Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner classical pieces that sound evil/satanic

While I wouldn't call it "satanic", the slow movement from Bartok's Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta definitely has a very evil, creepy feel to it.

Again. I wouldn't judge it just by its title. There's nothing satanic about this poem.

Skryabin's "Black Mass" sonata
Liszt Funerailles
Chopin Preludes Nos 12 and 16
Pendereshki Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

I think evil would be a bit of an overstatement, but these pieces certainly are dark, especially the Pendereshki. Maybe try some Schoenberg also, such as Pierrot Lunaire. Note though that the style of singing used is an aquired taste

Liszt's Totentanz is about as chilling as you can get.

Pendereski's Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima is the scariest thing I've ever heard. Makes your flesh crawl.

That's because you haven't heard my pounding the piano in one of those New Music, New...Really? Yeah, Sure new music happenings, with people-eating tigers providing the accompaniment by hunting audience members, no, Audience Members (an Eurasian red squirrel, quick fellow, they never catch him, but oh do they make music!). The tigers aren't the scary part, it's the music they make that is scary. Makes your flesh crawl worse.

thx for all your responses
it'll all eventually become a big help.
I've looked up a few of those pieces, and right now im no where near the musical level nor the technical level to even try most of them.

I'll work on my chops a little more; they've been a little rusty, especially since i havent even touched a piano for 7-8 years. But i cant wait till i work my chops back up to speed. It'll be a lot of fun playing some of these pieces.

actually, it looks like satanic/evil isnt the exact direction i want to go in.
It's very interesting music and all, but i realized i want something sad, and tragic. Emphasis on tragic, like if someone listens to it and they are in a good mood, they will be in a sad and gloomy mood for the rest of the day. Tragic like that.

I discovered i don't really like the atonality very much, i would actually prefer more diatonic minor pieces. IF you could help there, that would be really awesome. And ii really appreicate all the help you've given me so far.

Liszt's solo piano transcription of 'Die Stadt' from Schubert's Schwanengesang.

I think you should start another thread for that (sad and tragic pieces)... Usually people here don't react to threads that have gone on a while and changed subjects, etc....

Hi All,
Along the lines of evil / satanic music, isn't Scriabin's own subtitle for one of his piano sonatas (I think it's no.8) "Black Mass"?...

try the Vocalise by Rachmaninoff. There is a version for piano solo. I don't know how difficult it would be for you but it doesn't appear to be advanced and it definitely is a little sad.

AH: I have read your post several times and haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about. I'll take your word for the facts that music is generated by what you describe and that it's really scary. Until I've hear your tiger music, I'll stand by my assertion that the Pendereski is the scariest.

it's very difficult to play well-much harder than it sounds

You flatter...

Ouch...

Penderecki?

Tigers music? Oh, they is just fanged humor... You no like it?

I do agree that Rachmaninoff is beautiful and sedutive, in general... not evil to me... Music that is evil to me is when I hear music and I think that the composer is completely unbalanced and struggling for sanity...I get no message from the composer except this is noise, weird and confused... Sandy B

Jeez guys cmon....

Liszt:
- Czardas Macabre
- Zigeuner Polka
- Valse Infernale
- aand many others

Alkan's Chanson de la folle au bord de la mer, op. 31, no. 8. Sounds pretty easy with a haunting mysterious quality.

Oh man, for me it has got to be Prokofiev's second Concerto. The Brass entrance after the huge cadenza, the freaky climax in the third movement, and the startling, hair-raising, reentrance of the first theme of the fourth movement. God, I get chills every time.