As a Black woman, with a son in the military, Gymnopédie has been familiar since childhood, yet until now the title and composer were a mystery. Thank you, Professor Yorston, for another gentle, informative exploration of someone famous I'd never heard of. You pitch these just right. It's what the spirit of RUclips USED to be - absence of ego and celebrity affectation - just an understated love of life and desire to share it.
Spot on... mellow presentation presented with class and unbiased delivery. Loved hearing the French names of people, places and things, plus the wonderful Post Cards. Many blessings, Satie my main music Hero. Peace out...
I'm AuDHD and even before being diagnosed -- the first time I heard a Satie piece I knew he was my kin ❤ he's still my favorite composer, and may I admit I love privately conducting his work --thanks!!
@@professorgraemeyorston I'm thinking I love Satie's work because it drops deep into my inner being and as I listen I experience a liminal state . I'm conducting as I listen and I live for the sudden changes in tempo and key that brings lyrical joy :-) I'm a poet and write the same way where at times the sound of the words are more important than meaning. It's an incantational chant about the universe and our beauty and the sense is in that. He with his spiritual striving and social awkwardness might have been writing hymns to neurodiversity ... but I'm not about to put words of meaning in his work. I hope I simply recognize the scruffy artist for who he is. But I also had the same reaction to Dvorak's Bagatelles. 😀thanks for reading....
Most enjoyable. As a Frenchman I want to point out that "Ah les vaches." is probably not to be translated as "Ah, the cows" but something like "Ah, the rascals."
@@professorgraemeyorston Given Satie's somewhat eccentricity, and me being a non-French speaker, I shall stick with 'Ah, the cows', but thank you for a great essay into Satie and his music.
Emily Dickinson, Louise Brooks, Mark Twain, Charles Bukowski,Judy Garland, Caligula, Nero ,Howard Hughes and now Erik Satie? We share a lot of interest in interesting people in common, and those are just the ones off the top of my head. I have never read comments with requests so I'll try; Paganini, Dostoyevsky, Carl Jung and Ayn Rand. I really enjoy this channel to say the least, Thanks for all the great work Doc!
Thank you...wrote a long, vaguely irrelevant, comment. Generalist, wrote thesis on Mark Twain, and the tiny added salary Cary Grant gave Louise Brooks at end of "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" AFTER SHE THOUGHT UP SLOGAN THAT SAVED HIS JOB ...! She was given very stereotyped 'foolish black folk' dialogue in a Thin Man...'telephony' for 'telepathy', me thinx. thanx. Jung, Rand, Garland...less interested...Jung's life....ok, yeah. My comment too long to burden you. retired elderly pauper cripple misanthrope. so writing helps.
What do all these people have in common? I don't know much about most of them. I know Rand, Caligula, Twain, and Hughes a little. Is there some common eccentricity they share? Thanks.
I'm not sure anyone has mentioned it, but at the beginning of the video you showed his birthplace in Honfleur, this is now an amazing museum....but as it's Satie it's like no other birthplace museum. This is a complete immersion in Satie's world...one of mystery, surrealism and childlike wonder! And when you've finished the tour, this place has a trick up it's sleeve - no not just the gift shop.........but you'll just have to go and see for yourself!
Really enjoyed this. You got to love Satie. So original, complex and eccentric. Compliments for being able to decipher and explain such a complicated personality. And compliments on your own piano playing; something I always wished I could do, especially to play Saties beautiful music. Thank you for this video and book suggestions on Satie which I'll certainly look into. He's always been a fascination of mine..
I can't help but interpret music as an expression of one's inner state, and I was so carried away when first hearing Satie that I immediately set out to find who composed such a sublime and solemn piece. I can "hear him".. even from so far away in time. Despite his eccentricities, something beautiful was going on inside that man. Nice tribute from you.
You know what? I think you are a genius, Professor Graeme. THIS is one of the BEST videos I have ever seen and heard. I had never heard of Erik Satie. THANK YOU very much. USA
Brilliant. I've always been enchanted by the serious-silliness of Satie. His music (aside from the two G-sets) is almost impossible to find and almost never played. But he and I definitely share the same funny bone. With one word or phrase he invariably sets me off (but not Tuesdays). (Edit:) His drawings, by the way, are exquisite. Instantly communicative and light-hearted. He really had the gift of the perfect sketch.
Thankyou for such a poignant and touching rendering of this artist. I've long felt that his music touched me in a special unique way, so much so that for years his music has been my ringtone. But I knew virtually nothing about him until today. My partner, hovering in the background as your video played, was forced to comment " you really have an instinct for finding kindred spirits". So many quirky details of his life and behavior made complete sense to me, and even his sense of humour in all areas resonated like a tinkling bell in the next room. Some people cannot be explained, only appreciated, so thank you again for such fine portrait.
Professor Yorston, Many thanks for such an engaging portrait of Satie. The included photographs and your expertise of the human psyche gives us a wonderfully detailed understanding of this important composer. Bravo!
Thank you for your insightful biographies of interesting, unique and talented men and women. I look forward to learning more about Amadeus Mozart. He was certainly a true prodigy and genius. Requiem is in my top 10 favorite musical creations.
The argument suggesting Satie’s possible autism, or Asperger’s is a very valid one. As a teacher and private tutor of those on the Spectrum for 40+ years, I see several hints, most prominent among them social awkwardness, that can support that presumption, These discussions are quite enjoyable and, far above the typically inferior drivel that has sullied the internet from its promising beginning. Please keep up the excellent work, Professor.
A wonderful documentary of Erik Satie. Very Enjoyable. I believe that at the end of the performance of “Vexations” the audience was reduced to a handful when one Masochist shouted, “Bravo!” and a super Masochist yelled ‘Enchore”. Urbal Myth?
Lovely. Thank you so much for this portrait. I still remember how enchanted I was when I began to listen to Satie back in the early 1980s. Your work is delightful.
