List of symphonies by key
This list of symphonies by key is a list of symphonies sorted by key. For the least often used keys in orchestral music, the symphony listed might be famous only for being in that key.
C major
In the Classical period, C major was the key most often chosen for symphonies with trumpets and drums. Even in the Romantic period, with its greater use of minor keys and the ability to use trumpets and drums in any key, C major remained a very popular choice of key for a symphony. The following list only includes the most famous examples.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 21 (1800)
- Georges Bizet
- Symphony in C (1855)
- Joseph Haydn
- Michael Haydn
- Symphony No. 39 in C major, MH 478, Perger 31 (1788)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 36, "Linz", K. 425 (1783)
- Symphony No. 41, "Jupiter", K. 551 (1788)
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No. 4 (original version), Op. 47, 1930
- Symphony No. 4 (revised version), Op. 112, 1947
- Franz Schubert
- Symphony No. 6, D. 589
- Symphony No. 9, "The Great", D. 944 (1828)
- Robert Schumann
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 61 (1846)
- Franz Liszt
- Faust Symphony, S 108 (1847)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 7, "Leningrad", Op. 60 (1942)
- Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 52 (1907)
- Symphony No. 7, Op. 105 (1924)
- Igor Stravinsky
- Symphony in C (1940)
C minor
The key of C minor was, like most other minor keys, associated with the literary Sturm und Drang movement during the Classical period. But ever since Ludwig van Beethoven's famous Symphony No. 5, Op. 67, of 1808, C minor imparts a symphony in the key a character of heroic struggle. Early classical symphonies in the key typically ended in C minor but with a picardy third for the very final chord. Following Beethoven's precedent, most C minor symphonies of the Romantic period end in C major. Another option is to end in E-flat major (the relative key), as Mahler does in his Second Symphony.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 5, op. 67 (1808)
- Johannes Brahms
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 68 (1876)
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 1 (1868)
- Symphony No. 2 (1872)
- Symphony No. 8 (1887)
- Joseph Haydn
- Gustav Mahler
- Camille Saint-Saëns
- Symphony No. 3 "Organ", Op. 78 (1886)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 43 (1936)
- Symphony No. 8, Op. 65 (1943)
C-sharp minor
Even by Mahler's time symphonies in C-sharp minor were rare. Some of the works listed below might have no claim to fame besides being in this key.
- Arnold Bax
- Ernest Bloch
- Joseph Martin Kraus
- Symphony in C-sharp minor, VB 140. Identified by musicologist Bertil H. van Boer in program notes for the Naxos recording as one of only two C-sharp minor symphonies written in the 18th century.
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 5 (1902) - Mahler objected to this key assignment, preferring none at all
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No. 7, Op. 131 (1952)
- Ture Rangström
- Symphony No. 1 August Strindberg in Memoriam (1914)
- Vissarion Shebalin
D-flat major
Symphonies in D-flat major are much rarer than those in C-sharp minor and one has to look beyond the standard core repertoire to find them.
- Erwin Dressel
- Symphony in D-flat major (1928)
- Anastazy Wilhelm Dreszer (1843 - 1907)
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 3 (1865)[1]
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 25, Op. 69 (1945-6)[2]
- Ture Rangström
- Symphony No. 3, "Song under the Stars" (1929)
D major
Baroque and Classical symphonies in D major typically used horns in D (reading a seventh down) and when they used trumpets, trumpets in D reading a step up. The following list includes only the most famous of the Classical and Romantic periods.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 36 (1802)
- Johannes Brahms
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 73 (1877)
- Antonín Dvořák
- Symphony No. 6, Op. 60, B. 112 (1880)
- Joseph Haydn
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 1 (1888)
- Symphony No. 9 (1910)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 31 "Paris", K. 297 (1778)
- Symphony No. 35 "Haffner", K. 385 (1782)
- Symphony No. 38 "Prague", K. 504 (1786)
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No. 1"Classical", Op. 25 (1917)
- Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 43 (1902)
- Johann Stamitz
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Symphony No. 5 - nominally in the key
D minor
Baroque and Classical symphonies in D minor usually used 2 horns in F (whereas for most other minor keys 2 or 4 horns were used, half in the tonic and half in the relative major). Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 29 in D minor is notable for using two trumpets in D (the horns are in F but change to D for the coda of the finale). In the Romantic era, D minor symphonies, like symphonies in almost any other key, used horns in F and trumpets in B-flat.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 9 "Choral", Op. 125 (1824)
- Havergal Brian
- Symphony No. 1 "Gothic" (1927)
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 0 (1869)
- Symphony No. 3 (1873, 1877, 1891)
- Symphony No. 9 (1896, inc.)
