Erik Satie: The Eccentric Pioneer of Modern Music
French composer and pianist, known for his minimalist, avant-garde works and eccentric personality.
Born in Honfleur, France, Satie studied briefly at the Paris Conservatoire but found its approach stifling. He became a central figure in the avant-garde art scene of Montmartre and Montparnasse, composing influential piano pieces like the Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes. His ideas on simplicity, repetition, and functional music (furniture music) prefigured minimalism and ambient music. He died of cirrhosis in Paris.
- Satie lived in extreme poverty for much of his life, famously residing in a tiny, bare room in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris, earning money as a café pianist.
- He was known for his eccentric behavior and appearance, including wearing identical grey velvet suits (later, he acquired seven identical grey corduroy suits) and carrying a hammer for 'defense'.
- He maintained a secret, long-term relationship with the painter Suzanne Valadon for six months in 1893; the breakup reportedly devastated him, though he remained unmarried.
- Satie joined the Rosicrucian mystical sect for a period, composing music under its influence.
- He died of cirrhosis of the liver, exacerbated by years of heavy drinking, particularly absinthe.
- After his death, his small, cluttered room revealed astonishing items: dozens of umbrellas (many identical), numerous drawings and inscriptions on the walls (some depicting imaginary castles), a large collection of papers (including unpublished compositions), and only one chair.
