E-flat major often has a heroic connotation. Beethoven famously used it in some of his large-scale works such as the "Eroica" symphony and the "Emperor" piano concerto (it also should be mentioned his famous 5th symphony is in the relative minor C minor). Other heroic works in E-flat major include Mahler's 8th symphony, Bruckner's 4th symphony, and the famous melodic theme in Jupiter from Holst's The Planets. Shostakovich exploited E-flat major's heroic connotation to mocking effect in his 9th symphony. F-sharp major was beloved by Liszt and often had a religious connotation, as illustrated by its use in pieces like Benediction de Dieu dans la Solitude or the "heavenly" passages in the Dante Sonata. Messiaen also loved F-sharp major and employed it for transcendent and joyful passages in several of his works like the Turangalîla-Symphonie or Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus.
10 months ago | 4
I mean, I suppose the Well-tempered Clavier’s entire identity is predicated on its use of all 24 keys and the “well-tempered”-ness of its instrument, so changing any of the keys of the individual pieces would invalidate the idea of the set.
10 months ago | 0
TheExarion
What are some pieces that, if you changed their key, you would fundamentally change the identity of the piece?
An example that comes to mind is the Wedding March from a Midsummer Night’s Dream.
10 months ago | [YT] | 6