New Outsider Classic: Erik Satie (1866-1925)
Erik Satie was an avante-garde composer whose body of work would
not be taken seriously until late in his career. He lived erratically
in Paris, formed his own church, where was the sole member; later
came into money but made himself destitute by spending it all
on trifling luxuries. Music was his one constant. After being
dropped from the Paris Conservatoire for his lack of talent, he
supported himself as a piano player in the cabarets of Montmartre,
building a network of artists at the infamous Le Chat Noir Café.
Here he was able to experiment set pieces and incorporate his
own compositions. He would later claim his cabaret work was “vile
and beneath my nature”. His early compositions for piano
where marked by bizarre names, such as “Genuine Flabby Preludes
(for a dog)”, as well as hand-written comments to the player
that were expressly forbidden to be read aloud during a performance.
It would not be until the “Jeunes Ravêlites”
proclaimed their preference for his work, which established him
alongside his friend and peer, Dubussy, that he found any noterity.
From that point he made great strides in his career and made his
Parisian debut by writing the score to the ballet, Parade,
which he worked on with Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso. The orchestration
included a typewriter and foghorn and caused an artistic scandal;
this score established him as a leader of the French avante-garde.
Satie’s work would inspire many young musicians with its
anti-romantic tone and unique choices in insturmentation.
Read About Other Outsider Artists HERE.
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