# Symphonies You Listen To In Certain Moods?



## Metalheadwholovesclasical

I am not sure if anyone else is really like me on this subject, but when I am in a particular mood, that being happy, depressed, angry, scared, etc, there is one or two symphonies I always listen to more than others during that state of mind. For me it is this:

Happy: Beethoven's 9th, or Mozart's 40th
Angry: Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring, or Beethoven's 5th/6th
Sad: Tchaikovsky's 6th, Brahm's 3rd

What about for you? Are there particular Symphonies you listen to the most during a certain state of mind?


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## MEDIEVAL MIAMI

The kind of feeling I want to capture is INTRIGUE, but I happen to listen mostly to medieval or renaissance chants and other works, not symphonies, but it still something to talk about since this is a Classical music forum.

So this is my list:

Thomas Tallis: O sacrum Convivium
Francesco Landini: Eco La Primavera
Debussy: Nocturnes
Barber: Violin Concerto Opus 14


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## Sorin Eushayson

When I'm feeling calm and happy I like Beethoven's 6th Symphony. Its pastoral nature seems to fit this mood well. When I want to get hyped up I listen to Mendelssohn's 1st or Mozart's 25th!


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## Herzeleide

Yes. Since I use music as someone might use mood-enhancing drugs, I love wallowing in self-pity to Mahler 9 and boosting my level of serotonin with Haydn 88.


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Herzeleide said:


> Yes. Since I use music as someone might use mood-enhancing drugs, I love wallowing in self-pity to Mahler 9 and boosting my level of serotonin with Haydn 88.


You don't understand the topic. Try again.


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## Rasa

I don't listen to Shostakovich when I'm not super happy, because I will kill myself because of his dreary symphonies.


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## Artemis

I do not pick out individual symphonies to match my mood. I agree that some symphonies may have certain mood-inducing effects for certain people but that is a different matter. 

I wonder why the question is limited to symphonies. A lot of people get their classical music “fix”, if they need one, from several other areas such as Monteverdi madrigals, Handelian arias, Mozart divertimenti, Elgarian marches, Schubert lieder, Bach Cantatas, Mendelssohn psalms, etc. 

I would hazard a guess and say that, rather than symphonies, piano solo is perhaps the single most likely genre to which people may turn for either soothing comfort or other effects. But I realise that it is symphonies/orchestral where many people probably start their classical music journey.


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## Herzeleide

Metalheadwholovesclasical said:


> You don't understand the topic. Try again.


How have I misinterpreted the topic?


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Herzeleide said:


> How have I misinterpreted the topic?


This is not about using music to change your mood, this is about music you listen to when you are in a certain mood.


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## Mirror Image

I really don't base what I listen to on mood. I base it on have I heard it yet or how long has it been since I heard it. It's either something completely new I'm listening to or something very familiar. Mood doesn't have anything to do with my listening habits.


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## Herzeleide

Mirror Image said:


> I really don't base what I listen to on mood. I base it on have I heard it yet or how long has it been since I heard it. It's either something completely new I'm listening to or something very familiar. Mood doesn't have anything to do with my listening habits.


Same here.

I feel invoking the notion of mood can impinge on a fresh and unbiased approach and judgement of the music. If I consciously think 'oh I'm sad', then this may adversely affect the music I choose to listen to, treating the music as some sort of morbid manifestation of my mood. Besides which, if I really am depressed and not merely feeling sorry for myself, a kind of anhedonia occurs, rendering the experience of music futile. This is _real_ melancholy, as opposed to self-pity.


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## Mirror Image

Herzeleide said:


> Same here.
> 
> I feel invoking the notion of mood can impinge on a fresh and unbiased approach and judgement of the music. If I consciously think 'oh I'm sad', then this may adversely affect the music I choose to listen to, treating the music as some sort of morbid manifestation of my mood. Besides which, if I really am depressed and not merely feeling sorry for myself, a kind of anhedonia occurs, rendering the experience of music futile. This is _real_ melancholy, as opposed to self-pity.


