| Relative key | B-flat minor |
|---|---|
| Parallel key | D-flat minor →enharmonic:C-sharp minor |
| Dominant key | A-flat major |
| Subdominant key | G-flat major |
| Enharmonic key | C-sharp major |
| Component pitches | |
| D♭, E♭, F, G♭, A♭, B♭, C | |
D-flat major is amajor scale based onD♭, consisting of the pitches D♭,E♭,F,G♭,A♭,B♭ andC. Itskey signature has fiveflats.
The D-flat major scale is:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The D-flatharmonic major andmelodic major scales are:
Itsrelative minor isB-flat minor. Itsparallel minor,D-flat minor, is usually replaced byC-sharp minor, since D-flat minor features a B
(B-double-flat) in its key signature making it less convenient to use.C-sharp major, theenharmonic equivalent to D-flat major, has seven sharps, whereas D-flat major only has five flats; thus D-flat major is often used as theparallel major for C-sharp minor. (The sameenharmonic situation occurs with the keys ofA-flat major andG-sharp minor, and to some extent, with the keys ofG-flat major andF-sharp minor).
For example, in hisPrelude No. 15 in D-flat major ("Raindrop"),Frédéric Chopin switches from D-flat major toC-sharp minor for the middle section in the parallel minor, while in hisFantaisie-Impromptu andScherzo No. 3, primarily in C-sharp minor, he switches to D-flat major for the middle section for the opposite reason.Claude Debussy likewise switches from D-flat major to C-sharp minor in the significant section in his famous "Clair de lune" for a few measures.Antonín Dvořák'sNew World Symphony also switches to C-sharp minor for a while for the significant section in theslow movement.
In music for theharp, D-flat major is preferred enharmonically not only because harp strings are moreresonant in the flat position and the key has fewer accidentals, but also becausemodulation to thedominant key is easier (by putting the G pedal in the natural position, whereas there is no double-sharp position in which to put the F pedal for G-sharp major).
Thescale degree chords of D-flat major are:
Hector Berlioz called the key "majestic" in his 1856Grand Traité d'Instrumentation et d'Orchestration modernes, while having a much different opinion of its enharmonic counterpart, calling it "Less vague; and more elegant".[1] Despite this, when he came to orchestrateCarl Maria von Weber's piano pieceInvitation to the Dance in 1841, he transposed it from D-flat toD major, to give the strings a more manageable key and to produce a brighter sound.[2]
Charles-Marie Widor considered D-flat major to be the best key for flute music.[3]
Although this key was unexplored during theBaroque andClassical periods and was rarely used as the main key for orchestral works of the 18th century,Franz Schubert used it quite frequently in his sets ofécossaises,valses and so on, as well as entering it and even flatter keys in hissonatas,impromptus and the like.Ludwig van Beethoven, too, used this key extensively in hissecond piano concerto. D-flat major was used as the key for the slow movements ofJoseph Haydn'sPiano Sonata Hob XVI:46 in A-flat major, and Beethoven's"Moonlight" and"Appassionata" sonatas. Chopin'sMinute Waltz from Op. 64 is in D-flat major and most of hisScherzo No.2, despite relative minor being the tonic.
A part of the trio ofScott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag" is written in D-flat major.
The flattened pitches of D-flat major correspond to the black keys of thepiano, and there is much significant piano music written in this key.Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky'sPiano Concerto No. 1 is written in B-flat minor, but the famous opening theme is in D-flat major. Tchaikovsky composed the second movement ofPiano Concerto No. 1 also in D-flat.Sergei Rachmaninoff composed the famous 18th variation of hisRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in this key, perhaps emphasizing the generally held view that D-flat major is the most romantically flavored of the major keys; and his friendNikolai Medtner similarly chose it for the sensually romantic "big tune" in the last movement of hisPiano Concerto No. 3 ("Ballade").Claude Debussy also composed the famous "Clair de lune" in this key, with a significant section in C-sharp minor.Edvard Grieg composed the second movement of hisPiano Concerto in D-flat.Frédéric Chopin'sNocturne in D-flat, Op. 27 andBerceuse, Op. 57 are in this key.Franz Liszt composed heavily in this key, with his most recognizable piece being the third movement of his piano compositionTrois études de concert, dubbed "Un sospiro". Liszt took advantage of the piano's configuration of the key and used it to create an arpeggiating melody using alternating hands. Several of hisConsolations are also written in this key.
In orchestral music, the examples are fewer.Gustav Mahler concluded hisNinth Symphony with an Adagio in D-flat major, rather than the home key of D major of the first movement.Anton Bruckner wrote the third movement of hisSymphony No. 8 in D-flat major, while every other movement is in C minor.Antonín Dvořák wrote the second movement of hisSymphony No. 9 in D-flat major, while every other movement is in E minor. Thefirst piano concerto ofSergei Prokofiev is also written in D-flat major, with a short slow movement inG-sharp minor.Aram Khachaturian wrote hisPiano Concerto, Op. 38 in the key of D-flat major. Choral writing explores D-flat infrequently, notable examples beingRobert Schumann'sRequiem, Op. 148,Gabriel Fauré'sCantique de Jean Racine[4] andSergei Rachmaninoff's "Nunc Dimittis" from hisAll-Night Vigil, Op. 37.Vincent d'Indy'sString Quartet No. 3, Op. 96, which is in D-flat.[5]
Media related toD-flat major at Wikimedia Commons
