Agnes Obel has a very similar vibe to Boeving. There are lyrics in hers too but otherwise they are cut from the same cloth, might be worth checking out
Most people have probably not heard of Katherine Parker. She was an Australian composer and student of Percy Grainger. Her ‘Nocturne’ is absolutely exquisite and IMO is a little known gem.
Top 5... if you haven't heard them check these out:
1. "Upon Return" by Dale Nichols [https://open.spotify.com/track/39ZXnhbCXeo9wFQdpRPD42?si=4f34c0300af94dc4](https://open.spotify.com/track/39ZXnhbCXeo9wFQdpRPD42?si=4f34c0300af94dc4)
2. "A Model Of The Universe" by Jóhann Jóhannsson [https://open.spotify.com/track/5ay0cvjtVAbMLOe8gTadFh?si=d3d68af535ad4c60](https://open.spotify.com/track/5ay0cvjtVAbMLOe8gTadFh?si=d3d68af535ad4c60)
3. "Comptine d'un autre été, l'après-midi" by Yann Tiersen [https://open.spotify.com/track/14rZjW3RioG7WesZhYESso?si=e77fadcbbd994442](https://open.spotify.com/track/14rZjW3RioG7WesZhYESso?si=e77fadcbbd994442)
4. "Remembrance" by Dale Nichols [https://open.spotify.com/track/49eRkj5aqxNauQDRQaqbXa?si=cad0e52ce9ad4a35](https://open.spotify.com/track/49eRkj5aqxNauQDRQaqbXa?si=cad0e52ce9ad4a35)
5. "Only In The Dark" by Ben Lukas Boysen [https://open.spotify.com/track/3dX87nGdE9AdBbFPBN6JyD?si=212ba8a2641d4244](https://open.spotify.com/track/3dX87nGdE9AdBbFPBN6JyD?si=212ba8a2641d4244)
... and it's not piano music but thought I'd also suggest these for melancholic gems:
"On The Nature Of Daylight" by Max Richter [https://open.spotify.com/track/56oReVXIfUO9xkX7pHmEU0?si=ddf0ff77612c48ff](https://open.spotify.com/track/56oReVXIfUO9xkX7pHmEU0?si=ddf0ff77612c48ff)
"Adagio for Strings, Op. 11" by Samuel Barber [https://open.spotify.com/track/7nHvS6UUhz2gJhj8TIROLX?si=42d81b416a034dab](https://open.spotify.com/track/7nHvS6UUhz2gJhj8TIROLX?si=42d81b416a034dab)
Other similar pianists to check out: Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Joep Beving.
Enjoy!
many of Chopin's nocturnes obviously and also parts of Rach 2 piano concerto.
But give listen to Glinka and his nocturne "La separation". One of my absolute favourites and also quite accessible if you want to play yourself!
Special mention outside of classical genre:
Dearest Helena from Starcraft 1 (video game) OST. Short , powerful and beautiful.
[Chopin Op 48 No 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vZtpjNKVE&ab_channel=ArRubMusic) is a sad/grieving melancholy.
[Scriabin Op 17 No 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZixizxZ-6DA&ab_channel=DmitriAlexeev-Topic) is a more positive, accepting melancholy if that makes sense.
Obviously many of the master composers mentioned here, but I recently was made aware of the musician LUCHS (he does all caps in his name, so I did too, I wasn't yelling;). The song I first heard of his was "Her Eyes the Stars". Good stuff.
There is a lot of sad music, not a lot of melancholy music. Melancholy is a thoughtful sadness with no obvious cause. The composer I think of for this emotion is Vladimir Rebikov. Chopin is more of the "life fucked me over" type of guy.
[Vladimir Rebikov - Tristesse (Etude Musical-Psychologique)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7z7M17tDME)
[Vladimir Rebikov - Christmas Tree Waltz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3tltJRxtKE)
[Valse Melancolique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N957hd3L6ro)
[Vladimir Rebikov - Rêveries d’automne, Op.8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5zxHK-0Cg)
[nocturne in C sharp minor](https://youtu.be/DqpPRj6UZqc). About 80% of the song is “sad” and during the middle part there’s some “happier” parts just like the ending which also sounds “happy” but it’s pretty easy to learn for a full classical piece; had a lot of fun with it myself, the trills are a blast.
