Le Piccadilly is a 1904 composition for piano or string orchestra by Erik Satie. Written as a light cabaret or café-concert tune, it was one of Satie's early experiments with ragtime influences. A performance lasts under 2 minutes.
Satie was arguably the first French composer to make use of budding American jazz.[1] In April of 1900 he wrote a cakewalk for piano, the Petit prélude de 'La Mort de Monsieur Mouche', a few months after entertainer Eugénie Fougère introduced the dance to Paris.[2] The piece went unpublished but he remained intrigued by the genre. By the peak of the Parisian cakewalk craze in 1904, Satie was working as a cabaret accompanist-songwriter and was better prepared to make use of it. After scoring a hit with the music hall song La Diva de l'Empire he started Le Piccadilly, a purely instrumental number in the same style.
It is a Joplinesque ragtime march in standard ternary form, with the addition of a four-bar introduction and four-bar vamps preceding each sixteen-bar strain. The key is F major, with a middle-section trio in the subdominant of B flat major. Musicologists believe Satie modeled his main theme on the "phone call chorus" of Howard and Emerson's[3]Tin Pan Alley tune Hello! Ma Baby (1899); Fougère had used this song to demonstrate the cakewalk onstage.[4] The composer's sketches reveal alternate versions of the introduction and that he planned to add a coda.[5]
According to the manuscripts the piece was originally called La Transatlantique, an ironic term for wealthy American heiresses who sailed to France looking to buy social status through marriage to impoverished French aristocrats. One such woman, Princesse Edmond de Polignac (née Winnaretta Singer of the sewing machine family), would later become an important patron of Satie's, so perhaps it was for the best that he changed the title.[6] The new one was probably suggested by La Diva de l'Empire, with its lyrical references to Piccadilly Circus in London.[7]
Satie registered Le Piccadilly with SACEM on October 19, 1904, and subsequently arranged it for string orchestra.[8] Both scores were published by Alexis Rouart in 1907; today these are among the rarest of Satie first editions.[9] Despite its appearance in print this cabaret instrumental slipped into total obscurity compared to Satie's other piano works. His first biographers, Pierre-Daniel Templier (1932) and Rollo H. Myers (1948), seemed unaware of its existence. A resurgence in Satie's posthumous fame during the late 1960s and early 1970s coincided with the popular Scott Joplin revival, prompting renewed interest in his ragtime excursions. A new edition of Le Piccadilly was published by Salabert in 1975, and it has since become one of his more popular and frequently recorded works.
^A silent film clip of Fougère dancing a cakewalk to Hello! Ma Baby exists. It was filmed in New York City on November 25, 1899, shortly before she returned to France. It can be viewed on YouTube.
^Nicolas Horvath, notes to "Satie: Complete Piano Works, Vol. 4 (New Salabert Edition), Grand Piano, 2019.
^Princesse de Polignac commissioned Satie's Socrate (1919), and it was through her intercession that he was spared fine (which she paid) and imprisonment for his libel conviction in 1917.
^Rollo H. Myers, "Erik Satie", Dover Publications, Inc., NY, 1968, p. 39. Originally published in 1948 by Denis Dobson Ltd., London.
^Robert Orledge, Satie the Composer, Cambridge University Press, 1990, pp. xxvii, 288.
