Perpetually stimulating for artists of
all types, France's blend of fresh thought and strong tradition is exemplified
by Erik Satie. Throughout his creative life, Satie sought to avoid the inauthentic,
the falsely emotional, the unobservant glance at the commonplace. In artistic
circles, Satie was a peripatetic disturber of the peace. He is owed a great
debt by countless others (including the group of subsequent French composers
known as "Les Six") who emulated and developed his ideas of harmony, melodic
line, and musical architecture.
Satie's music does not order itself into
one style. The songs presented here include three parlor tunes alongside
several miniature art songs. Tendrement and the forthright, heady Je te veux would
be perfectly at home in a popular music hall, and La Diva de l'Empire could
easily become a vehicle for a fin du siècle grisette. In the latter, however,
Satie's uncompromising compositional integrity helps his listener focus vividly
on the "leetle girl" with the mocking smile. In the two waltzes, a predictable
lilt never obscures Satie's erotic intention and appreciation for his poets'
ability to surprise. For this recording, arrangements of La Diva and Je te veux
were commissioned from composer Easley Blackwood.
Satie's
art songs have a bracing directness; they never dissemble. When the text ends,
so does the music. Elegie is an unblinking, sad look backward, not without a
certain theatricality. By contrast, Sylvie is a shy, adoring paean to a
beloved, set over a modulating accompaniment moving in circular patterns. The
art songs were arranged by Robert Caby (1905-1992), a composer and ardent
admirer of Satie's music. A former classmate of Jean-Paul Sartre, Caby knew
Satie for little more than a year, but became a close friend who devotedly
visited the elder composer at Paris's Saint-Joseph Hospital until Satie's death
on July 1, 1925. For the remainder of his own life, Caby kept fresh his
devotion through the editing and orchestration of Satie's works and by
contributing numerous articles to music journals. Caby employed winds and
strings (as does Blackwood) to expand upon, yet respect, the brisk simplicity
of the original piano accompaniments. A subtle use of accent instruments (such
as the clock-like percussion blocks in Daphénéo and the harp figures in Les
Anges) keeps the music buoyant.
To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.
Classical Music | Ensemble Music
Erik Satie
La Diva de l'Empire (arr. Easley Blackwood) Play
Recorded on 11/05/2000, uploaded on 04/01/2009
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Erik Satie (1866-1925): Songs
Perpetually stimulating for artists of all types, France's blend of fresh thought and strong tradition is exemplified by Erik Satie. Throughout his creative life, Satie sought to avoid the inauthentic, the falsely emotional, the unobservant glance at the commonplace. In artistic circles, Satie was a peripatetic disturber of the peace. He is owed a great debt by countless others (including the group of subsequent French composers known as "Les Six") who emulated and developed his ideas of harmony, melodic line, and musical architecture.
Satie's music does not order itself into one style. The songs presented here include three parlor tunes alongside several miniature art songs. Tendrement and the forthright, heady Je te veux would be perfectly at home in a popular music hall, and La Diva de l'Empire could easily become a vehicle for a fin du siècle grisette. In the latter, however, Satie's uncompromising compositional integrity helps his listener focus vividly on the "leetle girl" with the mocking smile. In the two waltzes, a predictable lilt never obscures Satie's erotic intention and appreciation for his poets' ability to surprise. For this recording, arrangements of La Diva and Je te veux were commissioned from composer Easley Blackwood.
Satie's art songs have a bracing directness; they never dissemble. When the text ends, so does the music. Elegie is an unblinking, sad look backward, not without a certain theatricality. By contrast, Sylvie is a shy, adoring paean to a beloved, set over a modulating accompaniment moving in circular patterns. The art songs were arranged by Robert Caby (1905-1992), a composer and ardent admirer of Satie's music. A former classmate of Jean-Paul Sartre, Caby knew Satie for little more than a year, but became a close friend who devotedly visited the elder composer at Paris's Saint-Joseph Hospital until Satie's death on July 1, 1925. For the remainder of his own life, Caby kept fresh his devotion through the editing and orchestration of Satie's works and by contributing numerous articles to music journals. Caby employed winds and strings (as does Blackwood) to expand upon, yet respect, the brisk simplicity of the original piano accompaniments. A subtle use of accent instruments (such as the clock-like percussion blocks in Daphénéo and the harp figures in Les Anges) keeps the music buoyant.
More music by Erik Satie
Gnossienne N° 1
Gymnopedie nº1
Gnossiene No.2
Gymnopedie No.1
Gymnopedie No. 1
Veritable Flabby Preludes (for a dog)
Gnossienne No. 1
Gymnopédie no. 1
Les fleurs (arr. Robert Caby )
Gnossienne No. 2
Performances by same musician(s)
Quatre Chansons de Ronsard
Suite d'apres Corrette
Trio
Quintet in B minor for Flute, String Trio and Piano
Classical Music for the Internet Era™
To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.
Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.