D minor is a

minor scale In Classical_music, Western classical music theory, the minor scale refers to three Scale (music), scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending). ...

based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative major is F major and its parallel major is

D major D major is a major scale based on D (musical note), D, consisting of the pitches D, E (musical note), E, F♯ (musical note), F, G (musical note), G, A (musical note), A, B (musical note), B, and C♯ (musical note), C. Its key signature has two S ...

. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The D harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are:

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 D minor are: * Tonic – D minor * Supertonic – E diminished * Mediant – F major *

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 ...

– G minor * Dominant – A minor *

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 ...

–

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: Changes needed for ...

* Subtonic – C major

Music in D minor

Domenico Scarlatti Giuseppe Domenico Scarlatti (26 October 1685 – 23 July 1757) was an Italian composer. He is classified primarily as a Baroque music, Baroque composer chronologically, although his music was influential in the development of the Classical peri ...

'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 Fugue'' by

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 ...

is in D minor.

Michael Haydn Johann Michael Haydn (; 14 September 1737 – 10 August 1806) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period, the younger brother of Joseph Haydn. Life Michael Haydn was born in 1737 in the Austrian village of Rohra ...

's only minor-key symphony, No. 29, is in D minor. According to Alfred Einstein, the history of tuning has led D minor to be associated with counterpoint and chromaticism (for example, the chromatic fourth), and cites Bach's '' Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue'', BWV 903, in D minor. Mozart's Requiem is written primarily in D minor, as are the famous Queen of the Night Aria, "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen", and the overture and the final scene of ''

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; full title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanish legen ...

''. 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, his String Quartet No. 13, K. 173, and String Quartet No. 15, K. 421, the overture of Betulia liberata are also in D minor. The only chamber music compositions in D minor by

Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. He is one of the most revered figures in the history of Western music; his works rank among the most performed of the classical music repertoire ...

are his stormy Piano Sonata No. 17 and the haunting Largo of the Ghost Trio Op. 70/1.

Franz Schubert Franz Peter Schubert (; ; 31 January 179719 November 1828) was an Austrian composer of the late Classical period (music), Classical and early Romantic music, Romantic eras. Despite his short life, Schubert left behind a List of compositions ...

's String Quartet No. 14 (''Death and the Maiden'') is in D minor. A number of Gabriel Fauré's chamber music works are written in D minor, including the Piano Trio Op. 120, the First Piano Quintet Op. 89, and the First Cello Sonata Op. 109.

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

's '' Verklärte Nacht'' is in D minor, as is his String Quartet No. 1. Since D minor is the key of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, Anton Bruckner felt apprehensive about writing his own Symphony No. 9 in the same key. As well as Bruckner's First Mass and Third Symphony, multiple other post-Beethoven symphonies are in D minor, including

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; ; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and music critic of the early Romantic music, Romantic era. He composed in all the main musical genres of the time, writing for solo piano, voice and piano, chamber ...

's Symphony No. 4, the only Symphony written by César Franck, Dvořák's Seventh Symphony and Symphony No. 3 by

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic music, Romantic composer, and one of the leading conductors of his generation. As a composer he acted as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and ...

Jean Sibelius Jean Sibelius (; ; born Johan Julius Christian Sibelius; 8 December 186520 September 1957) was a Finnish composer of the late Romantic music, Romantic and 20th-century classical music, early modern periods. He is widely regarded as his countr ...

often reserved the key of D minor for compositions he saw as being of a noble character; the Violin Concerto, the Sixth Symphony, and the string quartet '' Voces intimae'' are each in the key. The tonality of D minor held special significance for Helene and Alban Berg. D minor is particularly recurrent in the music of

Sergei Rachmaninoff Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff; in Russian pre-revolutionary script. (28 March 1943) was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and Conducting, conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a compos ...

, with pieces written in the key occupying close to one eighth of his total compositional output, including the Third Piano Concerto; the Piano Sonata No. 1; the Symphony No. 1; the Trio élégiaque No. 2; the Études-Tableaux, Op. 33, No. 4; and Op. 39, No. 8; the Corelli Variations; and the symphonic poem '' Prince Rostislav''. Works in the classical music era and later beginning in minor typically end in major, or at least on a major chord (such as a picardy 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 in

E major E major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, F-flat maj ...

are Havergal Brian's '' Gothic Symphony'' and

Carl Nielsen Carl August Nielsen (; 9 June 1865 – 3 October 1931) was a Danish composer, conductor, and violinist, widely recognized as his country's most prominent composer. Brought up by poor yet musically talented parents on the island of Funen, he d ...

