E-Flat Minor

Abstract This article establishes the overwhelming association of the key of E♭ minor with expressions of profound melancholy. Subthemes include deep depression, ghosts, and spiritual darkness, represented by ombra style markers, sea storms represented by the tempest style, and representations of Scotland and Ossianic melancholy. C. F. D. Schubart’s well-known statements on E♭ minor are examined concerning its use, though those statements themselves may have been conditioned by prior usage of the key, contemporary tuning systems, and the prevalent psychological association of flat-side keys with melancholy. Topical analysis is served by the history of E♭ minor, which differs greatly from its relative major.