Full Orchestra - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1199137

By Erik Satie. By Erik Satie. Arranged by Hans Rudolf. 19th Century,Classical,Romantic Period. Score and Parts. 37 pages. Hans Rudolf #798204. Published by Hans Rudolf (A0.1199137).

Gnossienne No. 1 is a solo piano piece by French composer Erik Satie. It was written in 1890 and published in 1893. The piece is part of a series of six Gnossiennes and is perhaps Satie's best known and most frequently performed work.

The piece is written in a slow tempo and is marked Lent (slow) and douloureux (painful). It has a simple and repetitive melody played over a slow, dreamy accompaniment. The harmonies are also very sparse, often consisting of only two or three chords.

The title Gnossienne is thought to have been invented by Satie himself, and its meaning is not entirely clear. Some suggest that it is a reference to the ancient Greek city of Gnossos on the island of Crete, while others believe that it is an allusion to gnosis, a mystical knowledge in which Satie was interested. For me, I translate Gnossienne simply as knowledge.

Overall, Gnossienne No. 1 is a beautiful and haunting piece of music that has captured the imagination of audiences and performers alike for over a century.

My orchestration attempts to counter the painful character, at least in part, with a rebellion and triumph over pain. The most unusual detail is the rhythmization by the timpani, which can be perceived as a driving, an eternity of the same or also as a will to continue.