Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist who is known for his unconventional and original musical style. He wrote many works for solo piano, such as the Gymnopédies and the Gnossiennes, as well as some ballets, operas, and symphonic dramas. He was also a colorful and eccentric figure who adopted various personas, wore odd outfits, and collected all kinds of objects in his small room. He was a heavy drinker throughout his life, and this habit eventually led to his death from cirrhosis of the liver in 1925. In this article, we will explore the life and death of Erik Satie, and how his music influenced generations of composers.
Early Life and Career
Erik Satie was born on May 17, 1866, in Honfleur, Normandy, to a French father and a Scottish mother. He showed an early interest in music and started taking piano lessons at the age of six. He moved to Paris with his family in 1878, and enrolled in the Paris Conservatoire in 1879. However, he was a poor student who did not follow the rules and was eventually dismissed in 1882. He then worked as a pianist in various cafés and cabarets in Montmartre, where he met many artists and writers, such as Claude Debussy, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and Paul Verlaine. He also joined a mystical sect called the Rosicrucians, and wrote some music for their rituals.
Satie began composing his own music in the 1880s, mostly for solo piano. His music was simple, elegant, and often melancholic, reflecting his admiration for ancient Greek and medieval music. He also gave his pieces unusual and whimsical titles, such as Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear, Sketches and Exasperations of a Big Wooden Man, and True Flabby Preludes (for a Dog). He also experimented with new forms of notation, such as omitting bar lines, using unconventional time signatures, and adding verbal instructions to the score. Some of his most famous works from this period are the Gymnopédies (1888) and the Gnossiennes (1890), which are still popular today.
Later Life and Career
In 1898, Satie moved to a small room in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris, where he lived for the rest of his life. He rarely allowed anyone to enter his room, which was filled with papers, books, umbrellas, and other objects. He also adopted various images over the years, such as dressing like a priest, wearing identical velvet suits, and carrying a hammer. He continued to compose music, but also became interested in other arts, such as literature, theater, and painting. He collaborated with many avant-garde artists, such as Jean Cocteau, Pablo Picasso, and Marcel Duchamp, and became the leader of several artistic movements, such as the Dadaists and the Surrealists. He also influenced a group of young composers known as Les Six, who admired his simplicity and humor.
Some of his most notable works from this period are the ballet Parade (1917), which featured music by Satie, sets and costumes by Picasso, and choreography by Léonide Massine; the symphonic drama Socrate (1919), which was based on the dialogues of Plato; and the ballet Relâche (1924), which included a film by René Clair. Satie also wrote many humorous and absurd texts, such as his Memoirs of an Amnesiac, which he published in various magazines and newspapers.
Erik Satie Cause of Death
Satie’s health deteriorated in the early 1920s, due to his decades of heavy alcohol consumption. He suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, as well as pleurisy, a lung infection. He was hospitalized in February 1925, and was cared for by some of his friends, such as Darius Milhaud, Georges Braque, and Jean Wiéner. He refused to see some of his former friends, such as Francis Poulenc and Maurice Ravel, with whom he had quarreled. He also insisted on being paid for his works, and hid the money in his suitcase. He died on July 1, 1925, at the age of 59. His funeral was held on July 6, at the cemetery of Arcueil, where he was buried.
Satie’s death was a loss for the musical world, as he was one of the most original and influential composers of his time. His music was admired by many composers, such as Debussy, Ravel, Stravinsky, Cage, and Glass, who were inspired by his simplicity, clarity, and innovation. His music also appealed to many listeners, who found it soothing, charming, and mysterious. Satie’s legacy lives on in his music, which continues to enchant and challenge us today.