A really great video about one of my very favorite composers, and a huge influence on my own work. A couple of curious pronunciations notwithstanding, this was thoroughly engaging, and even though I'm quite familiar with his life story, I'm glad to see that you made this video, and that you've made it for a general audience who would be less likely to be familiar with him and his work than musicians are. He's always wonderful to revisit.
I often play the Gymnopedies on piano (1-3) and get choked up every time, especially from his jazz-like use of an unresolved major seventh chord. Thank you for explaining their title, which I never understood. A very moving portrait of a very complex and difficult man. I am thankful that the world did not forget him.
It is why it is impossible to be certain about a "diagnosis" as we don't know how much of his behaviour and his writing about his behaviour is consciously exaggerated.
I always feel compassion with and a sense of belonging whenever I come across an artist who, clearly, struggled but, nevertheless, managed to produce exceptional pieces of work. Satie and van Gough are two such artists. On the other hand my life-long fascination remains with J. S. Bach. During my architecture studies I organized Bach-listening sessions for the students who struggled with conceptual design. It worked for some, some of the time. Thank you for this calm account of a stormy life.
Nice one! I discovered Satie by accident, as with most loved discoveries; working a late shift, returning home and flicking on the TV, and one of the local stations was showing an Australian movie called One Night Stand (1984) a drama about nuclear war. During scenes of the protagonist wandering empty city streets, Gymnopédies #1 played on the soundtrack and I was hooked. Next day I went to the music store and bought a Satie cassette (yep, cassette--this was YEARS ago) and I still have it. It's just something about these compositions--they're sparse and lonely, yet beautiful--and a welcome respite from all the bombastic, aural junk that hits us in everyday life.
@professorgraemeyorston Oh, hell no! And for one reason: NOBODY wants to re-live the horror of listening to your favorite cassette when, suddenly, your tape player decides to eat it and you have to spend hours disentangling a mess of crumpled tape (in old car stereos this was nearly impossible.) I think CDs will be popular again, only because the prices of vinyl are skyrocketing. Prices were fair for awhile, but then the inevitable gouging set in because of the vinyl craze. I don't care how much of a genius Bob Dylan may be, but shucking out $33.00 for his new album is ridiculous!
Thank you for sharing the very interesting life of Erik Satie. I’ll admit I wasn’t as familiar with his life, just that beautifully haunting piece of his. I’m curious to really delve into his work and hear with fresh ears. ☺️
Thank you, Professor Yorston. Yours is one of the very best video biographies of Satie that I've seen. As someone who's been obsessed with Satie since I 'discovered' him at the age of sixteen in 1968, I've learned quite a bit about the life and music the man. Your video was familiar, yet fresh. I really enjoyed it. By the way, regarding Satie's neurodivergence, I read years ago about his 'trinitarian obession' (writing many pieces in groups of three) and other behaviors that were considered consistent with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. Having something of a Satie obsession myself (baking birthday cakes for him on May 17th, marrying my wife to the strains of the first Gymnopedie, and planning our honeymoon in France around Satie's life in Paris, Honfleur, and Arcueil, among many other Satie-centric eccentricities) I've always been partial to the OCD theory. Whatever the cause of his genius, I'm just grateful for it.
Wow, you really are a fan. Obsessive compulsive behaviour is very common in autistic spectrum disorder, and many people were misdiagnosed as having OCD in the days before high functioning autism was recognised.
I play 2 of his pieces on guitar Gymnopedie #1 and Je Te Veux, people love them both, his music is so soothing, as is the art and music from that era, my favorite era!
I first heard Gymnopédies laying in bed trying to fall asleep one night, it was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard. PS. Your rendition was lovely.🙏
Innovator.One of a kind.Great sense of humor.Film scorer, collaborator,classic seeming contradictions..fear or technology, invented prepared piano, ground breaking collaborations with visual artists.Iconoclast,de-constructor of forms.
What a gem of a video. I remember watching, Spike Milligan - Face Your Image, and the introduction music was Gymnopédie. I instantly loved the music. I then searched for Erik Satie, and discovered he was a fascinating, eccentric character. Thanks for all your informative videos.
The mind, known only to one but analyzed by many, which is important - will often leave wonder. Great presentation, your music interest/understanding is also appreciated. I can hear keys played on a piano wherever I may be, having to stop and listen. I would expand on my opinions on his life, but not my field. Thanks again.
This genius was way ahead of himself, not the godfather but grandfather of pop art, constantly reinventing himself. Crystallized intelligence no doubt. Fantastic channel 👍.
Les Trois Gymnopedies, specifically No.1, has always brought peace to my anxious mind. I also found it both a bit haunting and melancolic, and quite like someone trudging through the snow. After watching this video, I realize this may have been an expression of his early life. He surely suffered from an intractable depression due to his early traumatic family losses and being moved about because of them. The influence of alcohol from an extremely young age easily could have cause depressive symptoms and surely further affected his processing of information. These could account for his difficulty with relationships. I'm not saying he wasn't on the spectrum, but I think you might have considered these more obvious potential causes of his eccentricity.
Of course, trauma is important in a child's development - but there is no information on this part of his life so anything I might say would have been speculation and I am trying to avoid the wild speculations that were a part of psycho-biographies in the past.
@@professorgraemeyorston The loss of a mother and then caregiving grandmother in early childhood are a clear matter of record as is early alcoholism. The autism diagnosis might be considered the only wild speculation. To be clear, are the "Academic References" you mention the "psycho-biographies"? It seems I should read them to get an answer!
Thank you for this biography into, like you I believe to be such and individual composer. When measured with his life and limited social skills, his music speaks volumes. I have 3 grandchildren with autism, 2 of which are high functioning, yet can concentrate on one skill with brilliance.
