The most beautiful and saddest music in MAJOR KEYS

[frederic]

Yes well, we all relate minor keys to saddness (at least that's what we tell our students  ). But nearly all achingly beautiful tunes are in major keys. It requires a pure composing genius to write a beautiful melody in a major key without making it sound cheesy.
So what are some of the pieces of music in major keys you think are so beautiful that it makes you almost cry?

A few i can think of off the top of my head are:

2nd mvt of Rachmaninoff 2nd concerto
2nd mvt of Paderewski Concerto
both 2nd mvts of chopin concertos
3rd mvt of Rachmaninoff Symphony no.2
2nd theme of Rachmaninoff 3rd concerto

[mrchops10]

Actually, I was told from the beginning of my life that minor has nothing to do with sadness, I have learned that lesson well. I never really associate the two, and find innumerable "happy" minor pieces and "sad" major pieces. Besides music fits into such a wide range of emotions, doesn't happy and sad seem VERY limited? Here are a few well-known pieces from a range of periods to prove my point.

"sad," or at least not happy, major pieces: Chopin "raindrop" prelude, any number of nocturnes including op. 62/2 which I'm playing right now and often moves me to tears, "Mi tradi" from Don Giovanni (actually you'll find that many melancholy arias in Mozart operas are in major keys; also, "Porgi amor" from Figaro), 2nd mov't of Haydn Symphony no. 99, the last mov't of Shost. 5 is certainly not happy, or the finale of the 1st piano concerto, Brahms F major Symphony

"happy" minor pieces: Mozart rondo alla turca, g minor fugue from WTC 1, Mendelssohn Midsummer Night's Dream Overture, really there are too many pieces in this category to count

I think there are so many exceptions that the "rule" about major=happy, minor=sad does more harm than good. I received some flak for defending key associations, but I think that's still a lot more subtle than this.

[mlsmithz]

The ne plus ultra of sad pieces in major keys in my mind is the Chopin Etude Op.10 No.3 in E major, which is the only piece I can name offhand which has moved me to tears.  There's something about slow pieces in major keys with four or more accidentals which makes them sound somewhat melancholy to my ears, so I'd also tentatively name the slow movement of Chopin's B minor sonata (the coda of the Liszt B minor sonata I'd be more inclined to label tranquil than sad) and possibly the slow movement of Beethoven's 'Emperor' concerto, both of which are in B major, as well as the infamous Largo from Dvorak's Symphony No.9 and possibly the slow movement of the Grieg piano concerto, both of which are in D-flat major.  Scaling back the number of accidentals, there's something of a melancholy edge to both Brahms' Intermezzo Op.117 No.1 in E-flat major and Rachmaninov's Prelude Op.23 No.6 in the same key.

As for 'happy' minor key pieces, I'd add from WTC Book I the C minor prelude and fugue, D minor prelude, E minor fugue, F-sharp minor prelude, and A minor prelude and possibly fugue.  Most upbeat minor key pieces, though, sound rather more angry or agitated than 'happy' to my ears - an argument could perhaps be made for some of the faster Chopin minor key etudes (Op.25 Nos.4 and 5 leap to mind), but then again perhaps they are too frantic to be happy.

At least, this is how I hear these pieces.  Again, some people might think of the major key pieces as placid rather than sad, or of the minor key pieces as angry rather than happy. (There's a reason, I'm sure, why in Nielsen's Symphony No.2, 'The Four Temperaments', the 'choleric' movement is fast and in minor, the 'phlegmatic' movement is moderate and in major, the 'melancholy' movement is slow and in minor, and the 'sanguine' movement is fast and in major.)

[xvimbi]

Keep in mind that most pieces liberally modulate through major and minor keys as they progress. Although pieces may end in major, they often don't have the overall "feel" of major, and vice versa.

[pseudopianist]

Bach's - Air from the 3rd Orchestral Suite and his Fugue in B major WTC Book 2


""happy" minor pieces: Mozart rondo alla turca, g minor fugue from WTC 1"

Alla Turca sounds very happy indead but I can't agree with you on the Fugue. Read this:

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc/i16b.html#movie

[paris]

chopin 1st concerto, 2nd mvt...

[a romantic]

When I think of sad music in a major key, my mind goes to "I Thought She Knew" (it's a song, I know) by N'Sync.  It's in my top 10; if you haven't heard it, i think you would like it.

