# What's some good dark, depressing music?



## Ravellian

I'm in a pretty dark place in my personal life right now, and I need some music that I can scream or cry with. I'd like something very sad and/or tragic - believe it or not, it makes me feel a lot better. 

It can be small-scale or large-scale, vocal music, piano music, or orchestral music. It can be from any period, though some 20th century suggestions would be nice. I'm not familiar with much chamber repertoire so that might be a good thing to recommend. No Tchaikovsky or Wagner though - I own everything they composed : )


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## GraemeG

Gorecki 3rd symphony.
I listened to this repeatedly for 4 hours one night - with a bottle of vodka - when a certain girl married someone else.
Very suitable.
cheers (!)
G


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## Ravellian

I know how you feel. Good suggestion, and thanks.


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## Aramis

Ravellian said:


> I'm in a pretty dark place in my personal life right now, and I need some music that I can scream or cry with.


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## elgar's ghost

Schnittke's Piano Quintet is quite harrowing in places - a lament for the loss of his mother, as I recall. Try the Naxos release twinned with Shosta's Quintet.

Glad you're going for the classical option when it comes down to musical catharsis - far better than death metal/disfunctionalism and there's always the chance that you will emerge reinvigourated and ready to embrace the world once again with renewed optimism while possibly still liking the work I mentioned. I wish you well - no-one should be unhappy if it's undeserved.


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## norman bates

allan petterson - symphony 7
peter warlock - the curlew
shostakovich - symphony 15


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## Ravellian

Aramis said:


>


haha, nice. I laughed. I'll try that Schnittke piece, haven't really given that composer a try yet.


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## Weston

Ravellian said:


> haha, nice. I laughed. I'll try that Schnittke piece, haven't really given that composer a try yet.


But you know - it really is kind of a sad song.

I know what you mean by needing downer music. You don't want to hear anything perky or get cheered up. You need to wallow in it. That's part of the healing process.

I used to always wallow in this when I was down:





Some others that work for me:













Those are pretty well known, but sometimes you forget about the obvious.


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## Keikobad

Well, if you managed to cultivate a good depression and want to see just how far you can extend it I would recommend Mahler. If you know anything about the composer's life and how autobiographical many of his symphonies can be (ie. the death of a child led to the composition "Kindertotenlieder" and his Sixth Symphony) there's some really great stuff from which to choose.

The Adagietto movement from the Fifth is tinged throughout with feelings of loss and remembrance. You may remember actor Dirk Bogard dying to its strains while sitting in a deck chair on the Lido in Venice in Visconti's movie "Death in Venice" (from the Thomas Mann novel).

The Ninth Symphony was composed at a time when Mahler thought it would be his last (owing to a diagnosis of heart disease). It's more contemplative, almost chamber-like tone, serves as almost an antidote to all the large scale choral work which came before. In it, Mahler is saying good bye to life.

Of course, he didn't die right afterwards; his six movement "Das Lied von der Erde" followed. And there is nothing more moving than listening to the final Abschied (Farewell) movement which reminds us that the world is Eternal and Life, in some form will always be taking the places of those who leave.

All in all, I'd say that there's enough Mahler works to feed a healthy depression for years.

Go for it.


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## mueske

Keikobad said:


> Well, if you managed to cultivate a good depression and want to see just how far you can extend it I would recommend Mahler. If you know anything about the composer's life and how autobiographical many of his symphonies can be (ie. the death of a child led to the composition "Kindertotenlieder" and his Sixth Symphony) there's some really great stuff from which to choose.
> 
> The Adagietto movement from the Fifth is tinged throughout with feelings of loss and remembrance. You may remember actor Dirk Bogard dying to its strains while sitting in a deck chair on the Lido in Venice in Visconti's movie "Death in Venice" (from the Thomas Mann novel).
> 
> The Ninth Symphony was composed at a time when Mahler thought it would be his last (owing to a diagnosis of heart disease). It's more contemplative, almost chamber-like tone, serves as almost an antidote to all the large scale choral work which came before. In it, Mahler is saying good bye to life.
> 
> Of course, he didn't die right afterwards; his six movement "Das Lied von der Erde" followed. And there is nothing more moving than listening to the final Abschied (Farewell) movement which reminds us that the world is Eternal and Life, in some form will always be taking the places of those who leave.
> 
> All in all, I'd say that there's enough Mahler works to feed a healthy depression for years.
> 
> Go for it.


Honestly, when I'm depressed, Mahler is the last thing I listen to. The fact the the symphonies are so long gets me down even more, and I just don't bother with it at all.