This is so interesting! I was once involved in creating an independent, artistic collaboration about Satie, especially focussing on his relationship with Suzanne Valadon. I was working on the visual aspects, & a friend was doing the musical & historic research. But he quickly became totally frustrated, & said that everything he discovered was without substance. I'm glad to see that he was mistaken, although I'm sorry that our production foundered on his inadequate research.
I liked that one of his Gymnopedies (i.e. the one played by Prof. Yorston, at the end), was also featured at the end of the film, 'My Dinner with Andre' from 1981.
Dr Yorston, I couldn't "regain" equilibrium, because I never had it. I would have to *discover* equilibrium Yes, I enjoyed this presentation very much.
There was indeed a period in France, end 19th beginning 20th where composers such as Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saëns went into places of melodic beauty never heard before, well outside traditional, well established modes. Must have had something to do with the luminous 'Années Lumières' in Paris where art and decadence almost became synonyms, attracting artists from all over the world, had I been alive back then, I probably would have ended up living there, at least for a while but only for the art... well, maybe a little decadence as well, you've got to live with the times they say! Thank you for this delightful analysis, I knew nothing of his private life and unfortunate circumstances, brings back the old dilemma, is creation possible without pain and hardships?
Satie was quite an oddity who wrote great music. I can't find the CD liner notes that tell of his odd instructions in his scores. Instead of pianissimo or forte, he wrote something like 'play as if you...' Surreal stuff like 'as if you ate a bad tomato' or 'you woke up with a hangover.' I made up these examples, but the real ones are even better. No wonder he was a friend of many unusual modern artists.
Instructions for the third gnosienne read as follows : sliw, alone for an instant, with clearsighting, advising yourself carefully , as if totally lost, open the head, burrowing the sound.
"Out of the box thinking". Really enjoyed this entertaining, often funny video which certainly gives me much to think about. Where has Sati been all my life? had None of the concerts I have attended had two sides raging pro and con over the composer. But then my musical education has been limited to the conservative. Thanks so much for broadening my horizon. Where can we listen to more of Sati's very diversified work?
Satie is one of my favourite composers - thank you so much for this. As you were describing his life, I kept thinking "neurodivergent- probably ADHD" heh heh heh
Yes - the question is whether they were being consciously disruptive or just doing their own thing which people found disruptive - I suspect the latter.
The weird person or AI of the two comments above seems to turn up in most places I go on RUclips. Having noted that, thank you, Doctor, for this. Gymnopedies may be the single most evocative and melancholy piece of music ever written. Every time I hear it, I'm transported back to 1969, which is when I first heard it ( on the second Blood, Sweat, and Tears album ). And my, does it give me a lump in my throat.
Hello and thank you for putting up this video. As I have appreciated music for years, have you considered one for Smetana and perhaps Nino Rota? Thank you!
@professorgraemeyorston I'd be interested in what you find out. What inspired these composers to write in the way they did and why aren't there current biographies of them?
I wondered why the algorithm offered me this. As I have been watching quite a few channels on ND, I soon had my answer. The term furniture music btw I find especially amusing, because I myself call a certain kind of paintings "Möbelbilder". A term I invariably have to explain. Thank you.
@@professorgraemeyorston I certainly didn't look for you. I clicked for Satie, waiting for more of his music. But what a life! For some reason he reminded me of Erich Mühsam.
He would fit in among artists for sure. At that point in modernism, there was a lot of exploration of new ways of looking and being. There was also a need to criticize through parody. I'm thinking of Duchamp and Dadaist. I find it funny that people on the autistic spectrum have behaviors that artists would not have a problem with if they were around. I have to wonder if that is where the high-functioning autistic people went to hide. On the other hand, art culture can be cruel. I can understand his need to withdraw. Apparently, he got acceptance in the community where he settled. He didn't have running water but neither did Jung. TY for the video. I learn so much from them. (FYI, shyness, introversion, and sensitivity can require a lot of strategies and adaptation to deal with the work-a-day world. Creativity can require time alone that people don't understand. An ex-brother-in-law spent a lot of time restoring cars which was difficult for my sister to understand. Painting, writing, and composing need alone time, too.)
I CAN'T WAIT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT MOZART (BUT PLEASE NO "AMADEUS STUFF) ! 1ST GYMNOPOEDY WAS WHAT MY PIANO TEACHER HAD ME WORK WHEN I TOOK TO PIANO AND 1ST GNOSSIENNE IS THE ONE I STUDIED BY MYSELF 2 YEARS AGO AND IS NOW THE PIECE I PLAY TO START A PIANO SESSION !
Gymnopedies, that weird and melancholic little melody that is so ubiquitous, has always left me wondering who did it and what the title was. It's used waaaay to much in movies and docs to invoke sadness and regret. If I never hear it again, I'll be happy. But we all no doubt, will. 🤪😑
Very well done Prof, interesting and enlightening. I’m curious that the Duchamp brothers never appeared in the script but maybe appeared in the images? I understand that you can’t include everyone but it would seem to me they would have known each other in some way or another. Especially since Man Ray was such a dedicated friend. Thanks for such an interesting biography 🌊🌊🏄♀️🏄♂️
"Being different is not necessarily a bad thing" I couldn’t agree more. It also isn’t necessarily autistic, as all great composers and artists were "different"..
Looking at your minimalist Yayoi Kusama posters on your wall, she'd make a great subject for your next video what caused her to hallucinate polka dots that inspired a lifetime of artistic endeavors
Great video Doc. Now I don't feel so bad about myself. I'm just like Satie. A lazy lousy sight-reading composer. I even wrote 1000 pieces all off the top of my head without even playing them. The few I did play were brilliant and amazing. I had to leave them behind when I left Florida for Las Vegas. Do your phone shrinks take Medicare? Lastly, Satie's music makes me think of someone walking slowly. I can't believe how much I am just like Him.
