Composer:
Erik Satie
Date Composed:
1888
The Gymnopedies:
Satie's Gymnopedies are what many consider to be the groundwork for today's ambient music; it's as ignorable as it is interesting (although, I find it hard to ignore such great music). These three beautiful pieces for solo piano are calming, reflective, ethereal, relaxing, soothing, and elegant.
Gymnopedie No. 1 - Lent et douloureux (slow and mournfully):
With a hollow, but eerily warm melody gently floating atop an accompaniment of steady short-long rhythms, Gymnopedie No. 1 is as expressive as it is transparent. Its simplicity and openness masterfully disguises its apparent dissonances.
Gymnopedie No. 2 - Lent et triste (slow and sad):
Gymnopedie No. 2, although sharing the same short-long accompaniment in the left hand, the mood of this piece is entirely different from No. 1 and 3. Its lack of a commitment to a steady key leads the melody on a nebulous path wandering aimlessly through a series of chords.
Gymnopedie No. 3 - Lent et grave (slowly and solemnly):
Similar in melodic structure, Gymnopedie No. 3 is a minor key version of Gymnopedie No. 1. Its hypnotic-like accompaniment leads the listener in an almost out of body experience. If played as it is intended, the texture of this piece is as smooth as silk.
Debussy Orchestrations:
Claude Debussy was a friend and fan of the eccentric Erik Satie. Ten years after Satie had published his Gymnopedies, Debussy, wanting to bring more attention to Satie, orchestrated No. 1 and 3, but claimed that No. 2 did not lend itself to orchestration. Both versions, solo piano and orchestrated, remain one of Satie's most famous and popular works.
Recommended Recordings:
- Satie: Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes Sports et divertissements (Virgin Classics)
- The Classics: 3 Gymnopedies (Virgin Classics)
- Satie: Piano Music Arranged for Guitar (BIS)