That's a very good point. I feel the same way. Music does something different for everybody, but I have never been one of these people who listens to music to satisfy or suppress whatever mood I'm in. If I'm depressed, then music is the last thing I want to hear. Sometimes complete silence is all I need to clear my head.


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## Lisztfreak

Sorrowful and melancholic: Mahler's 9th
Nostalgic: Vaughan Williams' Pastoral
At peace with the world: Vaughan Williams' 5th
Feeling gratitude for being alive: Bruckner's 5th
Happy: Beethoven's 8th
Optimistic: Beethoven's 5th
Angry: Méhul's 1st
Feeling like a well-mannered lord: Weber's 1st
Wanting something clear-cut: Schumann's 4th
Horny: Walton's 1st
Feeling I should listen to Mozart: Mozart's 40th
Mystic: Sibelius' 7th
Longing for England I've never seen: Elgar's 1st
Disgusted by politics: Shostakovich's 8th
In love: Tippett's 1st
Feeling sick, and the music only makes it worse: Rachmaninov's 2nd. A horrible work.

... and so on.


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## Habib

Lisztfreak said:


> Feeling sick, and the music only makes it worse: Rachmaninov's 2nd. A horrible work.


I don't agree with that. The slow movement is one of his most beautiful creations. And the scherzo is also quite memorable.

I myself can't stand Beethoven's 5th. So boring and cliched. I can do without listening to it for the 500th time that they play it on radio. Can't they program something more interesting and slightly obscure?


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## Lisztfreak

Habib said:


> I don't agree with that. The slow movement is one of his most beautiful creations. And the scherzo is also quite memorable.
> 
> I myself can't stand Beethoven's 5th. So boring and cliched. I can do without listening to it for the 500th time that they play it on radio. Can't they program something more interesting and slightly obscure?


The Scherzo is better than the rest, I agree. But I don't know, the symphony is just too cheezy and drawn. Like bad Hollywood music.


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## Mirror Image

Lisztfreak said:


> The Scherzo is better than the rest, I agree. But I don't know, the symphony is just too cheezy and drawn. Like bad Hollywood music.


Have you ever heard Rachmaninov's "Symphony Dances," Lisztfreak? This piece, alone, gives Rachmaninov high marks in my book. Also, his "Piano Concerto No. 2," and "Isle of the Dead" are both remarkable works that deserve to be heard by all classical fans.


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## Lisztfreak

Mirror Image said:


> Have you ever heard Rachmaninov's "Symphony Dances," Lisztfreak? This piece, alone, gives Rachmaninov high marks in my book. Also, his "Piano Concerto No. 2," and "Isle of the Dead" are both remarkable works that deserve to be heard by all classical fans.


Don't take me wrong, I enjoy Rachmaninov a lot. As you say, the Symphonic Dances are among his highest peaks. I also love all the piano concertos I've heard (2,3,4), preludes and The Bells. The Symphony No.3 also isn't bad. 
But the 2nd symphony is simply very tiring and very unrewarding, for me.


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## Bach

His use of chromaticism can be quite juicy at times.


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Herzeleide said:


> Same here.
> 
> I feel invoking the notion of mood can impinge on a fresh and unbiased approach and judgement of the music. If I consciously think 'oh I'm sad', then this may adversely affect the music I choose to listen to, treating the music as some sort of morbid manifestation of my mood. Besides which, if I really am depressed and not merely feeling sorry for myself, a kind of anhedonia occurs, rendering the experience of music futile. This is _real_ melancholy, as opposed to self-pity.


How is it self pity? People write certain tones of music when they are in certain moods, why not listen to music when in certain moods? Different states of mind make me want to listen to certain types of music.


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## starry

Maybe this should be symphonies that *create* certain moods in you.


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## Herzeleide

Metalheadwholovesclasical said:


> How is it self pity? People write certain tones of music when they are in certain moods, why not listen to music when in certain moods? Different states of mind make me want to listen to certain types of music.


I've already stated why I try not to let my mood impinge on my choice of music.