- Antonín Dvořák
- Symphony No. 7, Op. 70, B. 141 (1885)
- César Franck
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 26 "Lamentatione" (1768)
- Symphony No. 80 (1784)
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 3 (1896)
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Symphony No. 5 "Reformation", Op. 107 (1830)
- Martin Scherber
- Symphony No. 1 (1938)
- Robert Schumann
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 120 (1841)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 (1937)
E-flat major
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 3 "Eroica", Op. 55 (1804)
- Alexander Borodin
- Symphony No. 1 (before 1869)
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 4 "Romantic" (1874)
- Edward Elgar
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 63 (1911)
- Alexander Glazunov
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 48
- Karl Goldmark
- Rustic Wedding Symphony, Op. 26 (1875)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 22 "The Philosopher" (1764)
- Symphony No. 99 (1793)
- Symphony No. 103 "Drumroll" (1795)
- Gustav Mahler
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 1, K. 16 (1764)
- Symphony No. 39, K. 543 (1788)
- Robert Schumann
- Symphony No. 3 "Rhenish", Op. 97 (1850)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 3 "The First of May", Op. 20 (1931)
- Symphony No. 9, Op. 70 (1945)
- Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 82 (1915)
- Johann Stamitz
E-flat minor
The two examples of symphonies in E-flat minor that come up most readily are both Sixth Symphonies by Soviet composers.
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 6, Op. 23 (1921-3)
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No. 6, Op. 111 (1947)
E major
In the classical period, symphonies in E major used horns in E but no trumpets.
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 12 (1763)
- Symphony No. 29 (1765)
- Max Bruch
- Symphony No. 3[3]
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 7 (1883)
- Alexander Scriabin
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 26 (1900)
E minor
- Johannes Brahms
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 98 (1885)
- Antonín Dvořák
- Symphony No. 9 "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 (1893)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 44 "Trauer" (1770)
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 7 (1906)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 27 (1907)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 10, Op. 93 (1948)
- Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 39 (1898)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 64 (1888)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Symphony No. 6 (1948)
- Symphony No. 9 (1957)
F major
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 6 "Pastoral", Op. 68 (1808)
- Symphony No. 8, Op. 93 (1812)
- Johannes Brahms
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 90 (1883)
- Antonín Dvořák
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 76, B. 54 (1875)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 89 (1787)
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 16 "Aviation", Op. 39 (1935-1936)
F minor
Even in the Sturm und Drang era, F minor was not a frequent choice for a minor key symphony, though Haydn did contribute one.
- Anton Bruckner
- Study Symphony in F minor
- Joseph Haydn
- Martin Scherber
- Symphony No. 2 (1951–52)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 10 (1925)
- Richard Strauss
- Symphony in F minor
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 36 (1878)
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
- Symphony No. 4 (1934)
F-sharp major
The only notable (completed) symphony written explicitly in F-sharp major is Erich Wolfgang Korngold's Symphony in F-sharp major, Op. 40 of 1950.
Gustav Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony is in this key. So is Olivier Messiaen's Turangalîla-Symphonie, as several of its movements including the finale are in that key, although it could be excluded on the grounds that it is very far from traditionally tonal.
F-sharp minor
Though it has just three sharps and its relative major was used somewhat frequently, F-sharp minor was an unusual choice of key in the Classical era.
