C-sharp major is a
major scale
The major scale (or Ionian mode) is one of the most commonly used musical scales, especially in Western music. It is one of the diatonic scales. Like many musical scales, it is made up of seven notes: the eighth duplicates the first at doubl ...
based on
C, consisting of the pitches C,
D,
E,
F,
G,
A, and
B. 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 cl ...
has seven
sharps. Its
relative minor is
A-sharp minor (or
enharmonically B-flat minor
B-flat minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has five flats. Its relative major is D-flat major and its parallel major is B-flat major. Its enharmonic equivalent, A-s ...
), its
parallel minor is
C-sharp minor, and its enharmonic equivalence is
D-flat major.
The C-sharp major scale is:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The C-sharp
harmonic major and
melodic major scales are:
A
harp
The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...
tuned to C-sharp major has all its pedals in the bottom position. Because all the strings are then pinched and shortened, this is the least resonant key for the instrument.
Scale degree chords
The
scale degree
In music theory, the scale degree is the position of a particular note on a scale relative to the tonic—the first and main note of the scale from which each octave is assumed to begin. Degrees are useful for indicating the size of intervals ...
chords of C-sharp major are:
*
Tonic – C-sharp major
*
Supertonic
In music, the supertonic is the second degree () of a diatonic scale, one whole step above the tonic. In the movable do solfège system, the supertonic note is sung as ''re''.
The triad built on the supertonic note is called the supertonic ...
–
D-sharp minor
*
Mediant
In music, the mediant (''Latin'': "being in the middle") is the third scale degree () of a diatonic scale, being the note halfway between the tonic and the dominant.Benward & Saker (2003), p.32. In the movable do solfège system, the mediant no ...
–
E-sharp minor
*
Subdominant
In music, the subdominant is the fourth tonal degree () of the diatonic scale. It is so called because it is the same distance ''below'' the tonic as the dominant is ''above'' the tonicin other words, the tonic is the dominant of the subdomina ...
–
F-sharp major
*
Dominant –
G-sharp major
*
Submediant
In music, the submediant is the sixth degree () of a diatonic scale. The submediant ("lower mediant") is named thus because it is halfway between the tonic and the subdominant ("lower dominant") or because its position below the tonic is symm ...
–
A-sharp minor
*
Leading-tone –
B-sharp diminished
Compositions
Most composers prefer to use the
enharmonic
In music, two written notes have enharmonic equivalence if they produce the same pitch but are notated differently. Similarly, written intervals, chords, or key signatures are considered enharmonic if they represent identical pitches that ar ...
equivalent
D-flat major since it contains five flats as opposed to C-sharp major's seven sharps. However,
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (German: Help:IPA/Standard German, joːhan zeˈbasti̯an baχ ( – 28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque music, Baroque period. He is known for his prolific output across a variety ...
chose C-sharp major for Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in both books of ''
The Well-Tempered Clavier''. In
Hungarian Rhapsody No. 6,
Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt (22 October 1811 – 31 July 1886) was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, conductor and teacher of the Romantic music, Romantic period. With a diverse List of compositions by Franz Liszt, body of work spanning more than six ...
takes the unusual step of changing the key from
D-flat major to C-sharp major near the start of the piece, and then back again to B-flat minor.
Maurice Ravel
Joseph Maurice Ravel (7 March 1875 – 28 December 1937) was a French composer, pianist and conductor. He is often associated with Impressionism in music, Impressionism along with his elder contemporary Claude Debussy, although both composer ...
selected C-sharp major as the tonic key of "Ondine" from his piano suite ''
Gaspard de la nuit''.
Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed his
Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, Op. 17, in C-sharp.
The ''
Allegro de concierto'' by Spanish composer
Enrique Granados
Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados Campiña (27 July 1867 – 24 March 1916), commonly known as Enrique Granados in Spanish or ''Enric Granados'' in Catalan, was a Spanish composer of classical music, and concert pianist from Cat ...
is written in C-sharp major. Canadian composer and pianist
Frank Mills originally wrote and performed his instrumental hit "
Music Box Dancer" in C-sharp major; however, most modern piano editions have the piece written in
C major
C major is a major scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. C major is one of the most common keys used in music. Its key signature has no flats or sharps. Its relative minor is A minor and its parallel min ...
.
Louis Vierne used C-sharp major for the "Dona nobis pacem" of the Agnus Dei of his ''
Messe solennelle'' in C-sharp minor.
Further reading
*
External links
List of compositions in C-sharp major
{{Circle of fifths
Musical keys
Major scales