From my experience composing, I emphatically DO NOT write music wishing to calculate some kind of emotion, largely because the effects of music are really ineffable, and because I think it's a stupid approach to composition. What I'm concerned with is technique - I let expression take care of itself, mainly because it is inseparable from technique anyway. The amazing composer Oliver Knussen agrees:

"Now I don't think a composer who is actually writing a piece of music should be conscious of self-expression. I hate the idea of somebody sitting down and thinking 'Alright, I feel sad' or 'My cat's just died. I'm going to write a Requiem Mass for the cat'. "

"If the composer sat down and says 'I going to write a touching piece; I don't want a dry eye in the house', I think that's disgusting. It's manipulative, and I'm not interested in manipulating except obviously you have to if you're writing dramatic music." "

http://www.compositiontoday.com/articles/oliver_knussen_interview.asp


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

Herzeleide said:


> I've already stated why I try not to let my mood impinge on my choice of music.
> 
> From my experience composing, I emphatically DO NOT write music wishing to calculate some kind of emotion, largely because the effects of music are really ineffable, and because I think it's a stupid approach to composition. What I'm concerned with is technique - I let expression take care of itself, mainly because it is inseparable from technique anyway. The amazing composer Oliver Knussen agrees:
> 
> "Now I don't think a composer who is actually writing a piece of music should be conscious of self-expression. I hate the idea of somebody sitting down and thinking 'Alright, I feel sad' or 'My cat's just died. I'm going to write a Requiem Mass for the cat'. "
> 
> "If the composer sat down and says 'I going to write a touching piece; I don't want a dry eye in the house', I think that's disgusting. It's manipulative, and I'm not interested in manipulating except obviously you have to if you're writing dramatic music." "
> 
> http://www.compositiontoday.com/articles/oliver_knussen_interview.asp


Then both you and I have two different views. The definition of art is expressing yourself and what you feel on the inside. If classical music is just technique, than it is merely technique and not art. The greatest art always comes from your heart. I am pretty sure Beethoven was feeling happy when he wrote Ode To Joy, or Carl Orff was angry when he was writing O Fortuna. Art is about expression of your inner self, at least, that is where the best art comes from.


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## starry

Perhaps alot of pieces can be more complex than eliciting just one type of emotion. Also the performer somehow shapes the reaction of a listener to a piece as well according to their interpretation. We don't often know precisely what emotion a composer wanted at a particular moment in a piece as well. Also the reaction of the individual listener could differ as well depending on their own character. 

And maybe a listener if sad might want to hear something they think might be happy to change their mood for example, maybe it was even the same for the composer. Composing although it comes from a real person perhaps can be separate to their life in some ways and lift them out of normal things into other thoughts, maybe it could be the same for the listener. So listening or even composing might not enhance a mood but change it. 

But really is music just about mood? Isn't it also about thought, about the compositional process, the intellectual crafting of a work of art. It also engages at that level.

So for all kinds of reasons I'm not sure if I could pick a piece certain that I would enjoy it as that moment just because I think it could be in a certain mood or that I thought I could be in a particular mood. I would just have to play it and see if it suited me then or not. And it wouldn't just be about mood anyway, it could be whether I wanted simpler music or complex music, a long piece or short, or any music at all etc.


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## Mirror Image

starry said:


> Perhaps alot of pieces can be more complex than eliciting just one type of emotion. Also the performer somehow shapes the reaction of a listener to a piece as well according to their interpretation. We don't often know precisely what emotion a composer wanted at a particular moment in a piece as well. Also the reaction of the individual listener could differ as well depending on their own character.
> 
> And maybe a listener if sad might want to hear something they think might be happy to change their mood for example, maybe it was even the same for the composer. Composing although it comes from a real person perhaps can be separate to their life in some ways and lift them out of normal things into other thoughts, maybe it could be the same for the listener. So listening or even composing might not enhance a mood but change it.
> 
> But really is music just about mood? Isn't it also about thought, about the compositional process, the intellectual crafting of a work of art. It also engages at that level.
> 
> So for all kinds of reasons I'm not sure if I could pick a piece certain that I would enjoy it as that moment just because I think it could be in a certain mood or that I thought I could be in a particular mood. I would just have to play it and see if it suited me then or not. And it wouldn't just be about mood anyway, it could be whether I wanted simpler music or complex music, a long piece or short, or any music at all etc.


