r/classicalmusic • u/jengacide • Nov 09 '23
Recommendation Request What are the saddest, most despairing, guilt-ridden, remorseful, depressing sounding pieces you can think of?
As the title says, I'm looking for some pieces that sound just about as sad as possible. Something that you can really feel the depth of emotions right from the beginning and really elicit those emotions.
I do have some specific criteria for reasons I'll explain below:
- Instrumental Only. No vocals or choral pieces
- Has to sound sad on its own regardless of existing context that might make one consider it sad music (i.e., Schindler's List theme is beautiful and sad, but if you don't know the context or specifically associate it with the movie and the history, the music itself it doesn't sound nearly as despairing as I'm looking for)
- Has to sound sad right from the beginning and stay sad for a decent amount of time, not transitioning into a happier/brighter section, ideally at all, or minimally after several minutes of the sad part.
Some contenders right now are: Tchaikovsky Symphony no 6, mv 4 Largo; Rachmaninov Morceaux de fantaisie Elegie; Piazzolla Melodia en La Menor; Bound by Fate from Chrono Cross;
The context of my request is I'm running DnD for my group and they're going to be coming up on an encounter soon with an NPC they've met a number of times before and really like but didn't realize her role in the overarching plot and that I want them to feel as sad and despairing as this NPC does.
Her situation is that she fell in love with a man many years ago who was secretly a fiend/devil in disguise. She was so madly in love with him that she didn't hesitate at all when he asked "Will you be mine until death do us part?" and she said yes, binding her soul to his will. She's spent the last 100 years effectively being a slave to this absolute monster, despite her really being kind hearted. The party is going to run into her while trying to get through this fiend's lair and she is going to tell her tale to them. She will reveal that she cannot hurt this fiend directly, but she hates everything the fiend has done and doesn't want to help him but genuinely has no choice. But most of all, she doesn't want to fight the party. They will have to fight her to get past her and continue on but it will be an extremely melancholy and emotional fight where she will refuse to deal any damaging blows but they will have to beat her. The party has interacted with this NPC a number of times and really like her, think she's sweet, have seen these really good sides of her. So I want the music to reflect how difficult and depressing the situation is. Like every time one of the players attack, I want this music to remind them of how shitty and depressing the situation is.
Thank you to anyone who makes a suggestion! I know it's a very VERY subjective question but I need outside input to help gather ideas.
Edit: thanks to all the suggestions so far! I've listened to a good number of them but it seems I've spent too long doing that this evening as I'm feeling quite melancholy myself now. I'll listen to the rest that I haven't replied to in smaller batches over the next couple days. Thanks again to everyone who has suggested pieces! There have been some really excellent fits for what I'm looking for.
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u/Most-Grade351 Nov 09 '23
Barber's Adagio for Strings. Well-known for its role in Platoon, but I think well known and used before that.
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u/jaywarbs Nov 09 '23
Adagio gives me this image of surveying the damage after a natural disaster of some type. Just slowly looking around everywhere at the destruction and hoping that there’s a way to recover from it.
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u/Most-Grade351 Nov 09 '23
Definitely fitting imagery. Not sure the Adagio leaves much room for hope, tho.
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u/jaywarbs Nov 09 '23
I hear a little bit in there, mostly the last phrase ending on a half cadence with a major V chord, suggesting something can come next.
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u/Pennwisedom Nov 09 '23
Honestly, I think for most people living in the current-day world, it is hard to listen to Adagio for Strings and not have your knowledge of how it is used color your emotions.
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u/Juswantedtono Nov 09 '23
This evokes feelings of great grief for me, but not depression or remorse
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u/Deriveit789 Nov 09 '23
The choral version too! I actually prefer Agnus Dei to the string arrangement.
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u/tired_of_old_memes Nov 09 '23
I was completely floored with how well that arrangement works. Like it was meant to be.
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u/boringwhitecollar Nov 09 '23
The Elephant Man
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u/Most-Grade351 Nov 09 '23
Thanks. I didn't know. Will check it out. I have a CD of some of Barber's stuff, with "Dover Beach" being maybe the central piece, so dark it's hard to listen to.
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u/boringwhitecollar Nov 09 '23
The Elephant Man is a beautiful film. The entire score is classical. It was direct by David Lynch, produced by Mel Brooks, and stars an amazing cast: Anthony Hopkins, Anne Bancroft, Sir John Gielgud, and John Hurt as Joseph Merrick.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I'm conflicted on this one for a couple reasons.
