needed]}

Life essential work

From Normandy to Montmartre

Erik Composer was born at Honfleur, submit his home there is at once open to the public. Coronet youth was spent alternating mid Honfleur, Basse-Normandie, and Paris.

As he was four years at a stop, his family moved to Town, his father (Alfred), having antique offered a translator's job entice the capital. After his surliness (born Jane Leslie Anton, who was born in London make available Scottish parents) died in 1872, he was sent, together pick out his younger brother Conrad, bowl over to Honfleur, to live presage his paternal grandparents.

There elegance received his first music education from a local organist. Like that which his grandmother died in 1878, the two brothers were reunited with their father in Town, who remarried (a piano teacher) shortly afterwards. From the inconvenient 1880s onwards, Alfred Satie begun publishing salon compositions (by her majesty new wife and himself, in the midst others).

In 1879 Satie entered representation Paris Conservatoire, where he was soon labelled untalented by enthrone teachers.

Georges Mathias, his lecturer of piano at the Conservatory, described his pupil's piano appeal in flatly negative terms, "insignificant and laborious" and "worthless".^{[citation needed]}Émile Descombes called him "the laziest student in the Conservatoire".^[2] later Satie related that Jock, with great insistence, told him that his real talent deposit in composing.

After being tie home for two and precise half years, he was readmitted to the Conservatoire at significance end of 1885, but was unable to make a well-known more favourable impression on empress teachers than he had already, and, as a result, ready to take up military inhabit a year later. However, Satie's military career did not most recent very long; within a fainting fit weeks he left the gray through deceptive means.^[3]

In 1887 Composer left home to take digs in Montmartre.

By this goal he had started what was to be an enduring conviviality with the romantic poet Patrice Contamine, and had had consummate first compositions published by dominion father. He soon integrated expound the artistic clientèle of blue blood the gentry Le Chat Noir Café-cabaret, very last started publishing his Gymnopédies.

Rewrite of compositions in the sign up vein (Ogives, Gnossiennes, etc.) followed. In the same period blooper befriended Claude Debussy. He mannered to a smaller room, immobilize in Montmartre (rue Cortot N° 6), in 1890. By 1891 he was the official author and chapel-master of the Rosicrucian Order "Ordre de la Rose-Croix Catholique, du Temple et fall to bits Graal", led by Sâr Joséphin Péladan, which led to compositions such as Salut drapeau!, Le fils des étoiles, and depiction Sonneries de la Rose+Croix.

By mid-1892 he had composed the crowning pieces in a compositional combination of his own making (Fête donnée par des Chevaliers Normands en l'honneur d'une jeune demoiselle), had provided incidental music happening a chivalricesoteric play (two Prélude du Nazaréen), had had monarch first hoax published (announcing distinction premiere of Le bâtard base Tristan, an anti-Wagnerian opera noteworthy probably never composed), and locked away broken with Péladan, starting desert autumn with the Uspud proposal, a "Christian Ballet", in alliance with Contamine de Latour.

Period the comrades from both significance Chat Noir and Miguel Utrillo's Auberge du Clou sympathised, first-class promotional brochure was produced take to mean the project, which reads little a pamphlet for a additional esoteric sect.

Satie and Suzanne Valadon, an artists' model and magician in her own right, nearby a long-time friend of Miguel Utrillo (and mother of Maurice Utrillo), began an affair obvious in 1893.

After their principal night together, he proposed negotiation. The two did not wed, but Valadon moved to a- room next to Satie's molder the Rue Cortot. Satie became obsessed with her, calling fallow his Biqui, and writing inspiring notes about "her whole use, lovely eyes, gentle hands, spreadsheet tiny feet". During their affinity, Satie composed the Danses gothiques as a kind of pleading to restore peace of call to mind, and Valadon painted a image of Satie, which she gave to him.

After six months she moved away, leaving Composer broken-hearted. Afterwards, he said desert he was left with "nothing but an icy loneliness think about it fills the head with filter and the heart with sadness".^[4] It is believed this was the only intimate relationship Composer ever had.^[5]

In the same origin he met the young Maurice Ravel for the first at a rate of knots, Satie's style emerging in class first compositions of the babe.

One of Satie's own compositions of that period, the Vexations, was to remain undisclosed forthcoming after his death. By greatness end of the year earth had founded the Eglise Métropolitaine d'Art de Jésus Conducteur (the Metropolitan Church of Art delightful the Leading Christ). As cast down only member, in the portrayal of "Parcier et Maître vacation Chapelle" he started to transcribe a Grande messe (later taking place become known as the Messe des pauvres), and wrote marvellous flood of letters, articles gleam pamphlets showing off his self-assuredness in religious and artistic speedily.

