Most melancholy/sad/depressed piano(or not) pieces?

[mastermustard]

Hi, I'm looking for music that conjures images of mourners in black, standing over flower-laden graves, in heavy rain. Something dark and somber. The actual instrument(s) involved aren't important, as long as they convey that feeling.

Any ideas?

[chopinlover01]

Most Chopin nocturnes in a minor key, many in major keys as well, Chopin etude 10/6, middle section of the D flat major prelude...
Chopin, Chopin, Chopin....

[diomedes]

Slow movement of Bruckners 6th symphony has some challenging moments. Chopin's prelude in a minor, or Liszt funerailles might work for you too. There are a million others.

[stevensk]

-Satie´s  Gnossiennes are a great set of party destroyers

[8_octaves]

Hi,

Morte! (She Is Dead), by L.M. Gottschalk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_hP1Yk6YWc

https://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/9/99/IMSLP07718-Gottschalk_Morte_op.55.pdf

(Please note that "op.55", in spite of it being written in this filename and on the title-page, shouldn't be correct as far as we know today, since op. 55 is another work (Battle Cry of Freedom). "Morte!" should be op. 60.

___

Or:

Nuages Gris, by F. Liszt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkWgszQlSEU

https://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/a/a3/IMSLP00617-Liszt_-_Nuages_Gris.pdf

Cordially, 8_octaves!

[dosan12]

Most of Feinberg's work is of this character.

The 3rd Sonata in particular, it has the emotional weight as Scriabin's 4th, but as Scriabin is joyful, Feinberg is completely the opposite.

[liszt1022]

Hammerklavier 3rd mvt is so lonely I almost cry.

[visitor]

[mastermustard]

Thanks for the help! I'll give you some karma when I get to five posts.

[j_menz]

[ Invalid YouTube link ]

 

[diomedes]

The 3rd Sonata in particular, it has the emotional weight as Scriabin's 4th, but as Scriabin is joyful, Feinberg is completely the opposite.

He's typically overly complex and restless to the point that Scriabin seems peaceful by comparison at times. I was listening to the 3rd earlier today, coincidentally. It's on my list of to do things, within the 10 year plan. I wonder if it's actually playable. The score is nauseating.

Also, be sure to check out Satie Danses Gothiques, they're so pale and resigned in quality. True misery over there.

[alistaircrane4]

This is very hard to answer because it is so subjective. What I consider sad is not what others consider sad. I can hardly listen to Chopin's Op.10 no.3 or Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op.23 No.4 because I find them to be some of the most painfully sad pieces. Same with Chopin's Op.21 mov.2 or Op.65 mov.3 or even Schubert's Moment Musicaux No.6.

[richardb]

Chopin funeral march

or Albinoni's adagio.

[j_menz]

Henryk Górecki - Symphony Nº3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs)

Shostakovich: Symphony 13 Op. 113, "BABI YAR"

Samuel Barber - Adagio for Strings, op. 11

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder

[mjames]

4th symphony by sibelius

op. 27 preludes scriabin

[pianoplunker]

Hi, I'm looking for music that conjures images of mourners in black, standing over flower-laden graves, in heavy rain. Something dark and somber. The actual instrument(s) involved aren't important, as long as they convey that feeling.

Any ideas?

Chopin Prelude in C Minor -  I dont remember the opus number but it is pretty dark.
another dark piece is Riders on the Storm by the Doors

[amytsuda]

There are so many of them! Those just came up to my mind.

Schubert D960 2nd Movement
Beethoven Op 111 2nd Movement
Tchaikovsky 6th 4th Movement
Saint Matthew Passion "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben"
Elger Cello Concerto 3rd Movement
Brahms Nanie Songs of Lamentation
Mozart Requiem (or many other Requiem)
Mozart K310 2nd Movement (or the whole sonata)
Strauss "Allerseelen"

I know many of them above are in major keys, but I think it makes it even more sad. 

[8_octaves]

There are so many of them! Those just came up to my mind.

Schubert D960 2nd Movement
Beethoven Op 111 2nd Movement
Tchaikovsky 6th 4th Movement
Saint Matthew Passion "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben"
Elger Cello Concerto 3rd Movement
Brahms Nanie Songs of Lamentation
Mozart Requiem (or many other Requiem)
Mozart K310 2nd Movement (or the whole sonata)
Strauss "Allerseelen"

I know many of them above are in major keys, but I think it makes it even more sad. 

Hi Amy / all,

you mentioned some works - I underlined them - which contain religious aspects, if I'm correct. That made me think for a while, and...

...the "Dirge" of the Concerto grosso of Ernest Bloch comes into my mind. My friend from the US has played it, too, and I have a recording of it on audiocassette and CD. Thus, I just remembered the work of Bloch, of which some YT-videos of different orchestras exist, too. One of them is this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiLxjAJA4T4

The musicians are all female, if I spotted correctly. (The FeMusa-Orchestra is a British chamber-orchestra only consisting of females, as I found out).

Ernest Bloch is an interesting composer, I think:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Bloch

A "Dirge" is, approximately, this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirge

I like the Dirge very much, because of its dark "undertone", which is evident through the piano, which plays, now and then, those dark chords, like a "hammer". In contrast to the SEEMINGLY "light" string-voices, there is a very special mood of "fate" / "end" / "death" / "hope" / "belief" / "mourn" etc. in the piece, I think.

Cordially, 8_octaves!

[visitor]

[michael_sayers]

There is Liszt's Preludio Funebre:

And there is Funeral Sarabande by yours truly:

But for the SADDEST work in music, just dig into Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6:

Mvh,
Michael

[mudloop]

check out the There Will Be Blood Score by Jonny Greenwood

[compline]

[compline]

[kevonthegreatpianist]

There are so many of them, just what like amytsuda said. Here are my suggestions (not in order):

-Chopin Etude Op.10 No.6
-Chopin Etude Op.10 No.9
-Chopin Etude Op.25 No.7
-Chopin Nocturne Op.9 No.1
-Chopin Nocturne Op.48 No.1 & 2
-Chopin Nocturne Op.72 No.1
-Chopin Etude Op.10 No.6
-Chopin Etude Op.10 No.9
-Chopin Etude Op.25 No.7
-Chopin Prelude Op.45 (Mastermustard, it's Op.45)
-Chopin Waltz Op.64 No.2
-Song from The Secret Garden
-Beethoven Sonata Op.27 No.2 'Moonlight' 1st Movement & 3rd Movement
-Beethoven Sonata Op.49 No.1 'Easy Sonata' 1st Movement
-Beethoven Sonata Op.57 'Appastionata' 1st Movement
-Beethoven Sonata Op.106 'Hammerkaliver' 3rd Movement
-Beethoven Sonata Op.111 1st Movement
-Mozart Fantasia K 475
-Mozart Sonata K 280 2nd Movement
-Mozart Sonata K 310 Entire Sonata
-Mozart Sonata K 457 1st Movement
-Mozart Sonata K 570 2nd Movement
-Bach Fugue BWV 849 (from The Well-Tempered Clavier)  

Just asking, why are you questioning for depressing and sad piano pieces?

[robatsch]

I think Nocturne Opus 27 no. 1 would be appropriate with its painful melody against the grating left-hand accompaniment.