Reversal of Emotional Impressions through Key Change in Classical Music: An Assessment Using Major and Minor Transpositions

Tonality, specifically the difference between major and minor keys, plays a crucial role in emotional expression in music. Major keys typically evoke bright, optimistic feelings, while minor keys tend to elicit darker, more melancholic emotions. This study aimed to isolate the effect of tonality by utilizing “sister pieces,” in which the same musical piece is transposed from a major key to a minor key or vice versa. Six well-known classical pieces were selected, three originally in a major key and three in a minor key. Using music editing software, we transposed these tracks, resulting in six pairs of sister pieces. We then quantitatively compared emotional impressions and preferences across eight items with 20 healthy adult participants. The results demonstrated that most impressions and preferences were significantly influenced by the key changes, supporting the utility of sister pieces as an effective method for examining tonality’s impact.