B minor
Key with two sharps, the relative minor of D major (German: H-Moll).
What it means
B minor is the minor key with two sharps in its signature, F♯ and C♯. Its tonic is B; in German usage this note is called h, which is why German-language sources name the key H-Moll. Its relative major is D major, which shares the same signature.
Musical use
The naming here is a classic trap between languages. In German, the letter B stands for what English calls B♭, while English B is German H. So a German edition marked H-Moll is English B minor, and a German b-Moll is English B♭ minor. Anyone working across German and English editions, recordings or thematic catalogues should keep this correspondence in mind.
As in all minor keys, the signature gives only the natural set of notes; the leading tone A♯ arises through chromatic raising within the bar and never appears in the signature. In the melodic form, a raised G♯ is added on the way up.
Which of the two keys with two sharps is meant — B minor or D major — is revealed not by the signature but by the music: the final note, the emphasis on the tonic, the presence of the leading tone.
For string players B minor lies comparatively well, because several notes of the key coincide with open strings. The key is well represented in the literature, and several well-known works carry it in their title.
B minor has two sharps, F♯ and C♯; in harmonic minor the leading tone A♯ is added. Its parallel major is B major with five sharps; on the circle of fifths B minor lies between E minor and F♯ minor. For strings the key lies favourably, because the open strings D, A and E belong to its set of notes. In the Baroque, B minor was regarded as a serious, solemn key; well-known works by Bach — including the great Mass in B minor — and by Schubert are set in it.
Performance practice
Say the two sharps to yourself before playing and name the notes. Check in the score where the leading tone is raised. And when working with German-language musicians and catalogues, watch for the differing name: German H-Moll is English B minor, while German b-Moll is B♭ minor.