Part 4 Summary and Analysis

The writings in this brief section analyze the contribution of two important composers to the development of experimental music.

"Erik Satie" The introduction states that this article, in the form of a conversation between the author and composer Erik Satie (see "Important People), is in fact imaginary, since Satie died several years previously. Satie's "comments," the author writes, are based on things he is supposed to have said and "excerpts from his writings." As the author argues that new music has moved beyond Satie's experiments (while arguing that those experiments and Satie's works are indispensable), "comments" from Satie are interjected that reveal a near-poetic sensibility that contrasts with what the author is portraying as a purely mathematical intent. Both essentially argue that the concept of music must expand to include sounds of the world and of life.

"Edgard Varese" This article...