D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is

D minor D minor is a minor scale 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. The D natural minor scale is: Changes needed for t ...

. The D major scale is: :

Characteristics

According to Paolo Pietropaolo, D major is Miss Congeniality: it is persistent, sunny, and energetic. D major is well-suited to violin music because of the structure of the instrument, which is tuned G D A E. The

open strings ''Open Strings'' is an album by French jazz fusion artist Jean-Luc Ponty, released in 1971 on vinyl by the MPS label. Track listing All songs written by Jean-Luc Ponty, except where noted. Side one #"Flipping, Pt.1" – 4:40 #"Flipping, Pt.2 ...

resonate sympathetically with the D string, producing a sound that is especially brilliant. This is also the case with all other orchestral strings. Thus, it is no coincidence that many classical

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Classical music, Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. E ...

s throughout the centuries have chosen to write violin concertos in D major, including those by

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...

( No. 2, 1775, No. 4, 1775); Ludwig van Beethoven (

1806 Events January–March * January 1 ** The French Republican Calendar is abolished. ** The Kingdom of Bavaria is established by Napoleon. * January 5 – The body of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, lies in state in the Painted Hall ...

); Paganini ( No. 1, 1817); Brahms (

1878 Events January–March * January 5 – Russo-Turkish War – Battle of Shipka Pass IV: Russian and Bulgarian forces defeat the Ottoman Empire. * January 9 – Umberto I becomes King of Italy. * January 17 – Battle o ...

); Tchaikovsky (

); Prokofiev ( No. 1, 1917);

Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential 20th-century clas ...

(

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

); and

Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (May 29, 1897November 29, 1957) was an Austrian-born American composer and conductor. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential composers in Hollywood history. He was a noted pianist and compo ...

(

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II and the fall of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan. It is also the only year in which nuclear weapons have been used in combat. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. Januar ...

). The key is also appropriate for guitar music, with drop D tuning making two D's available as open strings. For some beginning wind instrument students, however, D major is not a very suitable key, since it transposes to

E major E major (or the key of E) 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, ...

on B wind instruments, and beginning methods generally tend to avoid keys with more than three sharps. Even so, the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

in B is still often used for music in D major, and it is perhaps the sharpest key that is practical for the instrument. There are composers however who, in writing a piece in D minor with B clarinets, will have them change to clarinets in A if the music switches to D major, two examples being Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the fourth movement. The vast majority of tin whistles are in D, since they are often used in music with

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

s. It is a common key for Pub session playing.

History

In the Baroque period, D major was regarded as "the key of glory"; hence many trumpet concertos were in D major, such as those by

Johann Friedrich Fasch Johann Friedrich Fasch (15 April 1688 – 5 December 1758) was a German violinist and composer. Much of his music is in the Baroque-Classical transitional style known as galant. Life Fasch was born in the town of Buttelstedt, 11 km north of ...

, Gross,

Molter Molter is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Dorothy Molter, the "Root Beer Lady" of Knife Lake in Minnesota * Johann Melchior Molter, German baroque composer and violinist * Károly Molter Károly Molter (; 2 December 1890 &n ...

(No. 2),

Leopold Mozart Johann Georg Leopold Mozart (November 14, 1719 – May 28, 1787) was a German composer, violinist and theorist. He is best known today as the father and teacher of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and for his violin textbook ''Versuch einer gründlichen ...

, Telemann (No. 2), and Giuseppe Torelli. Many trumpet sonatas were in D major, too, such as those by Corelli,

Petronio Franceschini Petronio Franceschini (Bologna, January 9, 1651 – Venice, December 4, 1680) was a Baroque composer from Italy. Biography Franceschini studied under Giacomo Antonio Perti and became also the main cellist in Basilica di San Petronio. He produced ...

, Purcell, and Torelli. "The Trumpet Shall Sound" and the "Hallelujah" chorus from

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concertos. Handel received his training i ...

's '' Messiah'', and his coronation anthem '' Zadok the Priest'' are in D major. In addition, Bach's Mass in B minor has D major as the relative major, and most of the major choruses in this key (Gloria, Cum Sancto Spiritu, Sanctus, Hosanna) make extensive use of trumpets. 23 of Haydn's 104 symphonies are in D major, making it the most-often used main key of his symphonies. The vast majority of

's unnumbered symphonies are in D major, namely K. 66c, 81/73, 97/73m, 95/73n, 120/111a and 161/163/141a. The symphony evolved from the overture, and "D major was by far the most common key for overtures in the second half of the eighteenth century." This continued even into the Romantic Period, and was used for the "triumphant" final movements of several

symphonies, including Beethoven's Ninth Symphony,

Robert Schumann Robert Schumann (; 8 June 181029 July 1856) was a German composer, pianist, and influential music critic. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era. Schumann left the study of law, intending to pursue a career a ...

's Fourth Symphony, the only symphony by César Franck,

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

's First Symphony, and

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

's Fifth Symphony. Famous symphonies written in D major include

's symphonies No. 31 (Paris) and No. 38 (Prague), Beethoven's No. 2 Op. 36, Brahms's No. 2 Op. 73, Sibelius's No. 2 Op. 43, and Prokofiev's No. 1 (Classical) Op. 25.

Notable compositions in D major

Antonio Vivaldi Antonio Lucio Vivaldi (4 March 1678 – 28 July 1741) was an Italian composer, virtuoso violinist and impresario of Baroque music. Regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, Vivaldi's influence during his lifetime was widespread a ...

Gloria Gloria may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music Christian liturgy and music * Gloria in excelsis Deo, the Greater Doxology, a hymn of praise * Gloria Patri, the Lesser Doxology, a short hymn of praise ** Gloria (Handel) ** Gloria (Jenkins) ...

