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42-463: The work's unusual title comes from the French form of gymnopaedia , the ancient Greek word for an annual festival where young men danced naked – or perhaps simply unarmed. The source of the title has been a subject of debate. Satie and his friend Alexis Roland-Manuel maintained that he adopted it after reading Gustave Flaubert 's novel Salammbô , while others see a poem by J. P. Contamine de Latour as

84-598: A "theatre" or "viewing place" for festivals in Sparta; this was likely a place where the public would gather on a slope to view performances on level ground below. Due to how little remains of structures or landmarks in Ancient Sparta we cannot be certain the exact location of the agora or potential "theatres". The major element of celebration during the Gymnopaedia was the songs and dances performed by choruses of naked men as

126-453: A 100% approval rating based on reviews from 159 critics, with a weighted average score of 8.40/10; the website's critical consensus states: "James Marsh's doc about artist Phililppe Petit's artful caper brings you every ounce of suspense that can be wrung from a man on a (suspended) wire". On Metacritic , the film has a weighted average score of 89 out of 100 based on reviews from 31 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Man on Wire won

168-567: A New Yorker, he saw the film as a gift to the city after the 9/11 attacks and hoped to hear people say after seeing the film that they would always think of Petit and his performance when recalling the World Trade Center 's twin towers. Responding to a question about why the towers' destruction in the 2001 attacks is not mentioned in the film, Marsh explained that Petit's act was "incredibly beautiful" and it "would be unfair and wrong to infect his story with any mention, discussion or imagery of

210-487: A bursting stream Trickled in gusts of gold on the shiny flagstone Where the amber atoms in the fire gleaming Mingled their sarabande with the gymnopaedia. However, it remains uncertain whether the poem was composed before the music. Satie may have picked up the term from a dictionary such as Dominique Mondo's Dictionnaire de Musique , where gymnopédie is defined as a "nude dance, accompanied by song, which youthful Spartan maidens danced on specific occasions", following

252-406: A collective, rather than as individual competitors. Scholars consider the actions of the Gymnopaedia to be both a crucial part of Spartan education and a test of endurance for the children coming of age. It was considered as such because of the extremely hot conditions and precisely performed dance moves. This aspect of the festival was such a spectacle that non-Spartans would visit Sparta during

294-409: A form of competition. The main focus of the festival was the young men who were about to enter adulthood. Because the contests were more symbolic than strictly athletic in nature, they may be interpreted as a ceremonial and initiatory part of the agoge . Because all of Sparta would gather to partake in or view the events of the Gymnopaedia, it helped to develop a communal identity and sense of being

336-453: A part of a single group. The choral groups would dance naked. The songs the young men sang drew attention to the physical maturity they were reaching. Physical ability was an important aspect of becoming a citizen in many Ancient Greek poleis , but Sparta was the only polis which celebrated this so prominently. These celebratory dances took place in a specified area in the agora. The practices of song and dance were not reserved for only

378-620: A portion of Gymnopedie No. 1 on his album Out to Sea . In 2021, violinist Fenella Humphreys released an arrangement of Gymnopédie No.1 for violin. Stephan Koncz, cellist in the Berlin Philharmonic and the Made in Berlin quartet, wrote a string quartet pieces called A New Satiesfaction based on Gymnopédie No.1 , which was recorded by the quartet for their first violinist Ray Chen 's album The Golden Age . Gymnopaedia The Gymnopaedia

420-494: A similar definition from Jean-Jacques Rousseau 's Dictionnaire de Musique . In November 1888, the third Gymnopédie was published. The second Gymnopédie did not appear until 1895, and its impending publication was announced in several editions of the Chat Noir and Auberge du Clou magazines. As a whole, the three pieces were published in 1898. Pierre Puvis de Chavannes ' symbolist paintings may have been an inspiration for

