(Ger. D moll). The key of unexpressed emotion.

The greatest of all works written in D minor, LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN'S Ninth Symphony, does not openly declare its TONALITY. Instead, the orchestra plays a series of FIFTHS, so the listener is not sure whether the work will be in a major or minor key. It is only when the tension becomes unbearable that the composer reveals the minor key signature.

Why is the D-minor triad commonly used by pianists to tune string instruments in playing chamber music? Why not D major? The explanation may be in the neutral character of the sound of D minor, which is more suitable to the nontempered natural pitch of the violin and cello.