B-flat minor
 | |
| Relative key | D♭ major enharmonic: C♯ major |
|---|---|
| Parallel key | B♭ major |
| Enharmonic | A♯ minor |
| Component pitches | |
| B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭ | |
B♭ minor or B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B-flat, consisting of the pitches B♭, C, D♭, E♭, F, G♭, and A♭. Its key signature has five flats. The harmonic minor scale would use an A♮ instead of A♭.
Its relative major is D-flat major, and its parallel major is B-flat major. Its enharmonic equivalent is A-sharp minor.
B-flat minor is traditionally a 'dark' key."[1] Important oboe solos in this key in the orchestral literature include the second movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4, which depicts "the feeling that you get when you are all alone", in Tchaikovsky's words. Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 is also in B-flat minor. An Alpine Symphony by Richard Strauss begins and ends in B-flat minor
The old valveless horn was barely capable of playing in B-flat minor; the only example found in 18th century music is a modulation that occurs in the first minuet of Franz Krommer's Concertino in D major, Op. 80.[2]
In classical music
 |
- Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings
- Frédéric Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 2, Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1, Scherzo No. 2
- Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Sonata No. 2
- Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 13
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1
- Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave
- Sir William Walton's Symphony No. 1
In popular music
All eight songs on The Raveonettes' Whip It On album are in the key of B-flat minor. Sune Rose Wagner said it was "Because Shostakovich's symphony no. 13 was in B flat minor."[3]
British soul singer-songwriter Adele's 2007-2008 single, "Hometown Glory", is written in B♭ minor. [4]
The song "Say Say Say," written by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson is written in B-flat minor.
"All Of The Lights" by Kanye West is a notable example of a pop song written in B-Flat minor.
B-flat minor is popular amongst saxophonists since B-flat is a common Saxophone tuning. Notable B-flat minor Saxaphone solos in popular music include Gold by Spandau Ballet and Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty
References
- ^ Wilfred Mellers, "Round and About in Górecki's Symphony No. 3" Tempo 168 3 (1989): 23
- ^ J. Murray Barbour, Trumpets, Horns, and Music (1964), p. 163
- ^ "10 Questions with Sune Rose Wagner". Retrieved 2008-02-07. [dead link]
- ^ http://sheetmusicdirect.us/search/productDetail.do?itemId=1000060614
