G♯ minor
Key with five sharps.
What it means
G♯ minor is the minor key with five sharps in the key signature: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, and A♯. Its root is G♯, its relative major B major (German H-Dur) with the same key signature. In the circle of fifths it lies five steps on the sharp side.
Musical use
As in all minor keys, the key signature gives only the pool of notes of the natural form. The leading tone arises through raising of the seventh degree and appears as an accidental within the bar — here this leads to F𝄪 (German fisis), that is, a double sharp, because F♯ already stands in the key signature. This is the point at which this key becomes unfamiliar for readers: a double sharp that turns up at every cadence is part of everyday life here and no peculiarity.
In the melodic form ascending, the raised sixth degree is added, which brings a further accidental with it.
Equivalent in sound would be the spelling A♭ minor with seven flats; which one is chosen is decided by the context in which the key is reached. In unequal temperaments such a remote key was hardly usable — the traditional notion of the special character of such keys goes back to this.
For string players G♯ minor lies uncomfortably, because open strings are missing; this affects tone and security of fingering.
G♯ minor is the relative key of B major and the variant key of G♯ major, which occurs only theoretically. The accidentals are F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, and A♯; the leading tone F𝄪 requires a double sharp in harmonic minor. Enharmonically the key corresponds to A♭ minor with seven flats, which is hardly used. In the piano literature G♯ minor appears in études and preludes of the Romantic period. Because of the many sharps, the key is harder to intonate for strings and winds than for keyboard instruments.
Performance practice
Say the five sharps aloud and work out the leading tone deliberately before you begin. Read double sharps carefully — in this key they are regularly overlooked. And check in the score which degrees are actually raised; the key signature says nothing about that.