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A major

Major key and scale based on the note A

Summary

Major key and scale based on the note A

Field	Value
name	A major
{ \magnifyStaff #3/2 \omit Score.TimeSignature \key a \major s16 \clef F \key a \major s^"" }
relative	F-sharp minor
parallel	A minor
dominant	E major
subdominant	D major
first_pitch	A
second_pitch	B
third_pitch	C
fourth_pitch	D
fifth_pitch	E
sixth_pitch	F
seventh_pitch	G

{ \magnifyStaff #3/2 \omit Score.TimeSignature \key a \major s16 \clef F \key a \major s^"" } A major is a major scale based on A, with the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative minor is F-sharp minor and its parallel minor is A minor.

The A major scale is:

\header { tagline = ##f } scale = \relative a { \key a \major \omit Score.TimeSignature a'^"A natural major scale" b cis d e fis gis a gis fis e d cis b a2 \clef F \key a \major } \score { { } \layout { } \midi { } }

Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The A harmonic major and melodic major scales are:

\header { tagline = ##f } scale = \relative a { \key a \major \omit Score.TimeSignature a'^"A harmonic major scale" b cis d e f gis a gis f! e d cis b a2 \clef F \key a \major } \score { { } \layout { } \midi { } } \header { tagline = ##f } scale = \relative a { \key a \major \omit Score.TimeSignature a'^"A melodic major scale" b cis d e fis gis a g f e d cis b a2 \clef F \key a \major } \score { { } \layout { } \midi { } }

In the treble, alto, and bass clefs, the G in the key signature is placed higher than C. However, in the tenor clef, it would require a ledger line and so G is placed lower than C.

Scale degree chords

The scale degree chords of A major are:

Tonic – A major
Supertonic – B minor
Mediant – C-sharp minor
Subdominant – D major
Dominant – E major
Submediant – F-sharp minor
Leading-tone – G-sharp diminished

History

Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys (those containing more than three sharps), symphonies in A major are less common than in keys with fewer sharps such as 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, along with his 23rd Piano Concerto, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides E-flat major. Moreover, the climax part of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is also in A major.

The key of A occurs frequently in chamber music and other music for strings, which favor sharp keys. Franz Schubert's Trout Quintet and Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. 2 are both in A major. 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."

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."

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.

Notable compositions in A major

Antonio Vivaldi
- Trio Sonata, Op. 1/9 RV 75
- Violin Sonata, Op. 2/2 RV 31
- concerto for two violins, Op. 3/5 RV 519
- concerto for violin, Op. 4/5 RV 347
- Violin Sonata, Op. 5/2 RV 30
- concerto for violin, Op. 9/2 RV 345
- concerto for violin, Op. 9/6 RV 348
- concerto for violin, Op. 11/3 RV 336
Georg Philipp Telemann
- Fantasia for flute solo, No. 1
- Fantasia for violin solo, No. 5
- Fantasia for viola da gamba solo, No. 8
- Sonata for two flutes or two violins, No. 3
Johann Sebastian Bach
- English Suite No. 1, BWV 806
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219
- Symphony No. 29, K. 201
- Symphony No. 21, K. 134
- Violin Sonata No. 22, K. 305
- Piano Sonata No. 11, K. 331
- String Quartet No. 18, K. 464
- Piano Concerto No. 23, K. 488
- Là ci darem la mano, duettino form Don Giovanni, K. 527
- Clarinet Quintet, K. 581
- Clarinet Concerto, K. 622
Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 7, Op. 92
- Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2/2
- Piano Sonata No. 28, Op. 101
- Violin Sonata No. 6, Op. 30/1
- Violin Sonata No. 9, Op. 47
- Cello Sonata No. 3, Op. 69
- String Quartet No. 5, Op. 18/5
Franz Schubert
- Trout Quintet
- Piano Sonata, D 664
- Piano Sonata No. 20, D. 959
Fanny Mendelssohn
- Easter Sonata
Felix Mendelssohn
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 90 ("Italian")
- Organ Sonata, Op. 65, No. 3
Frédéric Chopin
- Polonaise, Op. 40/1 ("Military")
- Prelude, Op. 28/7
Franz Liszt
- Piano Concerto No. 2, S.125
Johannes Brahms
- Serenade No. 2, Op. 16
- Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 100 ("Thun")
- Piano Quartet No. 2, Op. 26
César Franck
- Violin Sonata
Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 6
Émile Waldteufel
- Les Patineurs waltz, Op. 183
Sergei Prokofiev
- Piano Sonata No. 6, Op. 82
Dmitri Shostakovich
- String Quartet No. 2, Op. 68
- Symphony No. 15, Op. 141

References

Mark Anson-Cartwright. (2000). "Chromatic Features of E{{music". [[Music Theory Spectrum]].
Peter Cropper, "Beethoven's Violin Sonata in A major, Op.47 'Kreutzer': First Movement", ''[[The Strad]]'', March 2009, p. 64
[[Rita Steblin]] (1996) ''A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries'', University of Rochester Press, p. 123, {{ISBN. 0835714187.
[[Norman Del Mar]] (1981). ''Anatomy of the Orchestra'', University of California Press, p. 349, {{ISBN. 0520045009.

Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

musical-keys major-scales compositions-in-a-major

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