Coincidentally, I'm very pissed off at the moment, so I concur with this thread!


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## Rasa

Stockhausen, Klavierstucke. I feel as though the only way to appreciated them is when bored to aphaty or depressed.


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## Ravellian

I don't ~want~ to stay depressed. My current situation is simply terrible right now, but I'll figure it out at some point. And I tend to think of Mahler as grand and epic music, not particularly depressing..

Thanks for those suggestions Weston, I will try them. I enjoyed the Schnittke Quintet, I can't imagine how much the death of his mother must have affected him.


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## mueske

Maybe try Rachmaninoff's first piano sonata? Very intense and dark at some points, third movement gets me every time. It's always on my playlist when I'm having a bad day. (listening to it right now actually)

There's also of course his second piano concerto. His piano trios (elegiaque) also contain some brooding sounds.


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## Guest

Vaughan Williams Symphony 6 last movement, Brahms Symphony 3 third movement and intermezzo in E flat minor op. 118 no. 6.


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## Keikobad

"And I tend to think of Mahler as grand and epic music, not particularly depressing."

Perhaps you need, then, to explore his Sixth Symphony ("Tragic") which was written shortly after Mahler's child died. 

This is the genius of the man: that he was able to embrace and create so many private worlds in his compositions, some infused with humor and laughter, while others are Death-obsessed and seem like a gaping wound that will not heal.

I assure you that Mahler chose his texts with great care and thought; and sadness and poignancy were ever a part of his reality.


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## nonsmokinjoe

I think maybe I'm a socialist realist, but I think if you are feeling depressed you should be looking for an ausweg and should try something which swings up at the end. Shostakovich 14 - its about death all right, but the ending makes it seem almost like fun. NOT 15. DSCH is just enjoying the fun of being in hospital and dying among all those nice nurses. In the first movement he's just being silly.Not for the angst-ridden. Tchaikovsky 4 always leaves me feeling more perky and (if you feel your life is a grand drama) Beethoven 5, yes der der der dum. Imagine yourself in occupied Europe....


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## norman bates

nonsmokinjoe said:


> I think maybe I'm a socialist realist, but I think if you are feeling depressed you should be looking for an ausweg and should try something which swings up at the end. Shostakovich 14 - its about death all right, but the ending makes it seem almost like fun. NOT 15. DSCH is just enjoying the fun of being in hospital and dying among all those nice nurses. In the first movement he's just being silly.


what about the second movement?


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## Serge

Did anyone recommend Elgar’s Cello Concerto yet? (I can’t see any of those youtube suggestions.) Should work miracles for this kind of mood.


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## Ravellian

I've heard the Elgar Cello Concerto a couple of times, and it's just not very memorable or emotionally powerful to me.. I much prefer the similar-sounding Max Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1.

I am enjoying several of the 20th century recommendations here, particularly Schnittke and Shostakovich. They seem to have a way of communicating helplessness and an attitude of "I just don't care anymore" that I can identify with pretty well.


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## Jeremy Marchant

There are all sorts of depression to describe in music from the wholly inwardly focussed music of Pettersson, to a more universalised statement (eg, in Mahler 6 I feel the composer transcended his personal grief to create a work of general applicability); from personal bereavement (such as much Elgar, playing on the loss of pretty much every aspect of his world) to the many responses to the second world war expressing a widescale suffering (eg Penderecki _Dies irae _oratorio).

Franz Schmidt's fourth symphony, if I remember correctly, was written after the death of a daughter. Schmidt, who was also a professional trumpeter, starts with theme on solo trumpet and builds the entire work from it. The slow movement in particular is like a juggernaut, just getting more and more searing until it explodes in a vast outpouring. Very cathartic.

If you would like a bit of violence in the mix Schnittke's _(K)ein Sommernachtstraum_ takes an innocent little Austrian tune and subjects it ever increasing brutalisation and violation in what must be for most people actually quite shocking, even in this day and age (as they say).

For more abstract generalised anger, try Varese's _Arcana_.


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## Argus

The third movement of this?


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## joen_cph

Have gained a lot from these works:

- Bruckner, all of it - moody but with a very satisfying abstract quality somehow transcending the self also - go from an adagio to a finale in one of later symphonies, for example ...

- Silvestrov: Postludium, Metamusik. Both for piano and orchestra. Kind of Pärt-like, but with a dark windswept landscape-quality to it ...Though it is simple, I never grow tired of it.

