D minor

American  

[dee mahy-ner] / ˈdi ˈmaɪ nər /

noun

1. Music. the key that has D as the tonic or first note of its scale and is represented by a key signature having one flat.

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Example Sentences

The organ works - the Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179 - were undated and unsigned.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

The Chaconne in D minor BWV 1178 and Chaconne in G minor BWV 1179 have been added to the official catalogue of Bach's works as of Monday.

From Barron's • Nov. 17, 2025

It’s one of those classical pieces, like Beethoven’s Fifth and Ninth symphonies and Bach’s spooky Toccata and Fugue in D minor, that long ago left orchestra halls to entrench themselves in the American psyche.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2024

He followed the “Don Giovanni” Overture, attacca, with Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 — treating them as one, and emphasizing their shared dark-to-light journeys from D minor to major.

From New York Times • Apr. 16, 2023

But music that is in D minor will have a different quality, because the notes in the minor scale follow a different pattern and so have different relationships with each other.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones