It's Sunday again. Last week I made my first post with the tag #SadSunday, and asked for your opinion if you like the idea of reviving that tag in the #Music community. Thank you to everyone who participated and gave your opinion. So, the general view was that we all actually love Sunday and that it would be a day for happiness. Also, now I look out the window and everything is bright, sunny, somehow the sadness doesn’t go with this picture. The family is also here, we are together and the day flows peacefully.
But even in the greatest joy, sometimes a small hint of sadness creeps in. It finds somehow the way...through some memories or a lost thought.
What is interesting is that when we want to illustrate sadness, we always visualize loneliness. A lonely person on a deserted street... a lonely tree in a meadow... or a lonely melody that repeats itself, persistently trying to develop. This happens in Chopin's Prelude op. 28 no. 4. It is written in E Minor, pretty sad key for a composition, I would say. The melody line in the right hand is simple, the note B just goes to note C, over and over again. The chords in the left actually give the piece a full harmony, a rich sound. It has one point of culmination, where the pain erupts to the surface, but returns again to a calm, sad ending. So simple, right? But sometimes a lot of emotion can be expressed in simple things.
However, this melancholic atmosphere is not all I wanted to play for you. In the second part of my video, if you are going to listen, there is a surprise. Another prelude with a little brighter picture. Short but elegant, and of course not as sad as the first. It is a prelude in A Major, number 7, same composer.
Chopin was a master of expression through music. And if you are familiar with his opus, you know that he dedicated almost everything to piano music. He knew how to express himself, and that is why we pianists love to play his works so much. Through his music we can also express our feelings, and give the listeners the same opportunity.
What do you think this time, are moments of sadness allowed in happiness? How do you channel your emotions? Can music help with that? Thank you for your time and it would make me happy if you could express your opinion on this topic.
The source of the picture of the angel is pixabay.
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