The nightclub may have been the center, but not the epicenter. An epicenter is above the center, generally the point on the surface of the Earth above the center of an earthquake, which is underground. An epicenter isn’t the dead center or really, really the center. But it sounds fancy compared to a plain old center, so it gets misused.
Linlee:
October 15th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
May I suggest that Eric Satie was possibly referring to nakedness of heart as these 3 works are very heart felt and contemplative and could have been expressing what was on his heart at the time he wrote them.
Minimully:
September 8th, 2014 at 10:56 pm
It is probable that Satie did not even know the historical meaning of “Gymnopedies.” The word was in a musical dictionary he had at home, and the given definition was “An event at a greek festival wherein maidens danced in the nude.” We have very little historical evidence to actually understand what those festivals actually were about. This is the composer who later said that the sensuous and violent “Salommbo” inspired these quiet Gymnopedies, and who named other pieces “Pear Shaped” and “Desiccated Embryos.” Satie was an absurdist to the core, and I don’t think there’s too much to read in his titles. If anything, they were more to joke at the high-flung archaic-themed works of the German Romanticists he was musically rebelling against.
Danny S.:
September 10th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies first came to my attention, and doubtless that of many others, with the 1969 release of the second (self-titled) album by the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, which included excerpts from the work under the title Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie. A year or two later, that music was used in a widely-seen coffee commercial. Anyway, I bought a copy of that album, and I interpreted the name Trois Gymnopédies as meaning “three barefoot girls”. I suppose that’s not right; “ped” can certainly mean “foot”, as in “pedicure”, but probably not with an acute accent. But I like the thought anyway.
Greg:
April 16th, 2015 at 11:27 am
I first heard Saties’ music on CBC radios Off The Record while driving in Toronto, around 1978. I pulled over to the shoulder, his music still plays in my head. The book, The Banquet Years, gives a wonderful and vivid account of Satie, and Paris in his day.
Phil:
October 15th, 2015 at 12:12 pm
The Gymnopedie pieces are delicate and understated in emotional terms, and implicitly a critique of the overstated and bombastic style of the romantics, especially in Germany with the likes of Wagner.
R. Quint:
May 8th, 2016 at 1:16 am
What a wonderful explanation. I’ve been enamored with Satie and never quite knew the meaning. I always felt he was one of founding composer’s who could bend time and space with his compositions and still keep it within the measure . I just wonder if Einstein was somewhat inspired subliminally by his pieces. Satie sure did push the envelope…
Mark:
June 11th, 2016 at 9:02 am
A French friend told me it meant movement of feet. But she did say it was an unusual way to say it. But that is what it means in French
John:
May 22nd, 2017 at 12:10 am
Since I understand the work requires a lot of pedaling on the piano, perhaps Satie likened that effort to dancing?
Christen:
November 13th, 2017 at 10:26 pm
I think this may be the music used in the film shown in “France” at Epcot center in Disney World. I saw it back in 1994 and have been haunted by it ever since. For many years I thought the music must have been one of Debussey’s pieces, but could never find it. I heard this a few months ago and think it’s the one. Does anyone know?
Thanks
Luis Rafael:
November 28th, 2017 at 10:16 am
Hi there.
That sound became of my interest recently. I’m writing from Brazil.
Suddenly I tried to discover what was this music’s name and author, cause I remembered listen to it long time before and even recently at “phone waiting” music.
After getting through it’s name and author, I realized it’s a music overused at the cinema and so in tv publicity. Here in my country, it was used in a tv propaganda of soap with beautiful women, at the 1980’s, and a had watched a movie from Woody Allen which uses it too (movie from 1988 with Gena Rowlands).
Search IMDB for more information.
I think the “users” of this Saties themes get more significance about the title he gave to his music, certainly moving it to the “nakedness” of people, of hearts, of innocence, or even from security.
Glad to meet this site!
Saudações!
Carmen:
February 10th, 2018 at 6:18 am
Nice website! I’ve just discovered it and I love it. Well done!
Greetings from Spain!
Last night, I was dreaming with this piano piece on the background. I woke up and goggles the title, which led me to this website. I read all the comment and enjoyed so much! Thank you! Definitely Eric Satee keeps attract us not only with this melody but also with its title. Our conscious mind wants to put a reason for things around us. However, he is one of the French impressionist composers. Once my voice teacher told me to stop analyzing French poems because words are used to evokes a certain feeling. Another word, they juxtapose words to express the image/feeling of themselves.
When I take this in consideration, ” naked, bear, dance, movement, feet.” must have a connection with this melody- melancholic and some what mysterious.
(I try not thinking why I heard this music on the background in my crazy dream! lol )
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Elizabeth Lightwood:
December 24th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
There’s a good explanation. We’re Baroque and early music people.
Steve Dunham:
April 27th, 2010 at 1:12 pm
The nightclub may have been the center, but not the epicenter. An epicenter is above the center, generally the point on the surface of the Earth above the center of an earthquake, which is underground. An epicenter isn’t the dead center or really, really the center. But it sounds fancy compared to a plain old center, so it gets misused.