@professorgraemeyorston Hey Doc, I just found out that Eric Satie and I have the same birthday May 17th. Now it all makes sense. Hey maybe I'm the reincarnation of Satie even though I don't believe in reincarnation. Once again a truly first class video. Thanks!
I think Man Ray was being more literal, I truly think he meant that Satie painted images with his music, which actually is very characteristic of impressionistic music. That’s what it means. It means to make regencies to, to describe, to give visual sensations through music, so you’ve a feeling / visual sensation of dawn, a feeling of fairies flying around, a feeling or visual sensation of wind through the trees… before impressionistic music, you had music which conveyed emotions of course, but by reference; it went alegro or melancholy and slow, or epic etc. impressionistic music describes the visual world - at least, that’s how I’d describe it being a painter and a music lover. Having studied about the history of music a bit too. I’m not expert, they might choose different words. Another artists who mingled music & image, was Kandinsky - obviously the other way around- people & himself I believe, said he made images of music, he represented the sounds in visual terms; Satie represented the visual in auditory language. His mess at home & bit of horsing, collecting pieces of paper or unrelated objects is also part of ADHD, perhaps autism - I’m studying this yet. My whole life I had areas of mess or chaos in my life, I self diagnosed AUADHD these last 2 yrs. I’m going for eval. I didn’t k ow he had been so ground breaking! So controversial actually, and yes! I can totally see his paving the way to abstract and conceptual music… to John Cage. How a-vanguard Satie was! I fear if he wasn’t so ADHD he’d have achieved more, because focus is the root of achievement. Double edge sword of being uniquely creative because of autism-ADHD, but also being a victim of the same condition and therefore performing brilliantly but at lower intensity. Very sad lonely life!
You may be right, but if Man Ray's comment was simply about impressionism in music, then there would have been other composers who would have fit the bill.
One commentator has said he doesn't think Satie went through different periods as everyone suggests, just one, and he was always fascinated by the sacred.
From Montmartre to Arcueil Cachan is a very long walk indeed. Nowadays it is a long ride by bus. Maybe his stepmother should have sent him to the Schola Cantorum rather than the Conservatoire right from the beginning. He might have been happier with less competition from young people better trained than himself. The Schola Cantorum is located next to the magnificent Val de grâce where Queen Ann of Austria ended her life.
As a Black woman, with a son in the military, Gymnopédie has been familiar since childhood, yet until now the title and composer were a mystery. Thank you, Professor Yorston, for another gentle, informative exploration of someone famous I'd never heard of.
You pitch these just right. It's what the spirit of RUclips USED to be - absence of ego and celebrity affectation - just an understated love of life and desire to share it.
Thank you.
Spot on... mellow presentation presented with class and unbiased delivery. Loved hearing the French names of people, places and things, plus the wonderful Post Cards. Many blessings, Satie my main music Hero. Peace out...
@@sitarnut Yes even though the French tend to be arrogant they love art music and beauty. If I had to leave the US I would move to France.
I'm AuDHD and even before being diagnosed -- the first time I heard a Satie piece I knew he was my kin ❤ he's still my favorite composer, and may I admit I love privately conducting his work --thanks!!
❤ asperger's here.
Found this comment, didn't need to post my own. High five.
That's interesting - some autistic people talk about "the A-dar" - being to spot fellow neurodivergents, does this extend to their work?
@@professorgraemeyorston I'm thinking I love Satie's work because it drops deep into my inner being and as I listen I experience a liminal state . I'm conducting as I listen and I live for the sudden changes in tempo and key that brings lyrical joy :-) I'm a poet and write the same way where at times the sound of the words are more important than meaning. It's an incantational chant about the universe and our beauty and the sense is in that.
He with his spiritual striving and social awkwardness might have been writing hymns to neurodiversity ... but I'm not about to put words of meaning in his work. I hope I simply recognize the scruffy artist for who he is.
But I also had the same reaction to Dvorak's Bagatelles. 😀thanks for reading....
@chuzzbot. Same here.
Thank you. Erik Satie is also one of my favourite composers. Prof you did a splendid job researching and presenting this
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it.
I just recently discovered Satie. I like his music very much.
I am a painter and often listen to Satie to settle me down to a meditative calmness.Thank you for your wonderful presentation on his life
Glad you enjoyed it.
Most enjoyable.
As a Frenchman I want to point out that "Ah les vaches." is probably not to be translated as "Ah, the cows" but something like "Ah, the rascals."
Thank you, that makes more sense!
Fetchez la vache! 😉
@@professorgraemeyorston Given Satie's somewhat eccentricity, and me being a non-French speaker, I shall stick with 'Ah, the cows', but thank you for a great essay into Satie and his music.
Thanks for the explanation!
Emily Dickinson, Louise Brooks, Mark Twain, Charles Bukowski,Judy Garland, Caligula, Nero ,Howard Hughes and now Erik Satie? We share a lot of interest in interesting people in common, and those are just the ones off the top of my head. I have never read comments with requests so I'll try; Paganini, Dostoyevsky, Carl Jung and Ayn Rand. I really enjoy this channel to say the least, Thanks for all the great work Doc!
Thank you, great suggestions.
Yes to Carl Jung!
@@professorgraemeyorston please do Jack kirby please
Thank you...wrote a long, vaguely irrelevant, comment. Generalist, wrote thesis on Mark Twain, and the tiny added salary Cary Grant gave Louise Brooks at end of "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" AFTER SHE THOUGHT UP SLOGAN THAT SAVED HIS JOB ...! She was given very stereotyped 'foolish black folk' dialogue in a Thin Man...'telephony' for 'telepathy', me thinx. thanx. Jung, Rand, Garland...less interested...Jung's life....ok, yeah. My comment too long to burden you. retired elderly pauper cripple misanthrope. so writing helps.
What do all these people have in common? I don't know much about most of them. I know Rand, Caligula, Twain, and Hughes a little. Is there some common eccentricity they share? Thanks.