RV 589 * Johann Sebastian Bach ** Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050 ** Cello Suite No. 6, BWV 1012 ** Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068 ** Orchestral Suite No. 4, BWV 1069 ** Magnificat, BWV 243 ** Partita No. 4, BWV 828 *

Johann Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (baptised – buried 9 March 1706; also Bachelbel) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secularity, secular music, and h ...

Canon in D Pachelbel's Canon (also known as the Canon in D, P 37) is an accompanied canon by the German Baroque composer Johann Pachelbel. The canon was originally scored for three violins and basso continuo and paired with a gigue, known as ''Canon and G ...

George Frideric Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel (; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque music, Baroque composer well known for his opera#Baroque era, operas, oratorios, anthems, concerto grosso, concerti grossi, ...

** '' Music for the Royal Fireworks'', HWV 351 *

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 ...

** Cello Concerto No. 2, Op. 101, Hob. VIIb/2 ** String Quartet No. 41, Hob.III:49 ("The Frog") ** String Quartet No. 53, Hob.III:63 ("The Lark") ** String Quartet No. 64, Hob.III:79 ("Largo") ** Symphony No. 86, Hob.I:86 ** Symphony No. 96, Hob.I:96 ("The Miracle") ** Symphony No. 101, Hob.I:101 ("The Clock") **

Symphony No. 104 The Symphony No. 104 in D major ( H. 1/104) is Joseph Haydn's final symphony. It is the last of the twelve London symphonies, and is known (somewhat arbitrarily, given the existence of eleven others) as the London Symphony. In Germany it is com ...

, Hob.I:104 ("London") * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ** Symphony No. 8, KV 48 ** Symphony No. 20, KV 133 ** Symphony No. 30, KV 202 ** Symphony No. 31, KV 297 ("Paris") ** Symphony No. 35, KV 385 ("Haffner") ** Symphony No. 38, KV 504 ("Prague") ** Piano Concerto No. 5, KV 175 ** Piano Concerto No. 16, KV 451 ** Piano Concerto No. 26, KV 537 ("Coronation") ** String Quartet No. 20, KV 499 ("Hoffmeister") **

String Quartet No. 21 The String Quartet No. 21 in D major, K. 575, was written in June 1789 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It has acquired the nickname ''The Violet'', used for example in Hans Keller's chapter of ''The Mozart Companion''. It is the first of the Pruss ...

, KV 575 ** String Quintet No. 5, KV 593 ** Piano Sonata No. 6, KV 284 ("Dürnitz") ** Piano Sonata No. 9, KV 311 ** Piano Sonata No. 18, KV 576 ** Sonata in D major for Two Pianos, KV 448 ** Ave verum corpus, KV 618 * Ludwig van Beethoven ** String Quartet No. 3, Op. 18 No. 3 ** Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 10/3 ** Piano Sonata No. 15, Op. 28 ("Pastoral") ** Symphony No. 2, Op. 36 ** Violin Concerto, Op. 61 ** Piano Trio No. 5, Op. 70 No. 1 ("Ghost") ** ''

Missa Solemnis {{Audio, De-Missa solemnis.ogg, Missa solemnis is Latin for Solemn Mass, and is a genre of musical settings of the Mass Ordinary, which are festively scored and render the Latin text extensively, opposed to the more modest Missa brevis. In French ...

'', Op. 123 * Franz Schubert ** Symphony No. 1, D. 82 ** Symphony No. 3, D. 200 ** Symphony No. 10, D 936A ** String Quartet No. 6, D. 74 ** String Quartet No. 7, D. 94 ** Piano Sonata No. 17, D 850 "Gasteiner" *

** '' Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage'', Op. 27 ** Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 58 ** String Quartet No. 3, Op. 44 No. 1 *

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 solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

** Mazurka, Op. 33 No. 2 ** Prelude No. 5, Op. 28 No. 5 *

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, pianist, and conductor of the mid- Romantic period. Born in Hamburg into a Lutheran family, he spent much of his professional life in Vienna. He is sometimes grouped wit ...

** Hungarian Dance No. 6, WoO 21 ** Serenade No. 1, Op. 11 ** Symphony No. 2, Op. 73 ** Violin Concerto, Op. 77 * Émile Waldteufel ** Estudiantina waltz, Op. 191 * Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ** String Quartet No. 1, Op. 11 ** Symphony No. 3, Op. 29 ("Polish") ** Violin Concerto, Op. 35 *

Antonín Dvořák Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czechs, Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravian traditional music, Moravia and his native Bohemia, following t ...

** Symphony No. 6, B 112 Op. 60 ** Czech Suite, B 39 Op. 39 ** Slavonic Dance No. 6, B 83 Op. 46 *

Gustav Mahler Gustav Mahler (; 7 July 1860 – 18 May 1911) was an Austro-Bohemian 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 the modernism ...

** Symphony No. 1 "Titan" * Jean Sibelius ** Symphony No. 2, Op. 43 ** '' The Oceanides'', Op. 73 *

Ralph Vaughan Williams Ralph Vaughan Williams, (; 12 October 1872– 26 August 1958) was an English composer. His works include operas, ballets, chamber music, secular and religious vocal pieces and orchestral compositions including nine symphonies, written over ...

** Symphony No. 5 in D major * Sergei Prokofiev ** Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 19 ** Symphony No. 1, Op. 25 ("Classical") *

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 Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and was regarded throug ...

** String Quartet No. 4, Op. 83 ** Prelude No. 5, Op. 87 No. 5 *

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the ...

** Étude No. 3 for guitar

References

External links

* {{Circle of fifths Musical keys Major scales

Characteristics

History

Notable compositions in D major

See also

References

External links