B-flat minor is a
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 ...
based on
B, consisting of the pitches B,
C,
D,
E,
F,
G, and
A. Its
key signature
In Western musical notation, a key signature is a set of sharp (), flat (), or rarely, natural () symbols placed on the staff at the beginning of a section of music. The initial key signature in a piece is placed immediately after the clef a ...
has five
flats. Its
relative major is
D-flat major
D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major.
The D-flat major scale is:
:
Its ...
and its
parallel major is
B-flat major
B-flat major is a major scale based on B, with pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two flats. Its relative minor is G minor and its parallel minor is B-flat minor.
The B-flat major scale is:
:
Many transposing ins ...
. Its
enharmonic equivalent,
A-sharp minor, which would contain seven sharps, is not normally used.
The B-flat
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 a ...
is:
:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The B-flat
harmonic minor
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 also ...
and
melodic minor scales are:
:
:
Characteristics
B-flat minor is traditionally a 'dark' key.
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
D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor.
The D major scale is:
:
Ch ...
, Op. 80.
Notable classical compositions
*
Charles-Valentin Alkan
** ''
Prelude Op. 31'', No. 12 (Le temps qui n'est plus)
**
Symphony for Solo Piano, 3rd movement: Menuet
*
Samuel Barber
**''
Adagio for Strings
''Adagio for Strings'' is a work by Samuel Barber, arguably his best known, arranged for string orchestra from the second movement of his String Quartet, Op. 11.
Barber finished the arrangement in 1936, the same year that he wrote the quart ...
''
*
Frédéric Chopin
**
Piano Sonata No. 2 "Funeral March"
**
Nocturne Op. 9 No. 1
**
Scherzo No. 2
**
Prelude Op. 28, No. 16 "Hades"
**
Mazurka Op. 24, No. 4
*
Sergei Rachmaninoff
**
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 36
*
Dmitri Shostakovich
**
Symphony No. 13, Op. 113 ("Babi Yar")
**
String Quartet No. 13, Op. 138
*
Richard Strauss
**''
An Alpine Symphony'' begins and ends in B-flat minor.
*
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , group=n ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer of the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. He wrote some of the most pop ...
**
Piano Concerto No. 1
**''
Marche slave
The ''Marche slave'' () in B-flat minor, Op. 31, is an orchestral tone poem by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky published in 1876. It was written to celebrate Russia's intervention in the Serbian-Ottoman War.
Titling
It has been published variou ...
''
*
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton (29 March 19028 March 1983) was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best-known works include ''Façade'', the cantat ...
**
Symphony No. 1
References
External links
*
{{Circle of fifths
Musical keys
Minor scales