Two Waltzes for Guitar Solo

“Valse-Ballet” and “Fantasie-Valse” represent two of Satie’s earliest works for piano. Written in 1885, they were composed after his dismissal from the Paris Conservatoire, an institution he once described as a “…district prison with no beauty on the inside – nor on the outside, for that matter.” Separated from the institution, he made his living as a pianist in cafes and cabarets throughout Montmartre, performing waltzes, javas, and chansons of the late 1800s. Both works epitomize the music Satie likely played during this time.