Main content
This programme will be available shortly after broadcast

Satie falls in with the avant-garde crowd - and winds up in court.

Donald Macleod explores the life of maverick composer Erik Satie, the inventor of “furniture music”, whose innovations delighted and divided France. Satie's compositions – and their peculiar annotations – were a revolution, paving the way for a new generation of musical rebels, including Les Six. He was just as odd in his day-to-day life, known for his quirky fashion and dramatic outbursts, he always kept a hammer in his pocket for fear of muggers and once even founded his own church.

In this episode, Donald finds out how Satie wound up in court, with the help of avant-garde provocateur Jean Cocteau. Together they campaign for music of “simplicity”, or as Satie comes to call it: “furniture music”.

Enfantillages pittoresques: 1. Petit prélude à la journée
Cristina Ariagno, piano

Descriptions automatiques
Alexandre Tharaud, piano

Parade
Nancy Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Jérôme Kaltenbach

Musique d’ameublement
Ars Nova Copenhagen, conducted by Marius Constant

Socrate: III. Mort de Socrate
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Reinbert de Leeuw, piano

Produced by Alice McKee for ѿý Audio Wales & West

Release date:

59 minutes

Broadcast

  • Thursday 16:00

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

Beethoven Unleashed – the box set

The complete set of Radio 3 Beethoven Unleashed podcasts, with Donald Macleod.

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

What was really wrong with Beethoven?

Georgia Mann and neurosurgeon Henry Marsh examine the composer's numerous health problems

Composers A to Z

Composers A to Z

Visit the extensive audio archive of Radio 3 programmes about Composers and their works.

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

Who knew? Five eye-opening stories from Composer of the Week

The production team reflects on 5 of Donald Macleod’s best stories from the last 20 years

Five reasons why we love Parry's Jerusalem

What is the strange power of Jerusalem which makes strong men weep?

A man out of time – why Parry's music and ideas were at odds with his image...

The composer of Jerusalem was very far from the conservative figure his image suggests.

Composer Help Page

Find resources and contacts for composers from within the classical music industry.