# Your favorite symphony for each key



## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Do you have a symphony for each major and minor key? Let's try it, shall we?:

*C major:* Sibelius 7 (or Ludolf Nielsen 3)
*D major:* Dvorák 6 (or Vaughan Williams 5)
*D-flat major:* Rangström 3rd (or Myaskovsky 25)
*E major:* Suk 1 (or Bruckner 7th or Alfvén 3)
*E-flat major:* Beethoven 3 (or Bruckner 4th)
*F major:* Langgaard 6 (or Atterberg 2 or Melartin 3)
*F-sharp major:* Tcherepnin 3
*G major:* Dvorak 8
*A major:* Beethoven 7 (or Tubin 4)
*A-flat major:* Elgar 1
*B major:* van Hoof 4
*B-flat major:* Prokofiev 5

*C minor:* Shostakovich 8 (or Casella 2)
*C-sharp minor: *Magnard 4 (or Bloch's)
*D minor:* Bruckner 9 (or Brian Gothic Symphony)
*E minor:* Brahms 4 (or Sibelius 1)
*E-flat minor:* Langgaard 4 (or Ovchinnikov 1)
*F minor:* Vaughan Williams 4 (or Tchaikovsky 4)
*F-sharp minor:* Glazunov 2
*G minor:* Moeran (or Stenhammar 2)
*G-sharp minor:* Myaskovsky 17
*A minor:* Mahler 6 (Scherzo-Andante order)
*B minor:* Tchaikovsky 6 (or Tubin 2)
*B-flat minor:* Walton 1 (or Respighi Sinfonia drammatica)

Ambiguous:

*E:* Braga Santos 4th
*E-flat:* Bax 1
*F-sharp:* Korngold's
*A:* Ferroud's
*B-flat:* Roussel 2nd


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## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

Another rather ambiguous:

*B:* Lloyd 4


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

I haven't listened to every symphony in every possible key, but...

C major: Schubert 9 or Schumann 2
C minor: Brahms 1 or Mahler 2 or Bruckner 8
D flat: zilch
C sharp minor: Mahler 5 
D major: Mozart 35 or Brahms 2 or Haydn 104 or Mendelssohn 5 or Sibelius 2
D minor: Franck or Mahler 3 or Bruckner 9
E flat: Beethoven 3 or Sibelius 5
E flat minor: Prokofiev 6
E major: Bruckner 7
E minor: Brahms 4
F major: Brahms 3
F minor: Haydn 49
F sharp: the Korngold or the Mahler 10 fragment
F sharp minor: Haydn 45
G major: Dvorak 8 or Haydn 94 ( not a fan of Mahler 4)
G minor: Mozart 40
A flat:: haven't really listened to any in that key
G sharp minor: ditto
A major: Beethoven 7, Bruckner 6, Mendelssohn 4
A minor: Mahler 6, Mendelssohn 3
B flat:: Beethoven 4, Bruckner 5
B flat minor: Shostakovich 13
B major: I guess my "favorite" in that key would be Shostakovich 2, but it isn't a "favorite" overall
B minor: Schubert 8


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## Tchaikov6 (Mar 30, 2016)

C Major: Mozart: Symphony #34 in C, K. 338 (1780)
C Minor: Haydn: Symphony #95 in C Minor (1791)
D Major: Haydn: Symphony #104 in D “London” (1795)
D Minor: Sibelius: Symphony #6 in D minor, op. 104 (1923)
E-flat Major: Symphony #103 in E-flat “Drumroll” (1795)
E-flat Minor: Prokofiev: Symphony #6 in E-flat minor, op. 111 (1947)
E Major: Haydn: Symphony #29 in E (1765)
E Minor: Haydn: Symphony #44 in E Minor “Trauer” (1772)
F Major: Haydn: Symphony #67 in F (1774-9)
F Minor: Haydn: Symphony #49 in F Minor “La passione” (1768)
F-sharp Minor: Haydn: Symphony #45 in F-sharp Minor “Farewell” (1772)
G Major: Haydn: Symphony #88 in G (1787)
G Minor: Haydn: Symphony #83 in G Minor “La Poule” (1785)
A Major: Schmidt: Symphony #3 in A (1928)
A Minor: Mendelssohn: Symphony #3 in A minor, op. 56 “Scottish” (1842)
B-flat Major: Haydn: Symphony #98 in B-flat (1792)
B Major: Haydn: Symphony #46 in B (1772)

