satie-memoirs of amnesiac

8/12/2019 Satie-Memoirs of Amnesiac

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1. WHAT I AMXEveryonewill tell you that I am not a musician.That is correct.From thc very beginningof my career classcdm1'self sa phonometrographer.Iv rvorkis compfctcll phonometrical. akc my FilsdesEtoiles, r nt1 MorreaurettFormede poirr, m- tEn habit de Chetal or my Sarabandes-itis cvidcnt that musical deasplayedno part rvhatsoeverin their composition.Sciences the dominating actor.

Besides, enjoymeasuring soundmuch morc than hearing t. With mv phonometer nmv hand, I work happily and rvith confidence.What haven't I weighed or measured? 've done all Beethoven,all Verdi, etc. It'sfascinating.The first time I used a phonoscope, examineda B flat of medium size. I canassurevouthat I haveneverseenanythingso revolting. called n my man to show t to him.On my phono-scalesa common or garden F sharp registered93 kilos. It came out of afat tenor rvhom I alsoweighed.Do you know hov'to cleansounds?t's a filthy business. tretching hem out is creancr;indexing them is a meticulous task and needs good eyesight.Here, we are in the realm ofphonotechnique.On the questionof sound explosions,which can oftcn be so unpleasant, ome cotton-rvool in the ears can deaden their effect quite satisfactorily. Here, we are in the realm ofpvrophony.To write rrry Piices Froides, I used a caleidophone recorder. It took sevenminutes. Icalled n my man to let him hear hem.I think I can say hat phonology s superior o music. There's more variety n it. Thefinancial return is greater, oo. I owe my fortune to it.At all events, rvith a motodvnamophone,even a rather inexperiencedphonometrologistcaneasilynote down more sounds han the most skilledmusician n the same ime, usinq hesameamount of effort. This is horv I have been able to lvrite so much.And so the future lies with philophony.

(S.I .M. 19r2)

2. MY THREE APPLICATIONSJlore fortunate han I, Gustavecharpentierhasbecomea memberof the Institute.Let himreceive here and norv affectionateapplause rom an old friend.Nlvself, rvas hree times a candidate or this DelicateAssembly: or the chair vacatddbv Ernest Guiraud; for the chair vacatedbv charles Gounod; for thc chair vacatcclbyAmbroise homas.

But NIM. Paladilhe,Dubois and Lenepveu wcre preferred rather than mysclf, qurtex'ithout reason, vhat s more.And that causedme much grief.Although I am not vcry observant, t seemed o me that the Precious Nlembers of theAcademy of Fine Arts behaved ov'ards me in a manner both obstinateand stubborn almostto a calculateddegree.And that causedme much grief.when f{. Paladilhewaselccted,my friendssaid: Nevermind; later,he will vote or you,Jlaestro. His voice*'ill carry great weight.' I had neither his vote, nor his voice, noi hi sn'eight.And that causedme much grief.

+rn the catulogue to his exhibiriod at the Gallcria Schwarz, Milan, 14 March 1964 (paris B.N., Est. yd, (r4 mars r964)io 4'), Man Ray adapts this article by substituting vocabulary more suited ro rhe plastic and picrorial arti.


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when NI. Dubois rvaselected,my friencrs aid: 'Ncver mind: rater, hat rvill make rvovotes or vou, laestro; their voiceu'ili carrygreat veight., had neither lr"i, ,"i"r, ,". ,rr"i.vorcesr or their v'eight,and that causedme -uch eri;f.I withdrerv. '1' Lenepveu ound it aeceptabl. loo.".,py a chair ntended or myselfandsarv oth.ing ntoward n his behaviour.He calmlysatdown n my prace.And that "ir."d -"ucn Erlel..I

shall alwavs cmember rvith sadnessmy old fighting cor'rade, M. fmile pessarcr.I::,ji.::,T::.: rlan oncehathe vcntabout hings.n quie thervrongova1,.,vithort the.;ght".t:111,;':,.i"...1^::"_]:l:"j cun1ing..IIe.lusidoes,"t"nri."; ,,l ;iJ ";;',*" ;;;;il;:lY.i l":::,,1]"::::- j-.:llt* ,1"".. GentlemanHeu.iube hurtsobadlyashe ries o edge is]1.")'r rq insinuateimself gainsthisbosomvhich aresr ri,ti"Llr r,r-;;ilh #;;.1O^Xry,t-T,Jjl]:'grateful,his vretehed,hismis.,r:rblebject, hile hecrafty;;il,,?*"-l_*l::nu-"rin rvatch im n amazcmenr,srounded", ili" "rJ"r. ,"""",,y J.iiii'p"tialmpotence.And that causesme much grief.

