G-sharp major explained
G-sharp major
|
| Relative: | E-sharp minor (theoretical) |
| Parallel: | G-sharp minor |
| Enharmonic: | A-flat major |
| Dominant: | D-sharp major (theoretical) |
| Subdominant: | C-sharp major |
| First Pitch: | G |
| Second Pitch: | A |
| Third Pitch: | B |
| Fourth Pitch: | C |
| Fifth Pitch: | D |
| Sixth Pitch: | E |
| Seventh Pitch: | F |
G-sharp major is a theoretical key based on the musical note G, consisting of the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one double sharp and six basic sharps.[1]
Its relative minor is E-sharp minor, which is usually replaced by F minor. Its parallel minor is G-sharp minor; its enharmonic equivalent is A-flat major.
The G-sharp major scale is:
Although the enharmonic key of A-flat major is preferred because A-flat major has only four flats as opposed to G-sharp major's eight sharps (including the F), G-sharp major appears as a secondary key area in several works in sharp keys, most notably in the Prelude and Fugue in C-sharp major from Johann Sebastian Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. The G-sharp minor prelude (and the fugue) from the same set ends with a Picardy third, on a G-sharp major chord. G-sharp major is tonicised briefly in several of Frédéric Chopin's nocturnes in C-sharp minor. A section in the second movement of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 is in G-sharp major, although the key signature has four sharps. The end of the exposition of the second movement Charles-Valentin Alkan's Grande sonate 'Les quatre âges', subtitled Quasi-Faust, is in G-sharp major, albeit written with a six-sharp key signature (the movement opens in D-sharp minor and ends in F-sharp major).
The final pages of A World Requiem by John Foulds are written in G-sharp major with its correct key signature shown in the vocal score including the F. The key signature is shown as in the LilyPond example with the scale above, starting with the C and ending at the F.[2]
Scale degree chords
Notes and References
- Book: G-sharp major. A Dictionary of Three Thousand Musical Terms. revised by J. A. Hamilton. Thomas Busby. 1840. London. D'Almaine. 55.
- http://www.musicsalesclassical.com/composer/work/14652 "John Foulds: A World Requiem (1921)