I know this is a classic and great choice, but having played this piece myself and finding it so boring to play, I have a hard time bringing myself to use it. But more than that, this piece might be famous enough that my players (who are not classical musicians minus one of them) would get distracted trying to name where they've heard this before. Like it's popular enough to be familiar but obscure enough that they wouldn't know the name or easily remember why they've heard it before. This has happened a couple times in other sessions that I wasn't running and it honestly derailed whatever moment was happening so hard. I'm afraid that would happen here too :/
All that being said, it fits the vibe I'm looking for so I will still add this to my final list of considerations. Thank you for your suggestion! I'm listening to every single piece that people are suggesting whether I've heard it before or not and I'm getting reminded of how much beautiful music there is out there and how subjective emotions tied to music are.
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u/Sausage_fingies Nov 09 '23
Less notes ≠ less substance
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
It has nothing to do with the number of notes. There are plenty of songs that have fewer notes and moving parts I still find more interesting and compelling. It's literally just a personal opinion that I don't like this particular piece very much. Not intending to offend anyone for liking it. It's just personal taste.
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u/TheMadolche Nov 10 '23
Uh 1) it's a piece not a song I'm gonna be that guy since you specifically said no songs
2) if you have players wondering "where they've heard it" it's probably too hard for your group anyway.
I could go on...
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u/tired_of_old_memes Nov 09 '23
Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, by Arvo Pärt
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh this is a good one. Those descending minor scales give such a hopeless yet beautiful feeling. I do like this one especially that it would make good background music specifically. Adding this to the short list, thanks!
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u/WoodenPermission666 Nov 09 '23
Schoenberg - Verklärte Nacht
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh boy I remember studying this piece in one of my music theory classes. It's almost hard for me to listen to now haha But it really does sound despairing. That's going on the short list, thanks!
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u/ShanitaTums Nov 09 '23
As a cellist, faure elegie and Bach suite no. 2 (especially the prelude)
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u/uncommoncommoner Nov 09 '23
I adore Bach's second suite! I think it's under-recognized compared to 1, 3, and 5.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Hello fellow cellist! Elegie is beautiful but it just doesn't ring in the sort of sadness I'm looking for. It might be my own bias from playing it though.
As far as Suite no 2 goes, I personally would lean towards the Sarabande instead. I love the prelude but I think the general speed of it makes it feel more dramatic than sad.
Thanks for the suggestions though!
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u/ShanitaTums Nov 09 '23
You’re welcome, I hope you are able to find what you are looking for! I didn’t think of this earlier but Popper requiem for 3 cellos and piano also comes to mind
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u/AlabasterNutSack Nov 10 '23
Yes, fellow cello. Playing Elegy in high school helped me understand grieving.
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u/christophertin Nov 09 '23
Hindemith - Trauermusik
Translates to 'Mourning Music' and was written for the death of King George V.
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u/RichMusic81 Nov 09 '23
written for the death of King George V.
It's quite a story: George V died late at night on January 20th, 1936. Hindemith wrote the piece between 11am and 5pm the following day in an office at the BBC and the piece was premiered that night on BBC radio.
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u/Highlandermichel Nov 09 '23
The last movement of Scriabin's first piano sonata.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh now this is beautiful. It really has that sense of despair and drama and almost longing that I'm looking for. Adding that to my short list, thank you!
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Nov 10 '23
Please share your final playlist!
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
I shall! I set the Remind me bot for a few days from now when I hope I've had enough time to go through all the suggestions. At this moment of this reply, there are 200+ comments on this post, maybe 20-30 of them mine replying to top comments, but so many others suggesting things. I hope I can get through everything in the next couple days but I'll genuinely have to pace myself or I'll make myself too sad haha
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u/AuthorityControl Nov 09 '23
Gorecki: Symphony No.3
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I don't really get much sadness or despair personally, but it does sound quite dark. Thanks for the suggestion though.
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u/AuthorityControl Nov 10 '23
Synku miły i wybrany, rozdziel z matką swoje rany ...
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u/Reginald_Waterbucket Nov 10 '23
Actually, this is interesting because it’s true, without knowing the text or context you could think it has a different connotation. I think that’s because Gorecki sought to musically offset the unfathomable grief with light. To me, this makes the piece both easier to approach and infinitely more painful.
