C-flat major (or the key of C-flat) 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 double ...
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 clef a ...
has seven
flats
Flat or flats may refer to:
Architecture
* Flat (housing), an apartment in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and other Commonwealth countries
Arts and entertainment
* Flat (music), a symbol () which denotes a lower pitch
* Flat (soldier), ...
.
Its
relative minor
In music, relative keys are the major and minor scales that have the same key signatures (enharmonically equivalent), meaning that they share all the same notes but are arranged in a different order of whole steps and half steps. A pair of major an ...
is
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...
(or enharmonically
G-sharp minor
G-sharp minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has five sharps.
Its relative major is B major. Its parallel major, G-sharp major, is usually replaced by its enharmonic equi ...
), and its
parallel minor
In music theory, a major scale and a minor scale that have the same tonic note are called parallel keys and are said to be in a parallel relationship. Forte, Allen (1979). ''Tonal Harmony'', p.9. 3rd edition. Holt, Rinehart, and Wilson. . "When ...
is C-flat minor, usually replaced by
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.
The B natural minor scale is:
:
Changes need ...
, since C-flat minor's three
double-flats make it impractical to use. The direct enharmonic equivalent of C-flat major is
B major, a
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 clef a ...
with five sharps.
The C-flat major scale is:
C-flat major is the only major or minor key, other than
theoretical keys, which has "flat" or "sharp" in its name, but whose tonic note is the
enharmonic equivalent
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 n ...
of a
natural
Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...
note (a white key on a keyboard instrument).
Use in harp music
C-flat major is the home key of the
harp, with all its pedals in the top position, and it is considered the most resonant key for the instrument. Thus, in
Richard Strauss's ''
Ein Heldenleben
''Ein Heldenleben'' (''A Hero's Life''), Op. 40, is a tone poem by Richard Strauss. The work was completed in 1898. It was his eighth work in the genre, and exceeded any of its predecessors in its orchestral demands. Generally agreed to be au ...
'', the first cue for the harps is written in C-flat major even though the rest of the orchestra, having previously played in
E-flat major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) 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 ...
, retains a 3-flat key signature and is now playing in
B major, marked with the necessary sharps and naturals as accidentals.
This use of C-flat major in harp parts when the rest of the orchestra is playing in B major is not exceptional: it is standard practice in orchestral music written in B major for harp parts to be notated in C-flat major. In
Arnold Bax
Sir Arnold Edward Trevor Bax, (8 November 1883 – 3 October 1953) was an English composer, poet, and author. His prolific output includes songs, choral music, chamber pieces, and solo piano works, but he is best known for his orchestral musi ...
's symphonic poem ''
Tintagel
Tintagel () or Trevena ( kw, Tre war Venydh, meaning ''Village on a Mountain'') is a civil parish and village situated on the Atlantic coast of Cornwall, England. The village and nearby Tintagel Castle are associated with the legends surroundin ...
'', the key is B major and again the harp part is always notated in C-flat major; but in this case the harp's key signature contains only 6 flats, and the necessary Fs are notated with accidentals. In
Claude Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp, the second movement has a middle section in B major, for which the harp part is notated in C-flat major with seven flats. In
Reinhold Glière
Reinhold Moritzevich Glière (born Reinhold Ernest Glier, which was later converted for standardization purposes; russian: Рейнгольд Морицевич Глиэр; 23 June 1956), was a Russian Imperial and Soviet composer of German and ...
's
Harp Concerto in
E-flat major
E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) 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 ...
, the middle movement is a set of variations in C-flat major. Sometimes harp parts are also written in
G-flat major
G-flat major (or the key of G-flat) is a major scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has six flats.
Its relative minor is E-flat minor (or enharmonically D-sharp minor), and its parallel ...
when the rest of the orchestra is notated in
F-sharp major
F-sharp major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has six sharps.
The F-sharp major scale is:
:
Its relative minor is D-sharp minor (or enharmonically ...
. Harp parts can also be written in
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...
when the rest of the orchestra is notated in
G-sharp minor
G-sharp minor is a minor scale based on G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has five sharps.
Its relative major is B major. Its parallel major, G-sharp major, is usually replaced by its enharmonic equi ...
.