462-608: A version for jazz vocalist and flute entitled "Drifting, Dreaming (Gymnopédie No.1)," with lyrics by Don Read. In 1980, Gary Numan produced a track called " Trois Gymnopedies (First Movement)", which appeared on the B-side of the single " We Are Glass ". A sample of Gymnopédie No. 1 is featured in the 2001 Janet Jackson single " Someone to Call My Lover ", peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 . Gymnopédies have been heard in numerous movies and television shows. Examples include

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504-547: Is a 2008 documentary film directed by James Marsh . The film chronicles Philippe Petit 's 1974 high-wire walk between the Twin Towers of New York's World Trade Center . It is based on Petit's 2002 book, To Reach the Clouds , released in paperback with the title Man on Wire . The title of the film is taken from the police report that led to the arrest (and later release) of Petit, whose performance lasted for almost an hour. The film

546-520: Is crafted like a heist film , presenting rare footage of the preparations for the event and still photographs of the walk, alongside re-enactments (with Paul McGill as the young Petit) and present-day interviews with the participants, including Barry Greenhouse, an insurance executive who served as the inside man. Man on Wire competed in the World Cinema Documentary Competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival , where it won

588-552: The Argives in the Battle of the Champions . The Gymnopaedia was primarily in honour of Apollo , but also celebrated Artemis and Leto , who served as representations of the childhood which would soon be left behind by the young participants. Though the festival was ritualistic, it should not necessarily be interpreted as religious. Pausanias describes the Gymnopaedia as "a festival which

630-975: The Grand Jury Prize : World Cinema Documentary and the World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary. In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary . As of 2022, it is one of only six documentary films to ever sweep " The Big Four " critics awards ( LA , NBR , NY , NSFC ) and the only one of those to also win the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature . The film's producer, Simon Chinn , first encountered Philippe Petit in April 2005 on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs , after which he decided to try to acquire

672-519: The Gymnopédies are regarded as an important precursor to modern ambient music . The first and second Gymnopédies were arranged by Dick Halligan for the group Blood, Sweat & Tears under the title "Variations on a Theme by Erik Satie" on the group's eponymous album , released in 1968. The recording received a Grammy Award the following year for Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance. In 1980, Dame Cleo Laine and Sir James Galway released

714-539: The Lacedaemonians take more seriously than any other" (Paus. 3.11.9). The word Gymnopaedia derives from the ancient Greek Γυμνοπαιδίαι , composed of the words γυμνός ( gymnos , "naked" or "unarmed") and παιδιά "paedia" from παῖς ( pais , "child" or "youth"). The Gymnopaedia took place each year in approximately July. July was the first month of the year for the Spartans as their calendar revolved around

756-677: The Standard Life Audience Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival . In February 2009, the film won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film , the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary , and the award for Best Documentary Film from the Australian Film Critics Association . At the 81st Academy Awards , the film won the award for Best Documentary Feature . The film appeared on many American critics' top ten lists of

798-436: The battle of Leuctra reached Sparta during the final day of the Gymnopaedia. Despite the large negative effect this news would have on Sparta's power, the ephors would not allow any dances to be cancelled or for the celebrations to be changed. When the families of the deceased soldiers had been told of the news, the ephors brought the festival to a close (Plut. Ages. 29. 2-3). Xenophon expands on this information, saying that

840-908: The Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the World Cinema: Documentary competition at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival ; it is the sixth film to pick up both top awards at Sundance, and the first from outside the US. It also won the Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival , the International Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival , and

882-408: The Gymnopaedia just to see it. The leaders of each chorus group would wear a headpiece known as the "feather crown" or "thyreatic crown". These crowns were made out of palm leaves and were referred to as "feather crowns" due to the leaves resemblance to feathers. The Spartans also used these crowns at other festivals. King Leotychides used the gathering of the Gymnopaedia to deliver an insult to

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924-476: The Spartans could connect the festival to their military exploits. They sang songs described as having a 'boastful' tone, which were written in iambic trimeter . The same songs would be used each year. The choruses were divided into three groups, one for young men or boys coming to maturity, one for men in their prime, and one for old men. There is little surviving evidence of what songs and dance would be performed, but Plutarch writes that at least one element of

966-508: The Spartans that they would avoid leaving the city even if called on. Thucydides explains an occasion of this in History of the Peloponnesian War (Thuc. 5.82). The Argive democrats knew how important the festival was to the Spartans, and waited until the festival began in order to attack the ruling oligarchs who were allied with Sparta. The Spartans eventually postponed the Gymnopaedia, but

1008-516: The Towers being destroyed." The film opened theatrically in the United States on 29 August 2008, earning $ 51,392 its first weekend and ranking 37th at the domestic box office. By the end of its run on 5 March 2009, the film grossed $ 2,962,242 in the United States and Canada and $ 2,296,327 internationally, for a worldwide total of $ 5,258,569. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes , Man on Wire has

1050-606: The activities of the Gymnopaedia. Pausanias writes of an area of the Spartan agora known as the choros or "dancing ground" because of the significant role it played in the Gymnopaedia. The choros was likely located in the east of the agora where the chorus dances were known to have been performed. Pausanias states that near this area there were statues of Apollo Pythaeus, Artemis , and Leto (Paus 3.11.9). Herodotus (Hdt. 6.67.3), Xenophon (Xen. Hell . 6.4.16), and Plutarch (Plut. Ages. 29.2), each make note of crowds gathering in

1092-570: The atmosphere Satie wanted to evoke with his Gymnopédies . These short, atmospheric pieces are written in 4 time, with each sharing a common theme and structure. The melodies of the pieces use deliberate, but mild, dissonances against the harmony, producing a piquant, melancholy effect that matches the performance instructions, which are to play each piece "painfully" ( douloureux ), "sadly" ( triste ), or "gravely" ( grave ). The first few bars of Gymnopédie No. 1 (shown below) consist of an alternating progression of two major seventh chords,

1134-507: The best films of 2008. Movie City News found that it appeared on 76 of the 286 different American critics' top ten lists surveyed, which was a tie for the seventh "most mentions" on a top ten list out of all of the films released in 2008. Much of the film's soundtrack is derived from the 2006 album The Composer's Cut Series Vol. II: Nyman/Greenaway Revisited , a collection of works by Michael Nyman for films by British director Peter Greenaway . Joseph Gordon-Levitt starred as Petit in

1176-422: The documentary Man on Wire , Wes Anderson 's The Royal Tenenbaums , Community Season 2 Episode 19 "Critical Film Studies" , Woody Allen 's Another Woman , and Louis Malle 's My Dinner With Andre , all of which use Gymnopédie No. 1 in their soundtracks. The 2010 Japanese animated drama film The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya prominently features all three Gymnopédies , and they are included in

1218-425: The ephors instructed the families of the dead to suffer their grief in silence so as not to disrupt the festival. The following day all those who had lost relatives could be seen smiling and being cheerful in public. Those who had family members at the battle who were still living were sad and worried for their loved ones (Xen. Hell. 6.4). Plutarch says Lichas, a wealthy Spartan, gained fame for entertaining many of

1260-455: The festival from dusk until dawn each of these days. The festival came to an end during the full moon which fell closest to the heliacal rising of the star Sirius being visible in Sparta. The festival took place at the hottest time of the year in Sparta, which meant most of the activities happened under very harsh sun. The festival lasted for several days and took place in multiple areas, as different sources describe different locations for

1302-552: The film rights to Petit's book, To Reach the Clouds . After months of discussion, Petit agreed, with the condition that he could actively collaborate in the making of the film. In an interview conducted during the run of Man on Wire at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival , director James Marsh explained that he was drawn to the story, in part, because it immediately struck him as "a heist movie ", though, as Jean François, one of Petit's collaborators, said, "It may have been illegal...but it wasn't wicked or mean." Marsh also said that, as

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1344-543: The film's soundtrack release as a bonus disc, including Satie's Gnossiennes and his composition " Je te veux ". Mother 3 also features Gymnopédie No. 1 in its soundtrack as Leder's Gymnopedie . In 2007, Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann  [ de ] arranged the first and the third Gymnopédie for The 12 Cellists of the Berlin Philharmonic . Jack DeJohnette included a tribute to Gymnopédies in his 2016 album Return . In 2018, Fernando Perdomo included

