Satie, Alfred-Erik-Leslie

(1866-1925)

   composer

   Born in Honfleur, Alfred-Erik-Leslie Satie, or Erik Satie, as he is known, came to Paris in 1879 and studied at the Paris Conservatoire. Rebelling against its academic discipline, he enlisted in the army, which he soon left as well. He then worked as a conductor and pianist in the cabarets of Montmartre (Le Chat noir, L'Auberge du Clou) where he met claude debussy, who became his lifelong friend. An innovator as well as a rebel, Satie anticipated the future of French music, and many younger composers hailed him as a master, particularly the innovative group of Les Six. Older composers such as Debussy and maurice ravel were influenced also by his compositions. Satie studied counterpoint at the Schola cantorum with vincent d'indy and albert roussel (1905-08), after which he composed works with ironic titles, often inspired by impressionism (Aperçus désagréables, En habit de cheval, Véritables préludes flasques pour un chien, Descriptions automatiques, Embryons déssechés, Heures séculaires et instantées). During World War I, he was connected with Russian impressario Sergey Diaghilev, Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, and jean cocteau. Fame came to Satie with his ballet Parade, with a prologue by Cocteau, choreography by jules mas-sine, and costumes and sets by Picasso. This first "cubist" spectacle caused a scandal that in turn produced the Arcueil school of music. Satie then wrote his masterpiece, Socrate, a "symphonic drama" based on the writings of Plato as translated by victor cousin (1918). Satie made an indelible mark on the stylists of his times, including Russian composer Igor Stravinsky.