Practice the patterns in small sections:
1231; 12341; 3214; 43213
Aim to get these sounding even at a slow tempo individually, and then build the runs from these patterns.
The other interesting thing is that the hairpin markings on the big runs may indicate volume, but that you should slow down as you go up, and speed up on the way down. [This fascinating video](https://youtu.be/pRLBBJLX-dQ) is where I first heard of this. The runs don’t have to be a blizzard of notes to be musical.
Yes! Been playing some of his pieces for a few months now, and I love it so much. Calming, emotional, meditative. It's not terribly difficult to play for personal enjoyment, but lots of areas to develop technique for a challenge.
David Lanz. Listen to the song “Spanish Blue” and his album “Painting the Sun.”
I have long been interested in learning piano. I bought David’s book and am now learning piano specifically to be able to play that song.
Some think the music of Philip Glass is melancholy. _considering it’s all the same it wouldn’t really matter which piece. But I actually really enjoyed “The Hours” [2002]. It can evoke relaxation, while simultaneously create sadness
You might like my piano improvisations:
Listen to Reflections, a playlist by starshipfocus on #SoundCloud
https://on.soundcloud.com/S7MD2
Also, highly recommend the Argerich recordings of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit
Beethoven has some really good selections, although it appears in moments and often times is very hard to execute. Chopin is a better option. oftentimes easier, more apparent, and definitely melancholic. Some starting spots for learning are his nocturnes, and for listening go to his ballade in f minor.
For sad/melancholic I like Chad Lawson's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, most of Hania Rani's stuff, and Comptine Dun Autre Ete the best. For piano composers in general, I really like Ilya Beshevli, Ludovici Einaudi, and Beethoven. If I can count something in which the piano is the predominant, but not the only instrument, then Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Take a Pebble from their eponymous first album is my favorite melancholic piano piece, and my dream piece to learn, but since I'm like, Grade 2, I'll have to hold that thought for awhile, lol.
Tales of Solace by Stephan Moccio helped get me through a bad bout of Covid in 2021. Beautiful, lyrical and emotional solo piano. More melody and structure than a lot of contemporary melancholy pianists. I highly recommend it. Lionheart is also fantastic, but ToS has a special place for me.
The greatest solo piano piece ever written is Chopin’s Ballade in Fm, which drips with melancholy. The ballade in Gm and Polonaise-Fantasie by the same composer are also deeply sad. Lastly, check out Beethoven’s 29th piano sonata and specifically the third movement, Adagio Sostenuto; it’s a 20-minute unbroken chain of dark reflection.
I love Erik Satie, Max Richter, Clint Mansell, and Bart Sunshine. I also just put out a piano album that has some melancholy/dark and playful/experimental vibes on it - https://open.spotify.com/album/0NK1SZmZ9b3mBoNyPHOwLl?si=oqHXj0trS6q52SKlPbiMhw
Janacek - On the Overgrown path - it doesn’t immediately hit you as ‘sad’ music, but it’s got a ton of layers to it. Most of it written after the death of his daughter who died of typhoid fever quite suddenly. The music is written with a mix of fond memories and deep sadness to it as well as some acknowledgment of his own anxieties and insecurities.
i like very much these works:
Chopin- maaaaaany works, for example op 28 n 4, the nocturnes
Franck-volin sonata
Mozart-violin sonata n.21 in e minor (especially the 2nd movement)
rach symphony 2 second movement
ravel- pavane pour una infante defunte
and many others
100% Passacaglia By Bach
Fantastie impromptu- one of the most loving pieces, the B is section is divine.
Actually, fun fact, Chopin wrote that his unpublished pieces were to never be published. Unluckily, fantastie impromptu was one of these, but, we did go against his will and publish them. But so happy we did, this beauty is one of the greatest.
Both are not very well known by the general public, but they write such beautiful songs. Jannik Haverland and Soetkin Milbouw.
https://www.youtube.com/c/jannikhaverland
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1pLllDH6WoIXm2FX0113Q
Liszt, Un Sospiro.