Left out a couple that I don't have current favorites for. Yes I have a Haydn addiction someone help me


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

Because Brahms wrote his First Symphony in C minor, the same key Beethoven had chosen for his great Fifth, I am from the get-go confounded about how to choose a favorite symphony for each key (and even if I could settle C minor, how would I confront B minor, the key of Schubert's Eighth and Tchaikovsky's Sixth, or B-flat Major, the key of both Schubert's and Prokofiev's Fifths. And what to do with D Major!!! Or C Major!!! Alas ....)

So, I'll choose not to play and instead listen to an atonal symphony to cleanse my mind/ear-palate of all this key confusion.

Now, what is my favorite atonal symphony? Hmm ....


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## Olias (Nov 18, 2010)

When I tried to put a list together, it made me realize how many of my favorites are in either C, D, or G (major and minor). In fact, there are only six of my favorite symphonies that AREN'T in C, D, or G. Not sure what that means for me but I find it interesting.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Olias said:


> When I tried to put a list together, it made me realize how many of my favorites are in either C, D, or G (major and minor). In fact, there are only six of my favorite symphonies that AREN'T in C, D, or G. Not sure what that means for me but I find it interesting.


In my case it just means that a symphony in this or that key might be my favorite one in this or that key, but isn't really a favorite symphony. As far as symphonies in E flat minor are concerned, the Prokofiev is hard to beat...because I don't know any more in E flat minor.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Am - Mendelssohn 3
A - Beethoven 7
Bm - Borodin 2
B - Haydn 46
Cm - Beethoven 5
C - Sibelius 7
Dm - Dvorak 7
D - Mahler 1
Em - Brahms 4
E - Bruckner 7
Fm - Schumann
F - Beethoven 8
Gm - Kalinnikov 1
G - Dvorak 8

Couldnt be @rsed after that.


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## pianozach (May 21, 2018)

*List of symphonies by key [Wikipedia]*:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symphonies_by_key

Obviously, this list could use some updating. For instance, C# minor is missing *Magnard 4*, and there are only two entries for Eb minor (*Myaskovsky's 6th* and *Prokofiev's 6th*). However there IS a link in each section to a more expansive list of symphonies in that particular key (like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symphonies_in_E-flat_minor, which has ten works in Eb minor, including *Vaughan-Williams' Sinfonia antartica* (No. 7))

The breakout for *Symphonies in C# minor* is also missing *Magnard's 4th*: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symphonies_in_C-sharp_minor

I've done quite a few minor edits on Wikipedia, but tend to shy away from more complex changes. Anyone else here do any edits on *Wikipedia*?


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## Bxnwebster (Jan 5, 2021)

C Major: Sibelius 7
C Minor: Saint-Saëns 3
D-Flat Major: n/a
C-Sharp minor: Mahler 5
D Major: Vaughan-Williams 5
D minor: Mendelssohn 5
E-Flat Major: Sibelius 4
E-Flat Minor: n/a
E Major: Rott
E Minor: Rachmaninoff 2
F Major: Brahms 3
F Minor: Haydn 49
F-Sharp Major: Korngold (ambiguous)
F-Sharp Minor: Pejacevic
G Major: Haydn 92
G Minor: Roussel 3
A-Flat Major: Still 1
G-Sharp Minor: n/a
A Major: Roussel 4
A Minor: Mendelssohn 3, Rachmaninoff 3 (tie)
B-Flat Major: Prokofiev 5
B-Flat Minor: n/a
B Major: Korngold Sinfonietta
B Minor: Arensky 1


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