''Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois'', translated as ''Sketches and Exasperations of a Big Wooden Dummy'', is a 1913 piano composition by

Erik Satie Eric Alfred Leslie Satie (born 17 May 18661 July 1925), better known as Erik Satie, was a French composer and pianist. The son of a French father and a British mother, he studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire but was an undi ...

. One of his pre-World War I humoristic suites, it was published by E. Demets that same year.

Ricardo Viñes Ricardo Viñes y Roda (, , ; 5 February 1875 – 29 April 1943) was a Spanish pianist. He gave the premieres of works by Ravel, Debussy, Satie, Falla and Albéniz. He was the piano teacher of the composer Francis Poulenc and the pianists M ...

gave the premiere during a concert of the

Société Nationale de Musique Groupe Lactalis S.A. (doing business as Lactalis) is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier S.A. Lactalis is the largest dairy pr ...

at the

Salle Pleyel The Salle Pleyel (, meaning "Pleyel Hall") is a concert hall in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, designed by the acoustician Gustave Lyon together with the architect Jacques Marcel Auburtin, who died in 1926, and the work was completed i ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

on March 28, 1914. A typical performance lasts about five minutes.

Description

In the April 5, 1913 issue of the periodical ''Le Guide du concert'', Satie advertised his plans to produce a series of pianistic works in which he would "devote myself to the sweet joys of fantasy", naming ''

Descriptions automatiques The ''Descriptions automatiques'' (''Automatic Descriptions'') is a 1913 piano composition by Erik Satie. The second of his humoristic keyboard suites (1912-1915), it set the tone for the rest of the series by introducing elements of musical Parod ...

'', ''

Embryons desséchés ''Embryons desséchés'' ("''Desiccated embryos''") is a piano composition by Erik Satie, composed in the summer of 1913. The composition consists of three little movements, each taking about two to three minutes to play. The music The parts ...

'', '' Chapitres tournés en tous sens'' and '' Vieux sequins et vieilles cuirasses'' as upcoming projects. He stuck to this scheme, with one detour. The first part of the unannounced ''Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois'' was completed on June 2 and the rest intermittently worked on through August 25. The "gros bonhomme en bois" ("Big Wooden Dummy") of the title is the composer himself.

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

historian André Bruyère explored how Satie's childhood in

Honfleur Honfleur () is a commune in the Calvados department in northwestern France. It is located on the southern bank of the estuary of the Seine across from Le Havre and very close to the exit of the Pont de Normandie. The people that inhabit Hon ...

influenced his future creativity, and traced a link between this work and a street adjacent to his birthplace called rue de l'Homme-de-bois. When he played his '' Ogives'' at

Le Chat Noir (; French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th century entertainment establishment in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by impresario Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 not long ...

in 1889 Satie billed himself as "The composer with a wooden head". This later became a standing joke between Satie and his friend

Claude Debussy Achille Claude Debussy (; 22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He is sometimes seen as the first Impressionism in music, Impressionist composer, although he vigorously rejected the term. He was among the most influe ...

. The suite consists of three pieces marked ''Avec précaution et lent'' (Cautiously and slow), ''Assez lent, si vous le voulez bien'' (Quite slow, if you don't mind), and ''Sorte de valse'' (Sort of a waltz). If it has a running theme it would be what is now referred to as

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or cultural identity, identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically ari ...

, which for Satie would have been more grist for his irreverent humor mill. This is made explicit in the music and texts of the final movement. ''1. Tyrolienne turque'' ''(Turkish yodeling)'' - for Mademoiselle Elvira Viñes Soto :A genteel melody bookends the first piece; besides a single "wrong" note it is fit for a bourgeois French

salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. An anticipatory bridge passage (to be played "With the tips of the eyes") leads to the "Turkish

yodeling Yodeling (also jodeling) is a form of singing which involves repeated and rapid changes of pitch between the low-pitch chest register (or "chest voice") and the high-pitch head register or falsetto. The English word ''yodel'' is derived from t ...

