Satie Nocturnes (Henle)

Henle edition.

With the five Nocturnes composed in 1919, Satie concluded the series of
cyclically organized piano pieces which, in a way, constitute the backbone of
his oeuvre. As his models, he chose the eponymous pieces by John Field and
Frederic Chopin, borrowing not only the romantic, elegiac inflections, but
also the tripartite form and rocking movement. Totally original, in turn, is
the harmony which he devised according to his own system. Commenting on his
Nocturnes, Satie once said: “This is a different expressionof myself”.
Indeed, the pieces, which are not difficult to play, seem unusually serious
and far removed from the nonsense, parody and cabaret atmosphere that colour
such a large part of his oeuvre.