[Smt-talk] F SHARP MAJOR

[David Clampitt]

The slow movements of Haydn's op. 76, no. 5 in D major, Cantabile e mesto,
and of his Piano Trio in F-sharp minor (Hob. XV/26), are in F-sharp major.
When he transcribed the Trio's Adagio for the B-flat Symphony no. 102, he
transposed to F major.

There is also the F-sharp major second movement of Shostakovich's Piano
Trio in E minor, op. 67.

David Clampitt
The Ohio State University
clampitt.4 at osu.edu


On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 11:19 AM, Stephen Jablonsky
<jablonsky at optimum.net>wrote:

> Eric’s story is terribly amusing and validates my suspicion that there is
> something special about F sharp major aside from the fact that it is as far
> away from C major on the Circle of 5ths as you can get. I will continue to
> collect data from my SMT friends and will report back in a week. Movements
> qualify for my list but not themes or sections. I do think it is
> interesting that in the last three hundred years such a small number of
> pieces are in this key when there are 12  trillion pieces in D. F# major,
> as many have pointed out, sits very well under the hand on the piano and
> Irving Berlin knew that better than anyone.
>
> *Dr. Stephen Jablonsky, Ph.D.*
> *Music Department Chair*
> *The City College of New York*
> *Shepard Hall Room 72*
> *New York NY 10031*
> *(212) 650-7663 <%28212%29%20650-7663>*
> *music at ccny.cuny.edu <music at ccny.cuny.edu>*
>
> America's Greatest Chair
> in the low-priced field
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On May 19, 2014, at 9:15 AM, Lai, Eric C. <Eric_Lai at baylor.edu> wrote:
>
>  It happened one day during my undergraduate years.  I was practicing
> Liszt's "Les jeux d'eaux à la Villa d'Este" when the door was suddenly
> flung open and in came one of my theory professors.  He asked, "Is that
> piece you're playing in F# or Gb?"  I answered, "F-sharp major."  He then
> looked up to the ceiling, contemplated for a few seconds, and left the room
> without saying a word.  I am still amused (and puzzled) every time I recall
> this anecdote.
>
>  BTW, he has one of the most interesting personalities I have ever
> encountered.  He would always lie down on the pedestrian walkway in front
> of the school building with his radio next to him because, according
> to him, that spot had the best reception in the area!
>
>
>  Eric Lai
> Baylor University
>
>  On May 18, 2014, at 9:38 PM, Stephen Jablonsky <jablonsky at optimum.net>
> wrote:
>
>  I know that many of our members in academe are preparing for the end of
> the school year and have little time for a dalliance with a particular key
> and the rest of you have busy lives as well. I, on the other hand, being a
> lifteime composer, have a mild case of OCD and could not let go of this
> inquiry into the frequency of usage of F sharp major. A cursory search of
> the Internet, and some help from friends, has produced what may be the
> first definitive list of works in this very rare key. Obviously, the list
> does not include works that attempt to do things in every key. G flat major
> is another story for another day.
>
>  Beethoven                   Sonata No. 24, op.78
>
> Chopin                        Nocturne op. 15, No. 2; Barcarole, op. 60;
> Impromptu, op. 36
>
> Dvorak                        Humoresque, B. 138 (op. 32)
>
> Huré                           Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 3
>
> Korngold                     Symphony, op. 40
>
> Liszt                            “Benediction de Dieu dans la solitude”
> from *Harmonies poetique et religieuses, III*
>
> Mahler                        Symphony No. 10
>
> Scarlatti                      Sonatas, K. 318 and 319
>
> Schumann                  Romance, op. 28, No. 2
>
> Scriabin                      Sonata No. 4, op. 30; Poeme, op. 32. No. 1
>
> Soler                           Sonata, Rubio 90
>
>
>     *Dr. Stephen Jablonsky, Ph.D.*
>  *Music Department Chair*
>  *The City College of New York*
>  *Shepard Hall Room 72*
>  *New York NY 10031*
>  *(212) 650-7663 <%28212%29%20650-7663>*
>  *music at ccny.cuny.edu <music at ccny.cuny.edu>*
>
>  America's Greatest Chair
> in the low-priced field
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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