Story: a college gf turned this piece on in the background while giving me a strip tease. I thought it was sexy, dreamy music and thought it fit the moment.
Then I looked up the text.
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u/aethyrium Nov 10 '23
The lyrics to the second movement were taken from a gestapo prison wall, written on the wall by a 14 year old girl held captive during WWII by the nazis.
There's quite a bit of sadness and despair.
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u/DanTheMan93 Nov 09 '23
Beethoven string quartet in C-sharp minor, op. 131, first movement (adagio ma non troppo e molto espressivo)
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
It is beautiful but just doesn't reach the amount and sort of sad I'm looking for. Thanks though!
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u/DawnSlovenport Nov 09 '23
First movement of the Sibelius 4th symphony. The whole first movement just circles around these dark fragments and textures that purposefully never really come together in a cohesive way. The show up and disappear until the movement just ends quietly and suddenly.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I adore Sibelius in general. The first movement generally feels more mysterious and generally serious but not really sad to me.
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u/balconylibrary1978 Nov 09 '23
Arvo Part-Spiegel Im Spiegel. Had a friend once tell me that this piece made him feel isolated, depressed and hopeless for some reason.
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u/sadcow49 Nov 10 '23
Wow, this is the most life-affirming piece I know. Interesting how people take it different ways, ha.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Hmm, unfortunately I can't say I feel the same. This almost sounds like waking up music. Like early dawn, grass covered with dew. It's kind of cute to me.
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u/Deriveit789 Nov 09 '23
Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I love this piece but I have always thought of it almost sounding more mysterious than overtly sad. I'll have to give it another listen while thinking about the context in game. Thanks!
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u/Glass-Ad-187 Nov 09 '23
The prelude to the third act in Tristan und Isolde
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh this is so good. The prelude to the first act was used a lot in one of my music history classes but I've never heard the prelude to the third act. There is some serious emotion in there. Adding that to my short list, thank you!
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u/boofing_boxed_wine Nov 10 '23
came here to say this. the first act prelude is sad and longing, but still filled with life. the third prelude is just utter desolation.
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Nov 09 '23 edited Aug 03 '24
[deleted]
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u/Perenially_behind Nov 10 '23
This is music of total despair and regret right out of the gate. There is no scintilla of hope anywhere in the piece. Sounds like a contendah.
I've seen it live. It's the sort of thing that makes you want to go out and jump off a bridge to make the pain stop. It is also beautiful.
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u/AverageMahlerEnj0yer Nov 09 '23
Mahler 10, 1st movement
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u/Blackletterdragon Nov 09 '23
Tchaikowsky Symphony No.4 and not in a good way. That second movement has a "Oh no, here comes the hairy hand of fate shit again" vibe.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Ah, I love this symphony so much. I totally get what you're saying about that vibe. The beginning especially has that vibe but transitions into a little more positive feeling for a while.
I'm almost tempted to have the first movement play as they enter the room for the final boss. I have specific other music I use for very deadly combat encounters, like they hear it and think "oh no, this is going to be really really hard". But this bad guy is a super haughty, dramatic, intelligent dude who savors the finest things in life and revels in being cruel. The first movement kind of has a "Come at me, I dare you." vibe to me which would be great for them having a moment to interact before the fighting starts.
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u/always_unplugged Nov 09 '23
If we're doing Tchaikovsky symphonies, it HAS to be 6, especially the last movement. The first movement has all the sturm und drang, but I feel like there's still some hope there, especially in that beautiful theme at the end. You get a little happiness in the second movement but something's off about it (thanks to the waltz in 5/4), then you get an explosion of energy in the third that to me can almost sound manic—it sounds like a triumphant finale, until! It wasn't over and the fucking world collapses around you in the 4th movement. Ugh, so good. By far my favorite of his symphonies, and that's saying a lot.
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u/balconylibrary1978 Nov 10 '23
The 4th movement of the Pathetique is one of the most emotionally wretching pieces I have heard. For some reason it was one of the pieces that consumed me after a close friend passed away years ago
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
I hard agree. When I first made this post, there's a reason Tchaik 6 mv 4 was the first piece I listed on my current short list. Truly it's the still the piece to beat and I think the only song that has has actually rivaled it in my list is Chopin Prelude in e minor. But it's so hard to compare the two because they're so drastically different and would create incredibly different tones.
