Avant-garde across a Century: Erik Satie and Sonic Youth
Abstract
To help plot the trajectory of avant-garde music, we must consider musical artists of all genres and examine the similarities between these composers' artistic attitudes. In the most general terms, both Erik Satie and Sonic Youth straddled the lines of what is considered "high" and "low" art. Satie brought popular, common music from the cabarets of Montmartre into the more sophisticated concert halls of Paris. Sonic Youth brought new perspectives in sound from the most artistically obscure venues of downtown New York City to rock clubs and mainstream radio festivals across the United States. Essentially, Satie was influenced by "low" art and applied it to the creation of "high" art, and the members of Sonic Youth were influenced by "high" art and applied it to the creation of "low" art. In doing so, both artists created hybridized music, drawing from varied influences, and additionally, both artists' music will be considered ahead of its respective time for many years to come. Both artists achieved this partly by coming from similar artistic/musical environments, working closely with visual artists of their time, and directly influencing their peers who would eventually become better known. Overall, these two artists' contributions to the avant-garde are worth examining and comparing, both for their similarities and for what they have to contribute to the future of the avant-garde.
Notes
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Thesis Completion
2006
Semester
Fall
Advisor
Montague, Eugene
Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
College
College of Arts and Humanities
Degree Program
Music
Subjects
Arts and Humanities -- Dissertations, Academic; Dissertations, Academic -- Arts and Humanities; Avant garde (Aesthetics); Satie, Erik -- 1866-1925; Sonic Youth (Musical group)
Format
Identifier
DP0022105
Language
English
Access Status
Open Access
Length of Campus-only Access
None
Document Type
Honors in the Major Thesis
Recommended Citation
Scott, Emily, "Avant-garde across a Century: Erik Satie and Sonic Youth" (2006). HIM 1990-2015. 600.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/honorstheses1990-2015/600