Erik Satie: A Visionary or a Madman?
The accomplishments and many eccentricities of French composer, Erik Satie
By Kelvin Lin, reporter
What does a famous classical music composer look like? I’ll give you a second to think about it. I know when I think about the ideal music composer, I think of either a Beethoven or a Mozart; musical and composing prodigies, loved and adored by the masses, each with their own set of eccentricities, with Beethoven infamously going to the bathroom in a chamber pot under his piano as he composed and Mozart writing and performing the piece “Leck mich im Arsch” which literally translates to “Kiss my butt” in PG terms. Today, I’d like to present to you all, a lesser known, but nonetheless very interesting and weird, composer by the name of Erik Satie.
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and a pianist. He was born at Honfleur in Normandy on May 17th, 1866 and died on July 1st, 1925 in Arcueil, France. Satie and his family moved to Paris, France when he was just four after his father was offered a translator job. In 1879, Satie entered the Paris Conservatoire. His brief stint as a musician at the Paris Conservatoire was met with extremely rave reviews. One piano professor described his technique as “Insignificant, laborious, and worthless”. Another professor described Satie as, “The laziest student in the Conservatoire.” You get the idea. However, he did have a particular knack for composing although often with very unconventional means at the time. The contributions that Satie made during his lifetime were widely debated then, and even now. Here are three of his major accomplishments.
1. Erik Satie was a pioneer for furniture music
Satie had a tendency for going against the grain. He conceptualized the idea of furniture, or background music. Satie and his ensemble once performed a concert in Paris, where he deliberately asked the audience to not listen to the performance. Imagine going to a concert where the conductor asks you not to listen!
2. Erik Satie composed the famous “Je te veux” (1897)
“Je Te Veux” was a piece for piano and voice composed by Satie in 1897 for Paulette Darty, whom Satie was the accompanist for a period of time. The piano part is easily recognizable, but I wouldn’t advise looking up the lyrics. They’re pretty NSFW!
3. Erik Satie wasn’t afraid to deviate from musical norms
Satie wasn’t afraid to stray away from the 19th-century French Romantic style that people were accustomed to during this time. This drew a lot of criticism from his peers and created a lot of controversy for Satie. Some praised his innovation, while some criticized him for not being serious about his work.
While Satie had his fair share of accomplishments, he also had A LOT of eccentricities. Here are four of my favorites in no particular order.
1. Erik Satie created his own religion
Satie was once a member of the Mystical Order of the Rose and Cross of the Temple and Grail which was founded by close friend Josephin Peladan. After a falling out with Paladin, Satie founded his own religion in 1893 called Église Métropolitaine d’Art de Jésus Conducteur. He was the one sole member.
2. Erik Satie and Suzanne Valadon
Satie is thought to have had only one intimate relationship during his lifetime. While this isn’t weird all on its own, Satie proposed to his next door neighbor Suzanne Valadon immediately after he met her. This relationship lasted for as long as one would expect as Valadon left Satie after six months. After she left, Satie is quoted as saying there was, “Nothing but an icy loneliness that fills the head with emptiness.”
3. Erik Satie’s Leaky Roof
After Satie’s death in 1925, his landlord let friends and family into his apartment. To their dismay they found it filled with over 100 umbrellas. Maybe it was really rainy where he lived? “Maybe he had a leaky roof? The world may never know.
So was Erik Satie a visionary or a madman? In my humble opinion, I believe he was a little bit of both. His work essentially pioneered a whole new genre of music and helped pave the way for more modern styles of music. Erik Satie also had his fair share of kinks, but I think that’s just part of the human experience. Regardless, everybody who is reading this right now should give Erik Satie a listen. Maybe you’ll enjoy his bizarre spunk, or maybe you won’t. You won’t know unless you try!