I'm not sure anyone has mentioned it, but at the beginning of the video you showed his birthplace in Honfleur, this is now an amazing museum....but as it's Satie it's like no other birthplace museum. This is a complete immersion in Satie's world...one of mystery, surrealism and childlike wonder! And when you've finished the tour, this place has a trick up it's sleeve - no not just the gift shop.........but you'll just have to go and see for yourself!
Thanks for the heads up, I haven't been, but it sounds fascinating.
Really enjoyed this. You got to love Satie. So original, complex and eccentric. Compliments for being able to decipher and explain such a complicated personality. And compliments on your own piano playing; something I always wished I could do, especially to play Saties beautiful music. Thank you for this video and book suggestions on Satie which I'll certainly look into. He's always been a fascination of mine..
Glad you enjoyed it.
I can't help but interpret music as an expression of one's inner state, and I was so carried away when first hearing Satie that I immediately set out to find who composed such a sublime and solemn piece. I can "hear him".. even from so far away in time.
Despite his eccentricities, something beautiful was going on inside that man.
Nice tribute from you.
Thank you.
I love your choice of subjects to explore.
Thank you.
You know what? I think you are a genius, Professor Graeme. THIS is one of the BEST videos I have ever seen and heard. I had never heard of Erik Satie. THANK YOU very much. USA
Glad you enjoyed it!
Brilliant. I've always been enchanted by the serious-silliness of Satie. His music (aside from the two G-sets) is almost impossible to find and almost never played. But he and I definitely share the same funny bone. With one word or phrase he invariably sets me off (but not Tuesdays).
(Edit:) His drawings, by the way, are exquisite. Instantly communicative and light-hearted. He really had the gift of the perfect sketch.
Couldn't agree more! I think being to capture the essence of something with just a pencil lines is a sign of real artist.
His pieces are some of my favorite but I never knew anything about the man. Thank you for this enthralling biography!
Thanks for watching.
Thankyou for such a poignant and touching rendering of this artist. I've long felt that his music touched me in a special unique way, so much so that for years his music has been my ringtone. But I knew virtually nothing about him until today. My partner, hovering in the background as your video played, was forced to comment " you really have an instinct for finding kindred spirits". So many quirky details of his life and behavior made complete sense to me, and even his sense of humour in all areas resonated like a tinkling bell in the next room. Some people cannot be explained, only appreciated, so thank you again for such fine portrait.
My pleasure, glad you (both) enjoyed it.
Professor Yorston, Many thanks for such an engaging portrait of Satie. The included photographs and your expertise of the human psyche gives us a wonderfully detailed understanding of this important composer. Bravo!
Thanks for watching.
Thank you for your insightful biographies of interesting, unique and talented men and women. I look forward to learning more about Amadeus Mozart. He was certainly a true prodigy and genius. Requiem is in my top 10 favorite musical creations.
Thanks for watching.
I don't know the term for it, but that sustained chord which ends the first part of the Requiem is to me the single most shocking thing in music.
The argument suggesting Satie’s possible autism, or Asperger’s is a very valid one.
As a teacher and private tutor of those on the Spectrum for 40+ years, I see several hints, most prominent among
them social awkwardness, that can support that presumption,
These discussions are quite enjoyable and, far above the typically inferior drivel that has sullied the internet from its
promising beginning.
Please keep up the excellent work, Professor.
Thank you.
So glad to know more about Satie. I absolutely love his piano music.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you, Professor Yorston, I love Erick Satie's Gnossienne No.1, played during the film The Painted Veil. By the author W. Somerset Maugham.
I'll have to see if I can find it - I love Maugham.
Thank you for another immersive learning experience. Loved the piano playing too.
Glad you enjoyed it!
A wonderful documentary of Erik Satie. Very Enjoyable. I believe that at the end of the performance of “Vexations” the audience was reduced to a handful when one Masochist shouted, “Bravo!” and a super Masochist yelled ‘Enchore”. Urbal Myth?
If it is a myth it's a good one!
Lovely. Thank you so much for this portrait. I still remember how enchanted I was when I began to listen to Satie back in the early 1980s. Your work is delightful.
Glad you're enjoying them.
A really great video about one of my very favorite composers, and a huge influence on my own work. A couple of curious pronunciations notwithstanding, this was thoroughly engaging, and even though I'm quite familiar with his life story, I'm glad to see that you made this video, and that you've made it for a general audience who would be less likely to be familiar with him and his work than musicians are. He's always wonderful to revisit.
Thank you.
I have always loved this composer. Lovely that you have bought him to life a bit more with the story of his life. Well done and lovely piano playing!
Thank you.
A fascinating account of Erik Satie's life....Thank you for sharing your passion with us....❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
I often play the Gymnopedies on piano (1-3) and get choked up every time, especially from his jazz-like use of an unresolved major seventh chord. Thank you for explaining their title, which I never understood. A very moving portrait of a very complex and difficult man. I am thankful that the world did not forget him.
Thanks for watching.
I always think of that music as the saddest song in the world, but beautiful.
Truly an original!! One of my favorite...🥰
Mine too!
I must say I love the idea of the postmodern stuff he did. Borges sometimes wrote reviews of non - existent books.
It is why it is impossible to be certain about a "diagnosis" as we don't know how much of his behaviour and his writing about his behaviour is consciously exaggerated.
I always feel compassion with and a sense of belonging whenever I come across an artist who, clearly, struggled but, nevertheless, managed to produce exceptional pieces of work. Satie and van Gough are two such artists. On the other hand my life-long fascination remains with J. S. Bach. During my architecture studies I organized Bach-listening sessions for the students who struggled with conceptual design. It worked for some, some of the time.
Thank you for this calm account of a stormy life.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Good God! This was excellent on so many levels. Top notch research, writing, production values, reference clips, and narration. Thank you. Subscribed
Welcome aboard.
