Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 11.djvu/514

* KEY. 466 KEY. ninnic rather tlian their melodic relations. The term is not at all synonymous with scale, but ha? a much broader meaning. A scale consists only of single tones in melodic succession, whereas a key comprises not only the tones of the scale itself, but all chords constructed upon those tones. Each key is named after the keynote or tonic, i.e. the lowest tone of the scale belong- ing to that key. There are as many keys as there arc scales, i.e. twelve major and twelve minor. The major and minor scales dill'er in the position of the semitone, the former having this semitone between the third and fourth, the latter between the second and third degrees. The semitone lead- ing into the octave, and known as the hudiiig- toiie, is common to both major and minor scales, and is found between the seventli and eighth de- grees. For the major scales the <ine beginning on C is regarded as the finidamental scale. Because all the tones appear without any chromatic alter- ation, it is also called the natural scale. This is really a misnomer, since all major scales are exactly alike as regards the succession of tones and semitones: there is only a dill'erenoe in i)itch. The only reason why this .scale is called natural is. that on instruments having a keyljoard all the tones are played on the white keys, while all other scales recjuirc the use of a number of black keys. For instance, if the major scale is begim on D the F must be sharpened, so as to preserve the semitone betwLfn the third and fourth de- grees; for the same reason the C nnist also be sharpened. Among the minor keys that of A bears the same relaliim to all the others as the key of C bears to the other major keys. Every composition is written in a delinite key, ■which can be determined at once by glancing at the kc!/-si(n>aliiic. Instead of marking each sharp or flat required in the composition, it is custom- ary to indicate at the beginning of a piece all the notes which rcrpiire chromatic alteration. Whether the mode is major or minor can gen- erally be determined iiy the opening cliord, for, as a rule, compositions begin with the tonic chord. The keys of C major and. niinnr, requiring no chromatic alterations, have, therefore, no signa- ture. The number of sharps or Hats for the other keys is determined by the circle of fifths. (See TEMPERAMENT. > Taking the key of G, whose tonic lies a fifth above C, one sharp is required : the Key of V). whose tonic lies a fifth above G, requires two sharps, etc. The number of flats is determined by proceeding from C in fifths (hm-nu-ard. The signatures of niinnr keys are determined in the same iiiaiiiier. Since the key of A minor lies a minor tliird below the cor- responding major key of C, it follows that all other minor keys are" found a minor third below the corresponding major keys. The following is a complete table of all the key-signatures: MAJOR KFTS. No. of sharps. 0, 1, 2, 3> 4, &, 6, 7, 8, 9. 10, 11, 12. 1 C, G, D, A. E, B, FJ, Cj, gS, iliS, a;, ej(f), bf (C). Namesof keys. j(jj„yj^ ate, ebb. bte. rb, cb, Gb, Db, Ab. Eb, Bb, F, C. No. of i;ats. 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, MINOR KEYS, 5. 4, 3, 2. 1, 0. Xo. of sharps. 0. 1, 2 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12. Names of keys, | A. E, ri. FS, cj, (, DS, K, ej. '>S. ^'', c»((J),K»(a). (a)t*b. fb. <*, gb, lib, ab, Eb, Bb, F, C, G, D, A. Xo. of flats. 12. 11, 10, 9, 8, V, 6. 5, 4, 3, 2 1. n (q.v. ) now in use for all instruments, enharmonic changes cause no difliculty. On keyed instru- ments, like the pianoforte or organ, the tones FJf and Gb are identical, being both played oil the same key. it is, therefore, immaterial for such instruments whether a piece is written in Fjf or Glj. It certainly is much simpler to write in Db with only live flats than in the enharmonic key of C; with .seven shar])s. In the above tables the keys printed in small letters are such as cor- respond to those in large letters above or below. They are giviMi only to show that by going through the circle of fifths we again come to the starting-point. An easy way of determining the names of the major kejs according to the ke.y-signatures is, in tlic case of sharps, to take the note above the last sharp, and in the case of Hats, the flat before the last. For instance, if there are four sharps, the last one will l)e d and the note above it e, or the name of the key of four sharps. If there are four flats the last will be d, the one before the last a, or the name of the key of four flats. The names of the minor keys are determined by taking the note below the last sharp in sharps, and the second note above the last flat in flats. .lust as the several tones of a scale bear a certain relationship to one another, so there exists also a similar relationship among the keys. A relalifc or paraUcl key is a minor key having the same signature as its corres|><indiiig major key or vice versa. Thus C major and A minor, C minor and Eb major, A major and FJ minor are relative or jiarallel keys, liclatcd keys are those whose tonic tones stand in .some relation to one another. G ami F are closely related to C because the tonic of the former key is the fifth above, that of the latter key the fifth below C. Remote or extreme keys are those whose tonic tones stand in no or some very distant relation to one another. See Ma.ior: ^Iixor; JIodes; Tonality, In another sense the word key is used to de- note a series of levers coiiiiiosing the keyboard of keyed instruments. In the pianoforte these keys are manipulated by the fingers. They cause the hiimniers to strike the strings. The organ lias a similar set of keys, which open valves for the passage of the wind into the pipes. There is also a set of keys manipulated by the feet and called pedal. In the instruments of the wood- wind class the levers lying on the outside of the tube and covering the air-holes are also called keys. They dill'er from the valves of brass in- struments, which latter are inside of the tube. See Keyboaro : Valve. KEY, David IMcKendree (1824-1900). An .American jurist and Cabinet oificer. born in Greene County, Tenn. He studied law. was ad- mitted to the bar in 1840, and in 1853 became a resident of Chattanooga. He op- posed the secession movement in Ten- nessee, rendering val- uable aid to Andrew .Tohnson : but, un- like him, after the secession of the State, he joined the The keys printed in capitals are the only ones Confederate .rmy. and served throughout the war in practical use. Owing to the equal temperament in the Forty-third Tennessee Regiment, of which
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