I agree, Cellos definitely seem to me to be the saddest of instruments - as it is the most human in its sound. But, I would argue that Piano is a close second ;)
I don't necessarily think recorders sound the saddest. but I do have to shout out the 'voice flute' or 'flute de voix' - a tenor recorder in D from 18th century France. It was closest to the human voice (hence its name) and used for a lot of heavily ornamented French baroque music, as well as some of the really weird harmony stuff going on in England at the time. It is a gorgeous sound!
Low pitched alto recorders also do the job - BWV 106 or John Blow's Ode o the death of Purcell.... if I ever would compose a Requiem it would for sure start with 2 alto or tenor recorders.
Cello and Oboe, their timbre is most associated with sadness. Piano and Violin also works due to its expressivity, but they are not "inherently" as sad. And my "odd" personal choice is probably Erhu.
@@Davmm96 That’s precisely why I love modern oboe and English horn so dearly-they aren’t honky or overbearing like shawms (which I find rather annoying), and they project better and have much larger ranges than a duduk, whose tone is beautiful but it must be mic’ed to be audible over an ensemble. I wouldn’t necessarily say the oboe or English horn sound inherently sad, but they do sound plaintive, longing, and nostalgic to me.
@@andrewfortmusic Yeah, I understand you. The english horn register really hits the spot (Dvorak 9th solo beeing a staple). But less projecting instruments forces a smaller venues which I like a lot. Beeing able to be close enough to clearly hear when musicians breath in connects you way more. A bit like going to the opera vs having a friend at home singing hits different. But I guess that's my very biased opinion since I just like jazz and baroque a lot :P
I noticed the enjoyment of wallowing sadness and greif when I was listening to Pink Floyd album "The Wall". As a former cellist i agree with your analysis of the cello's emotional capabilities. For another sad instrument is the fretless guitar ancestor, the Oud.
I love hearing conversation about different types of music from a person who understands the big picture and can talk about it. Thank you. This is one of my favorite sites.
I think the human voice is by far the most emotionally expressive monophonic instrument. So i consider it the be the one with the most potential to be sad. as you said most sad music sounds like human sounds of distress, so what could be more well suited then the original?
My Chinese friends would agree with you. From what I heard from them, Erhu has kind of become a cultural cliché in China when pairing music with sadness. The same happened with Sarangi in India (the sound of Sarangi is widely associated with those sad scenes in Bollywood movies). Both are beautiful instruments though, and have the potential to sound happy too. I guess musical instruments and human beings are not so different after all. It depends on the circumstance that we are either happy or sad. For instruments, it depends on the context in which an instrument is played. Of course, the Cello in Elgar's Concerto or Faure's Elegy sounds sad, but take that instrument and put it into Bach's dance suites, and you get a complete different feeling!
A pressure harmonium is the saddest and most expressive keyboard instruments not only by the range of colors you can create, but also because it has been left in the past by the marching on of time.
Speaking of cello, your segment on klezmer reminded me of another piece of traditionally Jewish music that to me totally embodies “sadness through an instrument”, and that’s Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. The cello’s main melody has this haunting quality to it that feels really introspective - “existentially sad” is an excellent way to put it. That fits well given that Kol Nidre is part of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a serious, melancholy day focused on atoning for your sins. It’s one of my favorite pieces of music.
My money's on the duduk. It has that sighing, breathy quality to it. Not weeping loudly, but rather suffering with a wimper. Just heartbreaking. Great video as always! 👍😘
I really have to mention Faure - elegie. that piece literally makes me go through this stages in order (much like going through someone's death): sadness, sorrow, anger, exhaustion, disappointment, hope, commemorate and finally acknowledgement.
I think the English Horn can sound so sad, sentimental and comforting all at the same time. Like an elderly grandmother laying her hand on your shoulder, comforting you as you both go through the same grief.
I think one of the most "saddest" instruments is the English Horn. The piece Rodrigo by The Planets comes to mind. As far as saddest pieces of music, I'd probably have to say the Bach piece Komm, süsser Tod (Come, Sweet Death) performed by the late Virgil Fox on the John Wanamaker organ. It's almost impossible to describe the feeling I get every time I listen to that recording. It also amazes me that it takes nearly 10 minutes to play just one single page of music.
Hi, I'm Portuguese, I have to say "saudade" isn't what you think it means, it means "homesick" but more universal, like being homesick of a person (the most common one). It is also not a positive emotion, just like homesickness.
The whole time I thought he was gonna say trombone since everything he mentioned fits with it, and then I slowly realized that nobody writes trombone concertos, and then he pulled out a cello edit: Also consider the Mahler 3 trombone solos, probably my favorite orchestral excerpts. Also Sulek’s Sonata vox Gabrieli goes from intense anger to crushing sadness at the drop of a hat
There are concertos out there for Trombone, but most of their "truly" sad sounding stuff comes in the form of chamber music, jazz solos, and orchestral excerpts like what you mentioned with Mahler. I guess the only reason the trombone wasn't mentioned in this video was because of their heroic, fanfare like qualities that composers know them best for, but BY GOD they can sound REALLY sad. That fact alone highlights just how versatile this instrument really is, and I'm proud to be a player.
I never felt the Smiths were miserable, or even that sad. It was a juxtaposition of often melancholic lyrics with sometimes the most beautiful, jubilant and uplifting guitar lines from Jonny Marr. I never wallowed in misery. I wallowed in dark humour, beautiful imagery and in sparkling production.
Your discussion of instruments that evoke the sound of human crying reminded me of the Beatles' song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", in which the guitar solo is hauntingly weepy and has a lot of continuous pitch bending.
Cello, violin and duduk for me. The piano can be sad too. Elgar - Cello Concerto, Bach - Chaconne (violin), Rach 2 Movement 2 (piano), Battlestar Galactica OST (duduk)... But nothing is more heart-shattering to me nowadays than Camille Saint-Saens - Piano concerto no. 2 1st movement. I think he double-crossed everybody there. Starting with a "slow movement", starting with the piano. The 1st material you hear is just pure devastation. At the end of the movement, it returns with the help of the orchestra to be even more painful. Absolutely brilliant!
One thing that makes the banjo sadder than the harpsichord is that the banjo’s frets mark no specific scale beyond the chromatic scale while the harpsichord‘s keys obviously mark the major and pentatonic scales.
Strange, my first instinct for a sad-sounding instrument was the accordion, which has the same issue as fretted instruments in that not much variation can happen in a single note, but I think the reedy sound coupled with its range and the feeling of breathing in and out as it's played gives it a very sad tone.
I agree to an extent, such as Bach on the Bayan (check out Hristovich for example). But then you have happy songs such as Novelty Accordion, as the complete opposite!
The accordion is one of the most *annoying* instruments, especially when used by itself, or in a small ensemble with weaker instruments that it easily overpowers. Granted, if you put it in an orchestra, or in a small ensemble with other strong instruments, so that the other sounds can balance it out somewhat better, you can get some really good mileage out of it.
