Satie Gymnopedies

Satie's Gymnopedies are three short solo-piano pieces each written in 3/4 time, and sharing a common theme and structure. The melodies of the pieces contain mild dissonances against the harmony, producing a piquant, melancholy effect. Claude Debussy orchestrated the third and the first Gymnopedies.

Érik Satie (1866 – 1925) was a French composer and pianist, as well as a colorful figure in the early twentieth century Parisian avant-garde. He is perhaps best known for his short piano pieces, such as the Gnossiennes.

Averse to the Romanticism of Richard Wagner, he produced fascinating music of a simple, timeless, directionless, repetitious, eccentric, whimsical,  satirical, and humorous nature. He was a precursor to later artistic movements such as minimalism, repetitive music, and the Theatre of the Absurd.

Tutorials

• No. 1 in D Major     No. 1 with score atop

• No. 2 in C Major

• No. 3 in A Minor

Sheetmusic at IMSLP 

MP3