A major: Difference between revisions
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'''A major''' (or the '''key of A''') is a [[major scale]] based on A, with the pitches [[A (musical note)|A]], [[B (musical note)|B]], [[C♯ (musical note)|C{{music|sharp}}]], [[D (musical note)|D]], [[E (musical note)|E]], [[F♯ (musical note)|F{{music|sharp}}]], and [[G♯ (musical note)|G{{music|sharp}}]]. Its [[key signature]] has three sharps. |
'''A major''' (or the '''key of A''') is a [[major scale]] based on A, with the pitches [[A (musical note)|A]], [[B (musical note)|B]], [[C♯ (musical note)|C{{music|sharp}}]], [[D (musical note)|D]], [[E (musical note)|E]], [[F♯ (musical note)|F{{music|sharp}}]], and [[G♯ (musical note)|G{{music|sharp}}]]. Its [[key signature]] has three sharps. |
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It's [[relative key|relative minor]] is [[F-sharp minor]] and its [[parallel key|parallel minor]] is [[A minor]]. The key of A-major is the only key where a [[Neapolitan sixth]] chord on <math>\hat2</math> requires both a flat and a natural accidental. |
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Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys, examples of symphonies in A major are not as numerous as for [[D major]] or [[G major]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 7]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Bruckner)|Symphony No. 6]] and [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Symphony No. 4 (Mendelssohn)|Symphony No. 4]] comprise a nearly complete list of symphonies in this key in the Romantic era. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Clarinet Concertooooo (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto]] and [[Clarinet Quintet (Mozart)|Clarinet Quintet]] are both in A major, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides [[E-flat major]].<ref>Mark Anson-Cartwright, "Chromatic Features of E♭-Major Works of the Classical Period" ''Music Theory Spectrum'' '''22''' 2 (2000): 178</ref> |
Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys, examples of symphonies in A major are not as numerous as for [[D major]] or [[G major]]. [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]]'s [[Symphony No. 7 (Beethoven)|Symphony No. 7]], [[Anton Bruckner|Bruckner]]'s [[Symphony No. 6 (Bruckner)|Symphony No. 6]] and [[Felix Mendelssohn|Mendelssohn]]'s [[Symphony No. 4 (Mendelssohn)|Symphony No. 4]] comprise a nearly complete list of symphonies in this key in the Romantic era. [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]]'s [[Clarinet Concertooooo (Mozart)|Clarinet Concerto]] and [[Clarinet Quintet (Mozart)|Clarinet Quintet]] are both in A major, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides [[E-flat major]].<ref>Mark Anson-Cartwright, "Chromatic Features of E♭-Major Works of the Classical Period" ''Music Theory Spectrum'' '''22''' 2 (2000): 178</ref> |
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Revision as of 12:14, 8 November 2010
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| Relative key | F♯ minor |
|---|---|
| Parallel key | A minor |
| Component pitches | |
| A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, G♯ | |
A major (or the key of A) is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C♯, D, E, F♯, and G♯. Its key signature has three sharps.
It's relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor. The key of A-major is the only key where a Neapolitan sixth chord on requires both a flat and a natural accidental.
Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys, examples of symphonies in A major are not as numerous as for D major or G major. Beethoven's Symphony No. 7, Bruckner's Symphony No. 6 and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 comprise a nearly complete list of symphonies in this key in the Romantic era. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet are both in A major, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides E-flat major.[1]
In chamber music and orchestral musique all the majors are combined to serve A major and hence, A major occurs more often. Johannes Brahms, César Franck, and Gabriel Fauré wrote violin sonatas in A major. In connection to Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, Peter Cropper said that A major "is the fullest sounding key for the violin."[2]
According to Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, A major is a key suitable for "declarations of innocent love, ... hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God."[3]
For orchestral works in A major, the timpani are typically set to A and E a fifth apart, rather than a fourth apart as for most other keys. Hector Berlioz complained about the custom of his day in which timpani tuned to A and E a fifth apart were notated C and G a fourth apart, a custom which survived as late as the music of Franz Berwald.[4]
See also: List of symphonies in A major
References
- ^ Mark Anson-Cartwright, "Chromatic Features of E♭-Major Works of the Classical Period" Music Theory Spectrum 22 2 (2000): 178
- ^ Peter Cropper "Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major, Op.47 'Kreutzer': First Movement" The Strad March 2009, p. 64
- ^ Rita Steblin: A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries (Rochester, University of Rochester Press: 1996) p. 123
- ^ N. D. Mar (1981). Anatomy of the Orchestra University of California Press, p. 349
- Colin Lawson, Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, A Cambridge Music Handbook, Cambridge University Press, 1996.
Scales and keys
