C minor is a
minor scale based on
C, consisting of the pitches C,
D,
E,
F,
G,
A, and
B. Its
key signature consists of three
flats. Its
relative major is
E major and its
parallel major
In music theory, a major scale and a minor scale that have the same tonic note are called parallel keys and are said to be in a parallel relationship. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p.9. 3rd edition. Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. . "When ...
is
C major.
The C
natural minor scale
In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which ...
is:
:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The C
harmonic minor and
melodic minor scales are:
:
:
Notable compositions
*
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Charles-Valentin Alkan (; 30 November 1813 – 29 March 1888) was a French Jewish composer and virtuoso pianist. At the height of his fame in the 1830s and 1840s he was, alongside his friends and colleagues Frédéric Chopin and Franz Li ...
**
Prelude Op. 31, No. 16 (Assez lentement)
**
Symphony for Solo Piano, 1st movement: Allegro
**
Trois grandes études, Op. 76, No. 3 "Mouvement semblable et perpetuel" (Rondo-Toccata) for the hands reunited
*
Johannes Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wor ...
**
Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor, BWV 582
**
Lute Suite in C minor, BWV 997
**
Cello Suite No. 5, BWV 1011
**
The Musical Offering, BWV 1079
**
Partita No. 2, BWV 826
*
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
(See
Beethoven and C minor)
**
Piano Sonata No. 5
**
Piano Sonata No. 8 (''Pathétique'')
**
Piano Concerto No. 3
**
Coriolan Overture
**
Symphony No. 5
**
''Choral Fantasy''
**
Piano Sonata No. 32
*
Johannes Brahms
**
Symphony No. 1
**
String Quartet Op. 51/1
**
Piano Trio No. 3
**
Piano Quartet No. 3
*
Anton Bruckner
**
Symphony No. 1
**
Symphony No. 2
**
Symphony No. 8
*
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...
**
Rondo Op. 1
**
Piano Sonata No. 1
**
Étude Op. 10, No. 12 (''Revolutionary'')
**
Étude Op. 25, No. 12 (''Ocean'')
**
Prélude Op. 28, No. 20 "Funeral March"
**
Nocturne in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1
**
Nocturne in C minor, Op. posth. (Chopin)
**
Mazurka Op. 56, No. 3
*
Gabriel Fauré
**
Élégie, Op. 24
*
Joseph Haydn
**
Piano Sonata Hob. XVI/20
*
Franz Liszt
**
''Transcendental Étude'' No. 8 "Wilde Jagd"
*
Gustav Mahler
**
Symphony No. 2 "Auferstehung"
*
Felix Mendelssohn
**
Symphony No. 1
*
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
**''
Great Mass in C minor
''Great Mass in C minor'' (german: Große Messe in c-Moll, links=no), K. 427/417a, is the common name of the musical setting of the mass by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which is considered one of his greatest works. He composed it in Vienna in 1782 ...
'', KV 427/417a
**
Piano Concerto No. 24, KV 491
**
Maurerische Trauermusik
The ' (''Masonic Funeral Music'') in C minor, K. 477 (K. 479a), is an orchestral work composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1785 in his capacity as a member of the Freemasons.
History
Mozart's own entry into his catalogue under the heading "Ju ...
KV 477
*
Sergei Prokofiev
**
Symphony No. 3, Op. 44
*
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one o ...
**
Piano Concerto No. 2
*
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (; 9 October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Second Piano Concerto ...
**
Symphony No. 3 (''Organ Symphony'')
*
Dmitri Shostakovich
**
String Quartet No. 8
**
Symphony No. 4
**
Symphony No. 8
*
Franz Schubert
**
Symphony No. 4, D. 417
**
Piano Sonata No. 19, D. 958
**
Impromptu No. 1, D. 899
See also
*
Key (music)
In music theory, the key of a piece is the group of pitches, or scale (music), scale, that forms the basis of a musical composition in classical music, classical, Western art, and Western pop music.
The group features a ''tonic (music), tonic ...
*
Major and minor
*
Chord (music)
*
Chord notation
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:C Minor
Musical keys
Minor scales