What Can “The Wild Horseman” Teach Us About Music?
Mike D. Zachary, D.M.A.

Perhaps one of the most entertaining questions I ask college students in beginning music theory class is this, “What key is this in?” As long as we are evaluating an extremely simple piece in a major key, they can answer the question easily.

But it’s more fun to take an apparently simple song and ask the question. Perhaps I’ll bring out the first lines of the Christmas carol “What Child Is This?” which has one sharp in the key signature. When I ask, “What key is this in?” many students cheerfully—and wrongly!—answer “It’s in the key of G, sir.”

When I say, “How do you know it’s in the key of G?” They typically say, “Because there is one sharp in the key signature…therefore, it must be in the key of G.”

As a music teacher, I applaud those who teach the major key signatures to their students; and I do believe it’s usually a good idea to teach the major key signatures before the minor key signatures are taught. But there are several aspects about “being in a key” that should be understood by all proficient musicians.

What Does It Mean To Be in a Key?

When we say, “This piece is in the key of C,” we are saying, “This piece will sound finished when we hear the note C.” If we say, “This piece is in C major, not only with the single tone C make the song sound finished, but the final chord of the piece will most likely be a C major triad.” In the excerpt below, I present all but the last note of a famous ending. What is the only tone that will make it sound finished?



In the last measure, only the tone C will bring the phrase to a satisfactory conclusion. We say this phrase is in the key of C, not because there are no sharps and no flats in the key signature, but because the tone C is required to make the phrase sound finished.

Traditional Music Uses Both Major and Minor Keys

Major keys exist, but minor keys exist also! C major has no sharps and no flats, but A minor also has no sharps and no flats. Just because a composition has one sharp in its key signature does not guarantee that it is in G major; it might well be in E minor!

In order to determine the key, musicians must not only look at the key signature, they must consider what makes the piece sound finished. If a composition has two sharps and it reaches its conlusion on a B minor triad, it is undoubtedly in the key of B minor, not D major!

Some Pieces Travel Through More Than One Key

The familiar Christmas carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” is a great example. The entire song is usually shown with the key signature of one sharp. However, the verse of the song is in E minor, and the chorus of the song is in G major. That is, if you were to end the song at the conclusion of the verse, you would say the song is clearly in a minor key; however, if you were to end the song at the conclusion of the chorus, you would clearly say that the song is in a major key.

To some, it is troubling to think, “It’s not even a good question to ask, ‘What key is this song in?’ In this case, the question should be, ‘What keys does this song use?’ ”

While simple folk music and simple gospel music seldom wander from key to key, music from the classical tradition typically travels through more than one key. Just because the composers don’t change the key signature doesn’t mean they haven’t changed the key.

For example, the first movement of Clementi’s Sonatina, Opus 36, No. 1, begins in C major, modulates to the key of G major, travels to the key of C minor, and finally returns to the key of C major. And while all this is happening, the key signature is never changed! Clementi uses a key signature of no sharps and no flats during this entire process.

What Keys Does Schumann Use in “The Wild Horseman”?

The key signature for “The Wild Horseman” is no sharps and no flats during the entire composition. However, the composition clearly begins in a minor key. The opening section is in the key of A minor.

Immediately after the repeat sign, Schumann moves to the key of F major. In this section, the left hand is assigned to play the melody; and it is easy to see how the melody begins by using the notes of the F major triad. Schumann signals that this section is over by using the double bar line; and just before the double bar line, the phrase sounds quite finished when the tone F is sounded.

Students of music theory are not surprised to learn that the two most common chords in the key of F are F major and C major (the I and V chords, respectively). F major consists of F, A, and C; and C major consists of C, E, and G. Since neither of these chords contains a black key, Schumann is able to be in the key of F major—even without using a single accidental! IF he had chosen to use the C7 chord instead of the simple C chord, he would have been forced to use an accidental for the Bb.

After the double bar line, Schumann returns the melody to the right hand; and he returns to the opening key of A minor. Here in this simple piece for children, Schumann impresses us with his ability to write in a rather sophisticated style while the key signature gives nothing away!

What key is “The Wild Horseman” in? Actually, the piece travels through two different keys. It begins and ends in A minor, while the middle section is in F major.

Yes, it’s true! Here is a case where the key signature for an entire composition shows no sharps and no flats—and the key of C major is never used one time!

Understanding the Truth

After considering Schumann’s piece, we now understand these statements:

1.   It is a true statement that the key signature of no sharps and no flats may indicate the key of C major.

2.   It is a false statement that the key signature of no sharps and no flats must indicate the key of C major.

3.   It is a true statement that the key signature of no sharps and no flats may indicate the key of C major or the key of A minor.

4.   It is a false statement that the key signature of no sharps and no flats must indicate either C major or A minor.

5.   It is a true statement that a section of “The Wild Horseman” is in the key of F major, though the key signature never shows one flat.

6.   It is a false statement that we can determine the key based on the key signature alone.

7.   It is a true statement that the key signatures can give us clues about what key we are in.

8.   It is a false statement that we can know for sure what key we are in based solely on the key signature.

9.   It is a true statement that even simple questions like “What key is this in?” are sometimes more complex than we realize.