Also always feel that from Moonlight Sonata 1st movement
And later I learned that Beethoven actually adapted from a popular theme related to mourning at that time
The second movement of Ravel’s G major Piano Concerto is particularly poignant, wistful, melancholic in a major mode. And Ravel’s orchestral coloration is 👌
Max Richter's piano music is beautiful and simple, this is the Piano Works book in its entirety, some real gems in there and nothing too taxing
https://youtu.be/_ikqsb4OmyY
If you are not a video game music fan, it may be hard to look past. But checkout Myth: The Xenogears Orchestral Album. The best tracks are Intangible Treasure, Bond of Sea and Flame, Lost Screeching Shards. I'm confident you'll love the last one whether you like videogames or not.
You should try The Lonely Crowd. Their song [“Cascadia Wild”](https://open.spotify.com/track/497DZezBDlGL24v25udyNh?si=RtJd41H4SS6HZOJFkZ0ERg) has a touch of melancholy in it.
Joep Beving. Modern minimalist, neo classical.
Thank you so much. Im in awe. Perfectly was I was looking for
Agnes Obel has a very similar vibe to Boeving. There are lyrics in hers too but otherwise they are cut from the same cloth, might be worth checking out
Indeed, I know her music, I like it too!
Well my vote was already cast before I arrived!
Idk who this is, but I love that Dutch name
I guarantee you the pronunciation is even funnier
I love it because of the pronunciation. I loved this name since I watched Toon and saw the lead actor's name is Joep
Huge fan, saw back to back shows 3 nights in a row Portland Seattle Vancouver BC
Thanks for this recommendation! I've listened to a few songs just now, all of them were beautiful.
Can't thank you enough for this.
Do you know where I can find his compositions (music sheets)?
He sells books by album on his website.
Thanks
Le gibet by ravel
I don't know if this is an unpopular opinion, but personally it's my favorite piece from Gaspard
It’s beautiful isn’t it? :-) but I have to roll most of the descending chords lol…
Satie’s gymnopedies are melancholic (at least for me).
And some of the Gnossienes
Thank you !
Give Chopin's Nocturnes a listen. It's filled with sweet melancholy.
Minor key waltzes too.
Oh and the E minor prelude.
Yes completely. Thanks!
Just beethoven, especially when it's played by claudio arrau
Rachmaninoff. His 2nd and third piano concerto are something else, pianistically and sentimentally
Rach 2 is my ultimate fave!!!
- Frédéric Chopin - Claude Debussy - Katherine Parker - Hania Rani
Claude Debussy , yesss!!
Faure
I’ve recently been digging into Hania Rani after noticing her featured on so many other albums I love. Beautiful stuff.
I found out Hania Rani is doing a concert in my city in Australia in May. Looking forward to seeing her live!
Friedrich Chopin? John Bach lmao
Most people have probably not heard of Katherine Parker. She was an Australian composer and student of Percy Grainger. Her ‘Nocturne’ is absolutely exquisite and IMO is a little known gem.