Linlee:
October 15th, 2013 at 8:17 pm
May I suggest that Eric Satie was possibly referring to nakedness of heart as these 3 works are very heart felt and contemplative and could have been expressing what was on his heart at the time he wrote them.
Minimully:
September 8th, 2014 at 10:56 pm
It is probable that Satie did not even know the historical meaning of “Gymnopedies.” The word was in a musical dictionary he had at home, and the given definition was “An event at a greek festival wherein maidens danced in the nude.” We have very little historical evidence to actually understand what those festivals actually were about. This is the composer who later said that the sensuous and violent “Salommbo” inspired these quiet Gymnopedies, and who named other pieces “Pear Shaped” and “Desiccated Embryos.” Satie was an absurdist to the core, and I don’t think there’s too much to read in his titles. If anything, they were more to joke at the high-flung archaic-themed works of the German Romanticists he was musically rebelling against.
Danny S.:
September 10th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Satie’s Trois Gymnopédies first came to my attention, and doubtless that of many others, with the 1969 release of the second (self-titled) album by the group Blood, Sweat & Tears, which included excerpts from the work under the title Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie. A year or two later, that music was used in a widely-seen coffee commercial. Anyway, I bought a copy of that album, and I interpreted the name Trois Gymnopédies as meaning “three barefoot girls”. I suppose that’s not right; “ped” can certainly mean “foot”, as in “pedicure”, but probably not with an acute accent. But I like the thought anyway.
Greg:
April 16th, 2015 at 11:27 am
I first heard Saties’ music on CBC radios Off The Record while driving in Toronto, around 1978. I pulled over to the shoulder, his music still plays in my head. The book, The Banquet Years, gives a wonderful and vivid account of Satie, and Paris in his day.
Phil:
October 15th, 2015 at 12:12 pm
The Gymnopedie pieces are delicate and understated in emotional terms, and implicitly a critique of the overstated and bombastic style of the romantics, especially in Germany with the likes of Wagner.
R. Quint:
May 8th, 2016 at 1:16 am
What a wonderful explanation. I’ve been enamored with Satie and never quite knew the meaning. I always felt he was one of founding composer’s who could bend time and space with his compositions and still keep it within the measure . I just wonder if Einstein was somewhat inspired subliminally by his pieces. Satie sure did push the envelope…
Mark:
June 11th, 2016 at 9:02 am
A French friend told me it meant movement of feet. But she did say it was an unusual way to say it. But that is what it means in French
John:
May 22nd, 2017 at 12:10 am
Since I understand the work requires a lot of pedaling on the piano, perhaps Satie likened that effort to dancing?
Christen:
November 13th, 2017 at 10:26 pm
I think this may be the music used in the film shown in “France” at Epcot center in Disney World. I saw it back in 1994 and have been haunted by it ever since. For many years I thought the music must have been one of Debussey’s pieces, but could never find it. I heard this a few months ago and think it’s the one. Does anyone know?
Thanks
Luis Rafael:
November 28th, 2017 at 10:16 am
Hi there.
That sound became of my interest recently. I’m writing from Brazil.
Suddenly I tried to discover what was this music’s name and author, cause I remembered listen to it long time before and even recently at “phone waiting” music.
After getting through it’s name and author, I realized it’s a music overused at the cinema and so in tv publicity. Here in my country, it was used in a tv propaganda of soap with beautiful women, at the 1980’s, and a had watched a movie from Woody Allen which uses it too (movie from 1988 with Gena Rowlands).
Search IMDB for more information.
I think the “users” of this Saties themes get more significance about the title he gave to his music, certainly moving it to the “nakedness” of people, of hearts, of innocence, or even from security.
Glad to meet this site!
Saudações!
Carmen:
February 10th, 2018 at 6:18 am
Nice website! I’ve just discovered it and I love it. Well done!
Greetings from Spain!
DOROTHY BOYLAN:
February 10th, 2018 at 4:36 pm
just discovered this and I am impressed, I love word origins and am always saying “I wonder where that came from.”
Liese Ricketts:
June 23rd, 2019 at 3:24 pm
I think it means barefoot, or bare feet.
Ako:
September 16th, 2019 at 8:53 am
Last night, I was dreaming with this piano piece on the background. I woke up and goggles the title, which led me to this website. I read all the comment and enjoyed so much! Thank you! Definitely Eric Satee keeps attract us not only with this melody but also with its title. Our conscious mind wants to put a reason for things around us. However, he is one of the French impressionist composers. Once my voice teacher told me to stop analyzing French poems because words are used to evokes a certain feeling. Another word, they juxtapose words to express the image/feeling of themselves.
When I take this in consideration, ” naked, bear, dance, movement, feet.” must have a connection with this melody- melancholic and some what mysterious.
(I try not thinking why I heard this music on the background in my crazy dream! lol )