Satie on La Mer

At the 1905 premiere of La Mer, one of whose movements is called “From Dawn to Midday on the Sea”, Debussy received the usual post-performance congratulations. Satie’s deflating comment was, “Ah, my dear friend, there’s one particular moment between half past ten and a quarter to eleven that I found especially stunning.”

Levison, B. (2015). Classical Music’s Strangest Concerts and Characters: Extraordinary But True Stories from Over Five Centuries of Harmony and Discord. United Kingdom: Portico.

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