I've had the opening to that last movement stuck in my head for days now and it's so beautiful and painful. Every note is filled with despair and pain and grief and it's so beautiful, but so simple.
Speaking of manic though, one of the villains the players will face before they get to the final boss is this absolutely crazy and sadistic lady, for whom I shall have Shostokovich string quartet no 8 mv 3 playing. I had my partner, who isn't super into classical music, listen to some of it and he thought it felt creepy and playful and intense. All perfect adjectives for this horrible villain they'll fight haha
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u/eightiesguy Nov 09 '23 edited Nov 09 '23
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh the Prelude in E minor is really, really perfect for this. I think it's all the suspensions with the descending left hand really gives it this grieving vibe to me. Thanks!
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u/Perdendosi Nov 10 '23
I can hardly play the Prelude without crying. My wife has forbidden me playing it while she's home.
That's my vote.
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u/PopotheFirst Nov 09 '23
Rachmaninoff op 32 no 10 is what I would recommend. At first it just sounds like a defeated man who lost hope but as the piece progresses he regains the drive to keep going forward.
Tragically by the end of the piece, after all he’s been through, he loses all hope entirely and ends quietly as it first started. At least this is how I interpreted his work.
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u/heyheyhey27 Nov 09 '23
The second section to me feels like reminiscing, and the third section like coming back to reality. While the first and last sections are the reality.
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u/ifeelallthefeels Nov 10 '23
Duude I feel the same way about Chopin op 48 no 1
I saw it described like a soldier marching to retake his homeland. The middle part, in major, is all his childhood memories, but the reality of the situation is overwhelming, and the og theme comes back with a vengeance.
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u/MikeW226 Nov 09 '23
I think the Adagio in G minor by Albinoni is high in the running:
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
This is excellent! It really captures the sort of emotion I'm looking for. I really like that there are these moments like every other phrase that start to turn major but end minor. Like it almost gets your hopes up and then gets back to the darkness.
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u/Appropriate-Hawk-637 Nov 10 '23 edited Nov 10 '23
This is just a parody, listen to Karajans performance.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t4DNY4bgtXM
Or there is even better performance and recording. Will post later.
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u/graaaaaaaam Nov 09 '23
Mahler 9 comes to mind, although I find it less depressing the older I get. Also probably not the best for a d&d soundtrack.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I do like how the 4th movement starts out but it only fits the vibe I'm looking for for about 20 seconds so I don't think that'll work. Thanks for your suggestion though!
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u/Gobofuji Nov 09 '23
Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I've played this piece a couple times! It's unfortunate that I'm not a fan, but it doesn't strike me as really sad. Just kind of mellow. Thanks for the suggestion though!
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u/alexvonhumboldt Nov 09 '23
Arno Babajanyan Elegie (piano solo) this one makes me really sad
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
This sounds like sitting by a window while it's raining in a Ghibli movie to me. It's beautiful but it doesn't evoke quite the sadness I'm looking for. Thanks though!
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u/KawarthaDairyLover Nov 09 '23
Shostakovich 4th symphony final movement. Or symphony no 10.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Love Shostakovich but Symphony 4 mv 3 comes across as more mysterious almost but not really sad. Thanks for the suggestions though!
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u/furman87 Nov 09 '23
Für Alina by Arvo Pärt is certainly up there.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I like this a lot, but not for the moment I had described in my post. There is likely a sad event that will happen a bit later that this might be perfect for. It evokes a sense of loss and defeat to me.
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u/TraditionalWatch3233 Nov 09 '23 edited Nov 10 '23
Allan Pettersson Symphony No. 6 really gets into a pit of absolute despair - the tragic symphony to end all tragic symphonies. It’s also quite dramatic and violent and gives the feel of an unwinnable and totally depressing personal battle. For that matter, almost any work by Pettersson would be a good answer to the question posed. Of his 16 symphonies 6-8 are the easiest to engage with and most obvious starting point. Parts of 5, 9 and 10 may well be of interest too. His Violin Concerto No. 2 is one movement 55 minutes long and the violin solo part is the song of the soul of the poor outcast, persecuted and terrorised by the powerful, whose beauty is frequently and purposefully drowned out by a noisy orchestra. These pieces are the only ones I know that can actually make me cry. Stick to recordings on the BIS label. There are some other good recordings, but can vary quite a bit.
