# Go-To “De-Stressing” Music



## Allegro Con Brio (Jan 3, 2020)

It's been a terrible, rotten, no-good, very bad day. You come home and you just feel like you need to turn your mind off, close your eyes, collapse into your easy chair, wind down, and tune into your "calm spot." What music do you reach for? Another way to phrase the question could be "what is _your_ music" - the stuff that you feel was composed just to please you, uplift your spirit, and bring you to a happy place. It doesn't have to be stereotypical "relaxing" or "soothing" music.

For me, any Bach usually does the trick. When I feel that the world is chaotic, disheveled, and noisy; he reminds me that there is meaning and order to life. But some favorite specific "de-stressing" pieces are Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and Clarinet Concerto, Schubert's Trout Quintet, and any of Debussy's piano works. I also, somewhat oddly, find Messiaen's organ works very calming.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Mozart's K. 488 or K. 595; Haydn's 103rd and 104th symphonies and his cello concertos; any number of Chopin nocturnes.

(Aside from Bach, of course.)


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Oh, and this never fails to do the trick:


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

For de-stressing purposes, I can't do better than Mozart's Oboe Quartet and Weber's Grand Duo Concertante for clarinet and piano.


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## MatthewWeflen (Jan 24, 2019)

Beethoven's 6th. It truly is evocative of the outdoors and has the same palliative effect.


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Some excellent choices above. For me it's just about anything by Mozart. Forced to pick one piece, I'd probably go for his Piano Concerto no.21, particularly the sunny first movement.


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## Eclectic Al (Apr 23, 2020)

Bach and Haydn are pretty much tied for sanity inducing qualities. So many pieces.

Some specific works by others would include:
- Sibelius Symphonies 3 and 6
- VW Symphonies 3 and 5, Oboe concerto, Flos Campi
- Elgar Serenade for Strings
- Handel Concerti Grossi Op 6
- Various Poulenc chamber pieces (Flute, Clarinet and Oboe sonatas)
- Ravel Piano Concerto in G, Ma Mere l'oye
- Mendelssohn String Symphonies

I think what is not on these lists is as interesting as what is.
I suspect there won't be a lot of Beethoven (compared with his prevalence on other lists), although we've had a vote for the Pastoral, and not much avant-garde stuff. I'm a big fan of Bartok, but he's not mainly a de-stressing type, ditto Prokofiev. Does anyone find things like Webern's Six Pieces de-stressing? Some of them can be, but he has a tendency to include a bit of menace or a sudden outburst in what, until that point, had been ear-tickling and soothing.

It might be interesting for people to pick de-stressing pieces from not normally de-stressing composers. Most de-stressing piece by Bartok, for example. And not a movement or section (- that's going to be too easy): a whole piece.


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## hoodjem (Feb 23, 2019)

Renaissance choral music.

Tallis.
Byrd.
Tye. 
Taverner.
Josquin.
Sheppard.
Dufay. 
Ockeghem.
Dunstable.
Victoria.
Obrecht.
Palestrina.
Clemens non Papa.
Isaac.


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

For me, great music - even not so great - isn't something to relax by. The ear is eventually drawn into the drama and brilliance. But when I need more relaxing background music it's almost always solo piano music: Rachmaninoff, Albeniz, Rubinstein, Raff, Tchaikovsky, Schubert, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel -- there's a lot. When I do want to just turn off the brain and relax, there is a genre that I use and I have many of these disks - it's not great music, but carefully engineered and designed to calm and relax. Kin of like what some yoga studios use. It's very effective. Steven Halpern is THE guru on this type of music. He's produced dozens of them over the years.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

As far as I know, depression needs nothing but physical enlightenment, either sex or some fights, so does stupidity, mother nature is wonderful, it offers all solutions to peoples problems. I am after wisdom and art because I do not like hurting people and myself. Art is not for anti-depression purposes, it is for self-realization of inner peace, and a confession of the will to peace. Depression is just out of the radar of any art. I was depressed in highschool, I smoked, drank, then I awoke and made up my mind to improve. Then I got into fights and hit by a motorbike, I was drained a lot of blood in the oper and infused with unknown strangers blood, got some skin problem then. I always had been busy with my physical enemies, the violent lefties, thugs, other peoples stupidity, so I am always fighting off the depression this way.

If it is not depression, just stress, everybody gets it, those who think they are more stressed than the others are probably too self-centered. But some people vent their stress by bullying, or fooling around and making trouble, they listen to bad music as well, while some people keep to themself and play dumb. Do not even listen to good music if you are depressed or stressed. Buy a punch-bag and punch, kick, yell, and eat some thing. We are all stressed, use it well, it will enlighten your life.


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

I managed to surprise myself when I gave this question some thought. Initially I though the answer would probably be one of the usual suspects, Bach’s air, Pachabel’s Canon, Vaughan Williams Lark ascending or Tallis Fantasia; then another piece came into my mind, Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto and in particular the second movement which has even survived the hit parade ( Eric Carmen ). It is extremely calming as indeed is the first movement which is starts with the softly ascending chords and has a great tune. Then the third movement reaches a wonderful final climax which helps makes me ready to face the world again.
To be fair I doubt I could listen to this every time I’ve had a bad day and there are many other pieces which would do the trick, pieces with personal relevance for me, and I think often it is the personal aspect of the music which is the calmative, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto, Grieg’s piano concerto to name but two. But Rachmaninov’s Concerto which I have loved for over half a century, is a wonderful piece to restore a good humour.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Georg Phillipp Telemann; any of the French, especially Debussy and Satie; New Age pianist George Winston; and, for a relaxation that "hits different", Mahler 6 (Barbirolli/Philharmonia - the one everybody hates and fears - catharsis, exorcism, purge).


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

There are more than one way to de-stress, and going for the obviously relaxing and the obviously 'beautiful' sounding music is only one. 

As an analogy, some people de-stress by going to a spa, getting a message, sitting in a sauna, etc. Where other people destress by going to a gym and doing a more intense workout than normal, playing in a very competitive basketball game, or even martial arts training.

I am more of the latter type. 

So for me, I do not listen to obvious relaxing sounding music to relax. First of all, if I am really stressed, I may not even reach for classical music. I may go for some very intense jazz-fusion, like Mahavishnu Orchestra or Return to Forever. Or maybe some technical-metal. These have the aggressiveness to help dampen my stress, while still appealing to my love of very high levels of musicianship and complexity I get with classical.

But if I do reach for classical, it may be something intense like, a Bartok piano concerto or maybe Joan Tower's concerto for orchestra.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

Listening to early music will only worsen the stress, while nothing is better than a Te Deum in a beautiful morning, but if in a bad mood, I just want to drink some cold water and smash something. One reason of OPs stress probably comes from listening too much music, I do not know what music you listen, but bad music does depress me, maybe people react differently to the music. Maybe some music depress you unknowingly. Offering musical choices can not be further from my advice. Drink some icy water, or some icy juices with whisky, shut off all modern electronic equipment, read some book or punch something. Maybe I did not understand the question, music has never been the means to exhilarate the mood. I uplift myself with thinking, my philosophy keeps me in a constant high-spirit, music just calm me down.


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## Skakner (Oct 8, 2020)

When I return home after a hard day, all I want is two things: listen to music and play chess. Music selections could be anything, from Bach to Schnnitke. Sometimes though, I need to fall asleep listening to music. For unknown reasons, the works I usually choose, are some of these...

*Messiaen* - Chronocromie, Eclairs sur l'au-dela, Preludes, Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jesus
*Debussy* - Preludes
*Bach* - WTC
*Vaughan Williams* - Symphonies, i.e. 7 ''Antartica''
*Handel* - Concerti Grossi
*Haydn* - Symphonies
*Mozart* - Piano Sonatas
*Sibelius* - Symphonies
*Schubert* - Piano Sonatas


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## annaw (May 4, 2019)

During a particularly stressful period I usually turn to the works which bear some nostalgic value - so, often works which I know well. The greatest stress reliever for me is probably Wagner. My own daily problems seem to be reduced into something trivial next to his larger-than-life music. Ahh.. Wagner :angel:

Tolstoy put it beautifully into words in "The Kreutzer Sonata":

_Music makes me forget myself, my real position; it transports me to some other position not my own. Under the influence of music it seems to me that I feel what I do not really feel, that I understand what I do not understand, that I can do what I cannot do._


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## Bkeske (Feb 27, 2019)

For me, I reach for Brahms, any Brahms.


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## Vienne (Aug 21, 2020)

I would give special mention to Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet and to Gluck’s Dance of the Blessed Spirits.


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## adriesba (Dec 30, 2019)

"Und ob die Wolke" from _Der Freischütz _- perfectly fitting thematically and musically for "de-stressing"

J. Strauss II dances, marches, etc. - very lighthearted and happy stuff that can change my mood quickly

Wagner operas - some of the most uplifting music ever!


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

adriesba said:


> J. Strauss II dances, marches, etc. - very lighthearted and happy stuff that can change my mood quickly


true







annaw said:


> The greatest stress reliever for me is probably Wagner.


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## BenG (Aug 28, 2018)

MatthewWeflen said:


> Beethoven's 6th. It truly is evocative of the outdoors and has the same palliative effect.


Like Sibelius, Beethoven magically captures the human experience of nature, and puts it on music. Amazing.


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## Totenfeier (Mar 11, 2016)

Vienne said:


> I would give special mention to Mozart's Clarinet Quintet and to Gluck's Dance of the Blessed Spirits.


For me, the ability to appreciate the "Dance" has long been the touchstone of a truly "Westernly civilized" person, if such a thing may may even be considered an asset, and not a liability (or even a deformity), these days.


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## Tinaj0669 (Sep 20, 2020)

Debussy: Deux Arabesques L. 66, Preludes I & II
Ravel: miroirs 
Liszt: Annees de pelerinage


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## Gallus (Feb 8, 2018)

A Haydn string quartet is my comfort food.


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