Dorf tries, unsuccesfully in my opinion, to argue that Socrate by Erik Satie has themes of gayness. I do not find his argument to be convincing in the slightest. The pieces was written for the Princess de Polignac, who was openly gay in a time when that was very much frowned upon. However, I don’t think this piece was meant to convey that at all. I am aware that ancient Greece was more than tolerant to homosexuality, in a way that was much more enlightened than Western attitudes since then up until a few years ago. However, being straight myself, I may not be the best one to judge this. Yes, Socrate is based on ancient Greek themes, and yes, it is different from other Satie works, but that alone is not enough to call it a musical expression of gayness.
Moore’s argument is much better, in part since Francis Poulenc was actually gay (or possibly bi), unlike Erik Satie. Therefore, it makes more intuitive sense to me that Poulenc would express his gayness in his work. Moore also provides a much more solid ground to think this, talking about the campy nature of Les Biches. Camp is far more strongly associated with gayness than ancient Greece is, so I think Moore is right and Dorf is wrong.
1 Samuel Dorf, “‘Étrange, n’est-ce pas?’ The Princesse Edmond de Polignac, Erik Satie’s Socrate, and a Lesbian Aesthetic of Music?” FLS: Queer Sexualities in French and Francophone Literature and Film 34 (2007), 87-99.
2 Christopher Moore, “Camp in Francis Poulenc’s Early Ballets,” Musical Quarterly 95 (Summer-Fall 2012), 299-342.