", a parody of the famous ''rondo alla turca'' from

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

's '' Piano Sonata No. 11'' with the theme converted from to

time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

. Order is soon restored and the music ends delicately, wrong note and all. ''2. Danse maigre (à la manière de ces messieurs)'' ''Skinny dance (in the manner of those ''gentlemen'')'' - for Monsieur Hernando Viñes Soto :The idea for this curious dance was apparently inspired by the ''À la Manière de...'' series (1911-1913) of Italian composer

Alfredo Casella Alfredo Casella (25 July 18835 March 1947) was an Italian composer, pianist and conductor. Life and career Casella was born in Turin, the son of Maria (née Bordino) and Carlo Casella. His family included many musicians: his grandfather, a f ...

, a collection of light keyboard pieces written "in the manner" of various musicians; and the title may be a parody of the popular ''Dance Nègre'' (1908) by

Cyril Scott Cyril Meir Scott (27 September 1879 – 31 December 1970) was an English composer, writer, poet, and occultist. He created around four hundred musical compositions including piano, violin, cello concertos, symphonies, and operas. He also wrot ...

, known at the time as "The English Debussy". Satie was acquainted with both men through Debussy. Yet there are no musical allusions in the manner of anyone to be heard. The dance seems to bicker with itself through abrupt tempo changes and motivic juxtapositions ranging from quiet to frenetic. Satie's score advises the pianist to regard all this "From afar and with boredom" and "Full of subtlety, if you believe me". We never learn who the "skinny gentlemen" are supposed to be, though Satie scholars have had their theories. ''3. Españaña'' - for Mademoiselle Claude Emma Debussy Emmanuel Chabrier Cropped

:For the finale Satie spoofed the growing popularity of Spanish influences in French music. Debussy contributed to this trend with his '' Ibéria'' for orchestra (1908), and Satie may have been teasing him by dedicating the piece to Debussy's young daughter Chouchou. The title ''Españaña'' is a riff on

Emmanuel Chabrier Alexis-Emmanuel Chabrier (; 18 January 184113 September 1894) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and pianist. His Bourgeoisie, bourgeois family did not approve of a musical career for him, and he studied law in Paris and then worked ...

's rhapsody ''

España Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

'' (1883), playfully misspelled to read like a child's taunt. :To achieve a "Spanish" vibe Satie incongruously uses a

waltz The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...

rhythm that occasionally stumbles, while the music veers into unexpected thematic and harmonic twists. The only thing resembling a "tune" occurs midway, an almost literal quotation of ''España''. :In the preceding pieces Satie confined his literary wit to the cheeky "playing instructions"; here the texts form a narrative of disjunct imagery randomly sprinkled with Spanish words.

Georges Bizet Georges Bizet (; 25 October 18383 June 1875) was a French composer of the Romantic music, Romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, ''Carmen'', w ...

's operatic heroine

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

is transported from

Seville Seville ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the Guadalquivir, River Guadalquivir, ...

to modern-day Paris, where she people-watches while crossing the "Puerta" Maillot and the "Plaza" Clichy. When the ''España'' quote appears she asks "Is that the

Alcalde ''Alcalde'' (; ) is the traditional Spanish municipal magistrate, who had both judicial and Administration (government), administrative functions. An ''alcalde'' was, in the absence of a corregidor (position), corregidor, the presiding officer o ...

?", a charming sign of Satie's respect for Chabrier. The piece ends with a personal joke: Carmen is offered cigarettes on the Rue de Madrid - the new home of the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

, against which former student Satie held a lifelong grudge. The ''Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois'' was popular in its day and has been frequently recorded. The first was by Satie's protégé

Francis Poulenc Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc (; 7 January 189930 January 1963) was a French composer and pianist. His compositions include mélodie, songs, solo piano works, chamber music, choral pieces, operas, ballets, and orchestral concert music. Among th ...

in 1951. In 1975 a Satie manuscript entitled ''San Bernardo'' was sold at auction from a private collection in Paris. Dated August 2, 1913, it is the rejected first version of ''Españaña'' (''Croquis'' No. 3). The waltz rhythms are more assertive and it has the same ''España'' quote and reference to the Rue de Madrid. It was premiered in a studio recording by pianist Eve Egoyan on May 16, 2002, and the score was published in a limited edition that same year. A commercial edition appeared in 2016.Orledge, op. cit., pp. 299-300.

