Thursday 24 March 2011

Surrealist Music

"The Gymnopédies, published in Paris starting in 1888, are three piano compositions written by French composer and pianist Erik Satie."
"These short, atmospheric pieces are written in 3/4 time, with each sharing a common theme and structure. Collectively, the Gymnopédies are regarded as the precursors to modern ambient music - gentle yet somewhat eccentric pieces which, when composed, defied the classical tradition. For instance, the first few bars of Gymnopédie No. 1 consist of an alternating progression of two major seventh chords, the first on the subdominant, G, and the second on the tonic, D. This kind of harmony was almost entirely unknown at this time. The melodies of the pieces use deliberate, but mild, dissonances against the harmony, producing a piquant, melancholy effect that matches the performance instructions, which are to play each piece" "slowly", "dolorously" or "gravely".
"From the second half of the 20th century on, the Gymnopédies were often erroneously described as part of Satie's body of furniture music,  perhaps due to John Cage's interpretation of them."
Reference: (2011) Gymnopedies [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnop%C3%A9dies_(Satie) [Accessed on 20th March 2011]

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