@@bacicinvatteneaca LOL no. do you think that the sound timbre of the bandoneon/accordion is only produced by the reeds? LMAO. my cheap piano has the same quantity of strings that a Steinway. it must be sound equal...
Shostakovich 10th symphony has a somber yet beautiful 1st movement that begins with a very melancholy theme in the low strings, followed by a sad solo in the clarinet. The movement ends with a very dark piccolo duet. I don't think many would think piccolo to be a "sad" instrument, but Shosti sure knew how to write soulful music.
Euphonium is one of the saddest sounding instruments ever because when played well, it has a beautiful tone and sometimes can be very similar to the voice (as well as trombone and cello).
Speaking of Celli, I can't believe you didn't mention Barber's Adagio for Strings... perhaps one of the most cathartically mournful pieces ever written.
A lot of instruments, whether it be woodwind or brass, can produce that melancholy feeling. I get where you're coming from in terms of the "range of the human voice idea". Like you said before, the bassoon and english horn have those depressing feelings to their music because of how well it can mimic the human voice. I'd say this applies to other more commonly "tenor" or "baritone" voiced instruments, such as the baritone sax and the bass clarinet. If I had to pick a weird instrument for overall sadness, maybe a marimba. It's mysterious and haunting.
Here's something to consider: The Trombone was literally designed to mimic the human voice. It has a slide, so frets/valves aren't there to prevent it from fluctuating, or "crying," and a normal non-valved trombone can chromatically go from E2 to an infinitly high range only limited by the skill of a player. But, given the right player, with the right tone (and possibly a plunger mute), you can get serious results. Some time after this video I heard a trombone play a sad song with a plunger mute, it reminded me of a whining puppy, arguably just as sad as a human voice.
I wanted to comment the same thing! The trombone is rarely used to portray sadness in music. But historically, it has been mostly associated with death and the divine. Not the petty emotions of mere humans ;)
I think you underrate the potential sadness of plucked string instruments in general; I've head some devastatingly sad tunes on guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc., and not just because of a conventionally sad melody or harmonic progression per se. The fading, brooding quality of a plucked string ringing out is not to be underestimated! Also, personally, I find instruments like the oboe, bass oboe, and as you mentioned the English horn to be quite intrinsically sad (when they're not being squeaky; the oboe is perhaps the instrument with the biggest emotional range of any instrument). But, having said all that, I can't argue with your choice of the cello. That is a good choice. I think I have to agree with it. The warmth and pathos that you mentioned is, if anything, sadder than tunes which are deliberately trying to be bleak or morose. There is and incredible nostalgia and longing imbued in the cello's resonating strings.
To add something, it´s worth taking in consideration the intensity of the music that's been played. A solo daduk or a solo cello as you said is almost (or it actually is) contemplative, but the best/worst cries I had in my life because of music come from metal, to give an example: Deadhead by Devin Townsend - Live version. That thing is soul crushing, I didn´t even read the lyrics and that shit hitted like a truck for weeks, a recent example is Constance by Spiritbox, just go and read the comments on the video to have a glimpse on the reaction of the people (of course watching the video brings more context). And to give a more “conceptual” example: Monochrome (pensive) by The Contortionist, the last song of an album that mourns the death of a friend, that is the last song, the end of those lyrics and what the music does at those last minutes its just brutally sad, I would really recommend to listen to that whole album. In my opinion the intensity that metal, prog metal, orchestral music can bring its a big part of the emotional state these musical contexts could offer us.
speaking of prog - Steven Wilson's 'Drive home' makes me cry 95% of the time...the song, and especially the solo, is so desperate and uplifting at the same time
@@olgaklochkova2801 The Raven does it for me more so than Drive Home. How the whole song and especially the vocal lines keep landing on the same note is just so ... final, inevitable ... a gorgeous piece of music.
My entire life no instrument has made me feel more then the duduk. I don’t know what was put in it, I can’t imagine how it came to be, but out of all the times in my life when I have felt emotions duduk was the only instrument that did that to me. Somehow it’s taunting sad but calming and its hopeful hopelessness takes me out of this world. I recently discovered this incredible magical flute and it never fails to fill my body with chills. If anyone is interested to understand exactly what I am talking about listen to my recommendations and you will comprehend exactly what I tried to explain. Recommendations: They took my love away- Djivan Gasparyan Im ayrogh veuchtitz- Levon Minassian Hol Ara Yeze- Levon Minassian Armenian Romances Djivan Gasparyan & Ensemble ( beginning part ) To me nothing can compare to this sound. Leaves me speechless every time.
Loved that tabla in the background David! I feel along with the sarangi, sometimes even the sarod sounds pretty melancholic! Great video, love your content!
*The matouqin instrument is a huge contender too, based on its appearance in this Chinese song "Anhe Bridge". Or the first song on the album that song is from, in fact.*
My first two thoughts were oboe and cello. When he said English Horn, however, I think that does better fit the bill than the oboe. It's basically an oboe but lower and more mellow.
While I think cello is an effortlessly sad instrument I'm surprised that brass instruments weren't brought up at all. I immediately thought of the sad horn calls at the beginning of Mahler 1 and the trombone solo from Mahler 3. Most of the time brass instruments erupt Into anger after they have a sad moment but I think they deserve a shout-out. Please don't forget about us brass players next time 🥲
It was the melancholic nature of the cello which drew me to the instrument. But the cello has quite an extensive emotional range too. Also I would totally go to a cry festival..
Yu are right about the cello. But I think that the viole de gambe is much sadder, especially with the pieces of Marin Marais, or other early Renaissance composers. But I also think the form and the harmonies of their compositions play eminent roles. But let's not get into theory analysis here, since the subject was human emotions.
English horn, Ondes Martenot and Theremin. So eiry and mysterious sounds. Cello and Low D whistle come close to the instruments I mentioned firstly. Synthesizer can do it all be it happy or sad.
For Thai traditional instrument, I think of Soprano fiddle / Sor Duang (ซอด้วง), Alto fiddle / Sor Ou (ซออู้), Javanese pipe / Pi Java (ปี่ชวา), Mon pipe / Pi Mon (ปี่มอญ) take their place in “sadness”. Heck, they are even played in funerals. They have the characteristics similar to what you talked in the video.
Personally has to be the Erhu. It’s so frequently played at funerals or for things involving mourning, or reminds me of buskers who lost a leg or something in a war playing it on the side of the street. It sounds like someone’s cries to me.
SAUDADE in fact is the feeling of missing someone or something. But the word doesn’t measure or defines the intensity of the feeling. Sometimes it means just a melancholic feeling but we also use to reinforce it as in “morrendo de saudade” (dying of saudade) or “saudade doída” (painful saudade).
I don't know if I think of any instrument as "sad" or "happy", it depends on what's being played. Some instruments I associate with "annoying", though (harmonica in most rock music comes to mind). On a separate note, Sam Eliot plays a mean kamancheh at 4:27
I don't know if there truly is a saddest because it depends on the context of the music, but the Cello does amplify emotion for me most. In happy music it makes me extra happy, in sad music it will make me cry.
