I’m working in on digitizing a score where the first half is in the key of C flat major (concert). Dorico places the Horns in F with a key sig of Gb major which makes sense. The sounding pitch is therefore correctly a perfect fifth lower than written (I can see this at the bottom of the window, if I write a Cb on Treble clef it says Note: Fb).
The next movement changes to the key of F# major overall – and Dorico places the horns with a key sig of Db major. Also makes sense - however the sounding pitch is now telling me it’s I think a major third above. In other words if I write a C, it says Note: E#, which I guess is technically an augmented third? Though in context of the concert key of F# I’m figuring that to be a major third. Either way it’s wrong.
What have I done wrong and how can I fix this? Thank you!
C to E# is an augmented 3rd, which equals a perfect 4th up, which is the same note (name) as a perfect 5th down. So though I can’t tell which octave your note is in, the transposition is to the correct pitch name.
Ah, yes ok then I think all is well. Forgive the silly question. I thought it was an augmented third at first but I was a little thrown off by uncertainty - it’s not every day I work in scores with so many flats or sharps, with transposing instruments on top of it So I think I was expecting to see it say F#. I just compared to a non-transposing instrument and I can confirm pitch-wise it is sounding a perfect fifth down.
Is there a reason it displays the tranposed note as effectively a sixth below rather than a fifth? (In other words, I also wrote a G# but it says Note: Bx. Yes accurately that is the same as a C# but reading it as the fifth below would be a little easier for me than reading a sixth below with double sharps etc).
If the key signature in concert pitch is F# major (6 sharps), the key signature for the horn in F would be either C# major (7 sharps) or Db major (5 flats). If Dorico used C# major for the horn, then C natural and G# in the horn part would correspond to F natural and C# in the concert pitch score. However, since Dorico uses Db major for the horn, C natural and G# in the horn part correspond to E# and Bx in the concert pitch score.
Ok great, thank you for the explanation. I figured there was a logical reason behind it. