Hugill, A. (2025) On Making a New Realization of Uspud by Erik Satie and J. P. Contamine de Latour. Journal of the Royal Musical Association. ISSN 0269-0403
Abstract
This essay reflects on a new digital realization by Andrew Hugill of the ‘Christian ballet’ Uspud (1892) by Erik Satie and J. P. Contamine de Latour. The creative process of making the realization entailed a critical re-examination of existing scholarship and revealed that the relationship between music and drama is closer than has previously been understood. The essay situates Uspud in the context of 1890s Montmartre and demonstrates beyond reasonable doubt that it was conceived as a shadow play and scored for solo harmonium. It analyses the music in detail, considering how its motivic construction and use of timbral contrasts both supports the action and conveys the inner states of uspud himself. It considers the humorous and serious aspects of Uspud, arguing that this was a key work in the evolution of Satie’s artistic and personal identity.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s), 2025. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of Music (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 12 Mar 2025 09:50 |
Last Modified: | 12 Mar 2025 09:50 |
Status: | Published online |
Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
Identification Number: | 10.1017/rma.2024.34 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224316 |
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