Page 258 - (DK) The Classical Music Book - Big Ideas Simply Explained
P. 258
256
I HAVE NEVER
WRITTEN A NOTE
I DIDN’ T MEAN
PARADE (1917), ERIK SATIE
t the end of the 19th An early example of Dadaism in
IN CONTEXT century, a new musical music was the work of Erik Satie.
A nationalism arose in His Trois Gymnopédies, the first of
FOCUS France. Young composers sought which was published in 1888, with
Dadaism in music
to free themselves from European their focus on repetition of rhythm
BEFORE traditions and imbue their art with and harmony and use of unresolved
1881 Le Chat Noir cabaret a sense of French, and particularly dissonances, are both hypnotic
club opens in Montmartre, Parisian, culture. This led to and static. Partly inspired by
in Paris. It becomes a meeting two strands of new music: the medieval French music, they reject
place for avant-garde artists, impressionist work of composers musical development in favor of
writers, and musicians. such as Debussy and Ravel, which the juxtaposition of ideas. Debussy
had parallels in the art of the was so impressed by the pieces
1907 Pablo Picasso paints period, and the music of Dadaist that he orchestrated two of them.
Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, in composers, which celebrated
which he develops the ideas the absurd and challenged the Surrealism in music
behind Cubism, which will definition of what music might be. Satie was influential among young
influence Satie. French composers and well known
to other artists. When Jean Cocteau
AFTER heard his Trois morceaux en forme
1924 Satie’s ballet Relâche de poire (Three Pieces in the Shape
includes a surrealist film of a Pear), a piano suite for piano
sequence by French director duet, in 1903, he commissioned
René Clair. Satie to compose the music to a
ballet that eventually combined the
1930 Jean Cocteau produces talents of Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet
La Voix humaine, a monologue Russes, choreographer Léonide
that Poulenc later turns into Massine, and Pablo Picasso. The
an opera. work, Parade, was described in
Inspired by his work as a cabaret
pianist, Satie incorporated jazz
influences into some of his music,
including the Ragtime movement from
“Parade,” later transcribed for solo piano.
US_256-257_Satie.indd 256 26/03/18 1:01 PM
