Erik Satie

A delightful and informative take on Erik Satie's life and works...Potter's biography presents readers with a cultural history: they will revel in learning more not only about Satie and his music, but also about fin-de-siecle Paris's sonic environment, artistic movements and social trends, which she argues shaped Satie's music... A book that will certainly delight a broad range of readers, from music scholars and French historians, to those in the general public interested in discovering more about one of France's most enigmatic composers. * REVUE DE MUSICOLOGIE *
Potter's book is well written and she supports her knowledge of Satie with her fluency in the French language, as a result of which she is able to discuss the nuances and double entendres of Satie's texted piano works. . . . The primary sources Potter found, and includes in her study, are reason enough to read this book. . . . [A]n important contribution indeed. * ECHO *
Potter's book is especially timely, participating in the recent trend of rethinking early twentieth-century composers . . . within their historical and social contexts. . . . [Her] writing is accessible and engaging. . . . [P]rovides a fresh and nuanced take on a popular but complicated composer. It would be a welcome addition to any library. * NOTES: JOURNAL OF THE MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION *
Essential reading. * CLASSICAL MUSIC *
No academic library should be without it and both Satie's admirers and detractors will find many thoughtful insights. * FONTES ARTIS MUSICAE *
Potter's scholarly and engaging book brings out the ways in which Satie's music...absorbed the 'sonic environment' of the city. * SUNDAY TIMES *
This is a fascinating tour of Satie's richly bizarre Parisian environment, offering new and valuable insights for both listeners and performers. * [FOUR STARS] BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE *
Anyone seriously interested in Satie needs this well-produced, reasonably priced, lucidly expressed and impressively researched book. * MUSICAL OPINION *
[A] welcome new study. * LITERARY REVIEW *
'This brilliant and accessible new study of Satie gets right inside his contemporary Parisian world, relating its complex and fast-changing artistic climate to scientific and social issues, and most importantly to mechanical and street music. Dr Potter's painstaking and wide research brings many new discoveries too, and leaves us with a clearer vision of what the enigmatic Satie was really about. -- Emeritus Professor Robert Orledge, University of Liverpool