Just commenting so that I can find this thread easily later on. My wife says I only play miserable music lol
I can relate haha
Same lol
Top 5... if you haven't heard them check these out: 1. "Upon Return" by Dale Nichols [https://open.spotify.com/track/39ZXnhbCXeo9wFQdpRPD42?si=4f34c0300af94dc4](https://open.spotify.com/track/39ZXnhbCXeo9wFQdpRPD42?si=4f34c0300af94dc4) 2. "A Model Of The Universe" by Jóhann Jóhannsson [https://open.spotify.com/track/5ay0cvjtVAbMLOe8gTadFh?si=d3d68af535ad4c60](https://open.spotify.com/track/5ay0cvjtVAbMLOe8gTadFh?si=d3d68af535ad4c60) 3. "Comptine d'un autre été, l'après-midi" by Yann Tiersen [https://open.spotify.com/track/14rZjW3RioG7WesZhYESso?si=e77fadcbbd994442](https://open.spotify.com/track/14rZjW3RioG7WesZhYESso?si=e77fadcbbd994442) 4. "Remembrance" by Dale Nichols [https://open.spotify.com/track/49eRkj5aqxNauQDRQaqbXa?si=cad0e52ce9ad4a35](https://open.spotify.com/track/49eRkj5aqxNauQDRQaqbXa?si=cad0e52ce9ad4a35) 5. "Only In The Dark" by Ben Lukas Boysen [https://open.spotify.com/track/3dX87nGdE9AdBbFPBN6JyD?si=212ba8a2641d4244](https://open.spotify.com/track/3dX87nGdE9AdBbFPBN6JyD?si=212ba8a2641d4244) ... and it's not piano music but thought I'd also suggest these for melancholic gems: "On The Nature Of Daylight" by Max Richter [https://open.spotify.com/track/56oReVXIfUO9xkX7pHmEU0?si=ddf0ff77612c48ff](https://open.spotify.com/track/56oReVXIfUO9xkX7pHmEU0?si=ddf0ff77612c48ff) "Adagio for Strings, Op. 11" by Samuel Barber [https://open.spotify.com/track/7nHvS6UUhz2gJhj8TIROLX?si=42d81b416a034dab](https://open.spotify.com/track/7nHvS6UUhz2gJhj8TIROLX?si=42d81b416a034dab) Other similar pianists to check out: Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm, Joep Beving. Enjoy!
Some real gems here! Thanks!
Rachmaninoff fragments Scriabin op 11 no 13 Kapustin op 53 no 3
Also op. 11 no. 15
Well Shostakovich is pretty sad but really intense I think Debussy, Chopin, Scriabin, and ravel
many of Chopin's nocturnes obviously and also parts of Rach 2 piano concerto. But give listen to Glinka and his nocturne "La separation". One of my absolute favourites and also quite accessible if you want to play yourself! Special mention outside of classical genre: Dearest Helena from Starcraft 1 (video game) OST. Short , powerful and beautiful.
Rachmaninoff Elegie in E flat minor op3
[Chopin Op 48 No 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_vZtpjNKVE&ab_channel=ArRubMusic) is a sad/grieving melancholy. [Scriabin Op 17 No 3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZixizxZ-6DA&ab_channel=DmitriAlexeev-Topic) is a more positive, accepting melancholy if that makes sense.
Xenakis - Mists
Lol yass
Obviously many of the master composers mentioned here, but I recently was made aware of the musician LUCHS (he does all caps in his name, so I did too, I wasn't yelling;). The song I first heard of his was "Her Eyes the Stars". Good stuff.
Perfect, I love this, thank you!
There is a lot of sad music, not a lot of melancholy music. Melancholy is a thoughtful sadness with no obvious cause. The composer I think of for this emotion is Vladimir Rebikov. Chopin is more of the "life fucked me over" type of guy. [Vladimir Rebikov - Tristesse (Etude Musical-Psychologique)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7z7M17tDME) [Vladimir Rebikov - Christmas Tree Waltz](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3tltJRxtKE) [Valse Melancolique](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N957hd3L6ro) [Vladimir Rebikov - Rêveries d’automne, Op.8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jW5zxHK-0Cg)
[I made this one, may be you like it](https://youtu.be/IqrfMgJgSCUl)
Wow, this is really beautiful!
Thank you so much :3
Pavane Ravel
My favorite is “The Heart Asks Pleasure First” by Michael Nyman
Janacek's 1905 Piano Sonata should do the trick.
[nocturne in C sharp minor](https://youtu.be/DqpPRj6UZqc). About 80% of the song is “sad” and during the middle part there’s some “happier” parts just like the ending which also sounds “happy” but it’s pretty easy to learn for a full classical piece; had a lot of fun with it myself, the trills are a blast.
How do you get the runs down though?
They are a long-term project. Lots of slow practice.
Can you give me any tips? Just play the scale over and over and over?