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Le Piccadilly is a 1904 composition for piano or string orchestra by Erik Satie Written as a light cabaret or cafe concert tune it was one of Satie s early experiments with ragtime influences A performance lasts under 2 minutes Erik Satie caricature by Alfred Frueh Contents 1 Description 2 Recordings 3 Notes and references 4 External linksDescription EditSatie was arguably the first French composer to make use of budding American jazz 1 In April of 1900 he wrote a cakewalk for piano the Petit prelude de La Mort de Monsieur Mouche a few months after entertainer Eugenie Fougere introduced the dance to Paris 2 The piece went unpublished but he remained intrigued by the genre By the peak of the Parisian cakewalk craze in 1904 Satie was working as a cabaret accompanist songwriter and was better prepared to make use of it After scoring a hit with the music hall song La Diva de l Empire he started Le Piccadilly a purely instrumental number in the same style It is a Joplinesque ragtime march in standard ternary form with the addition of a four bar introduction and four bar vamps preceding each sixteen bar strain The key is F major with a middle section trio in the subdominant of B flat major Musicologists believe Satie modeled his main theme on the phone call chorus of Howard and Emerson s 3 Tin Pan Alley tune Hello Ma Baby 1899 Fougere had used this song to demonstrate the cakewalk onstage 4 The composer s sketches reveal alternate versions of the introduction and that he planned to add a coda 5 Piccadilly Circus London c 1900According to the manuscripts the piece was originally called La Transatlantique an ironic term for wealthy American heiresses who sailed to France looking to buy social status through marriage to impoverished French aristocrats One such woman Princesse Edmond de Polignac nee Winnaretta Singer of the sewing machine family would later become an important patron of Satie s so perhaps it was for the best that he changed the title 6 The new one was probably suggested by La Diva de l Empire with its lyrical references to Piccadilly Circus in London 7 Satie registered Le Piccadilly with SACEM on October 19 1904 and subsequently arranged it for string orchestra 8 Both scores were published by Alexis Rouart in 1907 today these are among the rarest of Satie first editions 9 Despite its appearance in print this cabaret instrumental slipped into total obscurity compared to Satie s other piano works His first biographers Pierre Daniel Templier 1932 and Rollo H Myers 1948 seemed unaware of its existence A resurgence in Satie s posthumous fame during the late 1960s and early 1970s coincided with the popular Scott Joplin revival prompting renewed interest in his ragtime excursions A new edition of Le Piccadilly was published by Salabert in 1975 and it has since become one of his more popular and frequently recorded works Recordings EditFor piano Aldo Ciccolini EMI 1987 France Clidat Forlane 1980 Philippe Entremont CBS 1981 Jean Pierre Armengaud Le Chant du Monde 1986 Roland Pontinen BIS 1986 Anne Queffelec Virgin Classics 1988 Pascal Roge Decca 1989 Yitkin Seow Hyperion 1989 Peter Lawson EMI 1989 Gabriel Tacchino Disques Pierre Verany 1993 Klara Kormendi Naxos Records 1994 Bojan Gorisek Audiophile Classics 1994 Olof Hojer Swedish Society Discofil 1996 Peter Dickinson Olympia 2001 Jean Yves Thibaudet Decca 2003 Hakon Austbo Brilliant Classics 2006 Francine Kay Analekta 2006 Cristina Ariagno Brilliant Classics 2007 Jan Kaspersen Scandinavian Classics 2007 Marco Rapetti Dynamic 2007 Alexandre Tharaud Harmonia Mundi 2009 Jeroen van Veen Brilliant Classics 2016 Noriko Ogawa BIS 2016 Nicolas Horvath Grand Piano 2019 Steffen Schleiermacher MDG 2021 For orchestra Michel Plasson Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse Erato 1988 Notes and references Edit Alexander Carpenter Allmusic review at https www allmusic com composition le piccadilly march for piano mc0002361028 Le Journal Paris 20 January 1903 p 7 See BnF Gallica website at https gallica bnf fr ark 12148 bpt6k7627503j f7 item r 22eug C3 A9nie 20foug C3 A8re 22cake 20walk zoom texteImage The husband wife songwriting team of Joseph E Howard and Ida Emerson A silent film clip of Fougere dancing a cakewalk to Hello Ma Baby exists It was filmed in New York City on November 25 1899 shortly before she returned to France It can be viewed on YouTube Nicolas Horvath notes to Satie Complete Piano Works Vol 4 New Salabert Edition Grand Piano 2019 Princesse de Polignac commissioned Satie s Socrate 1919 and it was through her intercession that he was spared fine which she paid and imprisonment for his libel conviction in 1917 Rollo H Myers Erik Satie Dover Publications Inc NY 1968 p 39 Originally published in 1948 by Denis Dobson Ltd London Robert Orledge Satie the Composer Cambridge University Press 1990 pp xxvii 288 Horvath op cit External links EditScore available at IMSLP https imslp org wiki Le piccadilly Satie 2C Erik Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Le Piccadilly amp oldid 1094088583, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
