Trois Gymnopédies
3 min
Recording
- I. Lent et douloureuxRobin Alciatore · c. 20083:04
This is the first of Satie’s three Gymnopédies, marked “Lent et douloureux”. A low bass note is followed by a chord on the second beat while the melody moves slowly above, and one note is changed at the end.
Listening notes · joins
- Opening accompaniment and first phrase
The bass sounds on beat one, the chord on beat two. G major seventh alternates with D major seventh, softly and evenly. The melody enters after four bars, and its first phrase ends on an F♯ held for four more bars.
- Held E, bars 19–21
In bars 19–21 the melody falls to a low E, tied across three bars. Beneath it the harmony moves from E minor to E minor seventh, then to D minor. The bass still sounds on the first beat and the chord on the second.
- First ending
The closing phrase rises to G, then falls to F♯. After the repeated bass notes, two full chords end the first half, A minor seventh and then D major.
- Return of the opening
The low G returns. For four bars the piano plays only bass notes and soft chords, as at the beginning. The melody starts again on the same F♯ and A, and the changed ending comes later.
- Second ending in D minor
The closing phrase reaches G again. This time the melody falls to F♮ while the bass holds E beneath it. The final chord is D minor.
Joins
- The melody drops to E
The bass leaves its alternating G and D for F♯, B and E. Above the E minor chord, the melody drops to a low E and holds it through three bars. G major over E follows, then D minor under the same melody note. The slow three-beat accompaniment keeps the rhythm it has had from the start.
- D major, then the low G
A minor seventh closes onto D major, with F♯ in the upper chord. The low G then restarts the accompaniment, and B–D–F♯ enters on beat two to make a G major seventh. D major seventh follows. The melody rests for four bars before it returns.
- Second ending over an E bass
The repeated passage ends on D seventh. E minor follows, with G in the melody, as at the first ending. F♮ now replaces the earlier F♯, and D minor notes sound above an E bass held for six bars. The last two chords are A minor seventh and D minor.
Other performances
Historical and comparison recordings, outside the concert’s running order.
- I. Lent et douloureux — guitar arrangementMichael Laucke, guitar and arrangement · 23 July 20012:52
Michael Laucke plays his arrangement for solo guitar of the first of the Trois Gymnopédies, marked “Lent et douloureux”. The bass, the plucked chords and the melody are all played on the one instrument.
Listening notes · joins
- Guitar arrangement, bars 1–12
In Laucke’s arrangement one guitar plays the low bass, the accompanying chords and the melody. Satie separates the three layers, with the bass on beat one, a chord on beat two and long melody notes above. Each plucked note begins to decay before the next is played.
- Low held melody note, bars 17–21
The melody drops lower and holds a single note while the chords beneath it change. The accompaniment keeps its slow three-beat step.
- Return of the opening accompaniment
The first ending closes in the major. The opening pattern of bass note and chord returns, and the melody re-enters after it as in bars 1–5. The tune is then played through a second time.
- Second ending in minor
In the closing melody one long note is altered, and the major third falls a semitone. Satie’s second ending, bars 40–47, closes in minor. The bass reaches the same note as in bars 32–39, with a different chord above it.
Joins
- Held melody note over changing chords
The melody drops to a lower held note, and the bass leaves its opening alternation. In bars 17–21 of the piano score, E minor becomes E minor seventh, then D minor under the held E. Laucke carried this change into his transposed guitar arrangement and kept the slow rhythm of bass on the first beat and chord on the second.
- The accompaniment starts again
The first ending closes in major. The accompaniment then starts again with a low bass note followed by a seventh chord. This pattern continues for four bars before the melody enters. In these bars Satie leaves the upper line empty, and the bass returns to its familiar step.
- The third falls a semitone
The repeated melody takes Satie’s second ending. Its long major third is flattened, and the accompanying chords change with it. In the piano original, F♮ replaces F♯ over a repeated E bass, and the last chord is in D minor. The guitar plays the same change from major to minor in its transposed key.