Sammartini's Symphony No. 13 is in which key?

Sammartini's Symphony No. 13 is in which key?

• A. D Major
• B. G Major
• C. C Minor
• D. A Major

Answer: (B)

Key signatures and tonal settling guide where a piece truly belongs. This symphony shows one sharp in the signature, which signals either G major or its relative minor, E minor. But the music’s opening material and, especially, the way its phrases and cadences resolve strongly point to a bright, major home. The final cadences reaffirm G major as the tonic, not E minor. So G major is the natural reading for this work. The other possibilities would require different signatures (two sharps for D major, flats for C minor, three sharps for A major) and would center the melodies and cadences differently, which doesn’t match how this symphony’s themes and resolutions feel.

Key signatures and tonal settling guide where a piece truly belongs. This symphony shows one sharp in the signature, which signals either G major or its relative minor, E minor. But the music’s opening material and, especially, the way its phrases and cadences resolve strongly point to a bright, major home. The final cadences reaffirm G major as the tonic, not E minor. So G major is the natural reading for this work. The other possibilities would require different signatures (two sharps for D major, flats for C minor, three sharps for A major) and would center the melodies and cadences differently, which doesn’t match how this symphony’s themes and resolutions feel.