First Gymnopedie

Possibly based on the poetry of J. P. Contamine de Latour, a French writer and friend of Eric Satie, Gymnopedies No. 1 is the first of a set of three short mood pieces written for piano. This first piece was published in 1888, the third a short time after, and the second not for another seven years. Another of Satie's friend, Debussy, wrote an orchestral version that was published in 1898.The exact meaning of Gymnopedies as used in this piece remains unclear, perhaps even to Satie himself. It comes from the Greek, but has several possible references, though most researchers seem to agree that it refers to a dance, possibly in the nude, in relation to either a religious or athletic event. That being said, the term "-ped" refers to children, leading some to speculate that the Gymnopedies are dances of innocence. The melancholy nature of the music adds an intriguing level of pathos to this youthful innocence.This arrangement follows very closely the 1888 piano version. Possibly based on the poetry of J. P. Contamine de Latour, a French writer and friend of Eric Satie, Gymnopedies No.1 is the first of a set of three short mood pieces written for piano. This first piece was published in 1888, the third ashort time after, and the second not for another seven years. Another of Satie's friend, Debussy, wrote an orchestralversion that was published in 1898.The exact meaning of Gymnopedies as used in this piece remains unclear, perhaps even to Satie himself. It comesfrom the Greek, but has several possible references, though most researchers seem to agree that it refers to a dance,possibly in the nude, in relation to either a religious or athletic event. That being said, the term "-ped" refers tochildren, leading some to speculate that the Gymnopedies are dances of innocence. The melancholy nature of themusic adds an intriguing level of pathos to this youthful innocence.This arrangement follows very closely the 1888 piano version. It is arranged for the beginner mallet player in both 4-mallet technique and stick dampening. In the vibraphone part, the slur markings loosely represent pedaling.However, which note to stick dampen is left to the performer's technique and aesthetic. The 4-mallet marimba partrequires a 5-octave marimba and is fairly straight-forward. Measures 39 and 78 will require a particular maneuverthough. Sticks 1 & 2 are placed on the D andArespectively, while sticks 3 & 4 are placed on the octave F#, allowingthe left hand to slide under the right to strike the top A of the arpeggio. However, this is just one possible method ofobtaining the effect.