C-Sharp Minor

(Ger. Cis moll). This key, to judge from its use by composers, particularly in piano pieces, possesses a meditative, somewhat somber nature.

Classic work s in C-sharp minor include:

The first movement of LUDWIC VAN BEETHOVEN'S MOONLIGHT SONATA, op.27/2, which suggested to an imaginative critic the surface of a moonlit lake in Switzerland

The famous Prelude in C♯ Minor by SERGEI RACHMANINOFF (op.3/2), which solemnly recalls old Russia

ROBERT SCHUMANN'S Études symphoniques and PIOTR ILYICH TCHAIKOVSKY'S Nocturne in C♯ Minor (op. 19/4), both pieces that inspire deep thought

C♯ minor is rarely encountered as the principal key of a symphonic work. One outstanding exception to this rule is GUSTAV MAHLERS Fifth Symphony, which begins with the funereal measures of doom. However, MODULATIONS are frequent in the score. SERGEI PROKOFIEV set his last symphony, the Seventh, in C♯ minor. He called the work a Youth Symphony, glorifying the spirit of the young Soviet generation. However, the finale is in the major tonic of the key, enharmonically notated as D♭ major.