most morbid, depressing piece of music?

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

Simple, what's the most ruthlessly morbid, depressing piece of music? (that includes lyrics too imho) I nominate the good old 'dies irae' poem.

[Heather Harrison]

I don't know about morbid (although it might qualify), but Shostakovich's Symphony No. 11 is dark and depressing throughout, with occasional outbursts of intense pain.  I love it by the way, but then I am attracted to music with a dark mood.  I'll be watching this thread to see if anything else is mentioned that I should hear.

Mahler's Kindertotenlieder might qualify as morbid, but the music doesn't strike me as uniformly depressing.  It often has a sweet, nostalgic quality about it.

EDIT:  Another thought...  If you really want morbid, depressing lyrics, a lot of that can be found in folk music of northern European countries (Ireland, Great Britain, Scandinavia).  I don't have any specific examples in mind right now (there are far too many to choose from) but when I think of a good one I'll post it.  Often, these morbid lyrics are set to tunes that are either cheerful or sweet.  I've also heard similar things on occasion from country music, where some guy is singing to a jaunty tune about how his truck broke down, his dog died, his wife left him, his gun doesn't work anymore, and the rent-to-own store repossessed his TV (or something along similar lines).

Heather

[Heather Harrison]

I just thought of one!  There is an extremely morbid English folk song entitled "There Were Three Ravens", by Thomas Ravenscroft.  It even has a dark and depressing tune.  There are a number of recordings available.  (Of course, I love this song.)

1. There were three Ravens sat on a tree,
  Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe.
There were three Ravens sat on a tree,
  with a downe,
There were three Ravens sat on a tree,
they were as blacke as they might be,
  with a down derrie, derrie, downe, downe.

2. The one of them said to his mate,
  Downe a downe, hay down, hay downe.
The one of them said to his mate,
  with a downe,
The one of them said to his mate
Where shall we our breakefast take?
  with a down derrie, derrie, downe, downe.

3. Downe in yonder greene field
There lies a Knight slain under his shield,

4. His hounds they lie downe at his feete,
So well they can their Master keepe,

5. His Haukes they flie so eagerly,
There's no fowle dare him come nie,

6. Downe there comes a fallow Doe
As great with young as she might goe,

7. She lift up his bloudy hed,
And kist his wounds that were so red,

8. She got him up upon her backe,
And carried him to earthen lake,

9. She buried him before the prime,
She was dead her selfe ere euen-song time

10. God send every gentleman
Such haukes, such hounds, and such a Leman,

Source (one of many):  http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/ravenscroft/songbook/three_ravens.html

If this doesn't depress a person, I don't know what will.

Heather

[max]

Simple, what's the most ruthlessly morbid, depressing piece of music? (that includes lyrics too imho) I nominate the good old 'dies irae' poem.

No matter how depressing a piece of music, once I get the gist, it no longer feels depressing as compared to say only sad.

Depression to me is an acute feeling of something missing. So every time I try to get a handel on it but fail is DEPRESSING!

Stravinsky, for example, is for me absolute depression!!

[Bonehelm]

Tchaikovsky - Finale, symphony no.6, "Pathetique"
Mahler - symphony no.6
Beethoven - symphony no.7, 2nd movement, allegretto


Those are just some of the most famous ones.

[mahlertitan]

there are some really depressing stuff in Shostakovitch, but, then, how much "upbeat" stuff did he write anyway?

[KevinP]

But Shostakovich's viola sonata leads the pack.

Oh the whole, though, I don't listen to his music and think, 'God, that's depressing.'

[val]

Shostakovitch's Symphony 14 seems morbid and depressing enough to me.

The same with Mahler's Kindertotenlieder.

[sidoze]

I'd agree with Val that Kindertotenlieder should be high on anyones list. However I think most symphonies by Allan Pettersson would fit here.

[david johnson]

britten's 'war requiem' can be depressing for me.

dj

[hornteacher]

Schubert's "Erlkonig"

Shostakovich String Quartet #8

[Haffner]

"Over and Over" Black Sabbath (Mob Rules)
"Hand of Doom" Black Sabbath (Paranoid)
"World of S@*&" Morbid Angel (Covenant)

Black Sabbath have at least a dozen more songs which would fit here.

[greg]

most morbid, probably the Penderecki Threnody.
as for depressing, my two favorites, the painful Mahler 9 and 10.

[Kullervo]

Music doesn't depress me.

[Hector]

there are some really depressing stuff in Shostakovitch, but, then, how much "upbeat" stuff did he write anyway?

Tahiti Trot, for one, which I find depressing because it is that banal trash Tea for Two.

Hornteacher has it. 'Erlkonig' is both morbid and depressing. It is difficult to recall music that fits both categories. 'Les Dialogues des Carmelites' or 'Billy Budd' perhaps?

[dtwilbanks]

This morning, I was listening to "Isle of the Dead" by Rach.

CSO/Reiner, of course.  0:)

[MDL]

Allan Pettersson's Symphony No.7 is a right downer. I love it, but I have to be in the right frame of mind to listen to it. Penderecki's Dies Irae, dedicated to the victims of Auschwitz, isn't a barrel of laughs either. They're both morbid pieces, but I don't find them actually depressing. If I want to be depressed, I just have to listen to anything by Haydn, who bores me to tears.

[mahlertitan]

Tahiti Trot, for one, which I find depressing because it is that banal trash Tea for Two.

depressing? but Shosty didn't write Tea for two, he only orchestrated it.

[Ten thumbs]

This hardly seems a recommendation!
Here are two very sad pieces but neither depresses me.
The variations from Schumann's F minor sonata Op14 (Tune actually by Clara)
Th. Kirchner's first Legend.

[karlhenning]

Well, whatever the most morbid, depressing piece of music might be, one thing is for sure:

Saint-Saëns did not write it!