- George Frederick Bristow
- Symphony in F-sharp minor, Op. 26
- Alexander Glazunov
- Symphony No. 2
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 45 "Farewell" (1772)
- Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 21
- Dora Pejačević
- Symphony (1917)
G major
In the Baroque and Classical periods, G major was one of the most often used keys. Classical symphonies in G major typically had horns in G but no trumpets. In the Romantic era the key was less often used. The following list only includes the most famous works.
- Antonín Dvořák
- Symphony No. 8, Op. 88, B. 163 (1889)
- George Dyson
- Symphony in G major (1937)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 8 "Le Soir" (1761)
- Symphony No. 88 (late 1780s)
- Symphony No. 92 "Oxford" (1791)
- Symphony No. 94 "Surprise" (1791)
- Symphony No. 100 "Military" (1794)
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 4 (1901)
- Johann Stamitz
- Ralph Vaughan Williams
G minor
G minor was a frequent choice for minor key symphonies. In the Classical period, symphonies in G minor almost always used four horns, two in G and two in B-flat alto.[4]
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 39 (1767)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 25, K. 183 (1773)
- Symphony No. 40, K. 550 (1788)
- Carl Nielsen
- Symphony No.1 (1891)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 11 "The Year 1905", Op. 103 (1957)
A-flat major
Although A-flat major was chosen often enough for inner movements of symphonies in other keys (most notably slow movements of C minor symphonies), there are very few symphonies with A-flat major as their main key.
- Edward Elgar
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 55 (1908)
- Johann Baptist Wanhal
- Symphony in A-flat major, Bryan Ab1[5]
G-sharp minor
Because A-flat minor has seven flats in its key signature, composers usually use the enharmonically-equivalent G-sharp minor which only has five sharps. It is infrequent even in piano music, and even rarer in orchestral music in general.
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 17
- Elliot Goldenthal
- Symphony in G-sharp minor
A major
The following list only includes the most famous A major symphonies.
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 7, Op. 92 (1812)
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 6 (1881)
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 59, "Fire" (before 1769)
- Symphony No. 64, "Tempora mutantur" (1778)
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Symphony No. 4 "Italian", Op. 90 (1833)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 29, K. 201 (1774)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 15, Op. 141 (1971)
- Johann Stamitz
A minor
- Stephen Brown
- Symphony, The Northern Journey (1986–89, revision 1992)
- Gustav Mahler
- Symphony No. 6 "Tragic" (1904)
- Felix Mendelssohn
- Symphony No. 3 "Scottish", Op. 56 (1842)
- Sergei Rachmaninoff
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 44 (1936)
- Jean Sibelius
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 63 (1911)
B-flat major
Haydn's Symphony No. 98 is credited as the first symphony written in B-flat major in which trumpet and timpani parts are included. Actually, his brother Michael Haydn had written one such symphony earlier, No. 36. However, Joseph 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.[6] Many editions of the work, however, use no key signature and specify the instrument as "Timpani in B flat - F." (Note that in German, the pitch B flat is called "B", and B natural is "H", thus the specification for timpani in a B-flat work could be written "Pauken in B. - F.")
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Symphony No. 4, Op. 60 (1806)
- Anton Bruckner
- Symphony No. 5 (1876)
- Ernest Chausson
- Symphony in B-flat, Op. 20 (1890)
- Alexander Glazunov
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 48
- Joseph Haydn
- Andrea Luchesi
- Symphony in B-flat major (ca.1770)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Symphony No. 33, K. 319 (1779)
- Sergei Prokofiev
- Symphony No. 5, Op. 100 (1944)
- Franz Schubert
- Symphony No. 5, D. 485 (1816)
- Robert Schumann
- Symphony No. 1 "Spring", Op. 38 (1841)
- Johann Stamitz
B-flat minor
B-flat minor occurs often enough in the piano repertoire, much less so in the orchestral repertoire. Even allowing little-known works, the list is rather short.
