4 Stylescapes Based on Key Preference

In the following experiment the interplay of key preference and composer, rather than the interplay of key duration and pitch class duration is considered. For seven composers the frequencies are provided, how many pieces each composer wrote in each of the 24 Major and minor keys. We will discuss key preference in the light of key character and display the relations between different composers and between composers and keys.

Key Preference Statistics. For each key and for each composer the co-occurrence table now contains the number of pieces written in that particular key by that particular composer. We identify enharmonically equivalent keys. Key preference statistics is counted in the following composers: J. S. Bach (JSB, only works for keyboard), L. v. Beethoven (LvB), J. Brahms (JB, non-vocal works), F. Chopin (FC), J. Haydn (JH), W. A. Mozart (WAM), A. Vivaldi (AV). If not stated otherwise, all works of the composer are considered, provided they contain the key name in the title of either the entire work or of single pieces, in case the work consists of a cycle of several pieces. For instance, a sonata in C-Major is accounted for once, but WTC, Book I is accounted for 24 times. These key preference statistics (Figures 8 and 9) were generated from complete work lists of these composers found on the Internet. Auhagen (1983) counts the keys of every single movement in a set of works by Chopin. Enharmonically equivalent keys are counted separately. The most frequently used key is A-Major in our statistics as well as in Auhagen (1983). Also the six most frequent keys are the same in our statistics and in Auhagen (1983).