Thursday 4 August 2016
Tune of the Day: Gnossienne No. 3
by Erik Satie, arranged for flute and piano
The Gnossiennes are piano compositions written by the French composer Erik Satie in the late 19th century. They are mostly in free time (lacking time signatures or bar divisions) and highly experimental with form, rhythm and chordal structure.
This third Gnossienne, composed around 1890, contains a number of very unusual indications: “Conseillez-vous soigneusement” (“advise yourself carefully”), “Munissez-vous de clairvoyance” (“arm yourself with clairvoyance”), “Seul, pendant un instant” (“alone, for a moment”), “De manière à obtenir un creux” (“so as to form a hollow”), “Très perdu” (“very lost”), “Portez cela plus loin” (“carry it further”), “Ouvrez la tête” (“open your head”), “Enfouissez le son” (“bury the sound”).