Book Description
illustrated, performance texts, essays & memoirs
Customer Reviews:
"Grandly forgetting the present".......2006-03-11
I would like to relate to you all the occasion of my first encounter with "A Mammal's Notebook". I had found a copy in my university's library. On the train-ride home that same day I started to read. I found Satie's words and satirical sense of humour so delightful that it was impossible for me to put the book away when my train ride came to an end, so my 20-minute walk home became a half hour walk-read with occcasional bursts of laughter. (I guess I looked a little strange, but one often feels compelled to do strange things when immersed in the eccentric world of Satie, who was a true maverick.) Since that time, I have spent many an hour enthralled by this book. (Luckily, I have since invested in my own copy)
Now, I may be a little obsessive, but I think many others will also enjoy A Mammal's Notebook.
About the contents:
Satie is an enigmatic character. He very rarely discussed his own composition processes, so if you are looking for that, you will not find it here.
What you will find includes:
-A mini biography and timeline
-Translations of the witty and mysterious texts that accompany many of his pieces.
-A list of Satie's eccentric performance markings translated to English (e.g. Almost invisible..., Avoid any sacrilegious excitement... Grandly forgetting the present,... etc)
-Articles which he wrote for publication (on various topics: his contemporaries, the art of reading aloud, books, etc.)
-Transcriptions of speeches
-Other writings and musings which weren't intended for publication
-Sketches (of unusual architectural constructions, boats, etc.)
The only thing missing here is an analysis of the material included, but that point is forgivable as there analyses out there. (I would encourage other readers not to skip the end notes as these do give context to some of the items included.)
A highly recomended collection.
A most wonderful Book!.......1999-07-27
This book gives a delightful introduction to the life, letters and drawings of Erik Satie, one of the greatest artistic minds of the century. Although his music is his foremost contribution to the world, his writings and drawings express his gently humourous and damning views of the world and offer tremendous insight to his musical work. The book includes a list of the directions his wrote in his musical scores, which are marvellously absurdist. The drawings include the many somewhat enigmatic "advertisement" drawings he made in later life as well as Memoirs of an amnesiac and A mammmal's Notebook. There is also a libretto for a ballet which Satie presented to the directors of the Paris Opera (it was refused) as well as a play with incidental music. Satie's work has been very well translated and quite a bit of it is in both translation and the origonal french, which is lovely if you speak french and enables you to realize how good the translation is. Also, there are no annoying, silly views on Satie by stodgy editors and biographers. One can draw one's own conclusions.I cannot imagine a better book on Satie.
Book Description
The largest Satie collection of piano works yet published, 17 in all, reprinted from the original French editions.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent compilation.......2007-06-18
I have tried to find such a compilation for so long that I almost quit, until I tried amazon. It is very easy to read and the translation is very nice.
Very recommended for any Satie fan and player.
Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes and Other Works for Piano.......1999-12-04
This is a very nice and large collection of Satie's works for piano. All of the pieces are reproduced from the original publications and Satie's comments in the original French are included and translated on the bottom of the pages. All three versions of Gymnopedies are there, but only the first 3 Gnossiennes. Many of Satie's compositions aren't divided into measures and it is very interesting to see how he actually wrote the music with his comments. Pieces like the Gnossiennes should be listened to before you actually play them. A good interpretation of all 6 is the CD Satie, 3 Gymnopedies and other piano works by Pascal Roge. Mr. Roge interprets the music beautifully. Then you can play them. Some of the other works included in this book are Sarabandes, Pieces froides (very interesting music), Embryons desseches, Morceaux en frome de Poire and there are 3 pieces written for 4 hands.
Great analysis of Satie's music.......1999-09-21
I think this book is a "must-read" for whom likes Erik Satie's musik and new tendencies "modern music". The book price is really interesting, and as says Descartes: "L'on fait mieux des oeufs avec de l'eau qu'un hydrocéphale".
