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| Relative key | F-sharp major |
|---|---|
| Parallel key | D-sharp major (theoretical) →enharmonic:E-flat major |
| Dominant key | A-sharp minor |
| Subdominant | G-sharp minor |
| Enharmonic | E-flat minor |
| Component pitches | |
| D♯, E♯, F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯ | |
D-sharp minor[1] is aminor scale based onD♯, consisting of the pitches D♯,E♯,F♯,G♯,A♯,B, andC♯. Itskey signature has sixsharps.
Itsrelative major isF-sharp major (or enharmonicallyG-flat major). Itsparallel major, D-sharp major,[2] is usually replaced byE-flat major, since D-sharp major's twodouble-sharps make it impractical to use. Itsenharmonic equivalent,E-flat minor, has six flats.
The D-sharpnatural minor scale is:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The D-sharpharmonic minor andmelodic minor scales are:
Thescale degree chords of D-sharp minor are:
D-sharp minor is infrequently used as the principal key of pieces in theClassical era. More common is notation in E-flat minor, which is a relatively manageable key for manybrass instruments andwoodwinds. In the 24 canonic keys, most of the composers preferred E-flat minor, whileJohann Sebastian Bach,Sergei Lyapunov, andManuel Ponce preferred D-sharp minor.
From Bach'sThe Well-Tempered Clavier, the eighth fugue from Book 1 and the eighth prelude and fugue from Book 2 are in D-sharp minor; both fugues end with aPicardy third, requiring an F
in the finalD-sharp major chord.
The second of Lyapunov's12 Transcendental Études ("Ronde des Fantômes") is also in D-sharp minor.
Alexander Scriabin'sEtude Op. 8, No. 12 is in this key, perhaps the most famous example.
The second movement fromCharles-Valentin Alkan'sGrande sonate 'Les quatre âges', subtitledQuasi-Faust, is also in D-sharp minor (but ends inF-sharp major), and modulates into even sharper keys along the way, some even beingtheoretical keys, such asG-sharp major and D-sharp major.
In a few scores, 6-sharp key signatures in the bass clef are written with the sharp for the A on the top line.[citation needed]
Despite the key rarely being used in orchestral music other than to modulate, it is not entirely uncommon in keyboard music. For orchestration of piano music, some theorists recommend transposing the music toD minor orE minor. If D-sharp minor must absolutely be used, one should take care that B♭ wind instruments be notated inF minor, rather thanE-sharp minor (or G instruments used instead, giving a transposed key ofG-sharp minor), and B♮ instruments inE minor, in order to avoid double sharps in key signatures. Meanwhile, the E horns would have parts written with aB minorkey signature. Instruments in F can be written inA-sharp minor but it is more recommended to useB-flat minor for them.
Media related toD-sharp minor at Wikimedia Commons
