# Your top 10 favourite symphonies in minor keys



## MusicSybarite (Aug 17, 2017)

No wonder most of people are more fond of dark, sad keys than "happy" ones. I have to include myself there.

Please tell me about your preferences. A criteria I had on me was: The more minor, the better. I mean, if it has more movemens in minor keys or end that way, it'll be more interesting.

This list, somehow (I should have included more Classical and Romantic symphonies, nonetheless), sums up my most beloved tastes regarding symphonic creations.

Mine are:


Brahms 4
Bruckner 9
Gliere 3
Langgaard 4
Magnard 4
Mahler 6
Shostakovich 8
Sibelius 1
Tubin 2
Vaughan Williams 9

It's curious I didn't include any Nielsen being one of my all-time favorite composers ever, but I just thought none of his symphonies end in minor keys. In fact, their last seconds are joyful, life-affirming, energizing, etc. I wanted to follow my criteria.


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## consuono (Mar 27, 2020)

Bruckner 8
Bruckner 9
Brahms 4
Brahms 1
Mahler 6
Franck D minor symphony
Shostakovich 10
Shostakovich 5
Schubert 8
Mahler 3

(I've become quite a Brucknerian lately  )


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## FastkeinBrahms (Jan 9, 2021)

I found this surprisingly hard considering how many of my favourite ones are actually written in major keys. 

Here we go:

Haydn 44
Beethoven 9
Schubert 4
Schubert 8
Mendelssohn 3
Tchaikovsky 5
Dvorak 7
Bruckner 8
Bruckner 9
Mahler 2


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## Xisten267 (Sep 2, 2018)

My preferences today (in alphabetical order):

Beethoven #5
Beethoven #9
Brahms #1
Brahms #4
Bruckner #8
Bruckner #9
Schubert #8
Shostakovich #11
Tchaikovsky #5
Tchaikovsky #6


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## Brahmsian Colors (Sep 16, 2016)

I typically experience the greatest satisfaction (beauty and splendor) from symphonies in the major keys. However, current favorites among minor symphonies include...

Brahms 1 and 4
Sibelius 1, 4 and 6
Dvorak 7 and 9
Vaughan Williams 8
Rachmaninoff 2
Mendelssohn 3


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Heralding some unheralded symphonies:

Beethoven 9
Schubert 8
Brahms 1
Gernsheim 1
Dvorak 7
Tchaikovsky 5
Volbach - B minor
Vaughan Williams 4
Bloch - C# minor
Tyberg 3


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## ORigel (May 7, 2020)

Bruckner 9
Mahler 9
Mahler 6
Dvorak 7
Tchaikovsky 6
Mozart 40
Brahms 4
Brahms 1 (first movement)
Beethoven 9 (first two movements)
Beethoven 5 (first three movements)


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## Geoff48 (Aug 15, 2020)

For me the minor key signifies drama, tragedy and storm. Thus Tchaikovsky takes three places. The one exception is Mozart’s 40th, a work of consolation, but that is such a wonderful work no way could it be left out
J. C. Bach opus 6/6
Haydn. 39
Mozart 25,40
Schubert 8
Tchaikovsky 4, 5, 6
Rachmaninov 2
Shoshtakovitch 5


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## Guest002 (Feb 19, 2020)

No love for Mozart's 40th?!

(Edited to add: I should read more carefully! I see Geoff48 beat me to it. Oh, and ORigel. )


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## Botschaft (Aug 4, 2017)

FastkeinBrahms said:


> I found this surprisingly hard considering how many of my favourite ones are actually written in major keys.
> 
> Here we go:
> 
> ...


Hardly any Brahms...


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## FastkeinBrahms (Jan 9, 2021)

Botschaft said:


> Hardly any Brahms...


Point taken: That's the Minor/Major conundrum, and the limitation to just 10 symphonies in minor. I like the 3rd and sunny 2nd better than 1/4, and these are written in major keys. I guess I would include Brahms 1/4 in the top 20 of minor-key symphonies. And I would put Nielsen 3 in the 10-20 bracket, too.


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## Doctor Fuse (Feb 3, 2021)

Shostakovich, Symphony No. 5, No. 8 and No. 10
Prokofiev, Symphony No. 6 and No. 2
Mozart, No. 40 
Stravinsky, Symphony of Psalms and Symphony In Three Movements (OK, these are a stretch for "minor key", but they ain't major!)
Barber, Symphony in One Movement (what key is this in, anyways?!?!)
Tchaikovsky, No. 6 (C'mon, lemme have it! Put yer dukes up!)
Hindemith: Symphony: Mathis der Maler
Brahms: No. 1


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