- Beethoven: Hammerklavier-Sonata, the Adagio. Played by Kempff, Kovacevich or Yudina especially. The
greatest slow movement in the history of piano music, and these pianists also make it sing and sparkle.

- Crumb:Cello Sonata, especially the Haimowitz recording.

- V-Williams:Tallis Fantasia for Strings

- Pärt:Tabula Rasa Concerto. Hypnotic, meditative, sometimes with a neo-baroque, comforting feeling to it.

- Brahms 1.Piano Concerto- if there ever was a heroic-existential concerto in Romanticism, this must be it.









- Rachmaninov: Vespers for Choir. Try the second movement, if you happen not to know it, the one with the soprano solo.





- Schnittke: Concerto for Piano and Strings. Suddenly you hear the Moonlight Sonata, then sardonic sarcasm ...





- Penderecki: Te Deum. Think it is the best of his Neo-Romantic works, not avantgarde, and before he began repeating himself endlessly in the later oeuvre. Expressive singing, but very melodic - and long, more subdued passages also. But you need to listen more than just one time to it, I suppose.

Joen


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## Guest

I think you need to turn to Schubert - particularly his Lieder. Die Winterreise lieder cycle is particularly right up your alley. The long lonely trek through the cold winter wasteland of a lover who has just had his love spurned. There are other dark lieder as well - the Erlkonig, Death and the Maiden. For that matter, the Death and the Maiden string quartet (No. 14 in D minor, D. 810).


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## Ravellian

Haha, I would listen to Schubert on any other occasion, but alas I have been working on a large research paper on Schubert for my Music History II class, and I am *sick* of Schubert right now. _Die schone Mullerin_ and _Winterreise_ are definitely two of my favorite vocal works though.

Definitely need to get into Bruckner, he's one composer I am not familiar with at all.


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## Webernite

This is about as absurdly Romantic as Bach gets, but there's no denying the power of the transcription:





 (part 1)





 (part 2)

Sorry if you've already heard it.


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## StlukesguildOhio




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## Air

Penderecki's 3rd.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Ravellian said:


> I'm in a pretty dark place in my personal life right now, and I need some music that I can scream or cry with. I'd like something very sad and/or tragic - believe it or not, it makes me feel a lot better.
> 
> It can be small-scale or large-scale, vocal music, piano music, or orchestral music. It can be from any period, though some 20th century suggestions would be nice. I'm not familiar with much chamber repertoire so that might be a good thing to recommend. No Tchaikovsky or Wagner though - I own everything they composed : )


Almost anything of the weird stuff that modern composers write. :tiphat:


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## trillian

back in time i did feel mahler really depressing (esp. mahler 6). but now i use mahler to cheer myself up :s

i find prokofiev's flute sonata very sad


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## mueske

trillian said:


> back in time i did feel mahler really depressing (esp. mahler 6). but now i use mahler to cheer myself up :s
> 
> i find prokofiev's flute sonata very sad


I know, just knowing he wasted his time writing something for a flute makes me sad and angry as well.

:devil:


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## hocket

Well, it's certainly not classical but the most depressed and pained music that I can think of would be Skip James's original Paramount recordings. Take care.


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## Mahler7

Rachmaninoff - The Isle of the Dead


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## toddw

tchaikovsky's 6th symphony. The Pathetique.


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## Enjoying Life

Try the third movement of Beethoven's String Quartet 15. Written after he recovered from what thought was fatal illness. Never fails to get me.


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## christmashtn

*Let's Not Forget:*

The 13th Symphony of Shostakovich "Babi Yar." Kondrashin's early 80's Live version with the Bavarian Radio Symphony with John Shirley-Quirk is just plain bone chilling, the conclusion just unmatched in total hypnotic effect. This was on a Philips LP, and on CD it has been only issued in Japan on a Philips Tower Records Series CD. Sometimes a Japanese seller can be found on ebay for the CD, and you can also try amazon.co.jp The remastering on the CD is just breathtaking.


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## Lukecash12

Alkan's Overture for Solo Piano.


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## Wicked_one

But any depressed music with loud booms, cries of despair, broken hearts and loss of a person? (except Mahler)


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## Comus

Keikobad said:


> Well, if you managed to cultivate a good depression and want to see just how far you can extend it I would recommend Mahler. If you know anything about the composer's life and how autobiographical many of his symphonies can be (ie. the death of a child led to the composition "Kindertotenlieder" and his Sixth Symphony) there's some really great stuff from which to choose.


Sorry to nitpick, but he wrote these a couple of years before his daughter died.


