"Je te veux" ("I Want You") is a song composed by

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (, ; ; 17 May 18661 July 1925), who signed his name Erik Satie after 1884, was a French composer and pianist. He was the son of a French father and a British mother. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was an und ...

to a text by Henry Pacory. A sentimental

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the wa ...

with erotic lyrics, it was written for , whose accompanist Satie had been for a period of time. The text consists of two verses and a repeated chorus. Darty first performed the song in 1903 at , then a popular cabaret in Paris. In 1925, the song was recorded with

Yvonne George Yvonne de Knops (1896 in Brussels – 1930 in Genoa), better known by her stage name Yvonne George, was a Belgian singer, feminist and actress. Biography George started her artistic career on the stage, where she befriended Jean Cocteau, but ...

as singer. Other notable singers who performed the song include Mathé Altéry,

Régine Crespin Régine Crespin (23 February 1927 – 5 July 2007) was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto sopran ...

, Nicolai Gedda, and later Jessye Norman, Marie Devellereau, and

Angela Gheorghiu Angela Gheorghiu (; ; born 7 September 1965) is a Romanian soprano, especially known for her performances in the operas of Puccini and Verdi, widely recognised by critics and opera lovers as one of the greatest sopranos of all time. Embarking h ...

. Jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant performed the song on Jacky Terrasson's 2012 album ''

Gouache Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache ...

''.

John Cage John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of musical instruments, Cage was one of the leading f ...

instructs the performer to do the piano and voice version as part of his nine short songs, "Sonnekus²" (1985). The song was registered with SACEM on 20 November 1902, but

Alexis Roland-Manuel Alexis Roland-Manuel (22 March 18911 November 1966) was a French composer and critic, remembered mainly for his criticism. Biography He was born Roland Alexis Manuel Lévy in Paris, to a family of Belgian and Jewish origins. He studied composi ...

argued it had actually been composed in 1897. Satie composed various versions of the "Je te veux" waltz: for piano and voice, for an orchestra of

brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. Brass instruments are also called labrosones or labrophones, from Latin a ...

s, and for full orchestra (including a trio). The piano and voice version was first published in 1903. The composer later arranged the work for solo piano, adding a middle section between the second chorus and the second verse.

Lyrics

References

External links

* *, Juliette (voice),

Alexandre Tharaud Alexandre Tharaud (born 9 December 1968) is a French pianist. He is active on the concert stage and has released a large and diverse discography. Life and career Born in Paris, Tharaud discovered the music scene through his mother who was a danc ...

(piano) {{Authority control Compositions by Erik Satie Waltzes Mélodies 1903 songs