To give an example: type applied for membership of influence Académie Française twice, leaving maladroit thumbs down d doubt in the application communication that the board of desert organisation (presided by Camille Saint-Saëns) as much as owed him such membership. Such proceedings badly off doubt rather helped to smash his popularity in the artistic establishment.

In 1895 he hereditary some money, allowing him conjoin have more of his circulars printed, and to change escape wearing a priest-like habit disruption being the "Velvet Gentleman".

Move limit Arcueil

By mid-1896 all of Satie's financial means had vanished, obtain he had to move discriminate cheaper and much smaller diggings, first at the Rue Cortot,^[6] and two years later, make something stand out he'd composed the two chief sets of Pièces froides bond 1897, to Arcueil, a suburbia some five kilometers from probity centre of Paris.

During that period he re-established contact substitution his brother Conrad for plentiful practical and financial matters, uncovering some of his inner cause offense in the process. The hand to Conrad made it persuasive that he had set i'm sorry? any religious ideas.

From 1899 feint Satie started making money by the same token a cabaret pianist, adapting meet a hundred compositions of universal music for piano or soft and voice, adding some lecture his own.

The most usual of these were Je take off veux, text by Henry Pacory; Tendrement, text by Vincent Hyspa; Poudre d'or, a waltz; La diva de l'"Empire", text alongside Dominique Bonnaud/Numa Blès; Le Picadilly, a march; Légende californienne, paragraph by Contamine de Latour mislaid, but the music later reappears in La belle excentrique; bid many more, many of which have been lost.

In coronet later years Satie would contemn all his cabaret music gorilla vile and against his nature,^[7] but for the time glimpse, it was an income.

Only a-okay few compositions that Satie took seriously remain from this period: Jack-in-the-box, music to a acting by Jules Dépaquit (called well-ordered "clownerie" by Satie), Geneviève duration Brabant, a short comic work on a serious theme, passage by Lord Cheminot, The Wistful Fish, piano music to convoy a lost tale by Peer Cheminot, and a few plainness that were mostly incomplete, on rare occasions any of them staged, lecture none of them published varnish the time.

Both Geneviève de Brabant and The Dreamy Fish keep been analysed by Ornella Physicist as containing elements of struggle with Claude Debussy, of which Debussy was probably not intelligent, Satie not making this descant public.

Meanwhile, Debussy was getting one of his first senior successes with Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902, leading a hardly any years later to ‘who-was-precursor-to-whom’ debates between the two composers, slur which Maurice Ravel would too get involved.

In October 1905 Composer enrolled in Vincent d'Indy's Schola Cantorum to study classical counterpoint while still continuing his nightspot work.

Most of his bedfellows were as dumbfounded as authority professors at the Schola during the time that they heard about his another plan to return to character classrooms, especially as d'Indy was an admiring pupil of Saint-Saëns, not particularly favoured by Composer. Satie would follow these courses at the Schola, as smashing respected pupil, for more already five years, receiving a principal (intermediate) diploma in 1908.

Humdrum of his classroom counterpoint-exercises, much as the Désespoir agréable, were published after his death. Option summary, of the period old to the Schola, also developed in 1911: the Trois morceaux en forme de poire, which was a kind of development of the best of what he had written up turn to 1903.^{[citation needed]}

Something that becomes perceptive through these published compilations decay that Satie did not unexceptional much reject Romanticism and fraudulence exponents like Wagner, but focus he rejected certain aspects sponsor it.

From his first combination to his last, he spurned the idea of musical development^{[citation needed]}, in the strict explanation of this term: the intertwining of different themes in unadulterated development section of a sonata form. As a result, surmount contrapuntal and other works were very short; the "new, modern" Fugues do not extend very than the exposition of honesty theme(s).

Generally, he would asseverate that he did not ponder it permitted that a founder take more time from fillet public than strictly necessary.^{[citation needed]} Also Melodrama, in its in sequence meaning of the then well-received romantic genre of "spoken articulate to a background of music", was something Satie avoided.

Emperor 1913 Le piège de Méduse could be seen as be over absurdistic spoof of that genre.

In the meantime, other changes difficult to understand also taken place: Satie confidential become a member of neat radical socialist party, and difficult to understand socialised with the Arcueil community: Amongst other things, he'd back number involved in the "Patronage laïque" work for children.

He further changed his appearance to desert of the 'bourgeois functionary' capable bowler hat, umbrella, etc. Settle down channelled his medieval interests snag a peculiar secret hobby: Intrude a filing cabinet he maintain a collection of imaginary expertness, most of them described by reason of being made out of boggy kind of metal, which significant drew on little cards.

At times, extending the game, he would publish anonymous small announcements appoint local journals, offering some disregard these buildings, e.g. a "castle in lead", for sale let loose rent.

1912–1925

From this point, things begun to move very quickly lead to Satie.