I learned about Erik Satie a few years ago, as a suggestion by someone. I have heard his music. Now, I know more about the man.
Thanks for watching.
Nice one! I discovered Satie by accident, as with most loved discoveries; working a late shift, returning home and flicking on the TV, and one of the local stations was showing an Australian movie called One Night Stand (1984) a drama about nuclear war. During scenes of the protagonist wandering empty city streets, Gymnopédies #1 played on the soundtrack and I was hooked. Next day I went to the music store and bought a Satie cassette (yep, cassette--this was YEARS ago) and I still have it. It's just something about these compositions--they're sparse and lonely, yet beautiful--and a welcome respite from all the bombastic, aural junk that hits us in everyday life.
I agree - gosh cassettes - do you think they'll ever have a comeback like Vinyl?
@professorgraemeyorston Oh, hell no! And for one reason: NOBODY wants to re-live the horror of listening to your favorite cassette when, suddenly, your tape player decides to eat it and you have to spend hours disentangling a mess of crumpled tape (in old car stereos this was nearly impossible.) I think CDs will be popular again, only because the prices of vinyl are skyrocketing. Prices were fair for awhile, but then the inevitable gouging set in because of the vinyl craze. I don't care how much of a genius Bob Dylan may be, but shucking out $33.00 for his new album is ridiculous!
Thank you for sharing the very interesting life of Erik Satie. I’ll admit I wasn’t as familiar with his life, just that beautifully haunting piece of his. I’m curious to really delve into his work and hear with fresh ears. ☺️
Thank you, I'm glad it has prompted you to look further into his music.
Thank you, Professor Yorston. Yours is one of the very best video biographies of Satie that I've seen. As someone who's been obsessed with Satie since I 'discovered' him at the age of sixteen in 1968, I've learned quite a bit about the life and music the man. Your video was familiar, yet fresh. I really enjoyed it. By the way, regarding Satie's neurodivergence, I read years ago about his 'trinitarian obession' (writing many pieces in groups of three) and other behaviors that were considered consistent with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. Having something of a Satie obsession myself (baking birthday cakes for him on May 17th, marrying my wife to the strains of the first Gymnopedie, and planning our honeymoon in France around Satie's life in Paris, Honfleur, and Arcueil, among many other Satie-centric eccentricities) I've always been partial to the OCD theory. Whatever the cause of his genius, I'm just grateful for it.
Wow, you really are a fan. Obsessive compulsive behaviour is very common in autistic spectrum disorder, and many people were misdiagnosed as having OCD in the days before high functioning autism was recognised.
I play 2 of his pieces on guitar Gymnopedie #1 and Je Te Veux, people love them both, his music is so soothing, as is the art and music from that era, my favorite era!
It was such an rich period in all of the arts.
Just found your channel. Thank you! It is great and Satie’s music just won’t let me go.💖
Welcome aboard.
I first heard Gymnopédies laying in bed trying to fall asleep one night, it was some of the most beautiful music I had ever heard.
PS. Your rendition was lovely.🙏
Thank you.
Innovator.One of a kind.Great sense of humor.Film scorer, collaborator,classic seeming contradictions..fear or technology, invented prepared piano, ground breaking collaborations with visual artists.Iconoclast,de-constructor of forms.
He was indeed.
When in Paris in 2016, I came across his place in Montmartre on the corner of the street where SV's is now a museum.
I'm planning a cultural tour of Paris for my visit.
What a gem of a video.
I remember watching, Spike Milligan - Face Your Image, and the introduction music was Gymnopédie. I instantly loved the music.
I then searched for Erik Satie, and discovered he was a fascinating, eccentric character.
Thanks for all your informative videos.
Thanks for watching.
I'm a fan of Satie's music and Dadaist writing and I really liked this video. I will see it again. Thank you from Portugal.
Obrigado.
Gymnopedies No.1 reminds me of contemplating your life on a rainy evening...
Nice image.
WONDERFUL, this was so fascinating in deed.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you Brother! As a neurodivergent person I cried a bunch 🙃 and truly appreciate this post.
You are so welcome
I'm so glad the YT algorithm suggested your channel. I've subscribed. Thank you ❤
Welcome aboard!
The mind, known only to one but analyzed by many, which is important - will often leave wonder. Great presentation, your music interest/understanding is also appreciated. I can hear keys played on a piano wherever I may be, having to stop and listen. I would expand on my opinions on his life, but not my field. Thanks again.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you for introducing me to Erik Satie. Very interested in listening to soothing music. Your channel is one of my favorites.
Awesome! Thank you!
This genius was way ahead of himself, not the godfather but grandfather of pop art, constantly reinventing himself. Crystallized intelligence no doubt. Fantastic channel 👍.
Thank you.
Fascinating study -- Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Stravinsky described him as a "Knowing card."
Interesting, thank you.
Brilliant Video !!!!! Thanks for sharing
Glad you enjoyed it
The Impressionist period is my favourite in both music + art.
I adore Satie’s music. Poulenc also
Yes, I'm a fan of Poulenc as well - another iconoclast.
Les Trois Gymnopedies, specifically No.1, has always brought peace to my anxious mind. I also found it both a bit haunting and melancolic, and quite like someone trudging through the snow. After watching this video, I realize this may have been an expression of his early life. He surely suffered from an intractable depression due to his early traumatic family losses and being moved about because of them. The influence of alcohol from an extremely young age easily could have cause depressive symptoms and surely further affected his processing of information. These could account for his difficulty with relationships. I'm not saying he wasn't on the spectrum, but I think you might have considered these more obvious potential causes of his eccentricity.
Of course, trauma is important in a child's development - but there is no information on this part of his life so anything I might say would have been speculation and I am trying to avoid the wild speculations that were a part of psycho-biographies in the past.
@@professorgraemeyorston The loss of a mother and then caregiving grandmother in early childhood are a clear matter of record as is early alcoholism. The autism diagnosis might be considered the only wild speculation. To be clear, are the "Academic References" you mention the "psycho-biographies"? It seems I should read them to get an answer!