It's a pretty standard answer but violins and cellos will always sound the saddest to me. I heard a piece once where the violin genuinely sounded like someone weeping, it drove me insane lmao
I think that the saddest is between the cello and the violin. The cello is just sad, and if you have a violin that has a warm or dark tone, then you can make a pretty sad sound. The viola can make a good sad sound too, but it has a weird range in my opinion as a violinist who can play all 3, so I wouldn't have it by itself, but it's not a bad choice. Pretty much any free range instrument could be sad in my opinion.
The sarangi and duduk immediately come to mind; but fretted instruments like viols can sound sad too; I think the essential element is that of a hoarse edge, like a human voice about to break, which is provided in viols by their non-damped sound. This huskiness, or colouring of the sound with irregular harmonics, might also suggest that nothing in life is is pure or unalloyed. To argue somewhat against my own point, though, a fairly pure sound, like a soprano (Dido’s Lament, “Im Abendrot") can be even sadder; but these require a human voice, so the connection to the emotions is all the more direct.
If you're going for pure sadness, the *matouqin instrument is a huge contender, based on its appearance in this Chinese song "Anhe Bridge". Or the first song on the album that song is from, in fact.* The entire album is quite sorrowful, it seems.
This was a cool video! To me, the saddest instruments are Cello, Piano, Viola, Trombone, and English Horn. Saddest concertos to me would be The Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo (that slow movement is so heart wrenching), Rachmaninoff 2nd and 3rd piano concerti, Walton Viola Concerto, Barber Violin Concerto, Griffes Poem for Flute and Orchestra, Reinecke Ballade, Ibert Flute Concerto and the list goes on.
I believe the saddest instrument is an electric guitar played in octaves the Glenn Branca way. The only comparable acoustic sound might be is Penderecki's extended techniques, which I think are more harrowing than sad. For example, Sonic Youth "Tunic", or "JC", My Bloody Valentine "To Here Knows When", "Only Shallow", something like this.
Well, I’m not going to disagree with the choice of the cello, but you know the bass clarinet has pretty much exactly the same range and is extremely expressive for many of the same reasons. The pitch isn’t quite as flexible, but we have our own range of techniques including haunting multiphonics and simultaneous singing and playing. Deserves a mention I think, especially since you wrote Gumboots for it 🙂
Funny you should mention the bass clarinet. There is an incredible trio of musicians from Poland, called Bastarda, and they include a clarinet, a contrabass clarinet and a cello. The music they create has incredible depth, warmth, and charm, even being agruably (but not exclusively) very sad and nostalgic. The name of the band comes from the viola bastarda, and their first record - "Promitat Eterno" - was a brave reinterpretation of 15th-century medieval music of Petrus Wilhelmi de Grudencz. The cello of Tomasz Pokrzywiński wanders freely between the both clarinets, weaving them together and giving substance and at the same time lightening everything up, paradoxically. Pokrzywiński himself is by the way an accomplished cellist, composer and music manager, taking part in gigs such as Arte Dei Suonatori or Holland Baroque and kind of specializing in epoque-correct interpretations. Interestingly enough for the contents of this video, further records by Bastarda include their interpretations of: - medieval music related to the death, the dead and dying ("Ars Moriendi"), - Hasidic Nigunim, mystical Jewish songs from 18th century ("Nigunim"), - and a collaboration with João de Sousa (vocal and guitar) on new interpretations of traditional Fado songs. How about that? :) Go check them out: Promitat Eterno: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/promitat-eterno Ars Moriendi: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/ars-moriendi Nigunim: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/nigunim Fado: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/fado Kołowrót (eng. Turnstile, exploring cyclicity of nature through lens of traditional folk and medieval music - cooperation with a choir): szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/ko-owr-t
The Armenian duduk, is by far and away the saddest instrument I have heard, in it you seem to hear centuries of conflict and suffering. In particular the compositions of Djivan Gasparyan hit a nerve which has not been equalled in western classical music.
I'd like to add Uilleann Pipes to the mix. Might not be "the saddest" instrument, but at least for me they can evoke such emotions barely any instrument manages to achieve. Hearing "The Sandsacks" version of "Both Sides The Tweed" still gets me today. But i agree on the cello, it is probably the most universally fitting candidate. Even modern composers of hybrid orchestral music know that and use solo cello as a secret weapon to get that little extra on top.
I feel that all woodwinds can be extremely saddening, their texture sounds almost creamy to my ears but can also be razor sharp, depending on articulation. There is also a huge cultural connotation to them as they are very ancestral and primal sounding. They give me the same impression that Hebrew gives me; old, weathered and mysterious.
Thinking of sadness in the sound of instruments, the one that comes to my mind is the sitar's bass cousin, the Surbahar. With it's typically slower compositions played and the wide bending range inherited from the sitar, you're left with an instrument that's pretty much built for sad and somber music.
No one ever considers the trombone. It's the closest instrument to the human voice when played well (arguably more so than the cello), it is an instrument associated with death or the ethereal plane, and it is in much more need of substantial repertoire. It can also do more than composers give it credit for in terms of technicality and in expression.
When it comes to sad moments, I tend to write high and loud horn parts on top of a dissonant or huge chord, as if it's a musical manifestation of me wailing at the top of my lungs bawling.
In truth, the saddest instrument is the trombone. It's deeply depressed, but whenever it tries to talk about it, all the other instruments just laugh at it.
The slide guitar is another instrument that can evoke sadness almost as effectively as the cello. Its size and range of notes are comparable, and the use of a slide enables it to bend notes well outside of any defined pitch system. While it can't produce a continuous sound like the cello can, a slide guitar can have quite a lot of sustain (especially when electrified), which can function to a similar effect. Whether it's the pedal-steel in country ballads or the bottleneck slide in the Delta Blues, the slide guitar has been used to evoke sadness in many different musical contexts. I know it's relatively uncommon in the classical world, but still one of the saddest-sounding instruments I can think of. Why do I suddenly feel the need to hear a concerto for slide guitar and orchestra?
I totally agree with you. I'm a slide guitarist myself. Both on electric and acoustic steel string guitars, a slide sounds amazing, but for me the most piercing sound is when it's played on a resonator. I think one of the main differences between slide and cello is that you can slide chords around, not just single notes. And you also still have the option for fretted notes (unless it's played like a lap steel guitar). Indeed it's not really an orchestral instrument, but writing a piece with slide guitar could be beautiful I think!
Very interesting topic. I'm a bit surprised that Flamenco got missed out as it is often extremely sad (miserable). As for instruments, the first one that came to mind at the very beginning of your video was the Daduk. I would also put the human voice in there as it can express profound sadness. You just have to listen to Samuel Barber's Angus Dei to for an example of profoundly sad music.