Music in C-flat major
Most composers prefer to use the enharmonic equivalent B major, since it only contains five sharps as opposed to C-flat major's seven flats. However, the middle section of
Frédéric Chopin's ''Contredanse'' in G-flat major is written in C-flat major, as are the middle (Trio) sections of two of
Ernesto Nazareth
Ernesto Júlio de Nazareth (March 20, 1863 – February 1, 1934) was a Brazilian composer and pianist, especially noted for his creative Maxixe and Choro compositions. Influenced by a diverse set of rhythms like the polka, the habanera, and the ...
's Brazilian tangos for piano, "Chave de Ouro" and "Labirinto" (both with a home key of G-flat major), as well as the final half (last two themes) of
William Bolcom
William Elden Bolcom (born May 26, 1938) is an American composer and pianist. He has received the Pulitzer Prize, the National Medal of Arts, a Grammy Award, the Detroit Music Award and was named 2007 Composer of the Year by Musical America. He ...
's rag for piano, "Seabiscuits".
There is a brief passage in the first movement, "Evocación", of ''
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
'' by
Isaac Albéniz
Isaac Manuel Francisco Albéniz y Pascual (; 29 May 1860 – 18 May 1909) was a Spanish virtuoso pianist, composer, and conductor. He is one of the foremost composers of the Post-Romantic era who also had a significant influence on his conte ...
which suggests the key of C-flat minor by adding the necessary three double-flats as accidentals. The surrounding passages are in C-flat major, with a 7-flat key signature. The movement is in
sonata form
Sonata form (also ''sonata-allegro form'' or ''first movement form'') is a musical structure generally consisting of three main sections: an exposition, a development, and a recapitulation. It has been used widely since the middle of the 18th c ...
, in the key of
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...
, so this places the second theme in the orthodox relative major key (and in the also-orthodox tonic major key of
A-flat major when it reappears near the end of the piece).
The slow movement of
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
's
Piano Sonata No. 12 has a principal theme that modulates from
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...
to C-flat major, before moving to what would theoretically be C-flat minor, but is notated as
B minor
B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major.
The B natural minor scale is:
:
Changes need ...
(every note in this passage requires an accidental, due to the key signature of seven flats). A few other works by Beethoven have significant passages in C-flat major, although they usually notate this with accidentals in some other key signature, because C-flat major's seven flats make it a difficult key to use; for example:
*
Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125 (''Choral''), mvmt. III: the section containing a prominent horn solo before the final return of a variant of the first theme, back in
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:
:
Many transposing ins ...
*
Piano Sonata No. 26 in E-flat major, Op. 81a (''Les Adieux''): several bars into the slow introduction to the first movement
*
Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110, mvmt. III: the first appearance of the Arioso section is in
A-flat minor
A-flat minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Its key signature has seven flats. Its relative major is C-flat major (or enharmonically B major), its parallel major is A-flat major, and its enh ...
(despite being notated with only 6, not 7, flats), and this includes a significant modulation to its relative major key of C-flat major
*
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 (''Emperor''): one of the transitional themes in the first movement's exposition section, between the first and second subjects.
C-flat major is used for
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
's ''Interlude'' in C-flat major for harp, several of
Max Reger's Canons in All Major and Minor Keys (Book 1 Nos. 62 and 63, and Book 2 No. 48), and No. 29 from the ''Thirty Preludes in All Major and Minor Keys'' by
Christian Heinrich Rinck
Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (18 February 1770 – 23 July 1846) was a German composer and organist of the late classical and early romantic eras.
Life and career
Rinck was born in Elgersburg (in present-day Thuringia), and died in Darms ...
.
In some scores, the C-flat major key signature in the bass clef is written with the flat for the F on the second line from the top. This can be seen, for example, in the Albéniz example given above:
Iberia
The Iberian Peninsula (),
**
* Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica''
**
**
* french: Péninsule Ibérique
* mwl, Península Eibérica
* eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
, 1st movement: "Evocación", about two-thirds of which is in 7 flats, and every bass-clef staff of which shows this variant. This is also seen in the second movement of the
Beautiful Danube waltz in the
Boosey & Hawkes concert band edition.
References
External links
Overview of compositions with 7 accidentals
{{Circle of fifths
Musical keys
Major scales