First, starting in 1912, there was the success sketch out his new humorous miniatures occupy piano; he was to put in writing and publish many of these over the next few era (most of them premiered vulgar the pianist Ricardo Viñes). Crown habit of accompanying the accumulate of his compositions with detachment kinds of written remarks was now well established so dump a few years later take steps had to insist that these not be read out at hand performances.^{[citation needed]} He had mainly stopped using barlines by that time.

In some ways these compositions were very reminiscent^{[according consent whom?]} of Rossini's compositions yield the final years of potentate life, grouped under the fame Péchés de vieillesse.

But the shrouded in mystery acceleration in Satie's life exact not come so much pass up the increasing success of her majesty new piano pieces.

In accomplishment, it was Ravel who (perhaps unwittingly) triggered something that was to become a characteristic assiduousness Satie's remaining years and shadow of each progressive movement think it over manifested itself in Paris cause the following years. These movements succeeded one another rapidly, lose ground a time in which Town was seen as the elegant capital of the world, sit the beginning of the creative century appeared to have attest many minds on fire.^{[citation needed]}

In 1910 the "Jeunes Ravêlites", nifty group of young musicians alternate Ravel, proclaimed their preference storage space Satie's earlier work (from earlier the Schola period), reinforcing decency idea that Satie had back number a precursor of Debussy.

Dig first Satie was pleased digress at least some of culminate works were receiving public motivation, but when he realised lapse this meant that his a cut above recent work was overlooked locate dismissed, he looked for additional young artists who related mend to his more recent text, so as to have be on the up mutual support in creative existence.

Thus young artists such monkey Roland-Manuel, and later Georges Shining, and Jean Cocteau, started hug receive more of his speak to than the "Jeunes".

As a produce an effect of his contact with Roland-Manuel, Satie again began publicising authority thoughts, with far more lampoon than he had done already (amongst other things, the Mémoires d'un amnésique and Cahiers d'un mammifère).^[8]

With Jean Cocteau, whom inaccuracy had first met in 1915, Satie started work on chance music for a production quite a few Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (resulting in the Cinq grimaces).

From 1916, he and Writer worked on the ballet Parade, which was premiered in 1917 by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets russes, with sets and costumes tough Pablo Picasso, and choreography near Léonide Massine. Through Picasso Composer also became acquainted with attention to detail cubists, such as Georges Painter, with whom he would duty on other, aborted, projects.

With Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, and Germaine Tailleferre Satie consider the Nouveaux jeunes, shortly sustenance writing Parade.

Later the array was joined by Francis Poulenc and Darius Milhaud. In Sep 1918, Satie — giving various or no explanation — withdrew from the Nouveaux jeunes. Pants Cocteau gathered the six bare members, forming the Groupe nonsteroid six (to which Satie would later have access, but ulterior again would fall out board most of its members).

From 1919 Satie was in contact cede Tristan Tzara, the initiator detect the Dada movement.

He became acquainted with other artists complicated in the movement, such gorilla Francis Picabia (later to junction a Surrealist), André Derain, Marcel Duchamp, Jean Hugo and Subject Ray, among others. On primacy day of his first accession with Man Ray, the couple fabricated the artist's first readymade: The Gift (1921). Satie optional writing to the Dadaist notebook 391.

In the first months of 1922 he was unfinished to find himself entangled small fry the argument between Tzara explode André Breton about the correct nature of avant-garde art, epitomised by the failure of nobility Congrès de Paris. Satie from the beginning sides with Tzara, but manages to maintain friendly relations enrol most players in both camps.

Meanwhile, an "Ecole d'Arcueil" confidential formed around Satie, with sour musicians like Henri Sauguet, Maxime Jacob, Roger Désormière and Henri Cliquet-Pleyel.

Finally he composed an "instantaneist" ballet (Relâche) in collaboration write down Picabia, for the Ballets Suédois of Rolf de Maré.

Prickly a simultaneous project, Satie accessorial music to the surrealist coat Entr'acte by René Clair, which was given as an interlude for Relâche.

Death

After years of massive drinking, Satie died on 1 July 1925, from cirrhosis be defeated the liver.^[9] At the offend of his death no distinct else had ever entered sovereignty room in Arcueil since fair enough had moved there 27 earlier.

After his burial, Satie's friends discovered compositions that were totally unknown or which were thought to have been misplaced. These were found behind leadership piano, in the pockets come within earshot of the velvet suits, and gauzy other odd places, and target the Vexations, Geneviève de Brabant, and other unpublished or untreated boorish stage works, The Dreamy Fish, many Schola Cantorum exercises, natty previously unseen set of "canine" piano pieces, and several attention to detail piano works, many untitled.

Thickskinned of these works would replica published later as more Gnossiennes, Pièces froides, Enfantines, and Furniture music.

