DIAGHILEFF BALLET
THE SAT1E FESTIVAL
THE Erik Satie Festival at His Majesty's Theatre last week consisted of the two ballets Parade (first performed nine years ago) and Jack in the Box (for the first time in London), some pianoforte works played by Marcelle Meyer, and " Trois Petites Pieces Montees " for orchestra. Knowing full well what was expected of me, seeing that this composer has been labelled as " the eccentric of music," I took my seat in the theatre with muscles taut and face lifted ready for a big collapse of laughter. But, so far as the music was concerned, I remained fixed in this preparatory pose.
Picasso's curtain, Massine's choreography for the Chinese • conjurer, and Danilova's dancing as the negress were delightful
to see, but the music passed by as the idle wind. Maybe I was too strongly armed in honesty to feign amusement, for I noticed that a few of my neighbours were quite hilarious when they recognized the quotations from Mignon and the English music-hall. But I suspect that their laughter was prompted by the overweening pleasure they felt at being able to recognize a tune at all. If it is true that Satie's sense of humour was inherited from his mother, the riddle is explained. I have never yet been able to appreciate a Scotch jest. I can be convulsed by Will Fyffe ; but that's another matter ; he is a Cockney in disguise. Erik Satie was born well out of the range of Bow Bells.
BASIL MAINE.
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