Entr’acte : Erik Satie, Dada and/or Furniture Music

Erik Satie’s musical renown is based on the fact that he succeeded in securing for himself the title of chief gymnopedist at a time when few individuals knew how to compose with economy and rigor. The French avant-garde pianist is also believed to be one of the first composers to consider questions of sound-image relationships.

In 1924, Satie composed the score for Entr’acte, a short film by René Clair based on a loose screenplay by Dada artist Francis Picabia. The film premiered in Paris on November 27 of that same year. It was shown during the intermission of Relâche, a ballet conceived by Picabia. Entr’acte was most likely intended as a means of testing Satie’s furniture music theories (audience members were expected to walk around and converse during the intermission).

The short film is composed of a series of surrealist vignettes which feature cameo appearances by Man Ray, Marcel Duchamp, Picabia and Satie. Interestingly, the score is divided into musical blocks that are meant to complement Clair’s visually challenging images.

Satie pertinently explains: “[The music is supposed to be] pornographic, but not enough to make a lobster blush, or even an egg.”

Entr’acte (1924)
Film directed by René Clair
Music by Erik Satie
(more details via ubuweb)