's Symphony No. 4 (''The Inextinguishable'').

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 ...

's '' Dante Symphony'' opens in D minor and ends in B major. Similar to a D minor symphony ending in

, 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 Landon wrote 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. H. C. Robbins Landon, ''Supplement to The Symphonies of Joseph Haydn'' London: Barrie & Rockliff (1961): 47 Film composer Hans Zimmer is 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 are '' Gladiator'', '' The Dark Knight'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' and '' The Da Vinci Code''. His frequent use of the key has been noticed by reviewers such as Christian Clemmensen of Filmtracks.com, who has called the trend "ridiculous stubbornness".

Other notable compositions

* George Frideric Handel ** Keyboard suite in D minor (HWV 437) *

** Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 ** Harpsichord Concerto No. 1, BWV 1052 ** English Suite No. 6, BWV 811 ** Cello Suite No. 2, BWV 1008 ** Concerto for Two Violins, BWV 1043 ** '' The Art of Fugue'', BWV 1080 ** Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004 *

Georg Philipp Telemann Georg Philipp Telemann (; – 25 June 1767) was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is one of the most prolific composers in history, at least in terms of surviving works. Telemann was considered by his contemporaries to b ...

** Fantasia for flute solo No. 6 ** Fantasia for viola da gamba solos No. 11 *

Joseph Haydn Franz Joseph Haydn ( ; ; 31 March 173231 May 1809) was an Austrian composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. He was instrumental in the development of chamber music such as the string quartet and piano trio. His contributions ...

** Symphony No. 26 "Lamentatione" ** String Quartet in D minor, Hob.III:76 "Fifths" *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

** Kyrie in D minor, K. 341 ** Fantasia in D minor, K. 397 * Fanny Mendelssohn **

Piano Trio A piano trio is a group of piano and two other instruments, usually a violin and a cello, or a piece of music written for such a group. It is one of the most common forms found in European classical music, classical chamber music. The term can also ...

, Op. 11 *

Felix Mendelssohn Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (3 February 18094 November 1847), widely known as Felix Mendelssohn, was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Mendelssohn's compositions inc ...

** Variations sérieuses, Op. 54 ** Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 40 ** Concerto for Violin and Strings ** Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 49 ** Symphony No. 5 "Reformation" *

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 Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

** Prelude Op. 28, No. 24 "Storm" ** Polonaise, Op. 71 No. 1 * Charles-Valentin Alkan ** " Le chemin de fer", Op. 27 ** " En rythme molossique", No. 2 from 12 études in all the minor keys, Op. 39 *

** Transcendental Étude No. 4 "Mazeppa", from S. 139, for piano ** Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7, S. 244/7, for piano ** Hungarian Rhapsody No. 17, S. 244/17, for piano ** Hungarian Rhapsody No. 19, S. 244/19, for piano ** '' Mazeppa'', S. 100, symphonic poem *

** Violin Concerto, WoO 23 ** Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 63 ** Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 121 * Édouard Lalo ** Cello Concerto * Anton Bruckner ** Symphony in D minor ** March in D minor * César Franck ** Symphony D minor *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

** Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 15 ** Tragic Overture ** Violin Sonata No. 3 Op. 108 *

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

** Night on Bald Mountain * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ** Orchestral Suite No. 1 Op. 43 * Antonín Dvořák ** Symphony No. 4 Op. 13, B. 41 ** String Quartet No. 9 Op. 34 ** Serenade for Wind Instruments Op. 44 * Gabriel Fauré ** Requiem Op. 44 ** Piano Quintet No. 1, Op. 89 ** Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. 109 **

, Op. 120 * Ralph Vaughan Williams ** Symphony No. 8 * Eugène Ysaÿe ** Violin Sonata No. 3 "Ballade" *

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''. , group=n ( – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor who l ...

** Toccata for piano Op. 11 ** Symphony No. 2 Op. 40 ** Piano Sonata No. 2 Op. 14 *

Aram Khachaturian Aram Ilyich Khachaturian (; 1 May 1978) was a Soviet Armenians, Armenian composer and conductor. He is considered one of the leading Music of the Soviet Union#Classical music of the Soviet Union, Soviet composers. Khachaturian was born and rai ...

** Violin Concerto * Dmitri Shostakovich ** Cello Sonata Op. 40 ** Symphony No. 5 Op. 47 ** Symphony No. 12 Op.112

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:D Minor Minor scales Musical keys

Scale degree chords

Music in D minor

Other notable compositions

See also

Notes

External links