Dance, Bare
(After Gymnopedie No. 1)
| Title | Dance, Bare (After Gymnopedie No. 1) |
| Year | 2004 |
| Composer | Christopher J. Miller |
| Instrument/s | koto |
| Commission | Commissioned by Ryuko Mizutani |
| Contact for Sheets | the composer |
| CD, Digital Audio | CD: Vista; Ryuko Mizutani |
| Contact Info | http://warblingelephant.net |
| Notes | “Dance, Bare was written at Ryuko Mizutani’s request for a piece based on Erik Satie’s Gymnopedie No.1. I followed the original quite closely with respect to form and melody, but took a more radical approach to texture. I eliminated the chordal accompaniment, leaving a single line with only the occasional harmonic interval. I was not so much aiming to restore the sense of unfamiliar austerity Satie’s music had in its time, but more simply attempting to bring the piece into the sound would of the koto. The “bare” minimum of the original is retained for it to be identifiable. Hence the title of the piece, which also refers to the Satie’s obscure title, “Gymnopedie,” the meaning of which is said to have been derived from a poem which describes gymnopedia as asked Spartan dancing girls.” [Miller] |