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Gnossienne No. 1 — melody and hypnotic bass

Pair Satie’s shadowy 16-bar Gnossienne melody with its steady, meditative left-hand accompaniment.

DevelopingErik Satie · 16-bar theme in A minor · piano both handsPiano · Both hands · A minor · 4/4

64 beats per minute. Changing speed stops playback; press Play to start again.

Composed by Erik Satie (1890); source edition by Mutopia Project. Public domain composition and source edition. Teaching arrangement by NotePlayMusic. · www.noteplaymusic.com

Try it at the keyboard

  1. The left hand rocks gently between bass root and fifth — keep it steady like a slow clock.
  2. Bring out the right-hand melody slightly louder than the left hand.
  3. Listen to the shift to D minor harmony in bars 9 and 11 before returning to A minor.

About this score

Transposed from F minor to A minor in 16 bars of 4/4 with an alternating A/D/E bass accompaniment.

Composed by Erik Satie (1890); source edition by Mutopia Project. Public domain composition and source edition. Teaching arrangement by NotePlayMusic.

Source notation · Source score & rights notice