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 the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The B-flat harmonic major and melodic major scales are: Many

transposing instrument A transposing instrument is a musical instrument for which music notation is not written at concert pitch (concert pitch is the pitch on a non-transposing instrument such as the piano). For example, playing a written middle C on a transposing ...

s are pitched in B-flat major, including the

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

, and soprano saxophone. As a result, B-flat major is one of the most popular keys for concert band compositions.

Scale degree chords

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

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 ...

– G minor * Leading-tone – A diminished

History

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 Symphony No. 98 is often credited as the first symphony written in that key, including

and

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

parts. However, his brother Michael Haydn wrote one such symphony earlier, No. 36. Nonetheless, Joseph Haydn still gets credit for writing the timpani part at actual pitch with an F major key signature (instead of transposing with a C major key signature), a procedure that made sense since he limited that instrument to the tonic and dominant pitches. H. C. Robbins Landon, ''Haydn Symphonies'', London: British Broadcasting Corporation (1966): 57 Many editions of the work use no key signature and specify the instrument as "Timpani in B–F".

Notable classical compositions

François Couperin François Couperin (; 10 November 1668 – 11 September 1733) was a French Baroque music, Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as ''Couperin le Grand'' ("Couperin the Great") to distinguish him from other members of the musi ...

** '' Les Barricades Mystérieuses'' *

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 ...

** Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 * Luigi Boccherini ** Cello Concerto No. 9, G. 482 *

** Symphony No. 85 (''La Reine'') ** Symphony No. 98 ** Symphony No. 102 ** Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Cello, Oboe and Bassoon ** String Quartet Op. 76 No. 4 (''Sunrise'') *

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 ...

** Symphony No. 2 ** Symphony No. 5 ** Symphony No. 24 ** Symphony No. 33 ** Piano Concerto No. 6 ** Piano Concerto No. 15 ** Piano Concerto No. 18 ** Piano Concerto No. 27 ** String Quintet No. 1 ** String Quartet No. 17 (''Hunt'') ** Violin Sonata No. 32 ** Piano Sonata No. 3 ** Piano Sonata No. 13 (''Linz'') ** Piano Sonata No. 17 *

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 ...

** Piano Concerto No. 2 ** Symphony No. 4 ** String Quartet No. 6 ** String Quartet No. 13 ** '' Große Fuge'' ** Piano Sonata No. 11 ** Piano Sonata No. 29 (''Hammerklavier'') ** Piano Trio, Op. 97 (''Archduke'') *

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 No. 3, Op. 142 ** Mass No. 3 ** Der Hirt auf dem Felsen, D. 965 ** Piano Sonata No. 21, D. 960 ** Piano Trio No. 1, D. 898 ** Symphony No. 2 ** Symphony No. 5 * Felix Mendelssohn ** Symphony No. 2 (''Lobgesang'') ** String Quintet No. 2 ** Cello Sonata No. 1 * Frédéric Chopin ** Variations on "Là ci darem la mano" for piano and orchestra, Op. 2 ** Mazurka Op. 7, No. 1 ** Prelude Op. 28, No. 21 "Sunday" ** Polonaise Op. 71, No. 2 *

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. 1, Op. 38, (''Frühling'') ** The second, fourth and sixth movement of '' Kreisleriana'', Op. 16 ** Humoreske for piano, Op. 20 ** '' Faschingsschwank aus Wien'' for piano, Op. 26 *

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 ...

** Transcendental Étude No. 5 (''Feux follets'') from '' Transcendental Études'' * Anton Bruckner ** Symphony No. 5 *

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 ...

** Piano Concerto No. 2 ** String Quartet No. 3 ** String Sextet No. 1 ** '' Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel'' ** Variations on a Theme by Haydn * Bohuslav Martinů ** Symphony no. 1 * Sergei Prokofiev ** Symphony No. 5 ** Piano Concerto No. 4 ** Piano Sonata No. 7 ** Piano Sonata No. 8 * Dmitri Shostakovich ** String Quartet No. 5 *

Modest Mussorgsky Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (; ; ; – ) was a Russian composer, one of the group known as "The Five (composers), The Five." He was an innovator of Music of Russia, Russian music in the Romantic music, Romantic period and strove to achieve a ...

** "Promenade" from '' Pictures at an Exhibition'' * Ottorino Respighi ** "The Pines of the Villa Borghese" from '' Pines of Rome''

References

External links

* {{Circle of fifths Musical keys Major scales