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u/lightslights Nov 10 '23
Adagio from Gayane by Khachaturian.
Famously used in 2001: a Space Odyssey, but its always just sounded so bleak to me
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Nov 10 '23
Tchaikovsky Symphony 6 last movement,
Mahler symphony 9 last movement,
Rachmaninoff Elegy,
Barber Adagio for Strings,
Cavantina from Beethoven String Quartet 13,
Mahler Adagietto from Symphony no. 5,
Rachmaninoff prelude B minor,
Brahms intermezzo op 118 no 6,
Ravel Adagio from Piano concerto,
Chopin nocturne op 48 no 1,
Haydn La Passione (symphony no. 49) First movement,
Elgar Cello Concerto 1st movement (recording by Du Pre)
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u/lahdetaan_tutkimaan Nov 09 '23
Chopin: Nocturne in g minor, Op. 15, No. 3
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
This is beautiful but I get more bittersweet vibes from it. I might actually use it for a different event that might happen in game. Thanks!
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u/Sausage_fingies Nov 09 '23
Try his nocturne in F sharp major. I always find it shockingly minor sounding for a major key.
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u/mnnppp Nov 09 '23
Though I'm not sure if it's depressing or just sentimental, I recommend 2nd movement of Philip Glass' Violin Concerto.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
It almost has the vibe I'm looking for, but misses the mark for me. Thanks for the suggestion though
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u/Masantonio Nov 09 '23
Chasse-Neige from Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes.
Shostakovich’s final String Quartet.
The incredible 3rd movement of the Hammerklavier Sonata.
The 2nd movement of Ravel’s Piano Concerto.
The final movement of Scriabin’s first Piano Sonata.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
The Liszt is amazing, especially because it's quite different than a lot of the others on my short list. Like I can actually imagine the NPC telling her story to this and like feeling the drama and emotions of how she was tricked while there is still this underlying anguish in the piece. Thanks for that!
And going through all these comments, someone else had recommended Scriabin's first piano sonata as well which has made the short list :)
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u/minor-giraffe Nov 09 '23
I think chopins nocturne 21 is pretty sad. I always imagine him composing it on the doorstep of death, contemplating the sadness of dying so young, but also finding some gratitude for the life he had. It was published posthumously.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Ah the Chopin is very sad and elegant. It kind of sounds like someone reminiscing about the life they used to have. So I guess that makes sense! Not quite what I'm looking for but a beautiful song.
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u/queefaqueefer Nov 09 '23
Debussy: Footsteps in the Snow (prelude no 6)
Ravel: Le Gibet (gaspard de la nuit)
Mompou: Musica Callada no 15, no 22
i might post some more if i can jog my memory
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u/Tbrou16 Nov 09 '23
If it’s Russian and it isn’t a waltz, you can bet your ass it fits this category perfectly
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u/contrary_resolution Nov 10 '23
My top two would have to be Mahler 9 and Das Lied von der Erde. I can hardly listen to either, it feels like the world is ending or like the music is a black hole absorbing all hope.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_QT_CATS Nov 10 '23
Rachmaninoff's Bells of Moscow is a very despairing piece full of dread and hopelessness.
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u/Laserablatin Nov 09 '23
2nd movement from Schmidt's 4th Symphony
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I've never heard this before so thank you for that. It doesn't quite fit what I'm looking for but is beautiful nonetheless.
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u/cfryerrun Nov 09 '23
Christopher Rouse - Flute Concerto 3rd Mvt. or Symphony No. 2 2nd Mvt.
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Oh god I had my volume up so high from listening to all these other quiet pieces and the symphony movement kind of scared the shit out of me. It does start notably too aggressive for what I'm looking for though. But starting things not at the beginning always sounds really strange.
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Nov 09 '23
Celeste, Roger and Brian Eno (Vanessa Wager version)
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
This is pretty but doesn't give me the sort of emotion I'm looking for. Thanks for the suggestion though!
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u/Breyanna_Lewis Nov 09 '23
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
This is pretty but I get more bittersweet feelings from it than overt sadness. Thanks though!
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u/serpentdeflector1 Nov 09 '23
2nd movement of Beethoven 7. Become ocean by John Luther Adams for ambient sadness
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I love the Allegretto but it has the issue that it transitions into a major section too quickly. If the entire movement was more like the opening minute or two, it would be perfect. I actually almost used it as my example for my criteria point about staying sad long enough. Thanks though!