I'd say that the human voice itself is probably the saddest instrument (at least to us humans, it would be interesting to know if it's a different experience to different species)
As someone who grew up lustening to klezmer I really think there is a lot of expressivnes of both happines and sadness in the alto clarinet. That would probably be my pick for the sadesst instrument. With that being said, voice is also a great contender with it being very capable of expression.
When it comes to sad insturmental music pieces I would say Concerto de Aranjuez the second movement is one of the best example. Just understanding the composer's feeling when he wrote this movement and why he wrote it in the first place, why the guitar is playing chords like a heart beat? also effective use of woodwind instruments and giving them solo parts, and guitar cadenza at the end filled with sadness mixed with anger. It is all check out for me as the best example of the strongest, saddest, musical piece.
I found this interesting, especially your observations about the cello. I had thought of sadness in music mostly in terms of intervals and harmonies (or dissonance) between instruments, not of the instruments themselves. For me, the saddest piece of music is Vaughn-Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, which of course is scored for strings. So what you're saying makes sense to me.
The human voice would be the absolute saddest, but excluding that as an instrument, I'm thinking the violin family. Bowed strings are excellent at creating the rising volume characteristic of a moan.
I think the shakuhachi is one of the strongest contenders for the saddest woodwind. I'm not sure it is capable of playing something that could be described as happy. Probably the closest it gets is distant and pensive.
Myaskovsky’s Cello Concerto in C minor is one of the saddest concertos I know. It is a particular favourite of mine and I play it whenever I am sad or grieving. It is very beautiful, but utterly devastating at the same time. Here’s a link to Mstislav Rostropovich playing it, if anyone is interested: ruclips.net/video/O3d_5TlAzaE/видео.html
Uhh, excuse me??!!! How the F did I not know about this????? Thanks for sharing! Castelnuovo-Tedesco's cello concerto (particularly the third movement) has some absolutely heart-wrenchingly tragic bits too, even though the overall vibe of his concerto, is definitely a more playful/capricious one. It's highly technical without losing any of the lyricism often associated with romantic, sad works. The first mvt. is serious, the second mvt. is lighthearted, and the 3rd is like a ping pong match between sadness and bliss, ending in the latter's victory.
I'm learning the cello, and I approve of your suggestion! :-) It's certainly the hardest instrument I've learnt or tried, and perhaps this hints at the vast scope that technique has to shape its sound?
@@TSBoncompte Yes. Obviously pitch is hard to get right but has no effect on emotion, however musically things get more complex compared to, for example, guitar or woodwind (which I also play): Bowing - up/down Vibrato - width and speed Glissando or not between notes Choice of strings (one note can appear in several places) And that’s not including the vast contribution to the sound from the player’s skill and preference. And there’s more: The variety of sounds from different bows, strings and instruments is vast. You can even change other bits like the tailpiece, as well of course as adjusting the sound post, bridge, etc.
I immediately thought of Cello and the alto Saxophone. The alto might be a weird contender but as a saxophone player, I know that saxophone is extremely diverse and can sound really sad. Something more personal would be the Serbian "Frula" which is used in a lot of folk song that are written about the pain and suffering of our people under Ottoman rule.
Listening to sad music might make you feel sadder, moving your reference level, so when the music stops, you don't feel as sad. Even if you might be just as sad as before, it feels better than how sad you were while the music was playing.
Perception induces emotion which is on par with the ultimate display of feeling....akin to: "The love you withhold is the pain you keep!" Alex Collier circa 1988.
I agree, Cellos definitely seem to me to be the saddest of instruments - as it is the most human in its sound. But, I would argue that Piano is a close second ;)
agreed! my brother plays the cello, i play the piano, when we play a piece together shit sounds miserably sad
@MusicalBasics
big fan of you Lionel i watch your videos all the time!
Just because cello is the best.
The timbre of the saxophone is also very much like the human voice
I don't necessarily think recorders sound the saddest. but I do have to shout out the 'voice flute' or 'flute de voix' - a tenor recorder in D from 18th century France. It was closest to the human voice (hence its name) and used for a lot of heavily ornamented French baroque music, as well as some of the really weird harmony stuff going on in England at the time. It is a gorgeous sound!
Low pitched alto recorders also do the job - BWV 106 or John Blow's Ode o the death of Purcell.... if I ever would compose a Requiem it would for sure start with 2 alto or tenor recorders.
I'd argue that late 17th century French viol music will hit your harder ! There's some Marais and Ste-Colombe works that are just...tear inducing
ok but please listen to sarangi or tar sehnai
ruclips.net/video/ubZkm4sKCOM/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/BgU7sPt4W64/видео.html
@@anish_99 poor cats
@@professortrog7742 Thank you, have a nice day 👍
Cello and Oboe, their timbre is most associated with sadness. Piano and Violin also works due to its expressivity, but they are not "inherently" as sad. And my "odd" personal choice is probably Erhu.
Agree. But the English Horn takes it a step further IMO.
Meh, I still find the modern oboe too clean. It's kinda midway between a mellow duduk and a a powerful renaissance shawm.
@@Davmm96 That’s precisely why I love modern oboe and English horn so dearly-they aren’t honky or overbearing like shawms (which I find rather annoying), and they project better and have much larger ranges than a duduk, whose tone is beautiful but it must be mic’ed to be audible over an ensemble.
I wouldn’t necessarily say the oboe or English horn sound inherently sad, but they do sound plaintive, longing, and nostalgic to me.
And viola ???
@@andrewfortmusic Yeah, I understand you. The english horn register really hits the spot (Dvorak 9th solo beeing a staple).
But less projecting instruments forces a smaller venues which I like a lot. Beeing able to be close enough to clearly hear when musicians breath in connects you way more. A bit like going to the opera vs having a friend at home singing hits different.
But I guess that's my very biased opinion since I just like jazz and baroque a lot :P
I noticed the enjoyment of wallowing sadness and greif when I was listening to Pink Floyd album "The Wall". As a former cellist i agree with your analysis of the cello's emotional capabilities. For another sad instrument is the fretless guitar ancestor, the Oud.
The saddest instrument is the core of a broken music box toy. The instrument itself tells a sad tale.
I love hearing conversation about different types of music from a person who understands the big picture and can talk about it. Thank you. This is one of my favorite sites.
I've always found the French horn incredibly sad in a lonely kind of way.
Brazilian here. Saudade doesn’t really take on that meaning. It actually means “to miss something”, like missing a person, or missing doing something.
I think the human voice is by far the most emotionally expressive monophonic instrument. So i consider it the be the one with the most potential to be sad. as you said most sad music sounds like human sounds of distress, so what could be more well suited then the original?
For me, the Chinese erhu has always had a very sad and mournful sound. It's so beautiful
it does have a wailing quality... !
Interesting, I was thinking haegum, a similar Korean instrument
Yes, it is lovely. I was about to type it in the coments.