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## Guest

Try Carlo Gesualdo's madrigals, especially 'Moro, lasso, al mio duolo.'


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## diatesseron

Brahms Symph No. 3 Poco adagietto


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## Guest

diatesseron said:


> Brahms Symph No. 3 Poco adagietto


You mean poco allegretto


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## Ravellian

Thank you for your suggestions. I obviously have a great deal more to listen to.


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## Cookiefication

To the Space-Time Tower - Pokémon: Dialga vs Palkia vs Darkrai (0:40 is when it starts getting really good)

Feeling Towards Darkrai - Pokémon: Dialga vs Palkia vs Darkrai

Pretty recent stuff, but still dark, right?


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## realdealblues

For those moods, Mozart's Requiem conducted by Marriner is my goto piece.
(I think it currently has over 800 plays on my ipod).
A few others I will play over and over:
Mozart's Don Giovanni (Commendatore Scene) conducted by Karajan with Sam Ramey Singing
Mahler's 1st movement of his 2nd Symphony conducted by Bernstein with NY Symphony
Beethoven's 3rd movement of his Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight) played by Gilels
Chopin's Fantaisie In F Minor, Op. 49 played by Samson Francois
Gorecki's Symphony #3
Webern's Variations For Piano Op. 27
Bernstein's 3 Symphonies, Jeremiah, Age Of Anxiety & Kaddish (first recordings he made)
Glenn Gould's String Quartet #1

It's kind of random. What's screaming with torment and anger one day may not be the next.


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## toucan

Bad music is depressing, good music is elating - even when the latter expresses grief, or depression, or metaphysical anguish, as with Gyorgy Kurtag's STELE


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## Ravellian

It seems these types of music function best when you are at your lowest points, when you are completely devoid of hope and full of pessimism.. because at least they provide some comfort in knowing that there are many others who share your sense of desolation and despair. 

At the moment, however, I'm trying desperately to cling on to some strands of hope, and if I listen to this dark music now it may pull me from my safe haven into the dark recesses of insanity again. Perhaps I should make another topic about pieces that provide uplifting hope and heroic victory in the face of the greatest difficulties. I wonder how many Beethoven responses I would get..


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## Nix

3 obvious ones that haven't been mentioned-
Shosti string quartet #8- written when he was contemplating suicide
Schubert string quartet #14- written right after he found out he had syphilis 
Beethoven string quartet #14- written at a time when his friends/patrons were dying, his hearing was completely lost, and his nephew had just attempted suicide because of Beethoven's overbearingness. 

When I'm feeling down I generally don't listen to dark music- I listen to happy. When my cat died, I listened to Beethoven's 1st symphony and it really was a quick pick up from grief. If I'm going for effect though, I will listen to dark music when I'm in a dark mood though... like when I'm feeling morbid. But not when I'm sad.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

There is a new issue of Florent *Schmitt*'s infamous *Piano Quintet*:

http://www.amazon.com/Florent-Schmi...01JHI7XK/ref=cm_cr-mr-img/184-1120150-7961747


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## Romantic Geek

I've been listening to the second movement of the Grieg Piano Concerto, which really has a theme of sadness, but still with hope.





Or the Chopin Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48 No. 1





I also like the pathos in "Variations on a Balkan Theme" op. 60 by Amy Beach...though the version on Naxos is horrific (and that will want to make you cry!)

Also, check out James Barbagallo's recording of the 5th movement of Edward MacDowell's First Modern Suite op. 10.

I also like this MacDowell movement from his Sonata Tragica (written in memory of the death of his composition teacher Joachim Raff)





And finally, I'll leave you with my own retrospective composition based off of a poem by Emily Dickinson


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## myaskovsky2002

*Rachmaninov can be depressing too...*

Well...

Quite depressing is this for me.


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## tro shink

I would suggest the Bartok #6 string Quartet, as it was written when Bartok was leaving his beloved Hungary for good, World War 2 was just beginning, and his mother had died!


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## Gymnopédie




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## Vaneyes




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## Il Pirata

My favourite 'depressing' music are the slow movements from Beethoven's late string quartets, slow movements from Mahler' symphonies nos 3,4,5,6,9, and his Das Lied von der Erde, slow movements from Bruckner's late symphonies, Schubert's late sonatas, quartets and str quintet, R Strauss' Metamorphosen, Allegri's Miserere, Mozart's Requiem etc.....


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## danslenoir

I second Elgar's Cello Concerto.


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## carontes

check you time lines: kindertotten first, death of daughter later; Das Lied von Erde firts, then Ninth Symphony.


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