Gnossienne No. 1
Erik Satie's Gnossienne No. 1 (1890) is a slow, hypnotic piece in F minor, originally written without bar lines. Octotune grades it 5 of 8 (Intermediate): a steady left hand of bass notes and chords, under a winding melody with quick ornaments.
At a glance
| Composer | Erik Satie (1866–1925) |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | Intermediate: grade 5 of 8 |
| Key | F minor (4 flats (B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭)) |
| Time | 4/4 |
| Tempo | 100 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower) |
| Length | 82 measures, about 3:17 |
| Hands | both hands |
| Right hand | C4 to B5 |
| Left hand | B♭1 to C4 |
It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.
Levels in the app
| Version | Grade | Levels |
|---|---|---|
| Gnossienne No. 1 | 5 of 8 | Melody, Melody and bass, Full |
Practice notes
Erik Satie wrote his first Gnossienne in 1890. It has no time signature and no bar lines in his original, and instead of the usual Italian tempo words, Satie scatters odd instructions over the music, such as Très luisant ("very shiny") and Questionnez ("question"). The edition in Octotune is written in measures of four beats, which makes it easier to read and to count.
How it is built. The left hand plods slowly and quietly: a low bass note, then a chord in the middle of the keyboard, over and over. Above it, the right hand's melody winds around a few notes in F minor, decorated with quick little turns and grace notes.
The tricky parts
- The ornaments. The quick notes should slip in lightly, not jerk the line.
- The left-hand jump from the low bass note to the chord, two octaves at its widest. Keep it soft.
- Timing. The piece floats. The left hand's pulse should stay steady while the melody takes its time.
- Four flats, plus accidentals in the melody.
Practice plan
- Left hand alone until the bass-and-chord pattern is automatic and quiet.
- The melody without its ornaments. Octotune leaves the quickest grace notes and turns out of what it asks you to play, so you can learn the line first. Then add them.
- Together, slowly, a line at a time with the A–B loop.
Before you start: the whole Octotune path, plus a key signature with four flats, which goes beyond it.
Questions
Is Gnossienne No. 1 hard?
It is an early-intermediate piece: Octotune grades it 5 of 8. The left hand is simple and slow; the challenge is the right hand's quick ornamental notes and the free, unhurried timing.
Does Gnossienne No. 1 have bar lines?
Satie wrote it without a time signature or bar lines. Editions like the one in Octotune add measures to make it easier to read and count.
Credits and license
- Music: Erik Satie (1866–1925)
- Typeset by Knute Snortum for the Mutopia Project
- License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0
- Source and printable sheet music: the Mutopia Project’s page for this piece