C-sharp major (or the key of C-sharp) 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 doub ...
based on
C, consisting of the pitches C,
D,
E,
F,
G,
A, and
B. It is
enharmonically equivalent to
D-flat major. Its
key signature has seven
sharps.
The C-sharp major scale is:
:
Its
relative minor is
A-sharp minor (or
enharmonically
In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but "spelled", or named differently. The enharmonic spelling of a written no ...
B-flat minor) and its
parallel minor is
C-sharp minor.
A
harp 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.
Compositions
Most composers prefer to use the
enharmonic equivalent
D-flat major since it only contains five flats as opposed to C-sharp major's seven sharps. However,
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
chose C-sharp major for Prelude and Fugue No. 3 in both books of ''