I am, when I hear something beautiful enough. My particular vulnerability is unaccompanied choirs.
The tears are involuntary, not particularly emotional, and seem almost physically caused by the musical tones themselves, and in almost the same way a loud screech can make your eyes water. (The musical tears are much nicer, of course.) Anybody else do this?
Whenever I hear the album In the Aeroplane, Over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hote, all the way through, I’m usually choking back tears by the time Two-Headed Boy Part II rolls around.
only if it’s something associated with a powerful event. Film score tends to do that to me… for example, the piece “I Could Have Done More” from the Schindler’s List score gets me every time.
As I get older, though, many things that never affected me before now move me to tears; moments in books and TV shows… so who knows? Maybe music will start to affect me one day.
Yes. As I’ve gotten older, some classical music is so unutterably beautiful and/or majestic to me that I do tear up. Beethoven’s 9th, Ravel, Debussy, and others. Also America the Beautiful and the Wilhousky arrangement of The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
Yes, often. Handel’s “Messiah” is guaranteed to bring the tears, but there are others. Music has always been an emotional experience as well as an intellectual one for me.
Yes. Various classical songs usually get me. The 2nd movement of Beethoven’s 7th and the last movement of the 9th. Purcell’s Trumpet Tune and Jeremiah Clark’s Trumpet Voluntary when blasted on an organ. The middle movement of the Bach Double Concerto.
Then there’s Josh Groban’s “You Raise Me Up,” and a particular quasi-pop arrangement of “Hamalach Hagoel” which I’m sure no one here has ever heard.
Absolutely. It has happened on a first listen (recording or live concert), a repeat listen where I suddenly get it, and embarrasingly while performing. Once as part of a huge choir and orchestra - the music was epic but I was also exhausted from repeat shows. Another time almost the whole choir lost it onstage (we dedicated the last song of the concert to one of our members who had recently been killed by a drunk driver - that piece was her favorite of the semester and it spoke about finding peace and rest).
Aw. That wasn’t my intent. This isn’t about music as such - it’s about a psychological phenomenon. A lot of posters have mentioned the tearyness gets worse with age, and I agree. What’s up with that?
When I saw the Bulgarian Choir at a church in Chicago, with this large group of women singing not 20 feet from me, their voices literally making by chest resonate in sympathy…it was so beautiful I wept.
Kate Bush’s The Ninth Wave, the second side of her album Hounds of Love can easily move me to tears.
Warren Zevon’s last album The Wind, especially the song Keep Me In Your Heart would make a statue cry.
OMG that Warren Zevon song reduces me to tears every time. Choirs, especially at Christmas. Handel’s Messiah. I’ve been re-watching the first season of The West Wing the last few days and even that theme song gets to me.