(S.I.M. rgr2)

3. THE MUSICIAN'S DAYAn artist must organizehis life.Here is the exact imetableof mv dailv activities:-- ' , " : , up: 7.r8 am; be nspired to."3 i r r .47 a'. . I take unchat r2.rr pm and eavc heraDre t r2.r4 pm.Healthy horse-riding,out in my grounds: r. t9 to4.o7pm.various activities (fencing, reflection, mmobility, visits, contemplati'n, swinunrng,etc. . . ) : 4.zr to 6.47pr l ' .^ Dinner is servcd^t 7.16 a.'dendsat 7.zopm. Then comesymphonic eadings, ut loud:8.o9 o 9.59pm.I go to bed regularlyat3.19am, ro.37pm. Oncea week on Tuesdays) rvakeup rvith a starrarI eatonly white foodstuffs.:ggs,sugar,scraped ones; at from deadanimals;veal,salt,coconuts, hickencooked n.white rvatei; mould-v ruit, rice, turnips; camphorated ausage,thing.sike spaghetti, hceseivhite),cottonsaladand certain ish 1-i"* ,t ir. -ti".j.

"I boil my wine and drink it cord mixed with fuchsia uice. i huu" u good app'etite, utnever talk while eating,for fear of strangling myself.

, J b.re1t 9 alefully(a little at a time). it eiy rarelvdance.when I .i'alk,I hold my sidesand look rigidly behindme.serious n appcarance,f I laugh t is not on purpose. alwaysapologize bout t nicely..X'Iy_leep s deep,but I keepone eyeopen. ,tv i"a is .ound, with a"holccut out to letmr h31d hrough. oncc evervhour a servani akesmy temperature nd givesme another.

.. ....].IiI",1:r* subscribedo a fashionmagazine. r.ear a ivhitebonnet,-white tockings nda wnlte walstcoat.N{y doctor hasalrvaysold me to smoke.part of his advice uns:Smokea'ivay,my dearchap: f you don,t, someone lsewill.(.t.I..Lt. 19r3)


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L,rik Satie, ' fhc Veii 'etGcntlcnan', r895


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4. INTELLIGENCE AND MUSICALITY IN ANIMALSThat animals have intelligcncecannot be deniecl.Bu1 what is llan doing to improve themental condition of his resigned ellos creaturesiFIe oll.rs thcm a mediocreeducatron osporadicand ncomplete hat cven a child uoulcl not choose t for himsclf: and he'd bc right,the dear little thing. This 'education'consistsmainlv of developing he cruel and rici6usinst inets rhich arc inherent n pcoplc. n these , ,uiscs, f in. t ru. i i rn rherc s nercr anyqucstionof art, of literaturc,of natural or moral scicnce, r of anv other subject.Horningpigeonshave absolutelyno preparation n geographv o hclp them in their job; fish areexcludcd from the study of occanographv; attle, sheep and calvesknorv nothing of therationalorganization f a modernslaughter-house,nd arc ignorantof the nutritivu role theyplay in the societv rIan hasmade br himself.Very fe* animals earn anything rom humans.The dog, the mule , the horse, he ass,thc parrot, he blackbirdand a feu,othcrsare he onlv animals o receive vena semblance feclucation, nd that can onlv he eallcdeducarionn that it isn't clearh'anything else.com-pare, I beg vou, the teachinggiven to animals vith that given bv thc universitieso ysunghuman undcrgraduates, nclvou rvill have to admit that it is not rvorth speakingof andcouldn't possibly videnor makeeasier he knou,ledgehat an animalcan pick up through tss-orkand steaclyndustrv.But u'hatabout music? lorses have earneclo dance;spidershaveremained nderneath pianoduring the rrholeof a ong recitalput on for them bv a rcspectedmaster of the kevboard.And then u.hat?Nothing. \orv and then people rvillmention thestarling'smusicalitl., he crou"s ear br a tune, the orvl's ngeniousharmonl,- s t tapson it sstomach o accompanvtself an artificialmethodyieldingonlv slenderpolyphont'.As for the often-citednightingale, ts music.l knorvledge i'ould make even thc mostignorantof its isteners hrughis shoulders.ts voice s not properlvplaced, nd on top of thatit kno'"r'sothing aboutcleti, or kevs,or modes,or timc. Has t anv alentat all? t is possible;it is evenprobable.But one has o sa-vhat its:rrtistic grounding s very much inferior to itsnaturalgifts, and that the voicc t is so proud of is really a verv poor instrumentand of nowofth in itself.