Great video! Thank you! nice advert for Yayoi Kusama too! She must be nearly Satie's age!!
Close, she was born 4 years after Satie died in 1929.
Thank you for this biography into, like you I believe to be such and individual composer. When measured with his life and limited social skills, his music speaks volumes. I have 3 grandchildren with autism, 2 of which are high functioning, yet can concentrate on one skill with brilliance.
Thanks for watching.
What a treat to hear about Satie's life. I only knew about his umbrella collecting. I am sure the DSM V has Umbrellosis or something similar.
You may be right with comorbid shirtcollarosis
@@professorgraemeyorston
Back in the day, much of it was going around, around their necks.
Thanks for your well-researched content.
This is so interesting! I was once involved in creating an independent, artistic collaboration about Satie, especially focussing on his relationship with Suzanne Valadon. I was working on the visual aspects, & a friend was doing the musical & historic research. But he quickly became totally frustrated, & said that everything he discovered was without substance. I'm glad to see that he was mistaken, although I'm sorry that our production foundered on his inadequate research.
Give me a call if you want to resurrect the idea!
@professorgraemeyorston I live in Czechia, so I'm a wee bit far away!
Fascinating out line of an artistic genius and possibly a for runner of Frank Zappa.
Thank you.
I adore Satie's music Professor, so I was extremely happy to see your profile.
Thank you.
Excellent work... Thank you!!!
Glad you liked it!
I want more of your videos...but can they be longer please...I just get a warm & comfy in bed, and then they end....😂
I'll see what I can do!
I liked that one of his Gymnopedies (i.e. the one played by Prof. Yorston, at the end), was also featured at the end of the film, 'My Dinner with Andre' from 1981.
I don't know that one - I'll have to see if I can find it.
Dr Yorston, I couldn't "regain" equilibrium, because I never had it. I would have to *discover* equilibrium
Yes, I enjoyed this presentation very much.
It's an elusive thing - equilibrium.
He left us his essence.
He did indeed.
I enjoyed hearing the interesting report of Satie. I hope you do one on the flamboyant Irish poet, Oscar Wilde.
Oh yes, Wilde is definitely on the to do list.
There was indeed a period in France, end 19th beginning 20th where composers such as Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Saint-Saëns went into places of melodic beauty never heard before, well outside traditional, well established modes. Must have had something to do with the luminous 'Années Lumières' in Paris where art and decadence almost became synonyms, attracting artists from all over the world, had I been alive back then, I probably would have ended up living there, at least for a while but only for the art... well, maybe a little decadence as well, you've got to live with the times they say! Thank you for this delightful analysis, I knew nothing of his private life and unfortunate circumstances, brings back the old dilemma, is creation possible without pain and hardships?
I agree, Paris between 1890 and 1920 must have been an amazing place to be as an artist.
Satie was quite an oddity who wrote great music. I can't find the CD liner notes that tell of his odd instructions in his scores. Instead of pianissimo or forte, he wrote something like 'play as if you...' Surreal stuff like 'as if you ate a bad tomato' or 'you woke up with a hangover.' I made up these examples, but the real ones are even better. No wonder he was a friend of many unusual modern artists.
He was unique.
Instructions for the third gnosienne read as follows : sliw, alone for an instant, with clearsighting, advising yourself carefully , as if totally lost, open the head, burrowing the sound.
Thank you for the respectful video and lovely piano performance at the end.
Thank you very much!
Thank you for the piano playing too
Thanks - I'm not quite ready to give up the day job just yet!
"Out of the box thinking". Really enjoyed this entertaining, often funny video which certainly gives me much to think about. Where has Sati been all my life? had None of the concerts I have attended had two sides raging pro and con over the composer. But then my musical education has been limited to the conservative. Thanks so much for broadening my horizon. Where can we listen to more of Sati's very diversified work?
Most of it is available on RUclips - even 12hours of vexations.
Loved this one so much
@@professorgraemeyorston Thank you!
Satie is one of my favourite composers - thank you so much for this. As you were describing his life, I kept thinking "neurodivergent- probably ADHD" heh heh heh
Read my mind!
Thanks again, doc.
My pleasure.
Might Satie be the same type of disruptive artist as.....Andy Warhol? (Edited: I wrote that before you mentioned Andy in your video!)
Yes - the question is whether they were being consciously disruptive or just doing their own thing which people found disruptive - I suspect the latter.
Lovely presentation style. Totally engaging. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
The weird person or AI of the two comments above seems to turn up in most places I go on RUclips. Having noted that, thank you, Doctor, for this. Gymnopedies may be the single most evocative and melancholy piece of music ever written.
Every time I hear it, I'm transported back to 1969, which is when I first heard it ( on the second Blood, Sweat, and Tears album ). And my, does it give me a lump in my throat.
There is just something timeless about it.
Hello and thank you for putting up this video. As I have appreciated music for years, have you considered one for Smetana and perhaps Nino Rota?
Thank you!
Thank you, I'll look into them.
@professorgraemeyorston I'd be interested in what you find out. What inspired these composers to write in the way they did and why aren't there current biographies of them?
Consistently delightful.
Thanks for watching.
I wondered why the algorithm offered me this. As I have been watching quite a few channels on ND, I soon had my answer.
The term furniture music btw I find especially amusing, because I myself call a certain kind of paintings "Möbelbilder". A term I invariably have to explain.
Thank you.
Glad you found us.
@@professorgraemeyorston I certainly didn't look for you. I clicked for Satie, waiting for more of his music. But what a life!
For some reason he reminded me of Erich Mühsam.
And thank you for reminding me that I have a Satie CD. Now I will listen to it on a loop. As soothing as Glass's Metamorphosis.
Thanks!
Thank you very much.
