3 E flat major, E major, F minor, G minor, A major
2 F major, B flat minor, B minor
1 D major, E minor, F sharp major, G sharp minor, A minor
The key of a piece is its tonal centre of gravity. A key signature is an orthographical
device. The key signature of each piece is, however, usually a reliable guide to its key.
I was able to assign keys to 83 of the 100 pieces.
There were pieces in 21 keys, treating F sharp major and G flat major as the same key for
present purposes.
Pieces in C major came in at 12. C major is the easiest key to read as there is no key
signature. Apart from Beethoven’s Für Elise there were no pieces in its relative minor of
A minor.
Pieces in D flat major and A flat major each came in at 9. Those keys are comfortable
pianistically.
The two pieces in B minor were the Chopin and the Liszt sonatas which contain
substantial parts in the pianistically comfortable key of B major.
Approximately 2/3 of the 80 pieces were in a major key and 1/3 were in a minor key.
This was consistent in each quartile.
Composers passed over by voters
Haydn: Sonatas in E flat major and E minor
Mendelssohn: Variations Sérieuses, Andante & Rondo Capriccioso, Songs without
Words
Franck: Prélude, Choral & Fugue; Prélude, Aria & Finale
Balakirev: Islamey
Moszkowski: Rhapsodie Espagnole, Etincelles
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances, Mikrokosmos
Prokofiev: Sonata no. 7 in B flat major, Suggestion Diabolique, Toccata
Pieces passed over by voters
Bach: Partitas, Toccatas, French Suites, English Suites