Erik Satie, born Éric Alfred Leslie Satie on May 17, 1866, in Honfleur, Normandy, France, was a French composer and pianist known for his unconventional and minimalist style. He was the son of Alfred Satie, a French Roman Catholic shipping broker, and Jane Leslie Anton, an English Protestant of Scottish descent. Satie's early musical education began in Honfleur, where he was encouraged by his grandparents and a local organist. In 1879, he moved to Paris and enrolled at the Paris Conservatoire, though his time there was marked by criticism for his unconventional approach.

Satie's compositions, such as the Gymnopédies (1888) and Gnossiennes (1890), are noted for their simplicity and innovative use of harmony, often lacking traditional bar lines and key signatures. He became associated with the Rosicrucian movement in the late 1880s, composing works like Le Fils des étoiles (1891) under its influence.

In his mature period, Satie developed the concept of "furniture music," background music meant to blend into the environment. His ballet Parade (1917), created with Jean Cocteau and Pablo Picasso, featured unconventional instruments like typewriters and sirens, aligning with the avant-garde Dada and Surrealist movements. Satie's influence extended to composers such as Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and later figures like John Cage.

Satie lived a solitary and eccentric life, particularly in Arcueil, a suburb of Paris, from 1898 until his death on July 1, 1925, from cirrhosis of the liver. His legacy includes a profound impact on 20th-century music, with works characterized by wit, parody, and a departure from the grandiose sentimentality of Romanticism.