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What I Am - by Erik Satie (1866-1925)
StoreTags: music theory, philosophy, composer
Author: mookid on December 20 2006 Viewed 4175 times. 18 people liked this blog. You can rate it below if you haven't already.
People who enjoyed reading this: Roshi, flies, sohcahtoa, theflame, GregTArtZ, papergoose, SenorFrio, mrpanda, bodo, berfmurret, cycle60, pierlu001, claudia, tonearm, lysdexic, monty, energygiant, electrodan
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Everyone will tell you I am not a musician. That is correct.
From the very beginning of my career I class myself a phonometrographer. My work is completely phonometrical. Take my Fils des Étoiles, or my Morceaux en forme de Poire, my En habit de Cheval or my Sarabandes - it is evident that musical ideas played no part whatsoever in their composition. Science is the dominating factor.
Besides, I enjoy measuring a sound much more than hearing it. With my phonometer in my hand, I work happily and with confidence.
What haven't I weighed or measured? I've done all Beethoven, all Verdi, etc. It's fascinating.
The first time I used a phonoscope, I examined a B flat of medium size. I can assure you that I have never seen anything so revolting. I called in my man to show it to him.
On my phono-scales a common or garden F sharp registered 93 kilos. It came out of a fat tenor whom I also weighed.
Do you know how to clean sounds? It's a filthy business. Stretching them out is cleaner; indexing them is a meticulous task and needs good eyesight. Here, we are in the realm of pyrophony.
To write my Pièces Froides, I used a caleidophone recorder. It took seven minutes. I called in my man to let him hear them.
I think I can say that phonology is superior to music. There's more variety in it. The financial return is greater, too. I owe my fortune to it.
At all events, with a motodynamophone, even a rather inexperienced phonometrologist can easily note down more sounds that the most skilled musician in the same time, using the same amount of effort. This is how I have been able to write so much.
And so the future lies with philophony.
The man was ahead of his time. Check out his tunes, if you haven't already. | |
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12/20/06
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Roshi
I love Satie. He's such a goofball at heart.
We need more people who were as adventuresome as he.
12/20/06
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Roshi
He was a weird guy. When he died and people went over to his apartment they realized he was basically living like a pauper in private - no hot water and his piano was all banged up.
On the outside, he affected the air of being a civil servant, which I think is really funny.
12/20/06
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flies
most of what i've heard of his has been really pretty, i'm a bit confused about why he was considered so antagonistic to the status quo. linky?
12/20/06
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Artsigreg
"phonology is superior to music"
um no. lol.
edited: Dec 20 2006
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Roshi
Here you go, flies: link
I think his ideas were very outrageous for his time. And just an odd duck overall.
He is associated with the surrealists (he appears in one of Dali's films), which sort of explains it.
12/20/06
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Roshi
12/20/06
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papergoose
artsigreg: you realize this is a joke right?
ahead of his time, indeed.
edited: Dec 20 2006
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GregTArtZ
...........................................................Yeah..........................................................................
12/20/06
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Roshi
This reminded me of this: link
It's two minutes too long, but hey, this was one of my very first tracks. 
12/20/06
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ricemutt
haha, satie was hilarious.... I love all the wierd comments in his music. And that so many people have actually played vexations all the way through. Im sure he'd get a side-splitting cackle out of that.
12/20/06
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Zanf
yeah...he was well funny:
link
link
puts a new slant on "Trois Gymnopédies"
edited: Dec 20 2006
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Roshi
LOL...what a perv.
12/20/06
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Leonid
mmmm Satie. I love that text. He did collect umbrellas as well...
12/20/06
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deltasleep
I need to rip the LP "The Electronic Spirit of Erik Satie" for you guys.
Sometimes I wonder whether treating mental illness is preventing brilliant music. What a horrible thing to think.
Oh yes and Satie claimed to only eat white foods.
Read some Rabelais to understand Satie's sense of humor. He wrote a few songs about Rabelais' books as well.
12/20/06
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mrpanda
One of my all time favorite composers.
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