Spencer Owen
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Satie's Vexations

Posted over 5 years ago
http://musicweb.hmt-hannover.de/satie/Vexations by Erik Satie is a single page of music that is meant to be performed slowly, on piano, 840 times. I have heard of at least one several-pianist marathon performance of the piece, but I have never heard of one person actually doing it. This website claims that it was done by Armin Fuchs, and they claim to have recordings to prove it. I might just need to get that recording.
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Comments (16)

  1. Lester Jonze
    Lester Jonze says _That_ 840 times? Yikes.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  2. kat3260
    kat3260 says I have a recording of Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1 that I sometimes use to fall asleep. I can't fathom 840 repeats of _Vexations_ ....
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  3. inspectortreviranus
    inspectortreviranus says Awesome.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  4. ookpik
    ookpik says Thanks for this, Spencer. I never seem to get around to properly researching Satie, so my knowledge is made up of various items like this. Always so pretty, always totally brutal and weird.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  5. Pseudo Cyborg
    Pseudo Cyborg says I'm a minute into the song and I love it. I can't imagine the torture of playing it 840 times, though. I mean, I get lost at band rehearsals when we go through a song more than twice in a row. That's got to be insanity.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  6. ilcv
    ilcv says Well, there's only about as much risk of carpal tunnel as 28 straight hours on MOG. Maybe less!
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  7. fairportfan
    fairportfan says Okay. The MIDI file there appears to have the whole thing - at least RealPlayer say "1:03:41:57", which i assume means "1 day 3 hours..." Frank Zappa was a big Satie fan. I listened to a few minutes of the MIDI, and it certainly reminded me of some of FZ's piano parts. *Current National Terror Alert Level* Terror Alert Level

    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  8. Spike
    Spike says I read somewhere that Satie designed the first bra.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  9. Deerhoof
    Deerhoof says Usually when people do Vexations in shifts, like tag-team. I've seen a performance, it was beautiful. I had to leave for about one hour to get lunch at one point but I was there the other 12 hours. The first 10 minutes is strange and wonderful, then you get bored for the next 45 minutes and then the next 12 hours are just heaven! it's really easy to play, anyone with access to a piano for 13 hours would benefit from giving it a try! Greg
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  10. Spencer Owen
    Spencer Owen says That sounds about right. I want to get the recording of the one guy doing it for 28 hours, though, just to say I've got it, and maybe to have it running in the background for a full two days sometime (a man's got to sleep, so I'd stop it when I go to bed).
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  11. nicki
    nicki says One would wonder if more than twelve hours of another piece would have a similar effect...but I suppose that's the point...
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  12. Manos
    Manos says I love shit like this - the science and art of repetition. Gavin Bryar's Jesus Blood Never Failed Me Yet is a good example, though it isn't nearly as long.
    Permalink posted 11/14/2006
  13. wassonii
    wassonii says just now getting around to this, but Satie said himself regarding the musician: "He has a touch of self-denial compounded by a most copious...enormous, if I may say so - desire for sacrifice...His patience is exceptional... In short, he is ready for the struggle...He will fight loyally..." from "A Mammal's Notebook" @las press; Erik Satie, specifically "Musical Spirit" pg.138 Gotta take something along those lines of tenacity to break through 840. Thks for the link as always. keep on pointing the way.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  14. Lirpa
    Lirpa says Satie is just so brilliant. I'm a sucker for great piano pieces. I wasn't on to this before, thanks for the share.
    Permalink posted 11/15/2006
  15. melee
    melee says Satie is a pimp. I love that dude.
    Permalink posted 11/19/2006
  16. admorobo
    admorobo says I love this idea. And I love that composers are creating music that truly requies attention and critical thought from the listener in order to be fully appreciated. To me it's the simple sound of time happening, and therein lies the challenge: to find something interesting, even transcendent, in the ordinary.
    Permalink posted 11/27/2006

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