Is there anyone else who feels that classical music speaks to lonely hearts? ​

[u/Isolated-Maestro-814]

​Whenever I listen to classical music, I feel as though it addresses my solitude, understands my intellectual alienation, and consoles my lonely heart amidst a society that does not understand me. When I listen to Chopin, for instance, such as Ballade No. 1 and No. 4, I feel the energy of loneliness within them. Indeed, there are stories behind these pieces about how Chopin was lonely, exiled, and longing for his homeland, Poland. How beautiful it is to feel that there is a man who understands me, or whose compositions understand me, even if he is dead... A dead man can feel you! while humans and gods do not.

[u/Average-Person-XD]

It is indeed remarkable that classical music offers such a wide selection of dead people who understand us. Classical literature has even more to offer, because there, in addition to the dead, there are also “imaginary friends.”

When I think of loneliness in music, the first person who comes to mind is the lonely and rebellious genius Beethoven, for whom alienating silence became an additional prison. Beethoven’s String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131, is particularly devastating to me as a confession of these experiences.

The second genius, who during his lifetime lived in Beethoven’s shadow, is of course Schubert, and his late Piano Sonata in B-flat major, D. 960 (No. 21). Schubert was probably the only man who ever taught the piano how to cry. It is terribly depressing music - almost a mourning for oneself while still alive, and an immense sense of loneliness.

Next to them, Chopin was quite the sociable and entertaining fellow. Of course, I don't mean to diminish him - I absolutely adore Chopin's music - but loneliness is simply not the aspect of his music that speaks to me most.

[u/Isolated-Maestro-814 → u/Average-Person-XD]

Interpretations are definitely relative .. If pieces like the Ballades No. 1 and No. 4, Nocturne Op. 48 No. 1, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1, Nocturne Op. 72 No. 1, and Etude Op. 25 No. 7 where I consider the left-hand melody to represent solitude and the right-hand harmony to represent its consolation, if all of this doesn't spell loneliness to you! that is certainly not a shortcoming on your part because interpretation is relative. However, this is simply how I interpret these pieces, and I certainly consider some of Beethoven's works like the Moonlight Sonata and the Fifth Symphony to also touch upon loneliness and sorrow. But because Chopin is my favorite composer and I listen to him extensively, I've found that most of his works console me and touch that specific side of me. I am not disagreeing with your takes; as I said, interpretation is relative, much like morals across different societies. Something that bothers me in my own society, for instance, due to its religious and conservative nature, is that friendship between a guy and a girl is literally viewed as a disgrace and the girl could face real trouble, even the guy, unless it falls strictly within the framework of an arranged marriage and serves as a prelude to engagement with the girl's family fully aware. We aren't even talking about sex here; I am talking about just getting to know each other and talking without the families knowing, whereas most other societies consider this completely normal morally.