The saddest music in the world : Georges Boulanger - Gloomy Sunday (Szomorú Vasárnap)

"Gloomy Sunday" by Hungarian composer Rezsö Seress probably needs no introduction. It is the infamous "suicide song" composed in 1933 and recorded by many artists, such as Billie Holliday and later on Sarah Brightman. The song became instantly controversial as it was blamed for a large number of suicides... (This may be just an urban legend though).

Also see Dairyman716 channel for a German sung version by Mimi Thoma and other YouTube channels for Damia's famous French version "Sombre Dimanche".

I would like to present the version by famed Romanian violinist and composer Georges Boulanger. For more information on him visit www.boulanger-musik.com.ar.

The movie is a collection of clips from several movies. You will see Zarah Leander, Marianne Hoppe, Danielle Darrieux, Lida Baarova, Käthe von Nagy, Sybille Schmitz, Kristina Söderbaum, Irene von Meyendorff and Hilde Krahl (in random order).

About the record : An English(?) Parlophone release (purple label) with German Odeon matrix number :




MP58 - Be11299

It is one of those rare records that looks in perfect condition yet when played sounds anything but... However the crackles seem to give the impression that rain is falling throughout the recording thus reinforcing the song and its sadness...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• 78RPM
• Georges-Boulanger
• Gloomy
• sunday
• Damia
• Sombre
• dimanche
• einsamer
• Sonntag
• Hungary
• Szomorú
• Vasárnap
• Reszö-Seress
• saddest
• music
• in
• the
• world
• Schellack
• Odeon
• melodrama
• suicide
• song
• Zarah
• Leander
• Danielle
• Darrieux

[OmegaShenron6574]

why can't people just watch these without commenting on the legend. its a beautiful piece of music and that should be enough.

[Jamesmartens55]

its not about the song itself, its obviously about the internal suffering of the individual, this song is just powerful enough to have the individual reflect on previous strife which may just be enough to push him or her over the edge....literally

[SeniorCiprian]

@mrlevina2 His romanian name was George Pantazi , he was born into a gipsy ´´ lautari´´ family , in Tulcea

[MissRubberBunny]

@OmegaShenron6574 so very true, although I would go even further & describe the music as heavenly

[mrlevina2]

Interesting name for a Romanian violinist-composer, 'Georges Boulanger'.

But you're right, d, at one point, after the pause, I thought a voice had begun to sing, and the end note is played with a kind of sigh a voice makes! You have an ear!

How did the Romanian named 'Boulanger' do that?

[willy3toes]

@konstans1991 actually i agree with that, this tune is sad in a more depressing and hopeless way whereas adagio is more of a beautiful sadness... it depends how you define the 'sadness' in music

i suppose i could cheat and say 'Sigur Ros - (Untitled)' because it's not a real language they sing in on that album....but even still is it any sadder? it's in the eye of the beholder i suppose

[konstans1991]

@willy3toes yeah sure i like that one very much too, but it brings some hope up if you understand what i mean but this piece doesnt have any hopeful phrases or something like that but youre right barbers adagio is very sad and beautiful, too.

[willy3toes]

@konstans1991 well it may seem an obvious choice but i find barber's - adagio for strings a sadder piece than this

[konstans1991]

@willy3toes give me an example of sader music please

[willy3toes]

it's melancholy yeah but i wouldn't call it the saddest music in the world!

there's definitely sadder non vocal music out there, i say non vocal cos obviously there's tonnes of sadder songs with singing

[dkurgano]

boulanger's sound is like a human voice. what an artist....