Starry, my dear you over-analyze everything way too much. It's really a simple question.


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## starry

Mirror Image said:


> Starry, my dear you over-analyze everything way too much. It's really a simple question.


When I saw you had responded on this thread, I just *knew* that you would say that!


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## Mirror Image

starry said:


> When I saw you had responded on this thread, I just *knew* that you would say that!


Yeah, I'm sure you did.


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## Metalheadwholovesclasical

starry said:


> Perhaps alot of pieces can be more complex than eliciting just one type of emotion. Also the performer somehow shapes the reaction of a listener to a piece as well according to their interpretation. We don't often know precisely what emotion a composer wanted at a particular moment in a piece as well. Also the reaction of the individual listener could differ as well depending on their own character.
> 
> And maybe a listener if sad might want to hear something they think might be happy to change their mood for example, maybe it was even the same for the composer. Composing although it comes from a real person perhaps can be separate to their life in some ways and lift them out of normal things into other thoughts, maybe it could be the same for the listener. So listening or even composing might not enhance a mood but change it.
> 
> But really is music just about mood? Isn't it also about thought, about the compositional process, the intellectual crafting of a work of art. It also engages at that level.
> 
> So for all kinds of reasons I'm not sure if I could pick a piece certain that I would enjoy it as that moment just because I think it could be in a certain mood or that I thought I could be in a particular mood. I would just have to play it and see if it suited me then or not. And it wouldn't just be about mood anyway, it could be whether I wanted simpler music or complex music, a long piece or short, or any music at all etc.


Of course there is more than mood involved, my point is that emotion plays a huge role like thought and structure does. It seems to help bring the music to life.


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## starry

Metalheadwholovesclasical said:


> Of course there is more than mood involved, my point is that emotion plays a huge role like thought and structure does. It seems to help bring the music to life.


Of course it does. My main point really was that emotion is a complex thing, a many sided thing. This is the case both with the music itself, the interpretation and maybe even how we interact with it.


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## Zuo17

I agree with metalhead(_may I call you that?_) completely on his viewpoint that music should reflect mood or at least show emotion.

At the same token I guess there needs to be _a balance_ in a piece. That's why it's difficult to compose music that will actually leave a legacy. If a piece had too much expression and emotion, yet no organization or framework, then it would be spontaneous; the listener would become lost in the swift change in moods. On the other hand, if a piece contained too much academia and over-analysis, and yet lack emotion and expression, then it would bore the audience to sleep. So, balance is the key. _Imagine an ocean or a beach scene. If there's no boats then it's boring. If there's too many boats, then the listener's focus will be so sporadic, switching between the plethora of boats moving by. But if there's that one perfect boat, then the scene changes completely_(_don't forget the romantic sunset!_).

I think music is based on expression because, how else you play a piece, yet have no words to describe it? Or the ambiance of of live orchestra performance; can you really put into words  a great performance you've just listened to?

Of course, I also agree with Starry, that emotion is a complex thing. It can't be truly explained easily or even with one-time solution on google. I find it to be intriguing when you apply that to classical music. Bit of paradox here. True, we may never understand music and emotion in all its depth, but we can still understand a teeny-tiny pinch of it. It's in understanding that one bit, that makes it worth it to listen to.

I hope I didn't go overboard in talking.....This is such an interesting discussion(_I couldn't resist_)! 

Until again,
Zach


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## kg4fxg

*Database*

Well,

There are times I might listen to something rather dark, or classified as such like Elgar's cello concerto. Most of these darker pieces I love regardless of mood.

On the other hand I look at my database to see what I have not listened to recently per the log and program a method or listening program. It's an accountant's approach - log what you listen to like taking medicine.

With 7,098 pieces it takes for ever to hear it all.


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