In musicology: How does a piece played in C minor sound differently from one played in C major?

Question

Also, how does a piece (concerto, opus, etc) played in C sound differently from the same played in D (or any other key)? Also is C minor the same as C flat?
Please explain.
What is an octave?
Do timbre, pitch, and tone mean the same thing roughly? (how musical instruments sound differently?)
Please recommend a good book or website to peruse these things/
(Am trying to get a grasp on classical music.)

Answer 1

One by one:

Minor mode pieces have a somewhat darker sound -- some would say sad -- versus the brighter (some would say happy)sound of something in a major mode. I try to avoid characterizations of happy, sad, evil -- even dark and bright imply values that aren't quite correct.

The key of C major contains the tones cdefgab. C minor contains the tones c,d, e flat, f, g, a flat, b flat. Sometimes the a and b are substituted for a flat and b flat.

If something is written in C, an untrained ear could not tell the difference if it were to be played in the key of D. For those who have been around music a while, and for those with perfect or relative pitch, the difference would be quite noticeable. I don't want to get into a discussion of "just intonation" -- much too in-depth for a novice to grasp, I think. Composers use different keys for pieces because of the instrumental ranges involved, ease of play, simply because that is the key that they jeard in their heads -- many reasons. To highly trained ears, different keys have differnt coloristic qualities.

C minor is not the same as C flat. C flat is a half step lower. (Enharmonically C flat is also known as the key of B).

An octave is a distance (interval) of 8 notes. So, from one C to the next C on the keyboard would be an octave. Physically, the frequency of a note and the note an octave higher is exatly doubled. If A is 440 beats per second, then the next A vibrates at 880. This makes them sound similar to your ear.

Timbre is the distinct sound color of a musical instrument. The timbre of a clarinet is different than that of a violin or an oboe. Pitch is analogous to "note" -- C is a pitch. Tone can be used interchangeably with pitch, but in another sense, tone has to do with the quality of the sound produced by the performer.

You have many questions tha cover a broad range of subjects. Type "music theory" into you browser, for starters. You will find many sites that deal with some very basic concepts.

Most importantly, just listen to lots of music. A full understanding of the concepts you asked about is not a requirement for enjoying the music. But, of course, the more you understand, the deeper your appreciation will be.

Happy listening!

Answer 2

Ummm, a song played in C minor will sound more "evil" persay, compared to a song played in C major. I would go to a music store and ask a clerk about a book or website. Or even a teacher or professor aroumd you...

Answer 3

So many questions! I think it's time you did something for yourself and did some research. Start with wikipedia.