February 15, 2007

  • A man who lives right, and is right,
    has more power in his silence than
    another has by his words.
    ~Philips Brooks

    Oeuvres Pour Piano
    Erik Satie/Aldo
    Ciccolini

    2001

    Turn of the century French composer Erik Satie, ever the
    eccentric, once titled a group of his works, “Furniture Music.” He was
    explaining its ability to hang in the air and become part of the ambience, but
    he could have just as easily meant that the 92 piano miniatures that make up his
    Oeuvres Pour Piano are comfortable enough to relax in. Take the familiar
    strains of “Gymnopedie I. Lent Et Douloureux,” played delicately by pianist Aldo
    Ciccolini as if he were discovering this music for the first time. The left hand
    makes wide, languorous leaps between bass notes and higher chord clusters,
    leaving wide crevasses into which a listener can slowly sink. Meanwhile, the
    right hand etches out a meandering melody that is as simple as a lullaby and as
    beautifully tranquil as light reflecting off a still pond. Saties music is often
    so patient that it seems just to be.

    Satie was philosophically opposed
    to boring his audience, so he typically composed pieces with a theme and
    exposition but without development, and very little, if any, repetition. This
    meant that his works were usually very short, but even in these intentionally
    compact forms, Saties pieces were both musically adventurous and possessed an
    uncommon clarity and wit; the second movement of his “Movements in the Shape of
    a Pear With Four Hands” suite actually only uses two hands, and in defiance of
    its subtitle, “Prolongation of the Same,” its jaunty, staccato flavor and
    shifting tonal center is completely different from the first movements
    austerity. Only an eccentric like Satie, who collected enormous quantities of
    umbrellas and dressed only in velvet suits for a year, could grace a quartet of
    luminous miniatures with the name “Flabby Preludes (For a Dog).”

    To
    match his whimsical titles, Satie could compose works of great energy and, on
    occasion, violent harmonic dissonances that foreshadowed the modernist classical
    music that was to come. Still, Satie is best remembered for the simplicity and
    purity of his more sedate pieces, including the melancholy “Gnossienes” suite
    and the quiet stateliness of the “3 Sarabandes.” On these, Satie composes clouds
    as they lazily float across the sky, or perhaps captures the feeling of a
    wistful memory. They are the faint outlines of feelings, impressionistic
    miniatures that are both beautiful enough to appreciate for their art and wide
    open enough to connote something different to everyone who hears them.

    Listen to all
    sound clips from this CD

  • “Gymnopdies I. Lent Et Douloureux”
  • “Mouvements En Forme De Poire, 4 Mains Prolongation Du Mme”
  • “Nocturnes III. Un Peu Mouvement”
  • Buy this
    CD

    I love you!!

    Thank you for all of the Valentine greetings!!!

Comments (32)

  • And we love you!

  • Neat post.   Love the cd clips.

  • very true quote………………….

  • Awesome history post and the cd clips were great……thanks for sharing…….loved it.

  • Fascinating stuff, darlin’. I’ll have to listen to the clips from home, but the narrative you have here intrigues me. I’ll listen later.

    Hogs and quiches, baby! :love:

  • The first piece is very peaceful and serene…good to learn something new!

  • love the quote you have up there. hope your thursday is going well. and …lots of love to my laurie. ~ lea

  • Did you have a good valentines day? Judi

  • I like this post. :) Hey,  how are you doing today? I hope you are warm, happy, and safe. :sunny:

  • You must play the paino? I don’t but I had to sit everyday and wait for my girlfriend to practice so we could play so I guess it rubbed off on me-the enjoyment of it.

  • I do love his music

  • tell that quote to a republican.

    or not.

  • “A man who lives right, and is right,
    has more power…..”

    I’m left handed.

    .

  • Wow! I love that quote by Philips Brooks!!! As always a wonderful write!!!

    Here’s to a fun ‘n fanciful Friday…

    (((Angel Hugs To An Amazing Writer…)))

  • Satie was philosophically opposed to boring his audience, so he typically composed pieces with a theme and exposition but without development, and very little, if any, repetition. This meant that his works were usually very short, but even in these intentionally compact forms…..therefore he was the father of pop music:lol:

  • Too often,  I unwittingly provide evidence that what Phillips Brooks says is true. I wish I could always control my impulses. Thanks for the reminder to keep trying.

    I have loved Satie’s work for as long as I can remember.The attraction to his sounds, for me, seems natural, like a genetic imprint; one for which I’m very grateful.

    Have a good weekend!

  • Happy Spring Festival to you!!-The Chinese New Year!

    wish you all the best!

  • What an amazing man!!  Thanks for educating us!  Happy Friday!!

  • party! my place! bring something… green!

  • Sounds good! have a great weekend!

  • I didn’ t know Eric Satie was known in America . He was friend with others renowned French composers of this time  ” le groupe des 5 “. 
    I like your new background Laurie and to be sincere the profil picture too .
     How  the Valentine ‘ s Day was ?

    Love    Michel 

  • Glad you liked the pictures of my sisters family.   

    I have an extensive family for sure.   Have a good one.

  • thanks for the comment, Sunshine…………………….not sure what I said that caused you to think that but thanks :lol:

  • Ryc yup had to work on Valentines Day but went out on Valentines Night. whahoo. Judi

  • enjoy your weekend

  • I’m SO TIRED!!!!

    I’m gonna stay up so late and do a  lot of nothing on my friday night.

    Hmm…I’ve always wanted to see walmart at four in the morning…

  • I had lost all that weight then for the last two or three months I just did not lose. So I went on this eating plan that has a lot of meat so the steak. Too much meat for me. I did lose ten more pounds though. Now to go back on weight watchers so I can eat just a little meat and a more well balanced diet. Judi

  • RYC: Thank you! You are so sweet! I hope you are having a great weekend! I am! :)

  • Sorry to be MIA. Life’s had me by the short-hairs. How’ve you been?

  • Sorry to be MIA. Life’s had me by the short-hairs. How’ve you been?

  • Satie’s brilliant.  I’m listening to Messiaen right now.  Birthday present from Barbara:    Seiji Ozawa, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, soloists Yvonne and Jeanne Loriod, the Turangalila Symphony.

    I should have guessed something was up when Barbara asked me last week how to spell Turangalila.

  • It is so warm here, it must be proof of global warming. I disabled my quicktime program and now I can save the MP3 songs that you permitted us to download.

    I think I remember some of the music from my music appreciation class that I took. Now that I am older I can appreciate some of the different music scores that are available.

    It take tons of patience to appreciate the power of one’s own integrity. It is hard to believe that people take notice of honesty and truth.

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