In the late 19th century, Paris was know as the cultural capital of Paris with the Société nationale de musique being established the population of Paris reaching two million. A sense of reawakening with national self esteem was much needed after a humiliating loss after the Franco-Prussian War. However, for many years before and after it was wondered what was purely French and did that even exist? It seemed that composers always had some sort of influence from outside France making many wonder, what is pure French music?
French composers were know to take their ideas from other influences such as Wagner in Germany with a more naturalistic sound and linguistic expression in Debussy’s music and the Russian Five which was composed of popular composers such as Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Modest Mussorgsky that thrived off of finding a pure Russian sound. For example, in Debussy’s Baudelaire Songs (1889) innovative modal combinations are used along with more standard harmonic progressions. Additionally, Debussy used elements of Javanese Gamelan music in the second movement of String Quartet (1893). This quite contrasts what Satie was known for as a composer.
With the help of the development of music in France, it was able to find a sense of nationalism and pride. Satie was know to be “quintessentially French” because of its simplicity such as in Trois Sarabandes (1887). Benedict Andersen says, “It is an imagined political community and is imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign” (6). This, to me, simply says that nationalism is imagined and in this case, to say that some French music is not French because it is not one hundred percent French is bogus. Not even Satie’s pure music is pure French, however it is delicate and appropriate for the time period.
However, in Satie’s music, you can hear how simple it really is and can be compared to elevator music almost. I quite like Satie’s music and how simple and clear it sounds to many. Funny how I actually chose to listen to this specific piece as I write this.
To some, such as Cocteau, Debussy was all over the place while Satie kept his way fairly well. in Satie’s Parade (1916-1917), some impressionist found it to be plain and have no “spice” but each of Satie’s compositions is an example of relinquishment ( Cock and Harlequin, pp. 26). However it was meant to be simple. He is not just pulling together ideas from composers from other countries such as Debussy and many more.
“Maurice Ravel pointed to on several occasions, and wrote that Satie ‘has exercised an influence on several generations of French composers: on Debussy, on myself [Ravel], on the so-called group Les Six, and on many younger ones…'” (Erik Satie and the Art of Simplicity). This simplicity of his pieces could even use the word sober to describe his compositions not the use of the word boring. When thinking about Satie’s writing, one could think that it may be simple but a type of minimalism.
This video listed above is Satie’s second most popular piece called Trois morceaux en forme de poire or translated to: (Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear). These insane titles brought attention to many other composers in wonder of what it meant.
Overall, Satie can be seen as one form of French music as some see Debussy to be the most pure form. It is somewhat subjective and based off of what you believe nationalism is for France and honestly, what music you prefer.