F-sharp minor

F-sharp minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has three sharps. Its relative major is A major and its parallel major is F-sharp major (or enharmonically G-flat major).
The F-sharp natural minor scale is:
Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with accidentals as necessary. The F-sharp harmonic minor and melodic minor scales are:
Scale Degree Chords
Tonic - F-sharp minor
Supertonic - G-sharp diminished
Mediant - A major
Subdominant - B minor
Dominant - C-sharp minor
Submediant - D major
Subtonic - E major
Music in F-sharp minor
Very few symphonies are written in this key, Haydn's Farewell Symphony being one famous example. George Frederick Bristow and Dora Pejačević also wrote symphonies in this key.
The few concerti written in this key are usually written for the composer himself to play, including Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 1, Scriabin's Piano Concerto, Wieniawski's Violin Concerto No. 1, Vieuxtemps's Violin Concerto No. 2, Bernhard Romberg's Cello Concerto Op. 30 and Koussevitzky's Double Bass Concerto.
In addition to the Farewell Symphony, Haydn's Piano Trio No. 40 (Hob. XV:26) and String Quartet Op. 50, No. 4 are in F-sharp minor.
More prominent piano pieces written in F-sharp minor include Dussek's Sonata in F sharp minor, Op. 61 ('Élégie Harmonique'), Schumann's Sonata No. 1 in F-sharp minor (1833-35), Chopin's Polonaise in F minor, Scriabin's Third Sonata, and Ravel's Sonatine. The slow movement of Beethoven's Hammerklavier piano sonata is written in this key. Wagner too wrote a fantasy in F-sharp minor (WWV 22).
Handel set the sixth of his eight harpsichord suites of 1720 in F-sharp minor. Aside from a prelude and fugue from each of the two books of The Well-Tempered Clavier, Bach's only other work in F-sharp minor is the Toccata BWV 910. Mozart's only composition in this key is the second movement to his Piano Concerto No. 23 in A major.
F-sharp minor is sometimes used as the parallel minor of G-flat major, for example in the ending of Alkan's op. 35 nro 10 in G-flat major. F-sharp minor is more practical to use with three sharps while G-flat major's real parallel minor, G-flat minor, would have nine flats. (All seven flats and the first two flats double-flatted.)
Notable classical compositions in F-sharp minor
Charles-Valentin Alkan
Concerto for Solo Piano: Allegretto alla barbaresca
Johannes Brahms
Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 2
Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 & 17 (original version for 4-hands )
Frédéric Chopin
Polonaise in F-sharp minor, Op. 44
Nocturne, Op. 48, No. 2
Mazurka, Op. 59, No. 3
Prelude No. 8 in F# minor, Op. 28/8
Muzio Clementi
Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor, Op. 25/5
Ernst von Dohnányi
Suite in F-sharp minor
George Enescu
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 24, No. 1 (1924)
Gabriel Fauré
Pavane, Op. 50
César Franck
Symphonic Variations
Les Djinns
Joseph Haydn
Symphony No. 45 (Farewell)
Piano Trio No. 40, Hob. XV:26
Johann Nepomuk Hummel
Piano Sonata No. 5 in F-sharp minor, Op. 81
Felix Mendelssohn
Fantasy in F-sharp minor, Op. 28, ("Sonate Éccossaise")
Ignaz Moscheles
Sonate mélancolique in F-sharp minor, Op. 49
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 1
Prelude in F-sharp minor No. 1, Op. 23
Maurice Ravel
Sonatine
Franz Schubert
Piano Sonata in F-sharp minor, D 571 (incomplete)
Robert Schumann
Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 11
Alexander Scriabin
Piano Concerto, Op. 20
Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 23
Dmitri Shostakovich
Prelude and Fugue No. 8, Op. 87
String Quartet No. 7, Op. 108
Igor Stravinsky
Piano Sonata (1903–04)
Georg Philipp Telemann
Fantasy for Solo Flute No. 10
Henryk Wieniawski
Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 14
References
Further reading
Anthony Morris, "Symphonies, Numbers and Keys" in Bob's Poetry Magazine, III.3, March 2006.
External links
Musical keys
Minor scales