1386-564: The first on the subdominant, G, and the second on the tonic, D. By the end of 1896, Satie's popularity was waning and financial situation deteriorating. Claude Debussy , a friend of Satie's whose popularity was on the rise, helped draw public attention to Satie's work. In February 1897, Debussy orchestrated the third and first Gymnopédies . From the second half of the 20th century on, the Gymnopédies were often erroneously described as part of Satie's body of furniture music , perhaps because of John Cage 's interpretation of them. Collectively,

1428-460: The gymnopaedia in his work Laws (Plat. Laws 633c) . For more information on the study of Ancient Spartan Religion and the challenges in studying it see: Spartan Religion by Sarah M. Norvell. More information on Ancient Sparta can be found in A Companion to Sparta edited by Anton Powell. More information on Ancient Greek Religion can be found in A Companion to Greek Religion edited by Daniel Ogden. Man on Wire Man on Wire

1470-417: The oligarchs had already been defeated by this time. The festival was of such importance to the Spartans that even king Agesilaus participated despite his lameness, but was hidden in the back of the group so no one could see his physical flaws. Xenophon writes that Agesilaus was extremely devoted to religion (Xen. Ages. 3.2), so he would have seen this participation as a duty. The news of Spartan loss at

1512-407: The performance would involve the old men singing: "We once did deeds of prowess and were strong young men”, to which the men in their prime would sing: “We are so now, and if you wish, behold and see”, followed by the boys singing: “We shall be sometime mightier men by far than both” (Plut. Lyc. 21.2). The three groups competing and interacting with each other helped to place an emphasis on Spartans as

1554-418: The recently deposed king Demaratus , asking him via messenger what it felt like to hold public office after being a king. He responded calmly that he had experience in both unlike Leotychides himself, also saying that this question would be the beginning of either great fortune or great evil for Sparta. He then left the festival and made a sacrifice to Zeus. (Hdt. 6.67). The Gymnopaedia was important enough to

1596-437: The source of Satie's inspiration, since the first Gymnopédie was published in the magazine La Musique des familles in the summer of 1888 together with an excerpt of Latour's poem Les Antiques , where the term appears. Oblique et coupant l'ombre un torrent éclatant Ruisselait en flots d'or sur la dalle polie Où les atomes d'ambre au feu se miroitant Mêlaient leur sarabande à la gymnopédie Slanting and shadow-cutting

1638-469: The strangers at a "boys gymnastic festival" (Plut. Cim. 10, 5) This festival was interpreted by Xenophon to be the Gymnopaedia. Plutarch mentions that the city was "full of strangers" during the Gymnopaidia suggesting that non-Spartans and potentially perioikoi would also attend the festival. (Plut. Ages . 29.2). Plato seems to have made a reference praising the effects of the songs and rituals of

1680-432: The summer solstice. The festival was the first public gathering of the new year for the Spartans. The Gymnopaedia celebrated Apollo, a fitting tribute as he was also the god of civic reunions such as gatherings, and this was the first large gathering of the year. There are conflicting accounts of how many days the Gymnopaedia lasted for, but it is accepted to have been at least three days. The Spartans would have partaken in

1722-438: The young men. In a different area of the city three groups of choruses would gather to perform traditional songs together. They would honour Apollo through songs and performed songs which represented the phases of life. The songs would have been written by famous Spartan poets. Though there were no shows of strength or arms taken up at the festival, the songs still had a militaristic quality. By performing songs with this quality

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1764-515: Was an annual festival celebrated exclusively in ancient Sparta , which helped to define Spartan identity. It featured generations of naked Spartan men participating in war dancing and choral singing, with a large emphasis placed on age and generational groups. It is believed that celebration of this festival began in 668 BCE to honour a Spartan victory in Thyrea . The festival likely evolved over time to celebrate other Spartan victories such as that over

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