ABSTRACT
A network of structural and harmonic associations surrounds the individual major/minor constructions in the instrumental works. The topic is so far-reaching in its implications that selectivity must be the basis of the discussion. Schubert's exploration of the tensions between major and minor enables him to bring fresh perspectives to the use of conventional devices. Schubert explores ways of crafting harmonic connections at the junctures between movements, including enharmonic moves. Among the many possible ways of reading Schubert's key schemes, this suggestion draws its rationale from his acknowledged preoccupation with the major and minor forms of a given key as two sides of a coin' with properties of flexibility and interchangeability in their use. The import of Schubert's choice of the apparently alien key of F minor for the central episode of the String Quintet, slow movement, is spelled out in the coda.