Book Description
Portrays the cultural bohemia of turn-of-the-century Paris who carried the arts into a period of renewal and accomplishment, who laid the ground-work for Dadaism and Surrealism.
Customer Reviews:
A Feast for the Soul.......2006-09-15
Shattuck's book is astounding, lyrically written and effectively framed with detailed discussions of the Parisian political and social scene around the Belle Epoque to give perspective. All of the profiles are well crafted and "Death By Hallucination" is the most insightful discussion of monstre sacre Jarry that I have read.
Anyone who reads any portion of this book is instantly at least 10% more interesting and intelligent than they were the moment before. It will clear your skin, lift your spirit and make you more attractive. Read it. NOW.
The Life of the Absurd..........2004-09-15
Around the turn of the last century there was an unsettled fringe to "Art". There was the mainstream - formal just-so predictable and safe. The framework and structure of being an artist was beginning to fray however - the idea that "Art" should continue to evolve into something else to grow beyond the rigid box that artists and society were so comfortable with.
It is hard to put into words exactly what these four artists attempted to do to their perspective fields, painting, music and writing - they strove to both make "Art" plastic (malleable) and new - to create "Art" beyond "Art" as it were. Even the knowledgeable at the time struggled to define as they themselves exactly what they were doing...
But from primitivism in art to ubu to monotonal music to surrealism to painted neckties, these artists redefined the role of artist to their art. It would be easier to say that Satie or especially Jarry were art themselves their very state of being being "Art". Art as life or life as art or a witch's brew of the two blurred the line between being and performance (Truman Capote, Andy Warhol would have fit right into these guys as well as Timothy Leary and his LSD visionaries).
Cubism and Dadaism - modern art as we understand it today - owes a great debt to these men. Destitute, literally either one step from starvation or madness (or both), their vision of their "Art" and their willingness to bear the cost of bring that "Art" out (there were riots at performances of Satie and Jarry, Apollinaire was jailed and Rousseau was delittled)paved the way for Picasso and Dali.
This book is not a particularly easy read, it wanders between the dryness of a college textbook and an almost lyrical prose at times. And the author seems to expect some knowledge of art and the period from the beginning, a little more background would have been helpful. But I learned a lot for the effort so I would recommend the book to the interested student of the period.
If you like this sort of thing this is something you'll like.......2004-04-21
Roger Shattuck, presents a picture of avant-garde France in the period 1880-1915 as seen through the lives of four of its most prominent artists.
The belle époque, was the time before the first World War when new forms of art and philosophy were beginning to emerge. Artists began to break away from traditional concepts and to invent new ways to express themselves. For those in the avant-garde, art was not simply an object or a composition that was conceived, begun and finished. Rather they embraced the idea of being their own best works.
The institutions which had defined their society were in disarray. The social order of the past, depended on a large population of rural farmers supporting an elite few in the urban centers, was being turned upside down.
Technology was causing great disruptions in the old order as well. Events began to move faster and increasingly people began to be enslaved by the office clock and the factory whistle. To many people, the simple solutions of the past offered by the church and the government and their local community no longer seemed relevant to the contemporary world. Shattuck identifies four traits common to these artists
They all embraced childhood and a childish simplicity. Jarry's most famous work was a play, Ubu Roi, begun in elementary school. Satie wondered what kind of music a one-year old would create. All four emulated the innocence and naivety found in childhood during their adulthood.
Another characteristic was a strong sense of humor and of the absurd in the work and lives of the avant-garde artists of the time. Jarry and Apollionaire would each paint neckties on paper and wear the results to formal restaurants. Satie would annotate his musical compositions with absurd instructions to the musician and dire warnings as to the consequences if the orders were disobeyed. In their actions and their art we see them returning to the tradition of the court jester, able to speak the truth but only as a joke.
Thirdly, in questioning all that was traditional and real, these artists sought to create a dreamlike experience in the waking world.
Lastly, there was theme of ambiguity and equivocalness. They spurned the notion that art could have only one correct interpretation even their own works.
