Erik Satie - Trois Mélodies (1887), reduced for piano

Composed in 1887, these ‘Trois Mélodies’ were the first published works of Erik Satie (though not his first compositions), printed by his father’s publishing company. The set consists of three songs for voice and piano, built upon three poems by J. P. Contamine de Latour (1867-1926), a Spanish poet who lived in Paris. It is said that Latour’s poetry has also inspired Satie’s Sarabandes and Gymnopédies.

(Please note that Satie published two sets of songs called 'Trois Mélodies': the one presented in this video, from 1887, and a second one from 1916. They are completely different works, despite their identical titles.)

Since this video presents a piano reduction of the songs, you can read Latour’s poems below:


The Angels (Les Anges – translated by Richard Stokes)
Clothed in white in the bright blue sky,
Unfurling their long veils,
Angels hover in the clear heavens:
Lilies floating among the stars.

Lutes quiver beneath their fingers,
Lutes with a heavenly harmony,
Like incense their voices rise
Calmly up to the boundless vault.

Below – the thunder of briny waves,
Night on all sides spreads its veils.
Angels hover in the clear heavens:
Lilies floating among the stars.


Eulogy (Élégie – translated by Chelsea Green)
I have seen my luck fade,
As if in a dream.
Cruel fate!
Instead of sweet hope,
I am full of suffering
and pain.

In the folly of my youth,
I sang
the song of love unceasingly.
But the gentle dream
was erased,
In a single day.

I have to suffer my long martyrdom,
Without cursing it,
without sighing.
The only remedy on earth,
For my misery,
is to cry.


Sylvie (Sylvie – translated by Laura Sylvis)
She is so beautiful, my Sylvie,
That the angels are jealous of it.
Love, on her delighted lip,
Left its sweetest kiss.

Her eyes are large stars,
Her mouth is made of rubies,
Her soul is the height of a cloudless sky,
And her heart is my paradise.

Her hair is black like shadow,
Her voice sweeter than honey,
Her sadness is an eclipse
And her smile a rainbow.


Thanks for listening! Let me know your thoughts on Satie’s music and Latour’s poems in the comments.


Playlist:
0:00 - Les Anges
3:10 - Élégie
6:48 - Sylvie

Composer:
Erik Satie (1866 – 1925)

Piano reduction and performance:
L. Sierakowski

Visual content:
Le Salon de M. Irisson, le soir du 19 août 1839 (1844), by Prosper Lafaye

If you want access to the high quality audio, please visit:
https://furniture-music.bandcamp.com/