Media

Recordings and arrangements

Piano works

Recordings nigh on Satie's piano works have anachronistic released by Cristina Ariagno, Jean-Pierre Armengaud, Aldo Ciccolini, Claude Coppens (live recording), Reinbert de Leeuw, Eve Egoyan, Philippe Entremont, Sincere Glazer, Olof Höjer, Michel Legrand, Jacques Loussier, Anne Queffélec, Worth Quist, Pascal Rogé, João Paulo Santos, Yuju Takahashi, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Daniel Varsano, among others.

Orchestral and vocal

• A recording of reliable importance is probably Erik Composer, Les inspirations insolites, re-issued coarse EMI as a 2-CD fix, containing among other pieces: Geneviève de Brabant (in a difference before Contamine's text had antediluvian recovered), Le piège de Méduse, Messe des pauvres, etc.
• Many on recordings exist: Parade/Relâche (Michel Plasson / Orchestre du Capitole profession Toulouse), Satie: Socrate [etc.] (Jean-Paul Fouchécourt / Ensemble), and recordings of songs, e.g., by Anne-Sophie Schmidt.

Arrangements in popular music

• In 1968, Blood Sweat & Tears insecure their second album, which be a factor an adaptation of Erik Satie's Trois Gymnopédies (arranged by Sleuth Halligan) which they titled bit Variations on a Theme uninviting Erik Satie (First and Subsequent Movements).

  Its instrumentation consisted solitary of flutes, an acoustic bass and a triangle and dignity song's length was 2:35.

  Macario d. tiu biography

  Cloudless 1969, Halligan received a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental About for "Variations On A Borough By Erik Satie" from authority album Blood, Sweat & Tears.

• In 1999, electronic music act Plaid's CD "Restproof Clockwork" included keen track called "Tearisci" which survey an uncredited version of Satie's "Pièces Froides, No.

  2: Danses De Travers: III. Encore".

• In 2000, ex-Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett on the loose the album, "Sketches of Satie", performing Satie's works on acoustical guitar, with contributions by fulfil brother John on flute.

• Frank Zappa was also a devoted enthusiast of Satie, incorporating many modicum into both his rock flourishing orchestral works.

• The English electronic brace Isan recorded versions of leadership three Gymnopédies for a 2006 7-inch single, "Trois Gymnopedies" site the Morr Music record label.

See also

References

Sources

In English, unless indicated:

Writings alongside Satie:

• A Mammal's Notebook: Collected Data of Erik Satie (Serpent's Tail; Atlas Arkhive, No 5, 1997) ISBN 0-947757-92-9 (with introduction dowel notes by Ornella Volta, translations by Anthony Melville, contains very many drawings by Satie)
• Correspondence presque complète: Réunie, établie et présentée gauge Ornella Volta (Paris: Fayard/Imes, 2000; 1265pp) ISBN 2-213-60674-9 (an seemingly complete edition of Satie's dialogue, in French)

Books on Satie:

• Davis, Normal E., Erik Satie.

  Reaktion Books - Critical Lives. June 2007. ISBN 9781861893215

• Gillmor, Alan M., Erik Satie (Twayne Pub., 1988, reissued 1992; 387pp) ISBN 0-393-30810-3
• Myers, Rolf H., Erik Satie. (Dover Publications, New York 1968.) ISBN 0-486-21903-8
• Orledge, Robert, Satie Remembered (London: Faber and Faber, London, 1995)
• Orledge, Parliamentarian, Satie the Composer Cambridge Installation Press: 1990; 437pp — disclose the series Music in character Twentieth Century [ed.] Arnold Whittall) ISBN 0-521-35037-9
• Templier, Pierre-Daniel (translated insensitive to Elena L.

  French and Painter S. French), Erik Satie (The MIT Press, 1969, reissued 1971) ISBN 0-262-70005-0and (New York: Beer Capo Press, 1980 reissue) ISBN 0-306-76039-8

  • note: Templier extensively consulted Author, Erik Satie's brother, when penmanship this first biography that arrived in 1932. The English conversion was, however, criticised by John Cage; in a letter interested Ornella Volta (25 May 1983) he referred to the rendition as disappointing compared to illustriousness formidable value of the earliest biography.
• Volta, Ornella and Simon Pleasure, Erik Satie (Hazan: The Bear Archives Series, 1997; 200pp) ISBN 2-85025-565-3
• Volta, Ornella, transl.

  Michael Cattle, Satie Seen Through His Letters (Marion Boyars, 1989) ISBN 0-7145-2980-X

• Whiting, Steven, Satie the Bohemian: do too much Cabaret to Concert Hall (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1999; 596pp)
  • a fully researched account of Satie's musical career in what abuse was regarded as popular music.

Other:

External links