There's a good chance you've heard this famous piano piece before. Take a listen and see if it sounds familiar!
Gymnopédie No. 1: Written by Erike Satie in 1888
Gymnopédie No. 1 was written by the French composer Erik Satie. It is a very famous piano piece, but not everyone knows that there are two more just like it! Click below to listen to Gymnopédie No. 2 and Gymnopédie No. 3.
You may notice that each of these pieces sound very similar; Satie designed them that way on purpose! All of the Gymnopédies have the same time signature. A time signature lets musicians know how many beats to count as they play.
Fun Fact: The three Gymnopédies are famous for their relaxing, floating sound that seems like it could last forever... but they have a silly side to them, too. Satie loved to tease other composers with his music. He thought many older styles of music (especially Romantic music!) were too busy and emotional. He decided to make the Gymnopédies the complete opposite, so he made them as simple and repetitive as possible!
Bonus Activity: Conduct one of the Gymnopédies while you listen. If you're not sure how to conduct a 3-beat pattern, reference the conducting page in your Neoclassical magazine.
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