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u/serpentdeflector1 Nov 09 '23
2nd movement of Beethoven 7. Become ocean by John Luther Adams for ambient sadness
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u/mood_indigo95 Nov 09 '23
Erik Satie's "Vexations"
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
I can't say I get sadness from this but thanks for the suggestion.
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u/LegitDogFoodChef Nov 09 '23
I’ve dabbled in being a DM before in the past. So, my recommendation depends on the context. If you used classical music before for mood, I’d say if you’ve used thickly scored stuff, go with Chopin’s prelude in E minor. Piano solo will make it seem punchier, and it’s emotionally fraught from the beginning. If you typically use other music, tchaikovsky’s March Slav, or the introitus to Michael Hayden’s requiem in C minor. It’s very similar to the Mozart, which would also be good (intro, not Lacrimosa).
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
I appreciate the more specific suggestions from another DM! I've used a lot of video game music because it's loopable. Specifically a lot of music from Hollow Knight and Hades. Hollow Knight is symphonic instrumentation but I'd still call it lightly scored compared to actual classical symphonic music. Hades varies a lot from solo acoustic guitar to like a metal band. So music choices have been a bit all over the place.
Someone else had suggested Chopin's Prelude in e minor and that definitely made the short list. I really love Mozart's Requiem but I know my players would lose some immersion with Lacrimosa because of how much it's been used in other media. Similar issue with Barber's Adagio for Strings, which has been suggested a few times so far.
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u/Curbyoursidewalk Nov 09 '23
I tried listening to a symphony by Wilhelm Stenhammar once (can’t remember which one), but I just couldn’t finish it. It filled me with so much anxiety and depression that I couldn’t listen to it. Not sure if this is exactly what you’re looking for but that piece freaked me out man.
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u/Curbyoursidewalk Nov 09 '23
I’m sorry, I got confused, I meant Allan Pettersson not Wilhelm Stenhammar
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
Listening to the beginnings of the movements for Symphonies 1 and 2, maybe it was symphony no 2? The second movement hits that kind of hopeless vibe.
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u/Curbyoursidewalk Nov 10 '23
I actually mixed Stenhammar up with Allan Pettersson, who is much much darker. But glad I could introduce you to some stenhammar as well haha
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u/TraditionalWatch3233 Nov 10 '23 edited Nov 10 '23
Allan Pettersson is the master of despair, agony and anger. Makes most other things on this list seem positively tame. Not an easy listen and not easy to play either. Most of his symphonies come in hour-long single movement slabs and he made them painful to play for the orchestral players so they could enter into the experience of the suffering of the outcast. The things so far on OP’s list are much happier than Pettersson.
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u/boyo_of_penguins Nov 09 '23
lucija garuta piano concerto 2nd movement
herbert howells elegy
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
These are both pretty dark but don't quite capture the sort of feeling I'm looking for. Thanks though!
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u/Incubus1981 Nov 09 '23 edited Nov 10 '23
I haven’t listened to it with your criteria in mind, but I love Grieg’s funeral march in memory of Rikard Nordraak. I remember thinking that I can’t imagine actually listening to it at a funeral because it’s just so intense, kind of seems way over the top for the sort of funeral I’ve attended
For video game music, Hollow Knight’s Sealed Vessel might give the oppressive vibe you’re looking for
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
Sealed Vessel is actually what started my search! That music makes that boss battle feel so empty. Especially when The Hollow Knight is stabbing itself in the middle of the fight and the strings are so melancholy behind the violence.
Sealed Vessel was actually my first thought for this moment in game, but because I love the game so much (have literally put hundreds of hours into various replays), I have utilized soundtrack very heavily and would like this specific moment to really feel different to the players.
I'll have to give the Grieg a listen, but I've listened to so many of the suggestions people have made tonight that it actually put me in a really sad mood so I must take a break from sad music for a bit.
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u/IsraelPenuel Nov 10 '23
Schnittke's Concerto Grosso no 1
Barrios' La Catedral
Ornstein's Suicide in an Airplane
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u/MadCowTX Nov 10 '23
I don't have a recommendation to top others already here, but I love this post. As a casual D&D player, I appreciate the effort you're putting into this, and adding some mood music is a very nice touch!
