Peter Manuel wrote:

>I would be very interested to hear from list members regarding their
>own sense of how they experience quintessentially "sad' music.

It depends on MY mood and I probably would not listen to music that
forced me to feel any specific emotion.  I want to be able to put my own
feelings into the music.

RE sad per se, I am trying to think of what music I have felt sad while
listening to.  My 1st thought was the 4th movement of Mahler's 9th
symphony.  I have literally cried listening to that, but was sad to begin
with and was doing a Camille routine.  Often I feel melancholy listening
to it, but that is a much different emotion and can be pleasant or
helpful; it has a sense of resignation which may be necessary to resolve
some life situation.  Other times I just enjoy the music and listen for
sounds or following instruments or scores.

Like any non-trivial art, IMO, one must be able to put oneself into the
piece and the best will allow for many moods.

Another 'coincidence' on this.  It has been a sad day for me.  One of
my employee's 41 y/o daughter died suddenly today.

On the way home I was listening to our local NPR and they were playing
the adagio from Schubert's Quintet in C major. I quickly became tearful
and then began thinking on the nature of life.  I have only listened to
this piece a couple of times, so am not sure it qualifies as sad music,
but certainly fit my mood today.

Regards,

Bill Blank
http://kernunnos.com (Celtic studies and numismatics)