Gnossienne No. 1

Erik Satie · Level 3 (Late beginner) · Impressionist · Piano

The first Gnossienne (1890), written without barlines: an oriental-sounding melody with little grace notes floats above an unchanging left-hand swing, bass then chord. Satie adds odd instructions such as “Question” or “With the tip of your thought”. F minor, 4/4, 82 bars (about 5 minutes), complete score.

▶ Play this piece with the interactive score

How to practise it

• Listen first: the site plays it while the score scrolls.
• Wait mode: the score waits for you at every note, at your own pace.
• Tempo challenge: play in time, with a score and a map of the bars you got right.
• Barlines are added here for reading: keep a very flexible pulse and let the melody breathe. The left hand stays even and soft. Key signature with 4 flats: name them aloud before playing and spot the places where accidentals cancel them. One hand sometimes plays two voices: hold the long notes for their full value and let the main line sing louder than the accompaniment. The left hand makes wide leaps: look at the landing note in advance and move early, without rushing the rhythm.

More pieces by Erik Satie

• Celle qui parle trop – The Woman Who Talks Too Much (Chapitres tournés en tous sens, No. 1)
• Le porteur de grosses pierres – The Carrier of Large Stones (Chapitres tournés en tous sens, No. 2)
• Regrets des enfermés – Regrets of the Prisoners (Chapitres tournés en tous sens, No. 3)
• Sa Taille (Three Distinguished Waltzes of a Jaded Dandy)
• Danse maigre (Croquis et agaceries)
• Tyrolienne turque
• Españaña (Croquis et agaceries)
• Ses Jambes (Three Distinguished Waltzes of a Jaded Dandy)

Source : Mutopia Project · CC BY-SA 4.0