"Gnossiennes"
Rather than major and minor scales, Satie used note progres-sions similar to those employed in ancient music, dispensing with bars in order to achieve a free flow of music.

"Gymnopédies"
Gymnopédies were dances performed by Spartan youths at festivals of the same name. With these three pieces, as with the Gnossiennes, Satie’s intention was to remind listeners of the meditative power of music.

"Pièces froides"
In these "cold pieces" Satie avoided chromatic harmony, thereby creating a contrast to Impressionist music which he described as the French version of Wagnerian haze. The unusual title was his way of guarding against all traces of sentimentality and effusion which might be inspired by these pieces.

"Avant-dernières pensées"
A surrealistic anecdote underlies each of these three works, Satie’s response to traditional bourgeois Expressionist music. It seems reasonable to assume that a certain amount of irony was contained in his dedications of these pieces to his established colleagues.

"Véritables préludes flasques (pour un chien)"
A simple motif served as a basis for each of these préludes - masterpieces of clarity, conciseness and effect. The unusual dedication and peculiar playing instructions are the only non-minimalist aspects of these works.