[Listening extract audio not available in printed QP] QP Music skeleton score: see Insert. Read questions below. A flute solo begins in C major. The key cha...

(a) Modulation [1]

Modulation is the process of changing from one key to another within a piece of music. It involves a deliberate shift of the tonal centre so that a new note becomes the "home" pitch. In this example, the flute solo begins in C major, modulates to G major, and then returns to C major. Modulation is different from a brief chromatic alteration or passing tonicisation - it implies a genuine establishment of the new key, typically confirmed by a cadence in that key. Modulation is one of the most important tools for creating harmonic variety and structural contrast in tonal music.

(b) G major is the dominant of C major [1]

C major and G major are closely related keys. Specifically, G major is the dominant key of C major - it is built on the fifth degree of the C major scale. The two keys share all but one note: C major uses B natural while G major uses F sharp (its only sharp). Because they differ by just one accidental, moving between them sounds smooth and natural. Modulation to the dominant is the most common key change in Western tonal music, found extensively in sonata form (where the second subject typically appears in the dominant key), binary dance forms, and countless other structures. Keys related by a fifth are said to be in a "closely related" relationship.