A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C
A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C
A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C{{music,
DD is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the solfege system.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of middle D is approximately 293.665 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
,
EE or mi is the third note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the E note is approximately 329.628 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.-Designation by octave:...
, F{{music, and G{{music. Its
key signatureIn musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
has three sharps.
Its
relative minorIn music, the relative minor of a particular major key is the key which has the same key signature but a different tonic, as opposed to parallel minor which shares the same tonic. For example, G major and E minor both have a single sharp in their key signature at F; therefore, E minor is the...
is F-sharp minor and its
parallel minorIn music, the parallel minor or tonic minor of a particular major key is the minor key based on the same tonic; similarly the parallel major has the same tonic as the minor key...
is
A minorA minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
. The key of A-major is the only key where a Neapolitan sixth chord on requires both a flat and a natural accidental.
Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys, examples of symphonies in A major are not as numerous as for D major or G major.
A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C
A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C
A major (or the
key of A) is a
major scaleIn music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher. In solfege these notes correspond to the syllables "Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, "...
based on A, with the pitches
ALa or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of...
,
BB, also known as Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B note is approximately 493.883 Hz...
, C{{music,
DD is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the solfege system.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of middle D is approximately 293.665 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
,
EE or mi is the third note of the solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the E note is approximately 329.628 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.-Designation by octave:...
, F{{music, and G{{music. Its
key signatureIn musical notation, a key signature is a series of sharp or flat symbols placed on the staff, designating notes that are to be consistently played one semitone higher or lower than the equivalent natural notes unless otherwise altered with an accidental...
has three sharps.
Its
relative minorIn music, the relative minor of a particular major key is the key which has the same key signature but a different tonic, as opposed to parallel minor which shares the same tonic. For example, G major and E minor both have a single sharp in their key signature at F; therefore, E minor is the...
is F-sharp minor and its
parallel minorIn music, the parallel minor or tonic minor of a particular major key is the minor key based on the same tonic; similarly the parallel major has the same tonic as the minor key...
is
A minorA minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
. The key of A-major is the only key where a Neapolitan sixth chord on requires both a flat and a natural accidental.
Although not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys, examples of symphonies in A major are not as numerous as for D major or G major.
BeethovenLudwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was a crucial figure in the transitional period between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western classical music, and remains one of the most acclaimed and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, of the Electorate of Cologne and...
's
Symphony No. 7Ludwig van Beethoven began concentrated work on his Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92, in 1811, while he was staying in the Bohemian spa town of Teplice in the hope of improving his health...
,
BrucknerAnton Bruckner was an Austrian composer known for his symphonies, masses, and motets. His symphonies are often considered emblematic of the final stage of Austro-German Romanticism because of their rich harmonic language, complex polyphony, and considerable length...
's
Symphony No. 6Symphony No. 6 in A Major by Austrian composer Anton Bruckner is a work in four movements composed between September 24, 1879 and September 3, 1881 and dedicated to his landlord, Dr. Anton van Ölzelt-Newin...
and
MendelssohnJakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born, and generally known in English-speaking countries, as Felix Mendelssohn was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period....
's
Symphony No. 4The Symphony No. 4 in A major, Op. 90, commonly known as the Italian, is an orchestral symphony written by German composer Felix Mendelssohn....
comprise a nearly complete list of symphonies in this key in the Romantic era.
MozartWolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as...
's
Clarinet ConcertoMozart's Clarinet concerto in A major, K. 622 was written in 1791 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler.It consists of the usual three movements, in a fast-slow-fast form:# Allegro# Adagio# Rondo: Allegro...
and
Clarinet QuintetWolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Quintet for Clarinet and Strings, K. 581, was written in 1789 for the clarinetist Anton Stadler. A clarinet quintet is a work for one clarinet and a string quartet . Although originally written for basset clarinet, it is almost always played on a clarinet in A or B-flat...
are both in A major, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides E-flat major.
In chamber music, A major occurs more often. Both
Johannes BrahmsJohannes Brahms , German composer and pianist, was one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
and
César FranckCésar Franck , a Belgian composer, organist and music teacher who lived in France, was one of the great figures in Romantic music in the second half of the 19th century.- Biography :...
wrote violin sonatas in A major. In connection to Beethoven's
Kreutzer SonataViolin Sonata No. 9 in A major, commonly known as the Kreutzer Sonata, is a violin sonata which Ludwig van Beethoven published as his Opus 47...
, Peter Cropper said that A major "is the fullest sounding key for the violin."
According to
Christian Friedrich Daniel SchubartChristian Friedrich Daniel Schubart , German poet, was born at Obersontheim in Swabia.He entered the university of Erlangen in 1758 as a student of theology. He led a dissolute life, and after two years' stay was summoned home by his parents...
, A major is a key suitable for "declarations of innocent love, ... hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting; youthful cheerfulness and trust in God."
For orchestral works in A major, the timpani are typically set to A and E a fifth apart, rather than a fourth apart as for most other keys.
Hector Berlioz Hector Berlioz was a French Romantic composer, best known for his compositions Symphonie fantastique and Grande Messe des morts . Berlioz made significant contributions to the modern orchestra with his Treatise on Instrumentation...
complained about the custom of his day in which timpani tuned to A and E a fifth apart were notated C and G a fourth apart, a custom which survived as late as the music of
Franz BerwaldFranz Adolf Berwald was a Swedish Romantic composer who was generally ignored during his lifetime. Due to this, he was forced to make his living as an orthopedic surgeon and later as the manager of a saw mill and glass factory.-Life and works:Berwald came from a family with four generations of...
.
See also:
List of symphonies in A major