Description

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Erik Satie's 3 Gymnopedies & 3 Gnossienes:
with standard notation & tab online audio

Erik Satie's famous Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes make a great addition to any guitarist's repertoire. These transcriptions are suitable for beginner to intermediate level guitarists.

French composer Erik Satie (1866 - 1925) was an influential figure in the Parisian avant-garde scene of his time. His work is recognized as one of the forerunners of significant musical developments of the 20th Century.

The three gymnop dies transcribed here, for example, are a precursor of ambient music where the focus is on the overall atmosphere rather than the more traditional means of development and variation. Melody and harmony, however, are still absolutely essential: the mild dissonances inherent in them produce the characteristic melancholic mood that these three short pieces are famous for.

The 3 gnossiennes transcribed here were composed about a decade later and are a continuation of Satie's style. While the gymnop dies are in three-four meter, the gnossiennes have no time signature. This is known as free time and it indicates that the rhythm is to flow freely rather than be measured strictly. Although there are a small number of other gnossiennes by Satie, only these three form part of his original set.

About the Author

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Matthew Ellul is a composer, classical guitarist and educator from the warm Mediterranean island of Malta. He is the first Maltese guitarist ever to earn the Master's degree in Classical Guitar Performance and Interpretation at the prestigious guitar program offered by the University of Alicante, Spain. During his studies he was taught by grammy award winners David Russell, Paul O'Dette and Jose d'Eusebio as well as Pepe Romero, Paul Galbraith and Ignacio Rodes (professor of guitar at the University of Alicante). Matthew also holds a Master's degree in Composition from the University of Malta. Apart from guitar works, he has composed for choirs, orchestras and chamber music for various solo performers as well as duos, trios, quartets and quintets. His music has been played not only in his birthplace Malta but various other countries such as Italy, France, Spain, Greece and Russia.