- Havergal Brian
- Symphony No. 8 (1949)[7]
- Frederic Hymen Cowen
- Symphony No. 4[8]
- Jānis Ivanovs
- Symphony No. 1 (1933)[9]
- Dmitry Kabalevsky
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 22 (1933)[10]
- Miloslav Kabeláč
- Symphony No. 5 Dramatic, Op. 41 (1960)
- Tikhon Khrennikov
- Symphony No. 1, Op. 4 (1933-5)[11]
- Sergei Lyapunov
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 66
- Albéric Magnard
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 11 (1896)[12]
- Nikolai Myaskovsky
- Symphony No. 11, Op. 34 (1932)
- Symphony No. 13, Op. 36 (1933)
- Harald Sæverud
- Symphony No. 3, Op. 5
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 13 "Babi Yar", Op. 113 (1962)
- Maximilian Steinberg
- Symphony No. 2, Op. 8 (1909) In Memoriam Rimsky-Korsakov
- William Walton
- Symphony No. 1 (1932–35)
B major
Haydn's use of B major in his Symphony No. 46 was deemed "extraordinary" for a symphony in the 18th century.[13]
- Joseph Haydn
- Symphony No. 46 (1772)
- Erich Wolfgang Korngold
- Sinfonietta, Op. 5 (1912)
- Georg Matthias Monn
- Sinfonia (1740s)[14]
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 2 "To October", Op. 14 (1927)
B minor
B minor is the key of some famous symphonies in the repertoire, as well as a few lesser known ones.
- Alexander Borodin
- Symphony No. 2 (1876)
- Wilhelm Furtwängler
- Symphony No. 1 (1941)
- Ignacy Jan Paderewski
- Symphony in B minor (Polonia), Op. 24 (1908)
- Martin Scherber
- Symphony No. 3 (Die Russische) (1952–55)
- Franz Schubert
- Symphony No. 8 (Unfinished), D. 759 (1822, inc.)
- Dmitri Shostakovich
- Symphony No. 6, Op. 54 (1939)
- Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
- Manfred Symphony, Op. 58 (1885)
- Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique), Op. 74 (1893)
References
- ↑ Walter Frisch, Brahms: The Four Symphonies New Haven: Yale University Press (2003): 8. In a "chronological listing of symphonies by contemporary composers published" in the time between Schumann's Third and Brahms's First.
- ↑ "Page about Myaskovsky Symphony No. 25". Myaskovsky Official Site. Retrieved 2007-11-19.
- ↑ Percy Goetschius, Masters of the Symphony. Boston: Oliver Ditson Company (1929): 331
- ↑ H. C. Robbins Landon, Mozart and Vienna. New York: Schirmer Books (1991): 48. "Writing for four horns was a regular part of the Sturm und Drang G minor equipment." Robbins Landon also notes that Mozart's No. 40 was first intended to have four horns.
- ↑ Paul Bryan, Johann Waṅhal, Viennese Symphonist: His Life and His Musical Environment Stuyvesant: Pendragon Press (1997): 330. The manuscript copy at Donaueschingen gives the key as "
A" while the one at Prague gives it as "Gis" (G sharp). - ↑ H. C. Robbins Landon, Haydn Symphonies London: British Broadcasting Corporation (1966): 57
- ↑ "Description of Brian Symphony 8". Havergal Brian Society. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ Percy Goetschius, Masters of the Symphony. Boston: Oliver Ditson Company (1929): 337
- ↑ "van Rijen Page About Ivanovs". 11 February 2007. Archived from the original on 25 October 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ "van Rijen Page About Kabalevsky". 4 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ "van Rijen's Khrennikov Page". 16 August 2007. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ "Notes to Hyperion Recording of Magnard Third Symphony". Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ↑ Antony Hodgson, The Music of Joseph Haydn: The Symphonies. London: The Tantivy Press (1976): 74".
- ↑ Heartz, Daniel (1995). Haydn, Mozart, and the Viennese School, 1740-1780: 1740-1780 at Google Books, p. 87, W. W. Norton & Company (1995) ISBN 0-393-96533-3