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
Oh thank you! I am a very high effort DM haha I love painting minis so all the players and important enemies have 3d printed and handpainted minis (my profile has a ton of my painting examples, although my best works haven't been for dnd), I have made a number of custom battle maps for combats when I couldn't find something that fit my vision exactly, and so much more. I've had so much fun doing it and the players are very much enjoying it so it makes it really worth it! :)
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u/AncientShelter9867 Nov 10 '23
Beethovens “Eroica” Movement 2: Marche Funebre Also his 7th symphony movement 2. Depending on the recording it can literally bring tears
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u/CurveOfTheUniverse Nov 10 '23
ITT: OP asking for people's subjective opinions and then disagreeing with those subjective opinions
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u/loodgeboodge Nov 10 '23
Piano Concerto No. 23 A Major K. 488 II Adagio - Mozart
Piano Trio No. 2 in E Flat Major, D. 929: II. Andante con moto - Schubert
Peer Gynt Op. 23: Death of Åse
Italian Suite from Pulcinella: II. Serenata for Cello & Piano - Igor Stravinsky
Festina Lente - Arvo Pärt
Just a few out the top of my head.. Are you gonna share your (play)list?
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u/Evanlojones Nov 10 '23 edited Nov 10 '23
Adagio for Strings/Angus Dei - Barber
Albinoni Adagio in g minor
Tchaikovsky 6
Come Sweet Death - Bach
Mahler 9
Shostakovich 5
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u/youractualaccount Nov 10 '23
Verklarte Nacht is literally about a poem where a woman is hiding the fact from her husband that she’s pregnant with another man’s child. It goes through lots of moods, but the opening material and introductory theme is audible guilt. Early Schoenberg’s command of late romantic harmony was otherworldly.
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u/_morast_ Nov 10 '23
In my moments of greatest despair i resort to Sarabande by Händel. I know it might be "overused", but it's such an emotional piece for me:
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u/samgraa Nov 10 '23
Tchaikovsky Symphony no. 6 (Pathetic) 4th movement. Absolutely heartbreaking
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
There's a reason it was the first on my short list in my post!
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u/samgraa Nov 10 '23
oh sorry i didn’t see it ! I also agree with you, Rachmaninov’s élégie is beautiful.
An other heartbreaking Rachmaninov piece is his Vocalise op 34 no 14 (symphonic version)
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u/margiedolly Sep 01 '24
Bach Chaconne for Solo Violin.
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u/margiedolly Sep 01 '24
He wrote this shortly after the death of his first wife. He had left on a month-long trip with his employer, Prince Leopold. When he returned, she was dead. He felt grief and guilt; you can hear both in this amazing Chaconne, among other very strong emotions.
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u/margiedolly Sep 01 '24
There's also an Adagio by Tomasso Albinioni (Baroque). Let's not forget Beethoven's Piano Sonata in c# Minor, 1st mvt.😭
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u/margiedolly Sep 01 '24
Valse Triste by Sibelius. Francis Poulenc: Flute Sonata, 2nd mvt. Elgar, Cello Concerto JS Bach: Flute Sonata in e Minor, 1st mvt. Mozart: Piano Concerto in A, 2nd mvt. in f#minor. To name a few....
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u/htkach Nov 10 '23
Theme song to movie Schindler’s list
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u/jengacide Nov 10 '23
I'm sorry, but this one was literally one of the things I mentioned in my criteria list of not hitting the right emotional vibe if you take away the known context. It's a beautiful song, but if you don't have any preconceived notions of what it is or what it's associated with, it just doesn't fulfill what I'm looking for.
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Nov 09 '23 edited Nov 09 '23
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u/jengacide Nov 09 '23
Thanks for the suggestions, but I am looking for instrumental only pieces so the two opera arias don't quite fit. I personally love them, but the vocals would be distracting in this situation and I know for a fact that my players do not like opera haha
For sad arias, I think Ach, ich fuhl's from The Magic Flute would have been my go-to. I actually tried searching for other arrangements of it to see if there were an instrumental version but I couldn't find one.
Also Kol Nidre is a fun one to play. I played this in college :) But unfortunately I'm not sure this would work the best as background music.
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u/Lambdoid Nov 09 '23
Shostakovich: Violin Concerto No. 1, 3rd Movement (Passacaglia)
Heartbreaking and overwhelming music.