F-sharp minor

F♯ minor

Relative key	A major
Parallel key	F♯ major enharmonic: G♭ major
Component pitches
F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯

F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F♯, G♯, A, B, C♯, D, and E. For the harmonic minor, the E is raised to E♯. Its key signature has three sharps (see below: Scales and keys).

Its relative major is A major, and its parallel major is F-sharp major.

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary.

Very few symphonies are written in this key, Haydn's Farewell Symphony being one famous example. George Frederick Bristow and Dora Pejačević also wrote symphonies in this key.

The few concerti written in this key are usually premiere concerti written for the composer himself to play, including Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, Scriabin's Piano Concerto, Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1, Vieuxtemps's Violin Concerto No. 2, and Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto.

In addition to the Farewell Symphony, Haydn's Piano Trio No. 40 (Hob. XV:26) and String Quartet Op. 50, No. 4 are in F-sharp minor.

Mozart's only composition in this key is the second movement to his Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major.

The third (slow) movement from Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29 "Hammerklavier," Op. 106 is set in F-sharp minor.

Many piano pieces have been written in F-sharp minor. For example, two of Chopin's 52 mazurkas, and one of his nocturnes are in this key, though he seems to have preferred the related key C-sharp minor. The popular Venetian Boat Song from Felix Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Worte (Op. 30, No. 6) is in F-sharp minor. One of the most famous fugues from J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier is in F-sharp minor. Muzio Clementi's Piano Sonata Op. 25, No. 5, Brahms's Piano Sonata No. 2, and Scriabin's Piano Sonata No. 3 are also in this key.

Both Reger's and Tippett's second string quartets are in this key, as is Shostakovich's seventh string quartet. Arnold Schoenberg's String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10, widely recognized to be the first Western piece in the Common practice period in which tonality is abandoned (in the fourth movement), is "in" F-sharp minor.

F-sharp minor is a fairly common key in heavy metal music and death metal and often used in verses or chorus relative to A major in a muted fashion. A common metal power chord progression would be F♯ 5, A 5, B 5, E 5, F♯ 5 or simply muting E 5 and F♯ 5 back and forth, E being the 7th note in the Aeolian (Natural) F♯ minor scale but used as a chord (E5) below the root chord of F♯ 5. The Ozzy Osbourne song Crazy Train for instance begins in F♯ minor before moving into its relative A major for the verses, from F♯ to E to F♯ to D to E and then A. The Metallica's song No Remorse from the 1983 album Kill 'Em All starts in F♯ on rhythm and with relative Kirk Hammett's solo. Then the track goes into E minor.

List of notable songs in F-sharp minor

• Michael Jackson - "Billie Jean"
• P!nk - "So What"
• Rihanna - "Don't Stop the Music"
• Rihanna featuring Drake - "What's My Name?"
• Rihanna - "Only Girl (In the World)"
• Lady GaGa - "Boys Boys Boys"
• Benny Benassi - "Cinema" (Skrillex remix ft. Gary Go)

Characteristics

• F-sharp minor has been described as 'light red' by Harry Farjeon.^{[citation needed]}
• Johann Mattheson, in 1713, wrote "F♯ minor, although it leads to great distress, nevertheless is more languid and love-sick than lethal. Moreover, it has something abandoned, singular, and misanthropic about it." On a similar theme, Harry Farjeon wrote that it is the key that Mendelssohn uses when being passionate.^{[citation needed]}
• We cannot well accompany the Devil in any key but F♯ minor – Anon. 1828
• Heavy metal guitarist Michael Angelo Batio has cited this key and F sharp phrygian dominant as his favourite. He has described F-sharp minor as a "demonic" key, giving a dark, evil sound.
• According to The Gregory Brothers, this is the most demeaning and elitist key.

References

• A. Morris, "Symphonies, Numbers And Keys" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, III.3, 2006.