(S.1.I4. 914)

5. THEATRICALITIESI havealrvavs ad it in rnind to lvrite a lvric plav on the tbllou'ingspecific ubject:At that time I rvas aken up rvith :rlcherny. ne dav I rvtrshaving a resi, alone n mylaboratory.Outside he skv rvas eaden, ivid and sinister reallvghastll,I rvas eelingsad rvithout knorving vh.v;almostafraid rvithoutknor.vinghe cause. ntomv hcadcame he ideaof amusingm1'self .vcountingon mv fingers lorvlv rom r to z6o,ooo.

'I'his I did: and i.ervboring t rvas. stoodup, took hold of a rnagicnut andgently placedit in a casketof alpacabonestuddcd vith sevendiamonds.Straightrvav stuffedbird took flight; a monkev'sskeleton an off; a sow'sskin climbedalong he rvall. I'hen night descended,overingup objects,destroving hapes.But someones knockingon the far door, he onenear he ]Iedian talismans,he talisrnansa Polynesianmadmansold me.What is itl Oh God Do not forsakc hv servant. le is indeeda sinner,but is repentant.Have mercy on him, I beseech hee.Now the door opens,opens, pens ike an cve; a silentand shapelesseingcomesnearer,nearer,nearer.Not a drop of pcrspiration cmainson mv quakingskin; moreover am vervthirstv, verv thirstr'.


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In the shadows voice s heard:- Sir, I think I havesecond ight.I do not recognizehis voice. t says:Sir, it is I, it is only I.Who? comesmy terrified reply.I, your servant. I th ink I have secondsight. Did you not just placea magic nut genth'in a casketof alpacabone studded with sevendiamonds?Suffocated, can only reply:- Yes, my friend. How do you know?He draws near me, a gliding shadow n the darknessof the night. I feel him trembling.He is probably afraid that I may take a shot at him.With a sob, ike a little child, he murmurs:- I saw you through the kevhole.

(S.LM. r9r4)

6. PERFECTSURROUNDINGSLiving in the midst of wonderful Works of Art is one of the greatestoys anyone can knorr'.Among the precious monumentsto human thought which my limited fortune has obliged meto chooseas my life companions, would single out a magnificent fake Rembrandt,wide anddeep,so good o presswith one'seyes, ike a fat but unripe fruit.You could also see, n my study, a canvasof undeniablebeauty, a unique object ofadmiration: the delicious Portrait attributed to an Unknown Artist'.Have I told you about my imitation T6niers? t's adorable,a lovely thing and a realrarity.Aren't those divine, those gems mounted in hardwood Aren't they?And yet, there is something which surpasseshese masterly works; which crushes hembeneath the colossal weight of its majestic genius; which makes them grow pale with itsdazzlingradiance it is a forged Beethovenmanuscript (a sublime apocryphalSymphony b1'the N{aster)piously purchasedby myself ten years ago, I think.Of all the works of this grandiosecomposer, his roth Symphony, which nobody knorvs,is one of the most sumptuous. Its proportions are on a palatial scale; ts ideasare fresh andplentiful; the developments re exactan'dappropriate.This Symphony had to exist: the number 9 just wouldn't suit Beethoven.He liked thedecimalsystem: I have en fingers',he used o explain.Certain admirers who came dutifutly to take in this masterpiecewith thoughtful andattentiveears,quite wrongly felt it to be one of Beethoven's nferior u'orks and went so far asto say so. They even went further than that.