My Chinese friends would agree with you. From what I heard from them, Erhu has kind of become a cultural cliché in China when pairing music with sadness. The same happened with Sarangi in India (the sound of Sarangi is widely associated with those sad scenes in Bollywood movies). Both are beautiful instruments though, and have the potential to sound happy too. I guess musical instruments and human beings are not so different after all. It depends on the circumstance that we are either happy or sad. For instruments, it depends on the context in which an instrument is played. Of course, the Cello in Elgar's Concerto or Faure's Elegy sounds sad, but take that instrument and put it into Bach's dance suites, and you get a complete different feeling!
Of course now you mention it...
Vaughn Williams, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis - breaks my heart every time. All strings with a zillion cellos (roughly).
i got teary eyed just thinking about it
100% agree
I've always thought it more cathartic than sad.
Its just not the same on zither and spoons
A pressure harmonium is the saddest and most expressive keyboard instruments not only by the range of colors you can create, but also because it has been left in the past by the marching on of time.
Who else already want this serie to continue with "the happiest instrument/concerto of all time", "the most frightening instrument/concerto" etc? 🤩
Speaking of cello, your segment on klezmer reminded me of another piece of traditionally Jewish music that to me totally embodies “sadness through an instrument”, and that’s Max Bruch’s Kol Nidrei. The cello’s main melody has this haunting quality to it that feels really introspective - “existentially sad” is an excellent way to put it. That fits well given that Kol Nidre is part of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, a serious, melancholy day focused on atoning for your sins. It’s one of my favorite pieces of music.
Agreed. I play it. It"s a beautiful piece. Very sad.
My money's on the duduk. It has that sighing, breathy quality to it. Not weeping loudly, but rather suffering with a wimper. Just heartbreaking.
Great video as always! 👍😘
Nothing compares to the sadness of the duduk.
I really have to mention Faure - elegie. that piece literally makes me go through this stages in order (much like going through someone's death): sadness, sorrow, anger, exhaustion, disappointment, hope, commemorate and finally acknowledgement.
I think the English Horn can sound so sad, sentimental and comforting all at the same time. Like an elderly grandmother laying her hand on your shoulder, comforting you as you both go through the same grief.
I think one of the most "saddest" instruments is the English Horn. The piece Rodrigo by The Planets comes to mind.
As far as saddest pieces of music, I'd probably have to say the Bach piece Komm, süsser Tod (Come, Sweet Death) performed by the late Virgil Fox on the John Wanamaker organ. It's almost impossible to describe the feeling I get every time I listen to that recording. It also amazes me that it takes nearly 10 minutes to play just one single page of music.
Hi, I'm Portuguese, I have to say "saudade" isn't what you think it means, it means "homesick" but more universal, like being homesick of a person (the most common one).
It is also not a positive emotion, just like homesickness.
Yeah, as a Brazilian, I was going to say that too.
The whole time I thought he was gonna say trombone since everything he mentioned fits with it, and then I slowly realized that nobody writes trombone concertos, and then he pulled out a cello
edit: Also consider the Mahler 3 trombone solos, probably my favorite orchestral excerpts. Also Sulek’s Sonata vox Gabrieli goes from intense anger to crushing sadness at the drop of a hat
There are concertos out there for Trombone, but most of their "truly" sad sounding stuff comes in the form of chamber music, jazz solos, and orchestral excerpts like what you mentioned with Mahler. I guess the only reason the trombone wasn't mentioned in this video was because of their heroic, fanfare like qualities that composers know them best for, but BY GOD they can sound REALLY sad. That fact alone highlights just how versatile this instrument really is, and I'm proud to be a player.
I never felt the Smiths were miserable, or even that sad. It was a juxtaposition of often melancholic lyrics with sometimes the most beautiful, jubilant and uplifting guitar lines from Jonny Marr. I never wallowed in misery. I wallowed in dark humour, beautiful imagery and in sparkling production.
Your discussion of instruments that evoke the sound of human crying reminded me of the Beatles' song "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", in which the guitar solo is hauntingly weepy and has a lot of continuous pitch bending.
Cello, violin and duduk for me. The piano can be sad too. Elgar - Cello Concerto, Bach - Chaconne (violin), Rach 2 Movement 2 (piano), Battlestar Galactica OST (duduk)... But nothing is more heart-shattering to me nowadays than Camille Saint-Saens - Piano concerto no. 2 1st movement. I think he double-crossed everybody there. Starting with a "slow movement", starting with the piano. The 1st material you hear is just pure devastation. At the end of the movement, it returns with the help of the orchestra to be even more painful. Absolutely brilliant!
The saddest instrument is the one, alone in its case and hardly ever played or looked after as the decades go by......
Damn I’m depressed now.
One thing that makes the banjo sadder than the harpsichord is that the banjo’s frets mark no specific scale beyond the chromatic scale while the harpsichord‘s keys obviously mark the major and pentatonic scales.
Strange, my first instinct for a sad-sounding instrument was the accordion, which has the same issue as fretted instruments in that not much variation can happen in a single note, but I think the reedy sound coupled with its range and the feeling of breathing in and out as it's played gives it a very sad tone.
I agree to an extent, such as Bach on the Bayan (check out Hristovich for example). But then you have happy songs such as Novelty Accordion, as the complete opposite!
The accordion is one of the most *annoying* instruments, especially when used by itself, or in a small ensemble with weaker instruments that it easily overpowers. Granted, if you put it in an orchestra, or in a small ensemble with other strong instruments, so that the other sounds can balance it out somewhat better, you can get some really good mileage out of it.
not the accordion, but the bandoneon. that's a much sadder, melancholic tone. the accordion sounds happy and childish beside the bandoneon
@@todo-bandoneon Accordion just has more organ registers than bandoneon, it basically includes bandoneon.
@@bacicinvatteneaca LOL no. do you think that the sound timbre of the bandoneon/accordion is only produced by the reeds? LMAO. my cheap piano has the same quantity of strings that a Steinway. it must be sound equal...
Shostakovich 10th symphony has a somber yet beautiful 1st movement that begins with a very melancholy theme in the low strings, followed by a sad solo in the clarinet. The movement ends with a very dark piccolo duet. I don't think many would think piccolo to be a "sad" instrument, but Shosti sure knew how to write soulful music.
Euphonium is one of the saddest sounding instruments ever because when played well, it has a beautiful tone and sometimes can be very similar to the voice (as well as trombone and cello).
Speaking of Celli, I can't believe you didn't mention Barber's Adagio for Strings... perhaps one of the most cathartically mournful pieces ever written.
Albinoni's Adagio, contrasting the sobs and sighs of the bowed strings with the groans of the pipe organ.
A solitary cello is pretty sad when expressed correctly. Oboe is a contender as well. A violin and Chinese fiddle weeps too in the right hands.
A lot of instruments, whether it be woodwind or brass, can produce that melancholy feeling. I get where you're coming from in terms of the "range of the human voice idea". Like you said before, the bassoon and english horn have those depressing feelings to their music because of how well it can mimic the human voice. I'd say this applies to other more commonly "tenor" or "baritone" voiced instruments, such as the baritone sax and the bass clarinet. If I had to pick a weird instrument for overall sadness, maybe a marimba. It's mysterious and haunting.
