Blame for his key/song

Question

The bird was not to blame for his keyAnd of course there must be something wrong In wanting to silence any song.Hi,The above is from Frost's poem "A Minor Bird." Is it right to interpret "key" as "song?" Thanks.

Delmobile · Accepted Answer

Musically, "key" refers to the notes used to write the song---the key of C major, a minor, etc. - rather than the song itself. I'm not familiar with this poem but the minor keys are frequently used for melancholy-sounding music.

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Dlemobile.
It occurred to me that maybe "ke" in question is more closer to "tune," isn't it?

Angliholic · Answer

Thanks, Dlemobile.
It occurred to me that maybe "ke" in question is more closer to "tune," isn't it?

Delmobile · Answer

Not exactly. Here's the definition of key from the href="http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key

">Simple English Wikipedia:

Most music is in a particular key. This means that one of the 12 notes (C, Dflat, D, etc) sounds like the “home note”. When the piece finishes it normally comes to rest on this home note (also called: the “tonic”). The piece will be built on the notes of the http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale that starts on that note. There are two kinds of key (like there are two kinds of scale): major and minor. Sometimes the key of a piece is in its title: “Minuet in C”, Sonata in F sharp major. If the title does not say “major” or “minor” it is normally taken to be major.

The closest I can get to a non-musical metaphor is to say that a key is to a tune like a fabric is to a dress. You could make a dress in a cotton print, a heavy velvet, or a sturdy wool tweed, and they would all have different uses and be worn for different occasions. A sprightly tune in F major creates a very different mood than a dirge written in e-flat minor.

Blame for his key/song

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