Henri Rousseau retired from being a customs inspector to move to Paris and start life anew as an artist at the age of 40. He was completely self-taught in his subject area and his work defied the style of his day.
Erik Satie was an innovative composer and musician who also served as a mentor for younger composers. Satie's compositions are filled with non-traditional instruments such as rattles and typewriters and unusual names such as "vexations". His eccentricities were well known among his contemporaries most notably that he never allowed anyone to visit the apartment where he lived the last quarter century of his life.
Alfred Jarry was a schoolboy when he got the inspiration for his greatest play. A crude unpopular teacher was the butt of school yard pranks and the subject of underground student plays. Later in Paris, Jarry would expand on those plays to create the character of Ubu a cruel and greedy man who plots to become King of Poland only to end up deposed and exiled to Paris. Ubu was the character Jarry created to comment on the human condition. Ubu's insights into his own situation echo Jarry's insight into the world. Jarry adopted much from his fictional character and over time he and Ubu become synonymous with the citizens of Paris.
Guillaume Apollionaire came to Paris at the age of twenty from Rome. He quickly was able to make a mark for himself within the bohemian cliques and in café society. Apollionaire was able to fund much of his literary work with his semi-pornographic novels. He founded a literary magazine and served as a columnist and editor on other periodicals. As a reviewer of modern art he was able to bring artists such as Henri Rousseau to the attention of a wider audience. Sensitive to his position as a foreigner, Apollionaire sought naturalization and enlisted in the French Army during the World War. He was wounded in the head and invalided out of the service in 1916 and died from the worldwide influenza epidemic in 1918.
The Banquet Years is by no means an easy read. Readers who do not posses a working knowledge of Paris in this period or of the Avant-Garde artistic movement of the time will find it difficult to enjoy this comprehensive view of the period. Places and names are often mentioned without any explanation that would assist in placing them in context. While the book provides insights into the lives and works of some artists whose influence persists down to modern times, this is not an ideal introduction to the times, but rather is best appreciated by those who already have a basic understanding of the period and its theories of art and philosophy.
Placing the review and appreciation of the artist at the conclusion of the biography would make sense in a biography for more conventional figures. However, these four attempted to direct their lives with the same inspiration that they did their art. Thus it can be difficult to understand the facts of the live of Jarry without a guide to the work that so consumed him. Shattuck possesses such an easy familiarity with the works of his subjects that he does occasionally forget to fill the reader in on the importance of the piece in question.
Shattuck has created a book which can be read on different levels by those with different interests. Art, History, and Philosophy are all equally present in this work. While it can be appreciated simply as a story of four remarkable men and four remarkable lives, to fully appreciate it, the reader must come to the book prepared to work hard for the insights it offers.
Hard to put down.......2003-08-31
I agree with other reviewers that the section on Alfred Jarry is especially strong, but the whole thing is great. Shattuck is a brilliant scholar, and a very lively writer. Presenting history from the viewpoint of a group of eccentrics results in surprises on every page. I bought this book as a fan of Shattuck's work on Proust (who gets only a brief mention in this book), and as a fan of Erik Satie (Contrary to the second-last reviewer, Satie's work is widely available, and it's well worth a listen), but now I think I'm a fan of Alfred Jarry as well; I've just placed an order for Jarry's Ubu Roi.
The Pleasures of Art and Pataphysics.......2003-01-15
Since encountering this wonderful and fascinating book during my first year in college, I have felt its influence in many parts of my life. My nickname shows the influence of Alfred Jarry and his Dr. Faustroll, even though I often identify more with the character Panmuphle. Just for introducing and explaining Jarry, Roger Shattuck's book is worth a good look. Yet another phenomenon that is more complex than its surface first suggests -- the painting of Henri Rousseau -- becomes better understood and more deeply appreciated through Shattuck's chapters on art in Paris at the turn of the 20th century. He certainly educated and influenced my own artistic preferences. And there is more, on poetry and music, but enough said. This is a book of enduring value.