In no way can Beethovenbe inferior to himself. His form and technique are alwaysportentous, even n his slightest works. In his case he word rudimentary cannot be used. Asan artist he can easily stand up to any counterfeit attributed to him.Would you think that an athlete, who had been famous for years and whose skill andstrength had been acknorvledged n many a public triumph, was made any the less worthybecausehe was easily able to carry a bouquet of mixed tulips and asmine?Would he be anvlessadmirable if a child helped him as well?Of coursenot.

62

(S.I.M. t9r4)


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7. ODD CORNERSOF MY LIFEThe origins of the Saties robablvgo back o ancient imes.Oh yesthing on this point - hut neither can I unconfirm t.Horvever, presumehat thc f-amilvwasnot part of thc nobilitv (nore..-enlrcpapact); rhatits members veregoodand humbleserfs,and that \a.as ncean honour anda plcasure for the,setf's oxerlord,oJ course).Oh ves . . .I don't knorv vhat he Saties id in the Hundred YearsWar; nor have any informationon their attitucle nd the part ther.plal'ed n thc'Ihirt,v YearsWar (oneof ottr oz:eliestars).Let the memorvof my ancient nccstors tst in pcace.Oh _ves . .I-et us passon. I shall come back o this subject ater .

*As for me, I rvasborn in Honfleur (Caloados),n the Pont-l'Ev6quedistrict,on r7 NIayI866 . . . So that makesme a quinquagenarian ,nd I might as rvellbe called hat as anythingelse.Honfleur s ir small orvn rvatered y the poetic vaves f thc Seineand- in complicity -the tumultuous ones of the Channel. ts inhabitants honfleurais)re verv politc ano verl'

agreeable. h ves . . .

I can't confirm anv-

n rsEA

gg0:A Satieandrearn-house

6l


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I remained in that city until I was twelve (1878) and then moved to Paris. . . . Mychildhood and adolescencewere undistinguished nothing happened worth recording inserious writings. So I shall say nothing of them.Let us passon. I shall come back to this subject later.*

I'm burning to give you my description here (mumerationof ny pltysicalparticulars- theones can nnntion decently, hat is):. . . Hair and eyebrowsdark auburn; eyesgrey (probablyclouded)ihair covering forehead; nose long; mouth medium; chin wide; face oval. Heightr metre 67 centimetres.The description on this document dates rom 1887, he time when I did military servicein the 33rd Infantry Regiment at Arras (Pas-de-Calais).t would not fit me today.I'm sorry I can't give you my digital (finger) prints. Oh yes. I don't have them on me,and these specialreproductionsare not good to look at (they look hke Vuillermozand Laloycombined).Let us passon. I shall corneback to this subject ater.;t(

Following a rather short adolescence, becamean ordinary young man, tolerable but nomore. At that moment in my life I began o think and to write music. Oh yes.Wretched idea . . . very wretched idealIt certainly was, for I lost no time in developing an unpleasant(original) originality,irrelevant, anti-French, unnatural, etc. . .Then life becameso impossible for me that I resolved o retire to my estatesand passthe rest of my days n an ivory tower - or one of some other (metallic)metal.That is why I acquired a taste for misanthropy; why I nurtured hypochondria; why Ibecame he most (Ieaden-lihe)miserableof men. It distressedpeople to look at me - eventhrough hall-marked gold eye-glasses. h yes.And all this happened o me becauseof Music. That art has done me more harm thangood, really: it has made me quarrel with people of quality, most honourable, more-than-distinguished,terribly genteel people.Let us passon. I shall come back to this subject ater.

*As a person, I am neither good nor bad, I waver between he two, so to speak.So I havenever really done harm to anyone nor good, come o that.All the same, I have plenty of enemies loyal enemies,of course. Why? For the most

part, it is because hey don't know me - or only know me second-hand, n short, throughhearsay /ia worse han death).NIan can never be perfect, I bear no grudge against hem: they are the main victims oftheir ignorance nd short-sightedness.. . Poor folk . . .So I am sorry for them.Let us passon. I shall come back to this subject later.(FeuillesLibres r9z4)


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A self-porftait from a letter to JeanCocteau,3t August r9r7


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'Studyfor a bust of M. Erik Satiepaintedby himself,with a thought:I came very younginto a worldwhich was very old.'

Bibl. J. Doucet,MS 7537 A.ll.2 (documents ivers)

satie-memoirs of amnesiac

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