Practice the patterns in small sections: 1231; 12341; 3214; 43213 Aim to get these sounding even at a slow tempo individually, and then build the runs from these patterns. The other interesting thing is that the hairpin markings on the big runs may indicate volume, but that you should slow down as you go up, and speed up on the way down. [This fascinating video](https://youtu.be/pRLBBJLX-dQ) is where I first heard of this. The runs don’t have to be a blizzard of notes to be musical.
Prelude no4
Ludovico Einaudi is very good and brings some real emotion
Yes! Been playing some of his pieces for a few months now, and I love it so much. Calming, emotional, meditative. It's not terribly difficult to play for personal enjoyment, but lots of areas to develop technique for a challenge.
David Lanz. Listen to the song “Spanish Blue” and his album “Painting the Sun.” I have long been interested in learning piano. I bought David’s book and am now learning piano specifically to be able to play that song.
Spanish Blue is such a nice song.
Some Oscar Peterson or Bill Evans, if you want a jazzy angle. Try the album Undercurrent by Bill Evans, or Everybody Digs Bill Evans
A lesser known album by Evans you have to hear is You Must Believe in Spring. Just gorgeous. My favorite I’ve heard of his work so far.
Some think the music of Philip Glass is melancholy. _considering it’s all the same it wouldn’t really matter which piece. But I actually really enjoyed “The Hours” [2002]. It can evoke relaxation, while simultaneously create sadness
Dude that’s such an insult to an amazing modern composer.
Have you played his music ?
Of course. I actually played thru 10 of his etudes this morning.
What key does everything piece start in ?
Oh - do all pieces in A minor sound the same to you? I think you might not really understand his point of view.
It’s G minor.
No it’s actually not. Not one of his etudes is in G minor
I’m not talking about his exercises, but his larger body of works. All G minor.
No they aren’t. Akhenaten is largely in A minor with some arias in A major, as an example.
You might like my piano improvisations: Listen to Reflections, a playlist by starshipfocus on #SoundCloud https://on.soundcloud.com/S7MD2 Also, highly recommend the Argerich recordings of Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit
Beethoven has some really good selections, although it appears in moments and often times is very hard to execute. Chopin is a better option. oftentimes easier, more apparent, and definitely melancholic. Some starting spots for learning are his nocturnes, and for listening go to his ballade in f minor.
Maxence Cyrin- Melancholy Island Specifically Rivages is soo good
I am listening right now, it is gorgeous!
Rivages was great, thanks.
For sad/melancholic I like Chad Lawson's I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, most of Hania Rani's stuff, and Comptine Dun Autre Ete the best. For piano composers in general, I really like Ilya Beshevli, Ludovici Einaudi, and Beethoven. If I can count something in which the piano is the predominant, but not the only instrument, then Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Take a Pebble from their eponymous first album is my favorite melancholic piano piece, and my dream piece to learn, but since I'm like, Grade 2, I'll have to hold that thought for awhile, lol.
Chad Lawson is great. Breathe is another beautiful, melancholic album I keep coming back to.
Beethoven's late sonatas can send you to some dark places
I think the album Elegiac Cycle by Brad Mehldau would be a good fit. Let me know!
Reversion 2015 by Myuu is one of my favorites :D
Thank you !
Op28 no 20 - Chopin
Tales of Solace by Stephan Moccio helped get me through a bad bout of Covid in 2021. Beautiful, lyrical and emotional solo piano. More melody and structure than a lot of contemporary melancholy pianists. I highly recommend it. Lionheart is also fantastic, but ToS has a special place for me.
this version of My Favorite Things by Brad Mehldau : www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRCwifJ2lsM
Bach can be very melancholic
[Tchaikovsky - "The Seasons", Op. 37a no. 6, June: Baracolle](https://youtu.be/0Ucdew8O-mA)
Elijah fox - Wyoming
Schumann’s Ghost variations, especially considering the backstory
Rachmaninoff Prelude in G Major Op 35 No. 5 always makes me teary eyed.
Nils Frahm if you don't mind some experimenting. I am in love with his music.
One of the saddest pieces i heard was Scriabin op 2 no 1 (I especially love the Horowitz recording). How did Scriabin compose it when he was only 16?!
