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An essay in six variations
 Written by GPT-3 and Howard Smith

The six essays below were written by an Artificial Intelligence called GPT-3. In the final essay, Satie speaks in his own voice and composes a poem reflecting on the influences of his work. The AI-generated essays were guided by Howard Smith, a human. Howard only had to give the briefest of instructions to the remarkable AI. Such ‘generative’ systems are making waves across the world. GPT-3 is but a taste of what’s to come. Humankind will shortly have many new AI companions.

Howard Smith is the human author of Note For Note, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. Howard is also the author of an experimental book on the topic of Climate Change. The 180 page book was written by GPT-3 in response to questions posed by Howard. The two collaborators ‘wrote’ the book in just 12 hours. The work was self-published 6 days later and is now available via Amazon worldwide. In Conversation with GPT-3: An AI On Climate Change  is a taste of what’s ahead for anyone working in any creative field. 

One of 30 images generated by DALL*E 2 in response to a prompt by the author: A painting in the style of Dada art of the composer Erik Satie and a ticking clock

And now, dear friends, the essays:

Version 1

Human in italics. All else written by an AI.

Write an essay about the music of Erik Satie. Concentrate on explaining the musical influences and genres that led to Satie’s unique style. Also cover the way Satie’s music influenced composers that followed him.

Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist known for his unique and unconventional musical style. He was born in 1866 and began composing music at a young age. Throughout his career, Satie experimented with a wide range of musical genres and influences, which ultimately led to the development of his distinctive style.

One of the major influences on Satie’s music was the impressionism movement in art. Impressionist painters, such as Monet and Degas, were known for their use of light and color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. Satie similarly sought to evoke a sense of atmosphere in his music through the use of harmonic and melodic color. He often employed unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of tension and dissonance.

Another important influence on Satie’s music was cabaret and café-concert culture. These venues were popular in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and featured a wide range of musical styles, including folk songs, popular songs, and vaudeville. Satie was heavily influenced by the playful, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances, and he incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into his own compositions.

Satie’s music also drew inspiration from other genres, including folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. He was particularly interested in the use of simple, repetitive rhythms and melodies, which he often incorporated into his music to create a sense of hypnotic and meditative states.

Satie’s unique and unconventional musical style had a significant influence on composers that followed him. Many of his techniques and ideas were adopted and adapted by other composers, particularly those working in the field of minimalism. Satie was one of the first composers to use repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, techniques that would become central to the minimalist style. He was also an important influence on the development of ambient and experimental music.

In conclusion, Erik Satie’s music was shaped by a wide range of musical influences and genres, including impressionism, cabaret and café-concert culture, folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. His unique and unconventional style had a significant influence on composers that followed him, particularly in the field of minimalism and experimental music. His music still continues to be celebrated and performed today.

Version 2

Improve the essay please by including some quotes by Erik Satie. 

Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist known for his unique and unconventional musical style. He was born in 1866 and began composing music at a young age. Throughout his career, Satie experimented with a wide range of musical genres and influences, which ultimately led to the development of his distinctive style.

One of the major influences on Satie’s music was the impressionism movement in art. Impressionist painters, such as Monet and Degas, were known for their use of light and color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. Satie similarly sought to evoke a sense of atmosphere in his music through the use of harmonic and melodic color. He often employed unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of tension and dissonance. In his own words, Satie stated “I have found it necessary to get rid of all the parts that everyone likes and keep all those which no one likes”

Another important influence on Satie’s music was cabaret and café-concert culture. These venues were popular in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and featured a wide range of musical styles, including folk songs, popular songs, and vaudeville. Satie was heavily influenced by the playful, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances, and he incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into his own compositions. He once said, “I am a country whose boundaries are the imagination.”

Satie’s music also drew inspiration from other genres, including folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. He was particularly interested in the use of simple, repetitive rhythms and melodies, which he often incorporated into his music to create a sense of hypnotic and meditative states. His music was described as being “inventive and original” by himself.

Satie’s unique and unconventional musical style had a significant influence on composers that followed him. Many of his techniques and ideas were adopted and adapted by other composers, particularly those working in the field of minimalism. Satie was one of the first composers to use repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, techniques that would become central to the minimalist style. He was also an important influence on the development of ambient and experimental music.

In conclusion, Erik Satie’s music was shaped by a wide range of musical influences and genres, including impressionism, cabaret and café-concert culture, folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. His unique and unconventional style had a significant influence on composers that followed him, particularly in the field of minimalism and experimental music. His music still continues to be celebrated and performed today. Satie’s own words offers a glimpse into his artistic vision, his revolutionary approach and his enduring legacy.

