Steve Bennett wrote:
On 12/22/06, Daniel P. B. Smith wikipedia2006@dpbsmith.com wrote:
Nit-pick number two: how do you tell by looking at the music whether it is in C Major or A Minor? That is, can you always unequivocally tell the key of a piece of music by glancing at it, or is judgement sometimes involved?
To a musical expert, it's usually pretty clear, but there are exceptions. And don't forget atonal music which is usually written without a specific key signature (ie, superficially like C major and I minor). And some music actually does have a "key" but was originally published with no key, using accidentals instead. You would be wrong to describe such a piece as being in C major...
I think the question had more to do with verifying a claim that a particular musical work is in C major. It would seem a waste of time if every time the description of a piece of music included its key there would need to be a source to establish that as true.
If someone claims that a piece of music is in C major I have to accept that without the need to go through a mini-course on music theory.
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