The accomplishments and many eccentricities of French composer, Erik Satie
By Kelvin Lin, reporter
What does a famous classical music composer look like? I’ll give you a second to think about it. I know when I think about the ideal music composer, I think of either a Beethoven or a Mozart; musical and composing prodigies, loved and adored by the masses, each with their own set of eccentricities, with Beethoven infamously going to the bathroom in a chamber pot under his piano as he composed and Mozart writing and performing the piece “Leck mich im Arsch” which literally translates to “Kiss my butt” in PG terms. Today, I’d like to present to you all, a lesser known, but nonetheless very interesting and weird, composer by the name of Erik Satie.
Éric Alfred Leslie Satie was a French composer and a pianist. He was born at Honfleur in Normandy on May 17th, 1866 and died on July 1st, 1925 in Arcueil, France. Satie and his family moved to Paris, France when he was just four after his father was offered a translator job. In 1879, Satie entered the Paris Conservatoire. His brief stint as a musician at the Paris Conservatoire was met with extremely rave reviews. One piano professor described his technique as “Insignificant, laborious, and worthless”. Another professor described Satie as, “The laziest student in the Conservatoire.” You get the idea. However, he did have a particular knack for composing although often with very unconventional means at the time. The contributions that Satie made during his lifetime were widely debated then, and even now. Here are three of his major accomplishments.
1. Erik Satie was a pioneer for furniture music
Satie had a tendency for going against the grain. He conceptualized the idea of furniture, or background music. Satie and his ensemble once performed a concert in Paris, where he deliberately asked the audience to not listen to the performance. Imagine going to a concert where the conductor asks you not to listen!
2. Erik Satie composed the famous “Je te veux” (1897)
“Je Te Veux” was a piece for piano and voice composed by Satie in 1897 for Paulette Darty, whom Satie was the accompanist for a period of time. The piano part is easily recognizable, but I wouldn’t advise looking up the lyrics. They’re pretty NSFW!
3. Erik Satie wasn’t afraid to deviate from musical norms
Satie wasn’t afraid to stray away from the 19th-century French Romantic style that people were accustomed to during this time. This drew a lot of criticism from his peers and created a lot of controversy for Satie. Some praised his innovation, while some criticized him for not being serious about his work.
While Satie had his fair share of accomplishments, he also had A LOT of eccentricities. Here are four of my favorites in no particular order.
- Erik Satie’s Vexations (1893)
1. Erik Satie created his own religion
Satie was once a member of the Mystical Order of the Rose and Cross of the Temple and Grail which was founded by close friend Josephin Peladan. After a falling out with Paladin, Satie founded his own religion in 1893 called Église Métropolitaine d’Art de Jésus Conducteur. He was the one sole member.
2. Erik Satie and Suzanne Valadon
Satie is thought to have had only one intimate relationship during his lifetime. While this isn’t weird all on its own, Satie proposed to his next door neighbor Suzanne Valadon immediately after he met her. This relationship lasted for as long as one would expect as Valadon left Satie after six months. After she left, Satie is quoted as saying there was, “Nothing but an icy loneliness that fills the head with emptiness.”
3. Erik Satie’s Leaky Roof
After Satie’s death in 1925, his landlord let friends and family into his apartment. To their dismay they found it filled with over 100 umbrellas. Maybe it was really rainy where he lived? “Maybe he had a leaky roof? The world may never know.
So was Erik Satie a visionary or a madman? In my humble opinion, I believe he was a little bit of both. His work essentially pioneered a whole new genre of music and helped pave the way for more modern styles of music. Erik Satie also had his fair share of kinks, but I think that’s just part of the human experience. Regardless, everybody who is reading this right now should give Erik Satie a listen. Maybe you’ll enjoy his bizarre spunk, or maybe you won’t. You won’t know unless you try!
Works Cited
Alper, Max, et al. “Composer Erik Satie Was So Much Weirder Than You Realize.” Soundfly, 28 Apr. 2020, flypaper.soundfly.com/diversions/composer-erik-satie-was-weirder-than-you-realize/.
“Erik Satie.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Erik-Satie.
“Erik Satie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Satie.
“Je Te Veux.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_te_veux.
“Erik Satie.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Erik-Satie.
“Erik Satie.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Jan. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erik_Satie.
“Je Te Veux.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Je_te_veux.