He would fit in among artists for sure. At that point in modernism, there was a lot of exploration of new ways of looking and being. There was also a need to criticize through parody. I'm thinking of Duchamp and Dadaist. I find it funny that people on the autistic spectrum have behaviors that artists would not have a problem with if they were around. I have to wonder if that is where the high-functioning autistic people went to hide. On the other hand, art culture can be cruel. I can understand his need to withdraw. Apparently, he got acceptance in the community where he settled. He didn't have running water but neither did Jung. TY for the video. I learn so much from them. (FYI, shyness, introversion, and sensitivity can require a lot of strategies and adaptation to deal with the work-a-day world. Creativity can require time alone that people don't understand. An ex-brother-in-law spent a lot of time restoring cars which was difficult for my sister to understand. Painting, writing, and composing need alone time, too.)
I think you're right - if you struggle with the unwritten rule of society - what better place to hide than a group of artists challenging those rules.
Wow. The illustrations. Great documentary. Ps how about Jon Hassel?
Thanks, I'll look into him.
Very interesting. Thank you. Greetings from Norway.
Takk!
I CAN'T WAIT WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT MOZART (BUT PLEASE NO "AMADEUS STUFF) ! 1ST GYMNOPOEDY WAS WHAT MY PIANO TEACHER HAD ME WORK WHEN I TOOK TO PIANO AND 1ST GNOSSIENNE IS THE ONE I STUDIED BY MYSELF 2 YEARS AGO AND IS NOW THE PIECE I PLAY TO START A PIANO SESSION !
Amadeus was a great play/film - but not very accurate!
Gymnopedies, that weird and melancholic little melody that is so ubiquitous, has always left me wondering who did it and what the title was. It's used waaaay to much in movies and docs to invoke sadness and regret. If I never hear it again, I'll be happy. But we all no doubt, will. 🤪😑
Now you know!
Very well done Prof, interesting and enlightening. I’m curious that the Duchamp brothers never appeared in the script but maybe appeared in the images? I understand that you can’t include everyone but it would seem to me they would have known each other in some way or another. Especially since Man Ray was such a dedicated friend. Thanks for such an interesting biography 🌊🌊🏄♀️🏄♂️
Thank you, he really was at the heart of artistic, literary and musical Paris, I simply couldn't include everyone he knew .
So interesting. Thank you.
Thanks for watching.
A very interesting man. Enjoyed your piano at the end.
Thank you.
Engaging and humorous - thank you
Thank you.
"Being different is not necessarily a bad thing" I couldn’t agree more. It also isn’t necessarily autistic, as all great composers and artists were "different"..
I agree which is why I look at other areas of their lives to see how they function.
Looking at your minimalist Yayoi Kusama posters on your wall, she'd make a great subject for your next video what caused her to hallucinate polka dots that inspired a lifetime of artistic endeavors
Yes, she is fascinating person, I'll be doing a video about her at some point.
Great video Doc. Now I don't feel so bad about myself. I'm just like Satie. A lazy lousy sight-reading composer. I even wrote 1000 pieces all off the top of my head without even playing them. The few I did play were brilliant and amazing. I had to leave them behind when I left Florida for Las Vegas. Do your phone shrinks take Medicare? Lastly, Satie's music makes me think of someone walking slowly. I can't believe how much I am just like Him.
Thank you.
@professorgraemeyorston Hey Doc, I just found out that Eric Satie and I have the same birthday May 17th. Now it all makes sense. Hey maybe I'm the reincarnation of Satie even though I don't believe in reincarnation. Once again a truly first class video. Thanks!
Thank you
Thanks for watching.
Erik Satie = Genius
Very true.
Thankyou.
Glad you enjoyed it.
Nicely done.
Thanks!
I think Man Ray was being more literal, I truly think he meant that Satie painted images with his music, which actually is very characteristic of impressionistic music. That’s what it means. It means to make regencies to, to describe, to give visual sensations through music, so you’ve a feeling / visual sensation of dawn, a feeling of fairies flying around, a feeling or visual sensation of wind through the trees… before impressionistic music, you had music which conveyed emotions of course, but by reference; it went alegro or melancholy and slow, or epic etc. impressionistic music describes the visual world - at least, that’s how I’d describe it being a painter and a music lover. Having studied about the history of music a bit too. I’m not expert, they might choose different words.
Another artists who mingled music & image, was Kandinsky - obviously the other way around- people & himself I believe, said he made images of music, he represented the sounds in visual terms; Satie represented the visual in auditory language.
His mess at home & bit of horsing, collecting pieces of paper or unrelated objects is also part of ADHD, perhaps autism - I’m studying this yet. My whole life I had areas of mess or chaos in my life, I self diagnosed AUADHD these last 2 yrs. I’m going for eval.
I didn’t k ow he had been so ground breaking! So controversial actually, and yes! I can totally see his paving the way to abstract and conceptual music… to John Cage. How a-vanguard Satie was!
I fear if he wasn’t so ADHD he’d have achieved more, because focus is the root of achievement.
Double edge sword of being uniquely creative because of autism-ADHD, but also being a victim of the same condition and therefore performing brilliantly but at lower intensity.
Very sad lonely life!
You may be right, but if Man Ray's comment was simply about impressionism in music, then there would have been other composers who would have fit the bill.
"Socrate" has elements of sacred music.
One commentator has said he doesn't think Satie went through different periods as everyone suggests, just one, and he was always fascinated by the sacred.
44:52 Bravo!
Thank you.
From Montmartre to Arcueil Cachan is a very long walk indeed. Nowadays it is a long ride by bus.
Maybe his stepmother should have sent him to the Schola Cantorum rather than the Conservatoire right from the beginning. He might have been happier with less competition from young people better trained than himself. The Schola Cantorum is located next to the magnificent Val de grâce where Queen Ann of Austria ended her life.
Interesting, thank you.
Fascinating.
Thank you.