Average customer rating:
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Art and the Everyday: Popular Entertainment and the Circle of Erik Satie (Clarendon Paperbacks)
Nancy Perloff
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
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ASIN: 0198163983 |
Book Description
Eric Satie's Parade (1917) had a profound influence on the composers Milhaud, Poulenc, and Auric, for whom it represented an attempt to fuse `art' with everyday life. Perloff shows how these composers rejected Impressionism, adopting elements of parody, diversity, and nostalgia from cabaret, circus, and music-hall. Now available in paperback, her detailed examination offers a fascinating and new context for the study of Satie and Les Six.
Book Description
In Paris, at the turn of the twentieth century, when artists were experimenting with new ways of seeing things, Erik Satie had something new to say about music. Most people didn't understand his pieces; critics called his music surreal. But Erik Satie didn't care. He wanted to make music that followed no rules but its own. Satie's life was strange and wonderful, frenetic and lonely all at the same time. He was friends with Picasso, and with wizards and puppeteers; he scraped himself with a stone instead of bathing, and he once threw his acrobat girlfriend out a window. Now award-winning author M. T. Anderson tells the story of the irreverent French composer in a biography that is witty, accessible, and endlessly surprising, while Petra Mathers' fanciful illustrations capture all the vibrancy that was Erik Satie's topsy-turvy world.
Illustrations by Petra Mathers.
Customer Reviews:
A Composer Children Can Love.......2006-01-30
I read this beautiful book to my daughter (not quite 4 years old) for the first time while listening to Satie's music, and she was entranced. She frequently requests repeated readings, and makes me stop periodically to just listen to the music. The pictures and words are a perfect compliment to this odd man and his enchanting music, without sugar-coating the difficulties that so often accompany genius. I will seek out more books by this writer and artist.
This is an excellent book.......2004-03-19
This is an excellent book. My son wondered why Mr. Satie was referred to as "strange," and his question was soon answered. M.T. Anderson gives some amusing anecdotes about this composer who was relatively unknown and quite poor during his lifetime. One example is that Mr. Satie did not take baths, but rather rubbed himself with a stone to get clean. How clean we wondered? The book creates an interest to hear Satie's music and is educational.
Book Description
Includes: Trois Gymnopedies; Six Gnossiennes; Sonneries de la Rose + Croix (3 pieces); Pieces froides (6 pieces); La Diva de l'Empire; Je te veux; Le Piccadilly; Poudre d'or; La Belle Excentrique (2 pieces); Vexations.
Book Description
French master's brilliant thumbnail sketches — verbal and musical — of various outdoor sports and amusements. English translations, 20 illustrations. Rare, limited 1925 edition.
Customer Reviews:
deceptive.......2007-10-02
Buyer beware. These pieces are not playable unless you have magical vision or infinite patience. They are written by hand (reproductions of Satie's notation), and the notations are very small; also, the right and left hand parts are not always clearly aligned. Obviously, this is period souvenir, not a score to actually be played.
Delightful!.......2005-02-05
Each piece is one page long (that is, one page short), notated in Satie's hand, with explanatory text (a kind of narrative of each piece); on the facing page is a drawing by Charles Martin.
Here is the narrative for Ocean Bathing:
(Agitatedly)
The ocean is wide, Madame.
Anyway, it's quite deep.
Don't sit down at the bottom.
It's very damp.
Here are some good old waves.
(Diminuendo)
They are full of water.
(Holding back)
You are all wet!
Yes, sir.
