However, in the Classical period, E-flat major was not limited to solely bombastic brass music.

Mahler's vast and heroic Eighth Symphony is in E-flat and his Second Symphony also ends in this key. The heroic theme from the Jupiter movement of Holst's The Planets is in E-flat major. Another notable heroic piece in the key of E-flat major is Richard Strauss's A Hero's Life. Three of Mozart's completed Horn Concertos and Joseph Haydn's Trumpet Concerto are in E-flat major, and so is Anton Bruckner's Fourth Symphony with its prominent horn theme in the first movement. But even before Beethoven, Francesco Galeazzi identified E-flat major as 'a heroic key, extremely majestic, grave and serious: in all these features it is superior to that of C.' Beethoven's (hypothetical) 10th Symphony is also in E-flat. His Eroica Symphony, Emperor Concerto and Grand Sonata are all in this key. The key of E-flat major is often associated with bold, heroic music, in part because of Beethoven's usage. Its relative minor is C minor, and its parallel minor is E♭ minor, (or enharmonically D♯ minor).Īudio playback is not supported in your browser. E-flat major (or the key of E-flat) is a major scale based on E♭, consisting of the pitches E♭, F, G, A♭, B♭, C, and D.

Key of e flat