Recordings

Notable recordings include those by

(Columbia, 1951), Jean-Joël Barbier (BAM, 1967),

Aldo Ciccolini Aldo Ciccolini (; 15 August 1925 – 1 February 2015) was an Italian pianist who became a naturalized French citizen in 1971. Biography Aldo Ciccolini was born in Naples. His father, whose family bore the title of Marquis in the city of Macera ...

(twice, for Angel in 1968 and EMI in 1987),

Frank Glazer Frank Glazer (February 19, 1915 – January 13, 2015) was an American pianist, composer, and teacher of music. Career details Glazer was born in Chester, Wisconsin on February 19, 1915, the sixth child of Benjamin and Clara Glazer, Jewish emigran ...

(Vox, 1968, reissued 1990), William Masselos (RCA, 1969), Yūji Takahashi (Denon, 1979),

France Clidat France Clidat (Nantes, 22 November 1932 – Paris, 17 May 2012) was a French piano, pianist renowned for her interpretations of the works of Franz Liszt, a great many of which she recorded, and Erik Satie, whose complete piano works she recorded. ...

(Forlane, 1980),

Philippe Entremont Philippe Entremont (born 7 June 1934) is a French classical pianist and conducting, conductor. His recordings as a pianist include concertos by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, Maurice Ravel, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Rachmaninoff, Camille Sain ...

(CBS, 1981), Jean-Pierre Armengaud (Le Chant du Monde, 1986),

Anne Queffélec Anne Queffélec (born 17 January 1948) is a French classical pianist, born in Paris. Biography Anne Queffélec is the daughter of Henri Queffélec and sister of Yann Queffélec, both noted writers. Her brother Hervé Queffélec is a mathema ...

(Virgin Classics, 1988),

Pascal Rogé Pascal Rogé (born 6 April 1951) is a French pianist. His playing includes the works of compatriot composers Saint-Saëns, Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, and Poulenc, among others. However, his repertoire also covers the German and Austrian ...

(Decca, 1989), Yitkin Seow (Hyperion, 1989), Peter Lawson (EMI, 1989),

Gabriel Tacchino Gabriel Tacchino (; 4 August 1934 – 29 January 2023) was a French classical pianist and teacher. Life and career Tacchino was born in Cannes on 4 August 1934. He studied at the Conservatoire de Paris, Paris Conservatoire from 1947 to 1953, whe ...

(Disques Pierre Verany, 1993), Klára Körmendi (

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

, 1994), Bojan Gorišek (Audiophile Classics, 1994), Olof Höjer (Swedish Society Discofil, 1996),

Peter Dickinson Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories. Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...

(Olympia, 2001),

Jean-Yves Thibaudet Jean-Yves Thibaudet (born 7 September 1961)Michael & Joyce Kennedy, 2007. is a French pianist. Early life and education Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, to non-professional musical parents. His father played the violin, and his mother, of Ger ...

(Decca, 2003), Cristina Ariagno (Brilliant Classics, 2007), Jan Kaspersen (Scandinavian Classics, 2007),

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 ...

(Harmonia Mundi, 2009), Jeroen van Veen (Brilliant Classics, 2016), Noriko Ogawa (BIS, 2016), Steffan Schleiermacher (MDG, 2021).

Notes and references

External links

''Croquis et agaceries d'un gros bonhomme en bois'' on YouTube - https://youtube.com/9AAW5OK4_F8 ''San Bernardo'' on YouTube - https://youtube.com/Gm0HcI6g-9c {{Authority control Compositions by Erik Satie 20th-century classical music Compositions for solo piano 1913 compositions