Here's something to consider: The Trombone was literally designed to mimic the human voice. It has a slide, so frets/valves aren't there to prevent it from fluctuating, or "crying," and a normal non-valved trombone can chromatically go from E2 to an infinitly high range only limited by the skill of a player. But, given the right player, with the right tone (and possibly a plunger mute), you can get serious results. Some time after this video I heard a trombone play a sad song with a plunger mute, it reminded me of a whining puppy, arguably just as sad as a human voice.
I wanted to comment the same thing! The trombone is rarely used to portray sadness in music. But historically, it has been mostly associated with death and the divine. Not the petty emotions of mere humans ;)
@@thewienerwolf We can, indeed, make Gods weep.
This was HILARIOUS. Thank you!
Dave Gilmour's 4 notes in Pink Floyd's "Shine on..". Lamenting a lost friend.
I think you underrate the potential sadness of plucked string instruments in general; I've head some devastatingly sad tunes on guitar, banjo, mandolin, etc., and not just because of a conventionally sad melody or harmonic progression per se. The fading, brooding quality of a plucked string ringing out is not to be underestimated! Also, personally, I find instruments like the oboe, bass oboe, and as you mentioned the English horn to be quite intrinsically sad (when they're not being squeaky; the oboe is perhaps the instrument with the biggest emotional range of any instrument). But, having said all that, I can't argue with your choice of the cello. That is a good choice. I think I have to agree with it. The warmth and pathos that you mentioned is, if anything, sadder than tunes which are deliberately trying to be bleak or morose. There is and incredible nostalgia and longing imbued in the cello's resonating strings.
Schnittke's first cello concerto is absolutely epic
The musical saw can bring some tears too. Again, because it’s so close to the human voice.
I find the oboe conveys a lonely, striving voice. Gabriel’s Oboe from Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack for The Mission is a great example.
To add something, it´s worth taking in consideration the intensity of the music that's been played. A solo daduk or a solo cello as you said is almost (or it actually is) contemplative, but the best/worst cries I had in my life because of music come from metal, to give an example: Deadhead by Devin Townsend - Live version. That thing is soul crushing, I didn´t even read the lyrics and that shit hitted like a truck for weeks, a recent example is Constance by Spiritbox, just go and read the comments on the video to have a glimpse on the reaction of the people (of course watching the video brings more context).
And to give a more “conceptual” example: Monochrome (pensive) by The Contortionist, the last song of an album that mourns the death of a friend, that is the last song, the end of those lyrics and what the music does at those last minutes its just brutally sad, I would really recommend to listen to that whole album.
In my opinion the intensity that metal, prog metal, orchestral music can bring its a big part of the emotional state these musical contexts could offer us.
That RAH version of Deadhead (I'm assuming that's the version you're referring to) is just ridiculously good. Absolutely heartbreaking.
@@RyanDenzerKing Indeed, exactly that version
speaking of prog - Steven Wilson's 'Drive home' makes me cry 95% of the time...the song, and especially the solo, is so desperate and uplifting at the same time
Another example could be Art of Dying by Gojira
@@olgaklochkova2801 The Raven does it for me more so than Drive Home. How the whole song and especially the vocal lines keep landing on the same note is just so ... final, inevitable ... a gorgeous piece of music.
My entire life no instrument has made me feel more then the duduk. I don’t know what was put in it, I can’t imagine how it came to be, but out of all the times in my life when I have felt emotions duduk was the only instrument that did that to me. Somehow it’s taunting sad but calming and its hopeful hopelessness takes me out of this world. I recently discovered this incredible magical flute and it never fails to fill my body with chills. If anyone is interested to understand exactly what I am talking about listen to my recommendations and you will comprehend exactly what I tried to explain.
Recommendations:
They took my love away- Djivan Gasparyan
Im ayrogh veuchtitz- Levon Minassian
Hol Ara Yeze- Levon Minassian
Armenian Romances Djivan Gasparyan & Ensemble ( beginning part )
To me nothing can compare to this sound. Leaves me speechless every time.
Loved that tabla in the background David! I feel along with the sarangi, sometimes even the sarod sounds pretty melancholic! Great video, love your content!
You nailed the pronunciation of the word saudade :]
Cheers from Brazil!
Oboe is definitely a contender in my opinion. It has that whiney tone
*The matouqin instrument is a huge contender too, based on its appearance in this Chinese song "Anhe Bridge". Or the first song on the album that song is from, in fact.*
I'm a sucker for a good sad oboe line
My vote is for the Oboe da Caccia, or for the Chinese Erhu
My first two thoughts were oboe and cello. When he said English Horn, however, I think that does better fit the bill than the oboe. It's basically an oboe but lower and more mellow.
I saw this question, and I immediately thought of Sibelius's "The Swan of Tuonela." So I have to say cello with oboe coming in a close second.
One of my favs….has some really intense tension /release transitions. Love it. And the beginning of Sibi’s 4th symphony….dynamite.
While I think cello is an effortlessly sad instrument I'm surprised that brass instruments weren't brought up at all. I immediately thought of the sad horn calls at the beginning of Mahler 1 and the trombone solo from Mahler 3. Most of the time brass instruments erupt Into anger after they have a sad moment but I think they deserve a shout-out. Please don't forget about us brass players next time 🥲
It was the melancholic nature of the cello which drew me to the instrument. But the cello has quite an extensive emotional range too. Also I would totally go to a cry festival..
Especially if the context is taken into account, the saddest cello piece might be Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor performed by Jaqueline du Pré.
The hints in this video strongly suggest this piece.
I played the Elgar Cello Concerto a lot after my husband died bc it expressed exactly my feelings.
Yu are right about the cello. But I think that the viole de gambe is much sadder, especially with the pieces of Marin Marais, or other early Renaissance composers. But I also think the form and the harmonies of their compositions play eminent roles. But let's not get into theory analysis here, since the subject was human emotions.
Agree the viola da gamba is the ultimate in sadness. ruclips.net/video/puJZ_S-jcUk/видео.html&si=C72VUDFj9r5RWHJ5
Oboe, Duduk, and Cello are all heavyweight contenders.
English horn, Ondes Martenot and Theremin. So eiry and mysterious sounds. Cello and Low D whistle come close to the instruments I mentioned firstly. Synthesizer can do it all be it happy or sad.
Classical guitar can be pretty sad as well. Some classical guitar pieces seems a bit lonely, fragile and meditative.
For Thai traditional instrument, I think of Soprano fiddle / Sor Duang (ซอด้วง), Alto fiddle / Sor Ou (ซออู้), Javanese pipe / Pi Java (ปี่ชวา), Mon pipe / Pi Mon (ปี่มอญ) take their place in “sadness”. Heck, they are even played in funerals. They have the characteristics similar to what you talked in the video.