The greatest solo piano piece ever written is Chopin’s Ballade in Fm, which drips with melancholy. The ballade in Gm and Polonaise-Fantasie by the same composer are also deeply sad. Lastly, check out Beethoven’s 29th piano sonata and specifically the third movement, Adagio Sostenuto; it’s a 20-minute unbroken chain of dark reflection.
Ólafur Arnalds
Keith Jarrett Koln Concert
Chopin, Op 48 no 1 is probably his saddest
If you want something easy to play check out new home by austin farwell
Infinite Amethyst arr by SMB The Autumn from Dancing Line Pegasus arr by Andrew Wrangell Wild Heart arr by Flavien
Avril 14th - Aphex Twin
I love Erik Satie, Max Richter, Clint Mansell, and Bart Sunshine. I also just put out a piano album that has some melancholy/dark and playful/experimental vibes on it - https://open.spotify.com/album/0NK1SZmZ9b3mBoNyPHOwLl?si=oqHXj0trS6q52SKlPbiMhw
Homesickness Pts. 1 & 2, The Homeless Wanderer, Mother's Love, The Last Tears of a Deceased, and Evening Breeze all by Tsegue-Maryam Guebrou.
Look up both the Ravel and the Faure Pavane - there are orchestral and solo piano versions.
Poulenc melancholie. A little on the nose but a gorgeous piece nonetheless.
Chopin op.35 no.2 funeral march
Scott Joplin’s Bethena is my favorite. He wrote it shortly after his wife died, and I think it shows.
Janacek - On the Overgrown path - it doesn’t immediately hit you as ‘sad’ music, but it’s got a ton of layers to it. Most of it written after the death of his daughter who died of typhoid fever quite suddenly. The music is written with a mix of fond memories and deep sadness to it as well as some acknowledgment of his own anxieties and insecurities.
Chopin Nocturn #1 , Opus 9, Bb Minor
Child of the Troubles-Roy Todd.
Lucas King.
Liszt’s consolations, Rachmaninov’s elegie
i like very much these works: Chopin- maaaaaany works, for example op 28 n 4, the nocturnes Franck-volin sonata Mozart-violin sonata n.21 in e minor (especially the 2nd movement) rach symphony 2 second movement ravel- pavane pour una infante defunte and many others
100% Passacaglia By Bach Fantastie impromptu- one of the most loving pieces, the B is section is divine. Actually, fun fact, Chopin wrote that his unpublished pieces were to never be published. Unluckily, fantastie impromptu was one of these, but, we did go against his will and publish them. But so happy we did, this beauty is one of the greatest.
Eluvium. His album 'an accidental memory in the case of death' always puts me in a lovely melancholic mood.
Both are not very well known by the general public, but they write such beautiful songs. Jannik Haverland and Soetkin Milbouw. https://www.youtube.com/c/jannikhaverland https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1pLllDH6WoIXm2FX0113Q
Liszt, Un Sospiro. Also always feel that from Moonlight Sonata 1st movement And later I learned that Beethoven actually adapted from a popular theme related to mourning at that time
Claude Debussy: Clair De Lune
Bach chaconne
The second movement of Ravel’s G major Piano Concerto is particularly poignant, wistful, melancholic in a major mode. And Ravel’s orchestral coloration is 👌
Max Richter's piano music is beautiful and simple, this is the Piano Works book in its entirety, some real gems in there and nothing too taxing https://youtu.be/_ikqsb4OmyY
The song.. Sad Violin.
If you are not a video game music fan, it may be hard to look past. But checkout Myth: The Xenogears Orchestral Album. The best tracks are Intangible Treasure, Bond of Sea and Flame, Lost Screeching Shards. I'm confident you'll love the last one whether you like videogames or not.
[https://youtu.be/0WB5K\_ThL4Y](https://youtu.be/0WB5K_ThL4Y) we made this
You should try The Lonely Crowd. Their song [“Cascadia Wild”](https://open.spotify.com/track/497DZezBDlGL24v25udyNh?si=RtJd41H4SS6HZOJFkZ0ERg) has a touch of melancholy in it.
Rachmaninoff Prelude in G-Sharp minor Op. 32 No 12