Just learning about this piece of music that will be performed in Seattle in May. It’s not a particular long piece of written music, however, it’s apparently supposed to be played 840 times in succession; to actually perform it could take anywhere from 18-24 hours. In an article about the piece I found this quote which I thought was interesting to think about in relation to current ‘noise’ music:
The repetitive nature of the piece raises fundamental aesthetic questions, in particular about the function of boredom in art. “Boredom was mysterious and profound” for Satie. But it was also an effective way of mystifying and irritating the bourgeoisie, as Satie suggests in Sports et Divertissements [1914], which opens with a Chorale into which “I have put all I know about Boredom. I dedicate it to those who don’t like me.”
Also, this bit about how the piece was written was particularly interesting as well:
Satie’s carefully crafted ‘illogicality’ removes all association, expressive or otherwise, from harmonies which, taken individually, are mostly commonplace: familiar chords seem strangely unfamiliar. Stripped of conventional meaning by the context, a series of simple triads becomes a vehicle for spiritual revelation. Important to the concept of Vexations is the relationship between the repetitive form of the piece and the forgettable nature of its material. Vexations lingers in the memory as a vague impression, the details effaced as soon as heard: it is difficult to imagine anyone walking home whistling the ‘tune’ after a performance. Perhaps it is only because the music is almost literally self-effacing that extended repetition becomes tolerable. Above all, it must not be ‘interesting’; it must not draw attention to itself as music, otherwise the listener – or performer – might attempt to discover meaning, expression, thematic development or any of the other qualities which the intellect is accustomed to seek in music.
-From: Serious Immobilities:
On the centenary of Erik Satie’s Vexations
You’ll note in the video how John Cale says he hasn’t memorized the piece although he has played it hundreds of times. The one participant who sat through the entire performance could not even hum a piece of the tune back.
Also, here is a a note exchange between two players of the piece who communicated via a piece of paper while the other played: Vexations and its Performers
“In Zen they say: If something is boring after two minutes, try it for four. If still boring, try it for eight, sixteen, thirty-two, and so on. Eventually one discovers that it’s not boring at all but very interesting.”
-John Cage