Personally has to be the Erhu. It’s so frequently played at funerals or for things involving mourning, or reminds me of buskers who lost a leg or something in a war playing it on the side of the street. It sounds like someone’s cries to me.
It's too high and sharp for me. I greatly prefer the cello.
SAUDADE in fact is the feeling of missing someone or something. But the word doesn’t measure or defines the intensity of the feeling. Sometimes it means just a melancholic feeling but we also use to reinforce it as in “morrendo de saudade” (dying of saudade) or “saudade doída” (painful saudade).
I don't know if I think of any instrument as "sad" or "happy", it depends on what's being played. Some instruments I associate with "annoying", though (harmonica in most rock music comes to mind). On a separate note, Sam Eliot plays a mean kamancheh at 4:27
I don't know if there truly is a saddest because it depends on the context of the music, but the Cello does amplify emotion for me most. In happy music it makes me extra happy, in sad music it will make me cry.
So true and well said.
It's a pretty standard answer but violins and cellos will always sound the saddest to me. I heard a piece once where the violin genuinely sounded like someone weeping, it drove me insane lmao
I think that the saddest is between the cello and the violin. The cello is just sad, and if you have a violin that has a warm or dark tone, then you can make a pretty sad sound. The viola can make a good sad sound too, but it has a weird range in my opinion as a violinist who can play all 3, so I wouldn't have it by itself, but it's not a bad choice.
Pretty much any free range instrument could be sad in my opinion.
The sarangi and duduk immediately come to mind; but fretted instruments like viols can sound sad too; I think the essential element is that of a hoarse edge, like a human voice about to break, which is provided in viols by their non-damped sound. This huskiness, or colouring of the sound with irregular harmonics, might also suggest that nothing in life is is pure or unalloyed. To argue somewhat against my own point, though, a fairly pure sound, like a soprano (Dido’s Lament, “Im Abendrot") can be even sadder; but these require a human voice, so the connection to the emotions is all the more direct.
If you're going for pure sadness, the *matouqin instrument is a huge contender, based on its appearance in this Chinese song "Anhe Bridge". Or the first song on the album that song is from, in fact.* The entire album is quite sorrowful, it seems.
Another very educational video, David. Thank you!
This was a cool video! To me, the saddest instruments are Cello, Piano, Viola, Trombone, and English Horn. Saddest concertos to me would be The Concierto de Aranjuez by Joaquín Rodrigo (that slow movement is so heart wrenching), Rachmaninoff 2nd and 3rd piano concerti, Walton Viola Concerto, Barber Violin Concerto, Griffes Poem for Flute and Orchestra, Reinecke Ballade, Ibert Flute Concerto and the list goes on.
I believe the saddest instrument is an electric guitar played in octaves the Glenn Branca way. The only comparable acoustic sound might be is Penderecki's extended techniques, which I think are more harrowing than sad. For example, Sonic Youth "Tunic", or "JC", My Bloody Valentine "To Here Knows When", "Only Shallow", something like this.
What an interesting perspective! I've never considered those MBV songs as sad. I shall have to relisten. :)
Well, I’m not going to disagree with the choice of the cello, but you know the bass clarinet has pretty much exactly the same range and is extremely expressive for many of the same reasons. The pitch isn’t quite as flexible, but we have our own range of techniques including haunting multiphonics and simultaneous singing and playing. Deserves a mention I think, especially since you wrote Gumboots for it 🙂
Funny you should mention the bass clarinet. There is an incredible trio of musicians from Poland, called Bastarda, and they include a clarinet, a contrabass clarinet and a cello. The music they create has incredible depth, warmth, and charm, even being agruably (but not exclusively) very sad and nostalgic.
The name of the band comes from the viola bastarda, and their first record - "Promitat Eterno" - was a brave reinterpretation of 15th-century medieval music of Petrus Wilhelmi de Grudencz. The cello of Tomasz Pokrzywiński wanders freely between the both clarinets, weaving them together and giving substance and at the same time lightening everything up, paradoxically. Pokrzywiński himself is by the way an accomplished cellist, composer and music manager, taking part in gigs such as Arte Dei Suonatori or Holland Baroque and kind of specializing in epoque-correct interpretations.
Interestingly enough for the contents of this video, further records by Bastarda include their interpretations of:
- medieval music related to the death, the dead and dying ("Ars Moriendi"),
- Hasidic Nigunim, mystical Jewish songs from 18th century ("Nigunim"),
- and a collaboration with João de Sousa (vocal and guitar) on new interpretations of traditional Fado songs.
How about that? :)
Go check them out:
Promitat Eterno: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/promitat-eterno
Ars Moriendi: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/ars-moriendi
Nigunim: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/nigunim
Fado: szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/fado
Kołowrót (eng. Turnstile, exploring cyclicity of nature through lens of traditional folk and medieval music - cooperation with a choir): szamburski.bandcamp.com/album/ko-owr-t
Viola Walton Viola Concerto
Bass clarinet gang?
@@miedzystrunami Thank you.
I agree except that the bass clarinet doesn"t go as high as the cello. Almost.
Human voice is the saddest instrument
The Armenian duduk, is by far and away the saddest instrument I have heard, in it you seem to hear centuries of conflict and suffering. In particular the compositions of Djivan Gasparyan hit a nerve which has not been equalled in western classical music.
I'd like to add Uilleann Pipes to the mix. Might not be "the saddest" instrument, but at least for me they can evoke such emotions barely any instrument manages to achieve. Hearing "The Sandsacks" version of "Both Sides The Tweed" still gets me today. But i agree on the cello, it is probably the most universally fitting candidate. Even modern composers of hybrid orchestral music know that and use solo cello as a secret weapon to get that little extra on top.
I feel that all woodwinds can be extremely saddening, their texture sounds almost creamy to my ears but can also be razor sharp, depending on articulation. There is also a huge cultural connotation to them as they are very ancestral and primal sounding. They give me the same impression that Hebrew gives me; old, weathered and mysterious.
Thinking of sadness in the sound of instruments, the one that comes to my mind is the sitar's bass cousin, the Surbahar. With it's typically slower compositions played and the wide bending range inherited from the sitar, you're left with an instrument that's pretty much built for sad and somber music.
No one ever considers the trombone. It's the closest instrument to the human voice when played well (arguably more so than the cello), it is an instrument associated with death or the ethereal plane, and it is in much more need of substantial repertoire. It can also do more than composers give it credit for in terms of technicality and in expression.
@@NegativeReferral That's a comedic meme, but I'm talking seriously
Wah wah wahhhh
I find the trombone sounds more haunting and fear inducing than sad.
@@Ogurets123 That's just a few of its characteristics, listen to more of its rep.
@@maxwellkowal3065 will do. Some suggestions?
When it comes to sad moments, I tend to write high and loud horn parts on top of a dissonant or huge chord, as if it's a musical manifestation of me wailing at the top of my lungs bawling.