Version 3

Can you extend the essay by listing some of Satie’s best loved music. Place the list of works at the end of the essay. 

Erik Satie was a French composer and pianist known for his unique and unconventional musical style. He was born in 1866 and began composing music at a young age. Throughout his career, Satie experimented with a wide range of musical genres and influences, which ultimately led to the development of his distinctive style.

One of the major influences on Satie’s music was the impressionism movement in art. Impressionist painters, such as Monet and Degas, were known for their use of light and color to create a sense of atmosphere and mood. Satie similarly sought to evoke a sense of atmosphere in his music through the use of harmonic and melodic color. He often employed unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of tension and dissonance. In his own words, Satie stated “I have found it necessary to get rid of all the parts that everyone likes and keep all those which no one likes”

Another important influence on Satie’s music was cabaret and café-concert culture. These venues were popular in Paris during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and featured a wide range of musical styles, including folk songs, popular songs, and vaudeville. Satie was heavily influenced by the playful, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances, and he incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into his own compositions. He once said, “I am a country whose boundaries are the imagination.”

Satie’s music also drew inspiration from other genres, including folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. He was particularly interested in the use of simple, repetitive rhythms and melodies, which he often incorporated into his music to create a sense of hypnotic and meditative states. His music was described as being “inventive and original” by himself.

Satie’s unique and unconventional musical style had a significant influence on composers that followed him. Many of his techniques and ideas were adopted and adapted by other composers, particularly those working in the field of minimalism. Satie was one of the first composers to use repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, techniques that would become central to the minimalist style. He was also an important influence on the development of ambient and experimental music.

In conclusion, Erik Satie’s music was shaped by a wide range of musical influences and genres, including impressionism, cabaret and café-concert culture, folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. His unique and unconventional style had a significant influence on composers that followed him, particularly in the field of minimalism and experimental music. His music still continues to be celebrated and performed today. Satie’s own words offers a glimpse into his artistic vision, his revolutionary approach and his enduring legacy.

Some of Satie’s best known works include:

“Gymnopédies” (1888)

“Sports et divertissements” (1914)

“Vexations” (1893)

“Socrate” (1918)

“Parade” (1917)

“Three pieces in the form of a Pear” (1903)

“Avant-dernières pensées” (1911-1915)

“Furniture Music” (Musique d’ameublement) (1917)

“Sonatine bureaucratique” (1908)

“Véritables préludes flasques (pour un chien)” (1913)

Version 4

Rewrite the essay please, in a writing style that Satie might have used.

My dear friends, let me regale you with tales of my musical endeavors. I, Erik Satie, have always been drawn to the unconventional, the unorthodox. I sought to challenge the status quo and to push the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.”

The movement of Impressionism, with its emphasis on light and color, has had a profound influence on my compositions. I strive to evoke a sense of atmosphere and mood through the use of harmonic and melodic color. I often employ unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of tension and dissonance. As I have said before, “I have found it necessary to get rid of all the parts that everyone likes and keep all those which no one likes.”

The cabaret and café-concert culture of my beloved Paris have also had a great impact on my music. The playful, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances has been a constant source of inspiration for me. I have incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into my own compositions, always seeking to push the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. As I have said, “I am a country whose boundaries are the imagination.”

I have also been heavily influenced by the simplicity and repetition found in folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. These have all played a role in my quest to create music that evokes hypnotic and meditative states. My compositions have been described as “inventive and original,” and I take great pride in that.

My unique and unconventional style has had a significant influence on composers that have followed me. My use of repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, for instance, have become central to the minimalist style. And I have also been an important influence on the development of ambient and experimental music.

In conclusion, my dear friends, my music is the product of a wide range of influences and genres. I have always sought to challenge the status quo, to push the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.” And I will continue to do so, for as I have said, “The essential thing is to invent.” And with that, I bid you adieu, and hope that you will enjoy my compositions.

Some of my most notable works include:

“Gymnopédies” (1888)

“Sports et divertissements” (1914)

“Vexations” (1893)

“Socrate” (1918)

“Parade” (1917)

“Three pieces in the form of a Pear” (1903)

“Avant-dernières pensées” (1911-1915)

“Furniture Music” (Musique d’ameublement) (1917)

“Sonatine bureaucratique” (1908)

“Véritables préludes flasques (pour un chien)” (1913)

Version 5

Rewrite the essay once again to make it sound like Dada art. 

