Like many people, I was affected by the music of Erik Satie at an early age. His famous Gymnopedies, with their elegant simplicty and and the other-worldly beauty of the Gnossiennes had a profound effect on me and along with other French composers of a similar period (Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc) strongly influenced the way I think about harmony.
Satie is even credited with inventing, or at least, anticipating both ambient and minimalist music, some fifty years ahead of their flowering in the 1960’s and 70’s!
Recently, I wrote a new piece which, of all my music reminds me most of the music of Satie and so I gave it the name “Saticity” (I also intended a double meaning in the similarity to the word “satiety” carrying the meaning of satisfaction, sufficiency, and repletion).
I was delighted recently, when my piece was accepted for inclusion in version two of a tribute album to Satie called Erik Satie et les Nouveaux Jeunes by French label Arbouse Recordings (probably easiest purchased through Bandcamp).
To celebrate, Ive put together a video for my piece, and I found the perfect visual accompaniment when I discovered that Satie was friends with some amazing artists including Francis Picabia, Man Ray and Marcel Duchamp. So, please do check out this video and enjoy the beautiful art of Satie’s friends along with my personal tribute to his music.
If you like the video and the piece, do please share it, thank you.