3 Gymnopedies
Erik Satie

A character with a very assertive personality and an extravagant individualist, Satie knowingly distanced himself from the romantic musical traditions inherited from the 19th century. His three piano miniatures entitled “Gymnopédies” are the first testimonies of his idea of “new simplicity”: repeated haunting rhythms imitating ancient cult dances produce a very special meditative charm. One of Satie's principles consisting in aligning building blocks, rather than subjecting them to a very precise development, will open wide perspectives to several musical currents of the 20th century. Well balanced, the engraving of our Urtext edition would no doubt have pleased Satie, who liked to take particular care in the calligraphy of his scores.