F-sharp major

F♯ major

Relative key	D♯ minor
Parallel key	F♯ minor
Component pitches
F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, E♯, F♯

F-sharp major is a major scale based on F-sharp, consisting of the pitches F♯, G♯, A♯, B, C♯, D♯, and E♯. Its key signature has six sharps.

Its relative minor is D♯ minor, and its parallel minor is F♯ minor. Its enharmonic equivalent is G♭ major.

F-sharp major is the key of Beethoven's Piano Sonata, Op. 78, of Chopin's Barcarolle, of Mahler's unfinished Tenth Symphony, Erich Korngold's Symphony Op. 40, Scriabin's Fourth Sonata, and Miley Cyrus' 2009 smash hit Party in the U.S.A.^[1].

In a few scores, the F-sharp major key signature in the bass clef is written with the sharp for the A on the top line.

Despite the key rarely being used in orchestral music other than to modulate, it is not entirely uncommon in keyboard music, as in the sonatas of Scriabin. For orchestration of piano music, some theorists recommend transposing the music to F major or G major. If F-sharp major must absolutely be used, one should take care that B-flat wind instruments be notated in A-flat major, rather than G-sharp major.

The Presentation of the Rose scene in Act Two of Richard Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier is written in F-sharp major.

Ascending and descending F-sharp major scale.

v • d • e Diatonic Scales and Keys
	Flats Sharps Major minor Major minor 0 C, a 1 F d G e 2 B♭ g D b 3 E♭ c A f♯ 4 A♭ f E c♯ 5 D♭ b♭ B g♯ 6 G♭ e♭ F♯ d♯ 7 C♭ a♭ C♯ a♯ 8 F♭ d♭ G♯ e♯
The table indicates the number of sharps or flats in each scale. Minor scales are written in lower case.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: F-sharp major

References