Appreciation of more than just "Happy music"

[quantum]

It has been my experience that many hobbyist or amateur musicians gravitate to performing "happy" sounding music and tend to stay away from works that deal with sadness, grief, death or various other heavy emotions.  (I am not making judgment here, as such people can be quite skilled and enjoy what they do)  Why is this?

How does one learn to appreciate the breadth of expression music can provide? 

How can one demonstrate to such a person the beauty of such music to a person who does not see it?

[retrouvailles]

This problem doesn't exist only with hobbyists and amateur musicians. It exists with many serious musicians as well. It's one of the reasons why 20th/21st music is not appreciated and noted more. This is when the heavy emotions really come out in some of their purest form, in my opinion. A lot of people listen to music only to make them "feel good", which is why "happy music" is noted much more. And simply, many people do not care about appreciating the breadth of expression music can provide.

[pianochick93]

I do believe that I am the opposite. I am constantly drawn to music that expresses darker emotions, such as rage, fear, sadness, grief, etc.

I do know many people that say things like 'Why do you play that? It's so depressing"

[Petter]

People wants to be "happy". Its social and cultural conditions that decide what we experience as "happy" music and its rooted in the time we live in. (When Timo,Pumba and Simba hangs out in the Lion King they sing a jolly, gay cheerful sounding song while feeling at ease and content) In todays western culture "happiness" is generally the thing we should strive for. Hence all the "happy" music.

How does one learn to appreciate the breadth of expression music can provide? 

Relate to something their more familiar with. Most computer games, movies still use the same conception of emotions as the romantic composers as far as music goes. Everyone have felt fear, agony, stress, desire and so on.

[ted]

Quantum's question surprises me, as I seem to observe the contrary; that is to say a self-conscious wallowing in painful emotion in every musical genre from classical to pop. No music is valid, it seems, unless it encapsulates some sort of woeful, bellowing angst in the composer, the performer and everybody within earshot.

Aside from that casual observation, I find, at least for me, that music attains its power precisely because its nature is essentially abstract and contemplative, regardless of optional emotional association. What I mean is that it operates at a meta level of serenity. If emotion is present, in either the creation or the listening, then it is in the nature of Wordsworth's "emotion recollected in tranquillity", one level removed from the event, so to speak. Were this not the case, I doubt I would be physically or mentally capable of playing or creating anything, and listening would be an enervating torment, endurable only after ingesting a couple of stiff brandies.

Another way of expressing it is while the generative influences may incorporate emotions, happy, sad or anywhere in between, the music itself and its abstract effect on my brain is always happy and contemplative because it exists on a meta level of perception.

There is a chance that this position reveals more about me than about music, but it is true nonetheless. Quantum's question is a good one. 

[Bob]

I was kind of thinking the same thing about classical musicians and "profound" music.