[Smt-talk] F SHARP MAJOR

[Olli Väisälä]

Fiona McAlpine wrote:

> Keyboards, fingers & organists: why might Messiaen have found F#  
> major a congenial key signature – or an accustomed place to put his  
> hands –  at a time when he was developing his modes de  
> transposition limitée?

The "accustomed place to put his hands" is also a good point  
concerning Messiaen's compatriot predecessor, Debussy (some of whose  
pieces have already been mentioned in this thread). For example, in  
several preludes of the first book, Debussy focused on the set D#–F#– 
A#–C# or Eb–Gb–Bb–Db, whose privileged position on the keyboard is  
easy to understand. The suggested tonality varies, however, from Eb  
minor (Le vent dans la plaine) to B major (Les collines d'Anacapri)  
and to Gb major (La fille aux cheveux de lin). (Stephen, apologies  
for making a false start with Gb major.)

A propos La fille, the different expressive connotations of sharps  
and flats can hardly be more clearly illustrated than by comparing  
the F# added-sixth chord at end of Ce qu'a vu le vent d'ouest to the  
new notation of the same set in the next piece.


Olli Väisälä
Sibelius Academy
University of the Arts, Helsinki
ovaisala at siba.fi
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