Debussy: Preludes; Satie: Gymnopedies, Gnossiennes

Claude Debussy (1862-1918): Preludes, Book 1

1. i. Danseuses de Delphes
2. ii. Voiles
3. iii. Le vent dans la plaine
4. iv. Les sons et les parfums tournent dans l'air du soir
5. v. Les collines d'Anacapri
6. vi. Des pas sur la neige
7. vii. Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest
8. viii. La fille aux cheveux de lin
9. ix. La sérénade interrompue
10. x. La cathédrale engloutie
11. xi. La danse de Puck
12. xii. Minstrels

Erik Satie (1866-1925): Six Gnossiennes

1. i. No.1 – Lent
2. ii. No.2 – Avec étonnement
3. iii. No.3 – Lent
4. iv. No.4
5. v. No.5
6. vi. No.6

Erik Satie: Trois Gymnopédies

1. i. No.1
2. ii. No.2
3. iii. No.3

Perhaps because their piano music was so different, Satie and Debussy were close friends from the time of the Gymnopédies onwards and whereas Satie’s titles here look back to ancient Greek civilisation, Debussy derived the individual preludes in his first collection from more contemporary literature, art or nature. But, like Satie, he wanted to make them look different in publication and placed their titles at the end, although he must have realised that once played, their titles would never be forgotten.