In truth, the saddest instrument is the trombone. It's deeply depressed, but whenever it tries to talk about it, all the other instruments just laugh at it.
The slide guitar is another instrument that can evoke sadness almost as effectively as the cello. Its size and range of notes are comparable, and the use of a slide enables it to bend notes well outside of any defined pitch system. While it can't produce a continuous sound like the cello can, a slide guitar can have quite a lot of sustain (especially when electrified), which can function to a similar effect.
Whether it's the pedal-steel in country ballads or the bottleneck slide in the Delta Blues, the slide guitar has been used to evoke sadness in many different musical contexts. I know it's relatively uncommon in the classical world, but still one of the saddest-sounding instruments I can think of.
Why do I suddenly feel the need to hear a concerto for slide guitar and orchestra?
I totally agree with you. I'm a slide guitarist myself. Both on electric and acoustic steel string guitars, a slide sounds amazing, but for me the most piercing sound is when it's played on a resonator.
I think one of the main differences between slide and cello is that you can slide chords around, not just single notes. And you also still have the option for fretted notes (unless it's played like a lap steel guitar).
Indeed it's not really an orchestral instrument, but writing a piece with slide guitar could be beautiful I think!
Classical guitar is often really really sad
Very interesting topic. I'm a bit surprised that Flamenco got missed out as it is often extremely sad (miserable). As for instruments, the first one that came to mind at the very beginning of your video was the Daduk. I would also put the human voice in there as it can express profound sadness. You just have to listen to Samuel Barber's Angus Dei to for an example of profoundly sad music.
Agnus Dei
Imagine a Duduk played in the key of D Minor. Now that would be the saddest of all.
Thanks Nigel.
"I like writing in D, because it's the lowest note that a double bass can do vibrato on."
-Hans Zimmer (paraphrased)
D minor being the saddest key is a myth in my opinion, especially in equal temperament.
I had the same thought.
The 1st instrument that came to mind was cello. Great video!
Me too. I thought that would be where you ended up. Of course, the cello can be enraged, happy, funny, playful, anything else.
I can see Tabla at the back .... lovely to see Asian music there...love and respect from NEPAL
Accordions in a bluegrass band will bring tears to my eyes every single time.
Yo-Yo Ma playing "Five Finnish Folk Songs" sealed the feal for me when it comes to cello. (Also for cello-piano duets!)
Cello of course.
As a once cellist myself, I heartily agree 😁
@@DerekPower As a cellist myself, I heartily agree.
love this channel so much
I'd say that the human voice itself is probably the saddest instrument (at least to us humans, it would be interesting to know if it's a different experience to different species)
OK, but the cello sounds darker.
As someone who grew up lustening to klezmer I really think there is a lot of expressivnes of both happines and sadness in the alto clarinet. That would probably be my pick for the sadesst instrument.
With that being said, voice is also a great contender with it being very capable of expression.
I'd also argue that the near-complete lack of repertoire for the alto clarinet post-Grainger makes it a great candidate for saddest instrument.
saddest instrument is a trombone or theremin because it can do a lot of glides, who sound like weeping.
Elegie is just a dagger to the heart.
When it comes to sad insturmental music pieces I would say Concerto de Aranjuez the second movement is one of the best example. Just understanding the composer's feeling when he wrote this movement and why he wrote it in the first place, why the guitar is playing chords like a heart beat? also effective use of woodwind instruments and giving them solo parts, and guitar cadenza at the end filled with sadness mixed with anger. It is all check out for me as the best example of the strongest, saddest, musical piece.
I am afraid the Theremin might feel a bit overlooked...poor Theremin...😢
I found this interesting, especially your observations about the cello. I had thought of sadness in music mostly in terms of intervals and harmonies (or dissonance) between instruments, not of the instruments themselves. For me, the saddest piece of music is Vaughn-Williams Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis, which of course is scored for strings. So what you're saying makes sense to me.
The human voice would be the absolute saddest, but excluding that as an instrument, I'm thinking the violin family. Bowed strings are excellent at creating the rising volume characteristic of a moan.
The saddest instrument is the triangle.
My guess for the piece is Myaskovsky's cello concerto. Turn on the first movement and watch the waterworks for about half an hour.
Saxophone. Specifically in Space Lion from Cowboy Bebop. Gets me every time.
I think the shakuhachi is one of the strongest contenders for the saddest woodwind. I'm not sure it is capable of playing something that could be described as happy. Probably the closest it gets is distant and pensive.
Shakuhachi sounds more meditative to me. Zen, rather than sad. It puts you into a Zenlike mood.
Myaskovsky’s Cello Concerto in C minor is one of the saddest concertos I know. It is a particular favourite of mine and I play it whenever I am sad or grieving. It is very beautiful, but utterly devastating at the same time. Here’s a link to Mstislav Rostropovich playing it, if anyone is interested:
ruclips.net/video/O3d_5TlAzaE/видео.html
Uhh, excuse me??!!! How the F did I not know about this????? Thanks for sharing!
Castelnuovo-Tedesco's cello concerto (particularly the third movement) has some absolutely heart-wrenchingly tragic bits too, even though the overall vibe of his concerto, is definitely a more playful/capricious one. It's highly technical without losing any of the lyricism often associated with romantic, sad works. The first mvt. is serious, the second mvt. is lighthearted, and the 3rd is like a ping pong match between sadness and bliss, ending in the latter's victory.
Strings in general, particularly the cello and even “synthesised strings”.
I'm learning the cello, and I approve of your suggestion! :-) It's certainly the hardest instrument I've learnt or tried, and perhaps this hints at the vast scope that technique has to shape its sound?
same tbh, the fact that there's so many different things you can do with this instrument entails that there's just as many things you can do wrong
@@TSBoncompte Yes. Obviously pitch is hard to get right but has no effect on emotion, however musically things get more complex compared to, for example, guitar or woodwind (which I also play):
Bowing - up/down
Vibrato - width and speed
Glissando or not between notes
Choice of strings (one note can appear in several places)
And that’s not including the vast contribution to the sound from the player’s skill and preference.
And there’s more: The variety of sounds from different bows, strings and instruments is vast. You can even change other bits like the tailpiece, as well of course as adjusting the sound post, bridge, etc.
I immediately thought of Cello and the alto Saxophone. The alto might be a weird contender but as a saxophone player, I know that saxophone is extremely diverse and can sound really sad.
Something more personal would be the Serbian "Frula" which is used in a lot of folk song that are written about the pain and suffering of our people under Ottoman rule.
Listening to sad music might make you feel sadder, moving your reference level, so when the music stops, you don't feel as sad. Even if you might be just as sad as before, it feels better than how sad you were while the music was playing.
I saw the video title and I said to myself "It's the cello. No contest." And the saddest concerto? Elgar's Cello Concerto. Has to be.
You're right. I guessed the same.
Perception induces emotion which is on par with the ultimate display of feeling....akin to: "The love you withhold is the pain you keep!" Alex Collier circa 1988.