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the absurdity of my musical creations. I, Erik Satie, have always been attracted to the nonsensical, the illogical. I sought to mock the status quo and to shatter the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.”

The movement of Impressionism, with its emphasis on light and color, has been a source of inspiration for my compositions. I strive to evoke a sense of chaos and confusion through the use of harmonic and melodic nonsense. I often employ unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of confusion and disorder. As I have said before, “I have found it necessary to get rid of all the parts that make sense and keep all those which don’t.”

The cabaret and café-concert culture of my beloved Paris have also been a great influence on my music. The nonsensical, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances has been a constant source of inspiration for me. I have incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into my own compositions, always seeking to mock the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. As I have said, “I am a country whose boundaries are the absurdity.”

I have also been heavily influenced by the simplicity and repetition found in folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. These have all played a role in my quest to create music that evokes hypnotic and chaotic states. My compositions have been described as “nonsensical and illogical,” and I take great pride in that.

My unique and unconventional style has had a significant influence on composers that have followed me. My use of repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, for instance, have become central to the Dada style. And I have also been an important influence on the development of chaotic and experimental music.

In conclusion, my dear friends, my music is the product of a wide range of influences and genres. I have always sought to mock the status quo, to shatter the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.” And I will continue to do so, for as I have said, “The essential thing is to invent absurdity.” And with that, I bid you adieu, and hope that you will enjoy my nonsensical compositions.

Some of my most notable works include:

“Gymnopédies” (1888)

“Sports et divertissements” (1914)

“Vexations” (1893)

“Socrate” (1918)

“Parade” (1917)

“Three pieces in the form of a Pear” (1903)

“Avant-dernières pensées” (1911-1915)

“Furniture Music” (Musique d’ameublement) (1917)

“Sonatine bureaucratique” (1908)

“Véritables préludes flasques (pour un chien)” (1913)

Version 6 (the ‘final’ version, or is it?)

Include and invent an absurdist poem by Satie.

Ladies and gentlemen, behold the absurdity of my musical creations. I, Erik Satie, have always been attracted to the nonsensical, the illogical. I sought to mock the status quo and to shatter the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.”

The movement of Impressionism, with its emphasis on light and color, has been a source of inspiration for my compositions. I strive to evoke a sense of chaos and confusion through the use of harmonic and melodic nonsense. I often employ unconventional harmonies and dissonant chord progressions to create a sense of confusion and disorder. As I have said before, “I have found it necessary to get rid of all the parts that make sense and keep all those which don’t.”

The cabaret and café-concert culture of my beloved Paris have also been a great influence on my music. The nonsensical, irreverent, and often satirical spirit of these performances has been a constant source of inspiration for me. I have incorporated elements of cabaret and café-concert music into my own compositions, always seeking to mock the boundaries of what is considered acceptable. As I have said, “I am a country whose boundaries are the absurdity.”

I have also been heavily influenced by the simplicity and repetition found in folk music, medieval and Renaissance music, and popular music. These have all played a role in my quest to create music that evokes hypnotic and chaotic states. My compositions have been described as “nonsensical and illogical,” and I take great pride in that.

My unique and unconventional style has had a significant influence on composers that have followed me. My use of repetitive rhythms and simple harmonies, for instance, have become central to the Dada style. And I have also been an important influence on the development of chaotic and experimental music.

In conclusion, my dear friends, my music is the product of a wide range of influences and genres. I have always sought to mock the status quo, to shatter the boundaries of what is considered to be “music.” And I will continue to do so, for as I have said, “The essential thing is to invent absurdity.” And with that, I bid you adieu, and hope that you will enjoy my nonsensical compositions.

Here is an example of my absurdist poetry:

“The notes danced on the page

With no care for time or age

They sang of chaos and confusion

In a melody of self-illusion

The harmony was out of tune

But that only added to the moon

The rhythm was a mess

But it was the best

For in this madness, we find art

In this chaos, a brand new start

So let us revel in the absurd

For it is in this, true beauty is heard”

Some of my most notable works include:

“Gymnopédies” (1888)

“Sports et divertissements” (1914)

“Vexations” (1893)

“Socrate” (1918)

“Parade” (1917)

“Three pieces in the form of a Pear” (1903)

“Avant-dernières pensées” (1911-1915)

“Furniture Music” (Musique d’ameublement) (1917)

“Sonatine bureaucratique” (1908)

“Véritables préludes flasques (pour un chien)” (1913)

End of interaction with GPT-3

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Piano pieces inspired by Erik Satie

biography-default2016 marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of Erik Alfred Leslie Satie, and to celebrate this occasion British composer Richard Fowles has released a personal hommage to Satie and his musical orginality.

