# Your favourite beautiful/epic/moving/melancholic use of strings in modern music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 30, 2011, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670 "2011-08-30T20:54:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chef\_Troy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Chef\_Troy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chef_Troy)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/21 "2011-09-01T00:32:15Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > At the mention of strings my first thought was [John Williams, Itzhak Perlman - Schindler’s List](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueWVV_GnRIA) This is what I came in to mention, too… I often play it in my head when I need tears in my eyes for an acting job. It actually works more reliably than envisioning a loved one dead. ---
**Author:** ![BMada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@BMada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMada)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/22 "2011-09-01T00:42:22Z")
Sad Romance [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/aFZ7bBaYpcw/hqdefault.jpg "Sad Romance (Violin Version)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFZ7bBaYpcw) ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/23 "2011-09-01T01:48:48Z")
Florence and the Machine: [Cosmic Love](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gMq3hRLDD0) ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/24 "2011-09-01T14:38:47Z")
[Go To Hell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjXu6uxjAM) David Ford ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/25 "2011-09-01T16:42:35Z")
Is a banjo too close to a guitar? Because this is the most simultaneously beautiful and melancholic song I know: [The Magnetic Fields - _The One You Really Love_](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGeKBJRof5o) ---
**Author:** ![Steken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Steken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steken)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/26 "2011-09-01T18:07:43Z")
C’mon, guys. A board full of Yankees and not a single mention of [Jay Ungar’s Ashokan Farewell](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCr5ZrLq6KI&feature=related)? For shame! ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/27 "2011-09-01T18:11:39Z")
Electric Light Orchestra’s [“Fire On High”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiQh571B5M0) ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/28 "2011-09-01T23:19:50Z")
Mark Woods [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/lUB-K3NSSxo/hqdefault.jpg "Mark Wood Live - Nest of Vipers - Dee Snider's Van Helsing's Curse") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUB-K3NSSxo) Symphonic metal bands: Within Temptation [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/4sCkAvh50Vs/hqdefault.jpg "Within Temptation - Stand My Ground (Music Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sCkAvh50Vs) Nightwish [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GdZn7k5rZLQ/hqdefault.jpg "NIGHTWISH - Amaranth (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdZn7k5rZLQ) Epica [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/eNGzltK_tlc/hqdefault.jpg "EPICA - Unleashed (Official Video - HD Remastered)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNGzltK_tlc) I’m waaay into this stuff these days. I come from a classical music background, but love heavy metal, too. ---
**Author:** ![unwashed\_brain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/a9adbd/32.png) [@unwashed\_brain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unwashed_brain)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670/29 "2011-09-02T01:57:14Z")
**Massive Attack** - “Antistar” LOVE it. Strings start about 4 minutes in: [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-GOa4h_qSrM/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGUgQihHMA8=&rs=AOn4CLBhJdPt7Up4MtXieJ4PwCmefALGzQ "Massive Attack - Antistar (Live - Pinkpop 2003)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GOa4h_qSrM) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favourite-beautiful-epic-moving-melancholic-use-of-strings-in-modern-music/594670.md?page=1)