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Topic: different key, different mood?  (Read 1900 times)

Offline onwan

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different key, different mood?
on: May 23, 2013, 08:53:45 PM
Hi! I was just wondering If the key change would change whole piece? I know that there is the major and minor key, the first is "cheerful, happy" and the minor is "sad, melancholic". But I think that there is more than only that. If you know a bit about some pieces you should find out, that there are some similarities between the keys. For example, Chopin's revolutionary etude (c minor), ocean etude (c minor) and Beethoven pathetique (c minor, too) are in very same key and for me, thay have very simmilar mood, spirit. They are all "loud", belligerent, heroic, sad, theatrical...
On the other side, there are pieces like Un sospiro and Consolation no.3 by Liszt, both are in D flat major, and Chopin's nocturne Op.27 no.2 (D flat major). They are all melancholic, sweet, but not really happy even they are all in major key.
Do you think that there is something that makes different key, different mood? Or is it just me? If yes, could you give me some more examples?
Bach-Prelude and Fugue 2
Mozart-Sonata 545
Schubert-Klavierstucke D946 - 1, 2
Chopin-Etude 10/9, 25/12
Liszt-Un Sospiro
Rachmaninoff-Prelude 23/5, 3/2

Offline ajspiano

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Re: different key, different mood?
Reply #1 on: May 23, 2013, 10:14:13 PM
I agree with the concept, though I am not particularly good at articulating it through all keys. The difference is strong enough for me to be able to use it as a partial perfect pitch tool in that i can usually identify the key on a work on that basis.

one I can put into words is D major,  which I think of as "uplifting, joyous" as distinct from C major, which I find far more "triumphant,  victorious".

it has been looked into before in different forms, there's also the concept that each pitch evokes a certain colour.
 

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