Hector Berlioz complained about the custom of his day in which timpani tuned to A and E a fifth apart were notated C and G a fourth apart, a custom which survived as late as the music of Franz Berwald. hope of seeing one's beloved again when parting youthful cheerfulness and trust in God.' įor orchestral works in A major, the timpani are typically set to A and E a fifth apart, rather than a fourth apart as for most other keys. In connection to Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata, Peter Cropper said that A major 'is the fullest sounding key for the violin.' Īccording to Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart, A major is a key suitable for 'declarations of innocent love. Johannes Brahms, César Franck, and Gabriel Fauré wrote violin sonatas in A major. Franz Schubert's Trout Quintet and Antonín Dvořák's Piano Quintet No. The key of A occurs frequently in chamber music and other music for strings, which favor sharp keys. Moreover, the climax part of Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto is also in A major. Mozart's Clarinet Concerto and Clarinet Quintet are both in A major, along with his 23rd Piano Concerto, and generally Mozart was more likely to use clarinets in A major than in any other key besides E-flat major. 4 comprise a nearly complete list of symphonies in this key in the Romantic era. However, in the tenor clef, it would require a ledger line and so G ♯ is placed lower than C ♯.Īlthough not as rare in the symphonic literature as sharper keys (those containing more than three sharps), symphonies in A major are less common than in keys with fewer sharps such as D major or G major.

In the treble, alto, and bass clefs, the G ♯ in the key signature is placed higher than C ♯. Audio playback is not supported in your browser.

A flat major scale guitar