E-flat major is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has three flats. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E minor, (or enharmonically D minor). The E-flat major scale is: Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The E-flat harmonic major and melodic major scales are:

Scale degree chords

The scale degree chords of E-flat major are: * Tonic – E-flat major * Supertonic – F minor * Mediant – G minor * Subdominant – A-flat major * Dominant –

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 ...

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 ...

– C minor * Leading-tone – D diminished

Characteristics

The key of E-flat major is often associated with bold, heroic music, in part because of

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 ...

's usage. His ''Eroica Symphony'', ''Emperor Concerto'' and ''Grand Sonata'' are all in this key. Beethoven's (hypothetical) 10th Symphony is also in E-flat. But even before Beethoven, Francesco Galeazzi identified E-flat major as "a heroic key, extremely majestic, grave and serious: in all these features it is superior to that of C." Three of

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 ...

's completed Horn Concertos and

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 ...

's Trumpet Concerto are in E-flat major, and so is Anton Bruckner's Fourth Symphony with its prominent horn theme in the first movement. Another notable heroic piece in the key of E-flat major is Richard Strauss's '' A Hero's Life''. The heroic theme from the Jupiter movement of Gustav Holst's '' The Planets'' is in E-flat major. Mahler's vast and heroic Eighth Symphony is in E-flat and his Second Symphony also ends in this key. However, in the Classical period, E-flat major was not limited to solely bombastic brass music. "E-flat was the key Haydn chose most often for tringquartets, ten times in all, and in every other case he wrote the slow movement in the dominant, B-flat major." Or "when composing church music and operatic music in E-flat major, osephHaydn often substituted cors anglais for

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

s in this period", and also in Symphony No. 22. E-flat major was the second-flattest key Mozart used in his music. For him, E-flat major was associated with Freemasonry; "E-flat evoked stateliness and an almost religious character."

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

wrote his Variation IX "Nimrod" from the ''

Enigma Variations Edward Elgar composed his ''Variations on an Original Theme'', Op. 36, popularly known as the ''Enigma Variations'', between October 1898 and February 1899. It is an orchestral work comprising fourteen variations on an original theme. Elgar ...

'' in E-flat major. Its strong, yet vulnerable character has led the piece to become a staple at funerals, especially in Great Britain. Shostakovich used the E-flat major scale to sarcastically evoke military glory in his Symphony No. 9.

Well-known compositions in this key

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 ...

** Cello Suite No. 4, BWV 1010 ** Prelude & Fugue in E-flat major "St. Anne", BWV 552 *

** Septet for Strings and Woodwinds, Op. 20 ** Symphony No. 3, Op. 55 "Eroica" ** Piano Concerto No. 5, Op. 73 "Emperor" ** Piano Sonata No. 4, Op. 7 "Grand Sonata" ** Piano Sonata No. 18, Op. 31/3 "The Hunt" ** Piano Sonata No. 26, Op. 81a "Les Adieux" ** Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 12/3 ** Piano Trio in E-flat major, Op.70 No.2 ** Sextet for Horns and String Quartet, Op. 81b ** String Quartet No. 10, Op. 74 ** String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127 *

Vincenzo Bellini Vincenzo Salvatore Carmelo Francesco Bellini (; ; 3 November 1801 – 23 September 1835) was an Italian opera composer famed for his long, graceful melodies and evocative musical settings. A central figure of the era, he was admired not only ...

** Oboe Concerto *

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 ...

** Intermezzo for piano op. 117/1 ** Rhapsody for piano op. 119/4 ** Clarinet Sonata op. 120/2 ** Horn trio op. 40 *

Max Bruch Max Bruch (6 January 1838 – 2 October 1920) was a German Romantic Music, Romantic composer, violinist, teacher, and conductor who wrote more than 200 works, including three violin concertos, the first of which has become a staple of the violin ...

** '' Scottish Fantasy'' in E-flat major, Op. 46 * Anton Bruckner ** Symphony No. 4, WAB 104 "Romantic" *

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 ...

** Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 9, No. 2 ** Étude in E-flat, Op. 10, No. 11 ** Grande valse brillante, Op. 18 ** Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante, Op. 22 ** Prelude in E-flat, Op. 28, No. 19 ** Nocturne in E-flat, Op. 55, No. 2 * Jan Ladislav Dussek ** Piano Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 44 ("The Farewell") *

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8September 18411May 1904) was a Czech composer. He frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example of his predec ...

** String Quartet Op. 51 ** String Quintet Op. 97 *

** Variations on an Original Theme, Variation IX "Nimrod" *

John Field John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second Ep ...

** Nocturnes No. 1 (H24) and No. 8 (H30) *

** String Quartet Op. 33 No. 2, "The Joke" ** Symphony No. 22, Hob.I:22 "Philosopher" ** Symphony No. 103, Hob.I:103 "Drumroll" ** Trumpet Concerto, Hob.VIIe:1 ** Piano Trio No. 45, Hob.XV:29 ** Piano Sonata in E-flat, No. 59, Hob.XVI/49 ** Piano Sonata in E-flat, No. 62, Hob XVI/52 *

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 ...

** Piano Concerto No. 1, S.124 ** Transcendental Étude No. 7 "Eroica" *

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 ...

** Symphony No. 8, "The Symphony of a Thousand" *

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 ...

** Symphony for string orchestra No. 6 ** Sonata for clarinet and piano ** Octet, Op. 20 ** String Quartet (unnumbered) ** String Quartet No. 5 Op. 44 No. 3 ** Variations for piano, Op. Posth. 82 *

** K. 16 ** Serenade for winds, K. 375 ** Piano Concerto No. 9, K. 271 "Jeunehomme" ** Piano Concerto No. 10 for two pianos, K. 365/316a ** Piano Concerto No. 14, K. 449 ** Piano Concerto No. 22, K. 482 ** Sinfonia Concertante for violin and viola, K. 364/320d ** Symphony No. 39, K. 543 ** Piano Sonata, K. 282 (189g) ** Divertimento for String Trio, K. 563 ** Trio for clarinet, viola and piano, K. 498 ** Piano Quartet, K. 493 ** Quintet for Piano and Winds, K. 452 ** String Quintet, K. 614 ** Horn Quintet, K. 407 (386c) ** Horn Concerto, K. 417 ** Horn Concerto, K. 447 ** Horn Concerto, K. 495 *

Camille Saint-Saëns Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...

** Sonata for clarinet and piano, Op. 167 *

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 ...

** Impromptu in E-flat, Op. 90 No. 2 ** Piano Trio No. 2 (Schubert) ** Mass in E-flat major, D. 950 *

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 ...

** Symphony No. 3, Op. 97 "Rhenish" ** Piano Quintet, Op. 44 ** Piano Quartet Op. 47 *

Dmitri Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded as a major composer. Shostak ...

** Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 107 ** Symphony No. 3, Op. 20 ** Symphony No. 9, Op. 70 *

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 ...

** Symphony No. 5, Op. 82 *

John Philip Sousa John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...

** The Stars and Stripes Forever *

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( ; 7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Russian composer during the Romantic period. He was the first Russian composer whose music made a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popula ...

** 1812 Overture, Op. 49 *

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

**Prelude to ''

Das Rheingold ''Das Rheingold'' (; ''The Rhinegold''), Wagner-Werk-Verzeichnis, WWV 86A, is the first of the four epic poetry, epic music dramas that constitute Richard Wagner's Literary cycle, cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (English: ''The Ring of the Nib ...

'' *

Carl Maria von Weber Carl Maria Friedrich Ernst von Weber (5 June 1826) was a German composer, conductor, virtuoso pianist, guitarist, and Music criticism, critic in the early Romantic music, Romantic period. Best known for List of operas by Carl Maria von Weber, h ...

** Grand Duo Concertant, Op. 48

Notes

External links

* {{Authority control Musical keys Major scales