I enjoy cinematic music, particularly John Williams, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, and Tan Dun. While some of those composers have produced rousing themes, much of their work serves to set the mood. In Erik Satie’s work, we find Classical music that could serve as mood music without attracting attention to itself, yet remains interesting when one does listen.
Erik Satie was a French composer who worked primarily in the early 1900s. On the 1996 Decca London disc, “After the Rain: The Soft Sounds of Erik Satie,” Pianist Pascal Roge deftly fingers this delicate music.
Sample from Erik Satie – Gymnopedie No 3 – Played by Pascal Roge (Click to listen, MP3, 27sec).
I know I’ve heard Gymnopedie No. 3 before…but where?
you heard it in your mind, aren’t you?
Almost sounds like something you might hear during a pensive moment in a movie when a main character is dealing with internalizing something of great importance in the story. Even if it’s just dealing with some minute detail that’s mundane but will never be witnessed again. The first film that jumped to mind was something like “Schindler’s List.”
Hey Jeff,
Definitely pensive – I like your reference to a mood such as could be found in Schindler’s List…
Vince
look, Satie was one of the grat composers of the earlier 20th century. his music belongs to the style of the impressionists. This style tends to be pensive. Satie’s gymnopédie no.3 is one of his most famous pieces. It has been used many many times in advertisements. It’s supposed to give you that dreamy feeling that makes you trust whoever’s talking to you…so you’ll go get that new cell-phone contract, or bank account, credit card or insurance pollicy. Sad, isn’t it?
Still, it’s beautiful music, and will stay so. If you would like some similar pieces by other composers, try:
Claude Debussy
Francis Poulenc
cheers and keep your ears open,
Imo
I have a feeling that almost the same melody was used in the first love scene in Braveheart with wallace and maron at that small grove. Not sure, but when the song first changes to a minor melody it brings that to my mind.
Beautifully haunting. I fell in love with Brandford Marsalis’ treatment of this piece on his Romances for Saxaphone release some 20 years ago now. Not sure if trusting is the overriding impression it leaves one me, though. Idyllically mesmerized but vaguely nervous, yes. Trusting? Hmm.
Anyone seen the film Chocolat? Sounds like it might have come from that…