Wikipedia

D minor

D minoris aminor scalebased onD,consisting of the pitches D,E,F,G,A,B♭,andC.Itskey signaturehas oneflat.Itsrelative majorisF majorand itsparallel majorisD major.

D minor
{ \magnifyStaff #3/2 \omit Score.TimeSignature \key d \minor s16 \clef F \key d \minor s^"" }
Relative keyF major
Parallel keyD major
Dominant keyA minor
SubdominantG minor
Component pitches
D, E, F, G, A, B♭,C

The Dnatural minor scaleis:

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c' { \key d \minor \time 7/4 d e f g a bes c d c bes a g f e d2 \clef F \key d \minor } }

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The Dharmonic minorandmelodic minor scalesare:

{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c' { \key d \minor \time 7/4 d^"D harmonic minor scale" e f g a bes cis d cis bes a g f e d2 } }
{ \omit Score.TimeSignature \relative c' { \key d \minor \time 7/4 d^"D melodic minor scale (ascending and descending)" e f g a b cis d c! bes! a g f e d2 } }

Scale degree chords

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Thescale degreechords of D minor are:

Music in D minor

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OfDomenico Scarlatti's 555 keyboard sonatas, 151 are in minor keys, and with 32 sonatas, D minor is the most often chosen minor key.

The Art of FuguebyJohann Sebastian Bachis in D minor.

Michael Haydn's only minor-key symphony,No. 29,is in D minor.

According toAlfred Einstein,the history of tuning has led D minor to be associated withcounterpointandchromaticism(for example, thechromatic fourth), and cites Bach'sChromatic Fantasia and Fugue,BWV 903, in D minor.[1]Mozart'sRequiemis written primarily in D minor, as are the famousQueen of the Night Aria,"Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen", and the overture and the final scene ofDon Giovanni.Of the two piano concertos that Mozart wrote in a minor key, one of them is in D minor:Piano Concerto No. 20,K.466. Furthermore, hisString Quartet No. 13,K. 173, andString Quartet No. 15,K. 421, are also in D minor.

The only chamber music compositions in D minor byLudwig van Beethovenare his stormyPiano Sonata No. 17and the haunting Largo of theGhost TrioOp. 70/1.Franz Schubert'sString Quartet No. 14(Death and the Maiden) is in D minor. A number ofGabriel Fauré's chamber music works are written in D minor, including thePiano Trio Op. 120,theFirst Piano Quintet Op. 89,and theFirst Cello Sonata Op. 109.Arnold Schoenberg'sVerklärte Nachtis in D minor, as is hisString Quartet No. 1.

Since D minor is the key of Beethoven'sSymphony No. 9,Anton Brucknerfelt apprehensive about writing his ownSymphony No. 9in the same key.[2]As well as Bruckner'sFirst MassandThird Symphony,multiple other post-Beethoven symphonies are in D minor, includingRobert Schumann'sSymphony No. 4,the onlySymphonywritten byCésar Franck,Dvořák'sSeventh SymphonyandSymphony No. 3byGustav Mahler.

Jean Sibeliusoften reserved the key of D minor for compositions he saw as being of a noble character; theViolin Concerto,theSixth Symphony,and the string quartetVoces intimaeare each in the key.

The tonality of D minor held special significance for Helene andAlban Berg.[3]

D minor is particularly recurrent in the music ofSergei Rachmaninoff,with pieces written in the key occupying close to one eighth of his total compositional output, including theThird Piano Concerto;thePiano Sonata No. 1;theSymphony No. 1;theTrio élégiaque No. 2;theÉtudes-Tableaux, Op. 33,No. 4; andOp. 39,No. 8; theCorelli Variations;and the symphonic poemPrince Rostislav.

Works in theclassical music eraand later beginning in minor typically end in major, or at least on a major chord (such as apicardy third), but there are a few notable examples of works in D minor ending in much sharper keys. Two symphonies that begin in D minor and end inE majorareHavergal Brian'sGothic SymphonyandCarl Nielsen'sSymphony No. 4 (The Inextinguishable).Franz Liszt'sDante Symphonyopens in D minor and ends inB major.

Similar to a D minor symphony ending inD major,as with Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, a D major symphony can have for its allegro first movement a slow introduction in D minor.Robbins Landonwrote that "Tonic minor Adagio introductions, especially in the key of D minor, were very popular with English composers of the year 1794", and Joseph Haydn copied this procedure for the D major symphonies he wrote in London.[4]

Film composerHans Zimmeris one of the most prominent users of the key of D minor in modern times. Many of his well-known scores were written in the key; notable examples areGladiator,The Dark Knight,Pirates of the CaribbeanandThe Da Vinci Code.His frequent use of the key has been noticed by reviewers such as Christian Clemmensen ofFilmtracks.com,who has called the trend "ridiculous stubbornness".[5]

Other notable compositions

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See also:List of symphonies in D minor

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^Alfred Einstein,Mozart, His Character, His Work,Chapter 10, "Mozart's Choice of Keys", New York: Oxford University Press (1945)
  2. ^Hans-Hubert Schönzeler,Bruckner,London: Calder & Boyars (1978): 106–107. According toGöllerich,he [Bruckner] made the remark: "It really annoys me that the theme of my new symphony is in D minor, because everybody will say now: 'Of course, Bruckner's Ninth must be in the same key as Beethoven's!'"
  3. ^Pople, Anthony(1997). "Early Works: Tonality and Beyond",The Cambridge Companion to Berg,p. 81. Pople, Anthony, ed.ISBN0-521-56489-1.
  4. ^H. C. Robbins Landon,Supplement to The Symphonies of Joseph HaydnLondon: Barrie & Rockliff (1961): 47
  5. ^Clemmensen, Christian."The Dark Knight Rises Review".Filmtracks.com.Retrieved1 August2012.
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