Apologists have often tried to play down Erik Satie's connection to the bohemian subculture of Montmartre. In this book Whiting argues that far from harming his reputation, this connection decisively shaped his aesthetic priorities and compositional strategies.
The composer Erik Satie (1866-1925) came of age in the bohemian sub-culture of Montmartre, with its artists' cabarets and cafes-concerts. These colorful milieux decisively shaped his aesthetic priorities and compositional strategies, from the esoteric Gymnopedies of the 1880s to the avant-garde ballets of the 1920s. Whiting makes this radical transvaluation of received artistic values more understandable by placing it in the full context of bohemian Montmartre.
One by one, illuminated in the clear light of professor Whiting's brilliant scholarship, there emerge the shadowy figures who influenced Satie during the 20-odd years he spent as a pub pianist in the smoke-filled bars of Montmartre. Whiting elaborates his thesis with a magnificent displayof erudition conveyed in lucid, elegant prose. This is a splendid book, valuable to anyone interested in French popular culture. - James Harding, BBC Music - August 1999
