On the surface, Satie was the great prankster of the Fin de siècle set. He was by all accounts a strange man, living in filthy squalor, but dressing in absolutely pristine clothing day by day, always carrying one of his dozens of identical umbrellas. Much before he wrote his most famous works, the Gymnopédies, he styled himself "Erik Satie - gymnopédiste," probably a tongue-in-cheek remark to avoid having to admit to having dubious professional prospects at the time.

But amidst all the fun, there was also a serious streak to Satie's work, recognized by his friend, Debussy, and others. Debussy went on to orchestrate two of the Gymnopédies, Viñes gave several premieres, and his influence is obviously heard in Ravel's homage in the Les entretiens de la belle et de la bête movement from Ma Mère l'Oye (see here for a sample of the last movement of the Ravel). Like him or hate him, Satie, like Ives, more than had his finger on the pulse of the times -- he had the ability to foresee trends of the future and bring them to fruition. So-called "Ambient Music" might have developed anyway, but it surely got an ancestral kick-start from Satie. Sampled here this month is the first of those simple, but influential works.