Here is the table of contents:
Choral inappetissant (Unappetizing chorale)
La Balançoire (The Swing)
La Chasse (Hunting)
La Comédie italienne (Italian Comedy)
Le Réveil de la Mariée (The Awakening of the Bride)
Colin-Maillard (Blindman's Buff)
La Pêche (Fishing)
Le Yachting (Yachting)
Le Bain de mer (Ocean Bathing)
Le Carnaval (Carnival)
Le Golf (Golf)
La Pieuvre (The Octopus)
Les Courses (Racing)
Les Quatre-coins (Puss in the Corner)
Le Pique-nique (The Picnic)
Le Water-chute (Shoot-the-Chutes)
Le Tango (perpétuel) (The [Perpetual] Tango)
Le Traîneau (The Sled)
Le Flirt (Flirting)
Le Feu d'Artifice (Fireworks)
Le Tennis (Tennis)
And here is part of Satie's preface:
For the Shriveled Up and the Stupefied I have written a serious & proper chorale. This chorale is a sort of bitter preamble, a kind of austere & unfrivolous introduction. I have put into it all I know about Boredom. I dedicate this chorale to those who don't like me. I withdraw.
Customer Reviews:
I Must Agree!.......2006-04-23
Gillmor's is the best Satie bio you can find. I've read others but this one is the most complete and thorough, going from analyses of "Vexations" and his more occultic deviations to his artistic associations with other artists of the era. It's a highly technical, personal and yet readable bio and a must for anyone with an ear for the avant garde or just good music! Bravo!
Informative, scholarly and enjoyable.......2006-01-26
Gillmor's `Erik Satie' is a detailed and scholarly work while at the same time being extremely readable. It cannot be compared with either Myers's flamboyant `Erik Satie' or Shattuck's `The Banquet Years' both are excellent, but each is written from a different perspective with a different purpose and focus. It seems likely that the author of the Library Journal review (posted here), either knew nothing about Satie and avant garde music or only scanned Gillmor's book. Having read all three and studied Satie and avant garde music as part of my university course, the library review seems quite foolish.
Gillmor's book provides a great deal more factual information and analysis on Satie and his work, than both Myer's and Shattuck's books, and it is essential (as well as enjoyable) reading for anyone with a serious interest in Satie, avant garde music or a desire to understand the origins and development of 20th century music.
Query?.......2004-09-11
Hello,
This is not a review of my book, 'Erik Satie,' but rather a query. I am wondering why you choose to reprint a rather shabby treatment of the book from an insignificant publication such as 'Library Journal' when the book enjoyed almost uniformly excellent reviews in the major scholarly press world-wide (e.g., 'Musical Quarterly,' 'Musical Times,' 'Music and Letters,' 'Music Review,' etc.) not to speak of a glowing major review in the prestigious 'New York Review of Books' by the distinguished scholar Roger Shattuck? The 'Library Review' items are hastily written thumbnail sketches of a single paragraph aimed at busy librarians, not thoughtful major reviews written by specialists in the field. Considering that Amazon is in the business of selling books, the reproduction of this rather negative paragraph rather than one of the numerous glowing reviews from scholars far better placed than Ms. Kiraly is puzzling. It does both Amazon and myself a disservice. Now that the book is out of print it probably doesn't matter. But I would be pleased to provide a full dossier of reviews if you wished. At the very least I would be pleased if you would pull Kiraly's superficial paragraph. It really does misrepresent the book, unless you believe that all the other reviewers are wrong. Thank you. Sincerely, Alan M. Gillmor PS: I filled in the star rating only because it was mandatory!
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful restful music, easy to play
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Satie for the Guitar: Guitar Solo
Manufacturer: G. Schirmer, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Pumping Nylon
ASIN: 0793555434 |
Book Description
Contains 3 Gymnopedies and 3 Gnossiennes.
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful restful music, easy to play.......2007-05-16
The six pieces in this book are a pleasant departure from the usual Spanish music for classical guitar. Despite being originally written for piano,these pieces transcribe well. For an intermediate guitarist they are pretty easy to play with no wildly odd chords or long stretches. The notation used is like nothing I've ever seen before but a few minutes with your guitar will help you figure out the fingering.
It helps to hear someone else play these pieces first (either on piano or guitar)so, if you sight reading is as suspect as mine, you may want to pay a visit to Napster or something to listen.
The music is only in "proper" music form, not tablature.
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