[brahmsian]

chopin 1st concerto, 2nd mvt...

Good call.

Schumann- Traumerei

Grieg- Piano Concerto, 2nd movement

Chopin- Nocturne Op. 37 No.2
          - Nocturne Op. 15 No.1

[mrchops10]

Bach's - Air from the 3rd Orchestral Suite and his Fugue in B major WTC Book 2


""happy" minor pieces: Mozart rondo alla turca, g minor fugue from WTC 1"

Alla Turca sounds very happy indead but I can't agree with you on the Fugue. Read this:

https://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc/i16b.html#movie

I love this site! Somehow I missed his comments on the g minor fugue when I first explored, but they are very interesting. However, I must disagree. He obviously has ulterior motives, which are BTW the way much the same as mine, but here they get in his way. I think the connection to the Cantata no. 106 is certainly striking, but ultimately empty. Observe the difference--the cantata incorporates a tritone, linked with discord and pain in Bach's  music, which the fugue does not use. Also, the harmonic structure of the cantata is completely different, far less tonally centered and more chromatic.

Also it lacks the second part of the subject of the gm fugue, which is clearly joyful to me. I think happy is as always much to simple a word for it...when I played it I felt it "darkly joyful," I recall. It is deeply affirming and not "sad" in the least. This is an interesting discussion, however, and I hope you continue it.

[prometheus]

The site is amazing. Those recordings by Korevaar are also some of the best WTC recordings out there.

[medtnerian]

Those recordings by Korevaar are also some of the best WTC recordings out there.

I must disagree. Korevaar's recordings are very good study material, he brings out the voices well (which I think are his very intentions for this recordings), but besides that the performances are very dry and mechanical. If you want a good recording of the WTK I suggest you listen to other pianists (i.e. Richter).  (No offense or anything by the way, you are free to have your own opinion.)

And on the original subject: in Romantic Era music in general there probably are more sad, or deep and moving melodies in major keys rather than there are happy melodies like you see them in the Classical Era. Also: harmony plays a big role in the way a certain melody sounds. For example, Schubert's melodies aren't all that much different from the Classical composers', but he always manages to harmonize them in such a way there's some kind of melancholy to them.  Thus the sadness is not in the major key melody itself a lot of the time, one could say, and it's definately possible to make most of the melodies mentioned in this thread sound "happy" with the right accompaniment. In other words, I think it's not just to state that a melody on itself, unless it's in an unison section obviously, represents whatever kind of mood it makes you feel.

I apologize if I'm repeating anyone that posted in this thread before, but I didn't bother to read every single comment.

[prometheus]

Is there anything else Bach needs? I think all dramatic attempts to at 'musicality' just blur the skill and beauty of Bach. Like I said before, I can't imagine Richter playing Bach.

I can't play Bach. I naturally add all these cliche nuances and musical effects. It is very hard to play dry and mechanical Bach, but it does the music the most justice. Korevaar does this.

[presto agitato]

Most Beautiful: Schubert Impromtu in G flat and Mendelssohn Op 19-1

Saddest: Schumann Romance OP 28-2

[mrchops10]

Is there anything else Bach needs? I think all dramatic attempts to at 'musicality' just blur the skill and beauty of Bach. Like I said before, I can't imagine Richter playing Bach.

I can't play Bach. I naturally add all these cliche nuances and musical effects. It is very hard to play dry and mechanical Bach, but it does the music the most justice. Korevaar does this.

I'm confused...are you saying Bach shouldn't be played with emotion? If so, get beyond the WTC and check out the b minor mass!

[shoenberg3]

The saddest music in a major key is quite obvious to me

Ravel's Pavane for the dead princess

[steve jones]

I think Mozart could turn a Major theme into a tear jerker, right up there with the best of them.

[apion]

The 3rd mvt of Brahms B FLAT MAJOR piano concerto (PC #2).  Very beautiful.

[pooguy77]

Brahms: Intermezzo in A Major
Rach: Prelude No. 4 in D Major
MacDowell: Idyll from 12 Etudes

[hodi]

2nd movement of brahms p.c.2

[thierry13]

Schumann fantasy op.17 in C major.

[thierry13]

2nd movement of brahms p.c.2

Wow, not something by Schumann ! Wow, I'm very surprised, coming from you.

[nanabush]

I second Pavane pour une Infante Defunte...by far the saddest major piece.