The Best of Erik Satie: 25 Pieces for Piano

If you are a pianist and a fan of Erik Satie, this book is a must have. More gnossiennes and rare compositions than you will find in the standard "Schirmer" or Scribner & Sons line-ups. A comprehensive look at some music that has been used in some film scores such as "Being There" with Peter Sellars (Gnossiennes #4). Worth the buy. Beautiful book as well with illustrations by folks such as Jean Cocteau and I believe Toulouse Lautrec. Mostly French but he was French after all. Editions SALABERT imported by Hal Leonard Music.

A comprehensive collection, however the typesetting quality varies widely across the book and some of the pieces are so cramped and small they are barely legible. Particularly Gnossienne no 1, which l really like to play. I returned for a different version.

Size and breadth of collection: 5 starsTypesetting: 0 starsTo be clear, when I refer to typesetting I'm talking about the way the notes and staves look. The typesetting style changes several times in the collection, which is visually unappealing. In the modern ages of computers, there is no reason for this dissimilarity. My biggest dissapointment is the typesetting for Gymnopédie I, which is difficult to read and uses ink so light it's almost grey. The manuscript notes "copyright 1969" so I'm guessing they're using a 43 year old printing, which again is ridiculous in the modern age of computers. The piece is in the public domain even, so why use this old printing that is ugly and a little difficult to read.

I love the composer, but the publisher could have produced a more substantial book of his music. I took the book to a local printer who put it into a spiral binding. I came home and added very heavy cardboard to front and back covers just to keep the music standing up straight when I'm at the piano. I don't get it -- why would a publisher produce a flimsy book for such wonderful music?

Exactly what I was looking for. Received immediately.

Very nice edition,definitely recommend it.