Composer Cliff Masterson knows how to make sorrow sublime. "When I wrote it, the feeling of the music was sad, but yet there was this beautiful melody that sat on top," Masterson says. Written for a ...

Sadness is more than just a negative emotion. It can be beautiful. (SOUNDBITE OF CLIFF MASTERSON'S "BEAUTIFUL SADNESS") SUMMERS: NPR's Jon Hamilton looks at why we are attracted to art that combines ...

I made Brian Wilson sad once. I didn’t mean to. We were doing a radio interview, the first time I’d ever spoken to him, and I was so excited that I’d spent the entire morning organizing nearly every ...

Mavis Staples ‘ latest album hums with hope that could only be delivered by the 86-year-old American treasure’s raspy contralto. “Sad and Beautiful World” sees the gospel and R&B icon, who briefly ...

"When I wrote it, the feeling of the music was sad, but yet there was this beautiful melody that sat on top," Masterson says. Written for a string orchestra, the piece observes the conventions of ...

People seek out art and music that combine sadness and beauty. Scientists and artists say there's good reason why we're drawn to it. Why beautiful sadness — in music, in art — evokes a special ...