Examining compositions taken from musical literature, find two examples of an unusual key signature; two examples each of double sharp and double flat; three examples of scales.
Listening to the track, it would seem that there are pieces in keys like Dbb....E...Bbb......well...I have never seen any score with a key of this type, not even in the book of scales, scales in these keys exist......ok, maybe I'm wrong...what is an unusual key????
Thank you
C
Carlos
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Reply 2 by Carlos
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DanielePiano wrote:
The exercise on page 11 no. 11 of Piston says:
By examining compositions taken from musical literature, find two examples of an unusual key signature; two examples each of double sharp and double flat; three examples of scales.
A listening to the track, it would seem that there are pieces in keys like Dbb....Ebb....Bbb......well...I have never seen such a key in any score, not even in the book of scales do scales in these keys exist......ok, maybe I'm wrong...what is an unusual key????
Thank you
No: you must look for three different things:
- two examples of an unusual key signature (not "unusual key"; read carefully!);
- two examples each of double sharp and double flat;
I don't know, but I believe he meant to talk specifically about pieces that use key signatures that do not refer to a tonality...
for example, some pieces from Bartók's Microcosmos come to mind, in which it is not uncommon to find a key signature with only a C# (without the F#).
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Carlos
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Reply 6 by Carlos
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DanielePiano wrote:
mmm... it's not clear to me, the key signature determines the key...
If I tell you they are two different things, trust me. suonolatromba has already answered you, and I reiterate: even just looking at Mikrokosmos, you will find many pieces in sharps or flats that do not "mean" any key. I studied one when I was in my first year that was in D minor, but it had A-flat (only A-flat!) in the key signature.
The key signature follows the circle of fifths within a strictly tonal framework; when the music departs from this context, it follows, regarding notation, the system devised by the composer.
Bartók's example is apt. In reality, there is no rule; in the twentieth century, everyone sought to find a writing style suited to making reading "clearer."
Berg wrote without key signatures, but every note had an accidental, or rather, natural signs were also indicated....which in a tonal context are instead implied and useless.
If I were to write a piece where, by "rule," every A is #, I could put only that in the key signature
