Saddos ....

[Dave2002]

See https://youtu.be/b-uild3eyRY

[Bryn]

See https://youtu.be/b-uild3eyRY

To me, he's on a wild goose chase. I well recall how, when I lived above a bookshop in Finsbury Park, one of the regular staff members of the shop would query why I listened to that depressingly sad music? What he was referring to was the Bach Suite for Violoncello Piccolo, i.e, number 6. It had never struck me as evoking any such emotional response. To me, if I had to associate a particular emotion with that Suite, it would be joy. I note that the presenter of this Youtube item goes on to claim the Elgar Cello Concerto as the saddest. Again, I just do not hear it that way. What I take away from the first video is his brief comment that not everyone experiences the same emotional response to any piece of music. The rest of his ramblings is wasted on me.

[RichardB]

I remember being at a Biergarten somewhere in Germany near to closing time, when most of the benches were empty apart from a few gentlemen of a certain age staring morosely into their almost-empty glasses while some pathologically happy Schlagermusik played over the sound system, and it struck me as the saddest music I'd ever heard, but of course at the same time the whole scene was so ridiculous as to be simultaneously quite funny.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

The timbre of an instrument is perhaps less important in emotional effect than the combination of sounds by different instruments/voices - in other words, harmony, melodic line, etc.

[Serial_Apologist]

I remember being at a Biergarten somewhere in Germany near to closing time, when most of the benches were empty apart from a few gentlemen of a certain age staring morosely into their almost-empty glasses while some pathologically happy Schlagermusik played over the sound system, and it struck me as the saddest music I'd ever heard, but of course at the same time the whole scene was so ridiculous as to be simultaneously quite funny.

You describe a situation like the one in our local Sainsbury's the other day, full of miserable shoppers going about stocking up huge quantities of Christmas merchandise in large trolleys while Bing Crosby's singing blurted from the loudspeakers. "This is the music they put on to remind us all to be cheerful", I said to the woman standing behind me at the checkout queue. "It seems that way" she said.

[RichardB]

You describe a situation like the one in our local Sainsbury's the other day, full of miserable shoppers going about stocking up huge quantities of Christmas merchandise in large trolleys while Bing Crosby's singing blurted from the loudspeakers. "This is the music they put on to remind us all to be cheerful", I said to the woman standing behind me at the checkout queue. "It seems that way" she said.

Yes, the "happy" music created and disseminated by capitalism to spread its numbing of the senses and intellect is certainly one of the saddest sounds imaginable.

[ahinton]

Yes, the "happy" music created and disseminated by capitalism to spread its numbing of the senses and intellect is certainly one of the saddest sounds imaginable.

If such "music" is indeed thus created and disseminated to spread a numbing of the senses and intellect it's a failed operation where I'm concerned, as I either ignore it if it's quiet enough or get riled by it if it isn't!

[cloughie]

By ‘eck there are people on the forum for who being cheerful obviously keeps them going - probably in the ‘Bar Humbug’!

[Serial_Apologist]

By ‘eck there are people on the forum for who being cheerful obviously keeps them going - probably in the ‘Bar Humbug’!

You're no longer allowed in there nowadays - the sugar content's too high!

[RichardB]

By ‘eck there are people on the forum for who being cheerful obviously keeps them going

... without the help of Bing bleedin' Crosby too!

[Bryn]

... without the help of Bing bleedin' Crosby too!

Ah yes, The Road to White Krampus.

[oddoneout]

Yes, the "happy" music created and disseminated by capitalism to spread its numbing of the senses and intellect is certainly one of the saddest sounds imaginable.

And does absolutely nothing for staff wellbeing... I used to dread working at Morrisons at Christmas because of being forced to hear, sometimes at high volume, endless loops of seasonal noise. Good thing I only worked a few hours two or three times a week.

[cloughie]

... without the help of Bing bleedin' Crosby too!

Yes but at least he sungs in tune!

[Dave2002]

Yes but at least he sings in tune!

No autotune in his days of recording.

https://youtu.be/i09V6SkVkz8

[ChandlersFord]

Saddest music ever is surely ‘gangsta rap’.

I used to work part-time at an FE college. Sometimes, I’d over-hear students ‘singing’ rap lyrics - all of which seemed to consist of bragging about ’bling’ and penis size.

What made it even sadder was that they seemed to think this was ‘cool’…