Son binocle

History

The middle of Satie's three dandy waltzes focuses on his spectacles: the score says he cleans them daily and describes silver frames with smoked-gold lenses. Its instruction is to play very slowly, turning this tiny object into a leisurely portrait.

Sources

• mutopiaproject.org/piece-info.cgi
• mutopiaproject.org/Son_Binocle-a4.pdf
• urresearch.rochester.edu

What to listen for

1. 1

   A high note reaches into a lower register

   The opening high D is followed by much lower pitches and occasional paired sounds in the same track. Hear the wide register changes as a connected phrase, not separate hands inferred from the file.

2. 2

   A second track arrives quietly in the texture

   Later, another track adds lower single notes and pairs while the first places widely spaced upper attacks. Listen to the new layer and the space between its replies.

How to practise it

1. Play the high D and the following lower pitches as one continuous sequence in their original order. Practise each register change with the destination note prepared, then include the paired sounds without inserting a pause.
2. Practise the later lower single notes and pairs alone. Add the widely spaced upper attacks at their existing positions, counting through the gaps rather than filling them with extra notes.

How hard is it

About this piece

Collection

At the dance floor

Licence

Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0

Source

mutopiaproject.org

Credit

“Son Binocle” by E. Satie (1866 to 1925). Mutopia edition maintained by Knute Snortum. Source: https://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=2020. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. Changes to the supplied file: none; any later conversion or edit must be disclosed separately.

More by Erik Satie

1. 1Gymnopédie No. 3Level 4, estimatedWith Maestro
2. 2Gymnopédie No. 1Level 4, estimatedOpen to everyone
3. 3Gnossienne No. 2Level 5, estimatedWith Maestro