The significance of Key

I was at a choir rehearsal a few months ago when the conductor mentioned that the creed we were singing was written in C Major, as C Major had an affiliation with faith in the Catholic church. This got me thinking about the significance of keys and whether more thought goes into selecting a key than I first realised.

For example, C Major was considered to be a key of strength particularly when combined with a modulation from C minor to C Major; many academics associated C minor with strive and struggle so the resolution to C Major is seen as a triumph. C minor also seems to have particular significance to Beethoven; many of his powerful and emotional works are written in the key.

I was intrigued that Baroque composers seemed to favour G and D Major for joyous works, but one commentator mentioned that the invention of the valve trumpet shifted the preference of composers to flatter keys.

I also hadn't considered how some keys lie better on some instruments. Many comments were made about setting violin concertos in A or E Major as these are the higher open strings so a fuller, richer sound can be achieved in these keys. There was also reference to Chopin believing B Major was the simplest key to play on the piano because its notes naturally fitted the human hand. There was also an interesting comment about issues around clarinet writing and minor to parallel major modulations; the main example being D minor to D Major where a Bb clarinet would better suit the former and an A clarinet the latter.

I have a natural preference towards sharper keys, A and E Major in particular, as for me sharp keys sound sweeter than flat keys. Equally C Major always sounds bland and mundane, but maybe that’s because it’s the first scale you learn on most instruments so is the most familiar.

I found it interesting that it Bb minor is considered a dark key. The oboe solo in Tchaikovsky’s 2^nd symphony is written this key; Tchaikovsky described it as “the feeling you get when you are all alone.”

I also found different lists compiled by people describing the characteristics of keys; this document summarises the ideas of three different people:

http://www.skylineperformingarts.org/instrumental_files/documents/misc/Key%20meanings.pdf

I don't necessarily agree with all of them, but I find Schubart's ideas the most relatable. He does, however, have some negative connotations to major keys, such as Ab Major; D minor also has a more positive spin than other minor keys. Maybe I should generate my own ideas.