how does some music sound happy and sad at the same time?

[Catison]

Examples, please.

3rd mvt. of Beethoven's 9th

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

i think my examples are better....

[George]

Hey, how'd you know about that?

He was on the same ward as you? 

[DavidW]

He was on the same ward as you? 

We were in the same pill line together.

[George]

We were in the same pill line together.

Corey took the happy and the sad pills, eh? 

[DavidW]

Corey took the happy and the sad pills, eh? 

Yeah I gave him my pills which he wasn't supposed to take.

[Cato]

The easy answer - obvious - is how the composer juggles major and minor: my favorite example is Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin.

Of course, how precisely the composer juggles major and minor is not easy!    

[BachQ]

The easy answer - obvious - is how the composer juggles major and minor: my favorite example is Ravel's Le Tombeau de Couperin.

Of course, how precisely the composer juggles major and minor is not easy!    

Yes, but you can also have minor-key (mode) happiness and major-key (mode) sadness .........

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

here's ojo itself:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B000003Z91001003/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_003/002-2676169-1063200
(the intro is a much better example of what I mean though)

& part of handel's a major harpsichord suite:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/music/wma-pop-up/B0000028NC001003/ref=mu_sam_wma_001_003/002-2676169-1063200

[Bonehelm]

How about Mahler's 2nd symphony? It starts off with a funeral march...that can't get quite sadder can it? But the work closes with a huge, towering chorus which symbolizes resurrection and afterlife.

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

How about Mahler's 2nd symphony? It starts off with a funeral march...that can't get quite sadder can it? But the work closes with a huge, towering chorus which symbolizes resurrection and afterlife.

I didn't mean music that's alternately happy and sad, I meant music that is happy, but is a sad sort of way, or sad in a happy sort of way if that makes any sense.

i think bittersweet is the best word I've read to describe it so far. what about sentimental/nostalgic? does that help?

[Don]

For sad/happy music at the same time, I think that Bach's opening aria of the Golderg Variations applies.

[orbital]

Most of Bach's orchestral slow movements in major keys give me that feeling. Largo of the double violin concerto for example.

[Justin Ignaz Franz Bieber]

For sad/happy music at the same time, I think that Bach's opening aria of the Golderg Variations applies.

Yeah that's the sort of thing I meant. How do they do that?

[dtwilbanks]

On a piano, play a minor chord with one hand and a major chord with the other. There you have it: happy and sad at the same time. What do I win? I'm not even a composer. 

[George]

On a piano, play a minor chord with one hand and a major chord with the other. There you have it: happy and sad at the same time. What do I win? I'm not even a composer. 

Nor am I, but that sounds like it would sound maybe angry, rather than happy and sad at the same time. 

[dtwilbanks]

Nor am I, but that sounds like it would sound maybe angry, rather than happy and sad at the same time. 

Depends on the chords.

[karlhenning]

On a piano, play a minor chord with one hand and a major chord with the other. There you have it: happy and sad at the same time. What do I win? I'm not even a composer. 

You win the My Father Maybe Knew Charles Ives Ribbon!

[dtwilbanks]

You win the My Father Maybe Knew Charles Ives Ribbon!

Yay! Well, at least that's something.

[karlhenning]

Nor am I, but that sounds like it would sound maybe angry, rather than happy and sad at the same time.

Depends on the chords.

And dynamics, and articulation and timbre . . . there are many options other than "angry" here! :-)