Today Satie’s Three Gymnopedies are amongst the most well-known and much-loved music for piano, but during his lifetime, Satie was relatively unknown to much of the musical world. An unremarkable student, he was bohemian by nature, sceptical of established ideas and authorities, and was considered lazy by his teachers. Despite his relatively low profile during his lifetime, Satie helped shape the music of the 20th century: he was an inspiration and mentor to the group of composers known as “Les Six”, which included Poulenc, Milhaud and Honegger, and influenced contemporaries such as Debussy and Ravel who recognised him as a “new spirit” with a highly original approach to composition. It was not until the mid-20th century that his work became more widely known and appreciated, thanks in part to the endorsement of American composer John Cage.

Composer Richard Fowles was encouraged to pursue this composing project by his piano teacher at Brunel University, Sally Goodworth, after he wrote a couple of Satie-inspired pieces as a student. The result is a suite of 16 piano miniatures in part inspired by Satie’s own music (Knossienne Nos 1-3 being the most obvious, where the eastern melodies of the original Gnossiennes are woven into a harmonic framework redolent of the original, but never an imitation of it) and also by the composer’s life and unusual personality. For example, ‘Sea Bird’ (track no. 6) was the nickname given by Satie to his uncle Adrian, like Satie an eccentric character and an important figure in Satie’s early life. The music juxtaposes quirky melodies which unusual harmonies to create a work which is moody, enigmatic and witty.

In fact, wit pervades these charming miniatures, particularly in the triptych ‘The Velvet Gentleman’ which references aspects of Satie’s attire with which he was most associated, including his identical grey velvet suits:

On most mornings after he moved to Arcueil, Satie would return to Paris on foot, a distance of about ten kilometres, stopping frequently at his favourite cafés on route. According to Templier, “he walked slowly, taking small steps, his umbrella held tight under his arm. When talking he would stop, bend one knee a little, adjust his pince-nez and place his fist on his lap. The he would take off once more with small deliberate steps.”

Robert Orledge, Satie Remembered. French translations by Roger Nichols.

See also: “A Day in the Life of a Musician” by Erik Satie

From: ‘Daily Routines’, a blog by Mason Currey (published in book form as Daily Rituals)

In many of the pieces, Fowles mirrors the “walking beat” that seems to pervade many of Satie’s own piano pieces, a meter which may have been the results of his “endless walking back and forth across the same landscape day after day . . . the total observation of a very limited and narrow environment.” (Roger Shattuck, in conversation with John Cage).

Other pieces in the collection are more melancholy: ‘A Walk to the Chat Noir on a Snowy Day’ conjures up the solitary figure of Satie, dressed in his grey velvet suit, making his customary walk to a favourite haunt in the centre of Paris. Meanwhile the set called ‘Biqui’ recalls Satie’s relationship with Suzanne Valadon and his feelings of devastation when the affair ended. Each piece is offered in Andante and Lento, the slower metres and repeated chord motifs lending a desolate yet intimate atmosphere to the music.

‘Sylvie’, the final track on the disc, is named after one of three poems written by Satie’s friend J.P. Contamine de Latour that Satie put to music in 1886.Its jazz harmonies and winding melody is infused with a tender, almost elegaic air.

Throughout the collection, Fowles avoids pastiche by offering us the essence of Satie’s music, and some of his contemporaries,  viewed through the lens of own originality and inventiveness which fuses eastern melodies with sensuous perfumed harmonies.

The music is performed on this disc by pianist Christina McMaster, whose affinity for this type of music is evident in her crisp articulation, preciseness of touch, and an acute sense of pacing which brings the music to life with vibrancy and atmosphere. And there is an added bonus, for pianists may also purchase the collection as sheet music (roughly Grade 6-8 level). Fowles has scored the music in a traditional way and also without barlines, à la Satie.

There is much to enjoy in this evocative collection, for those who love the piano music of Satie, and for those who are just beginning to explore it.

The sheet music is available now. Order here

The CD is released on 8th April.

Sample tracks here

Richard Fowles is an English composer, guitarist and teacher. He has worked as both a composer and session musician in some of the UK’s biggest recording studios and has provided the scores for a number of films and television programmes. He is also an in demand orchestrator. ‘Un Hommage à Erik’ is Richard’s debut album and book.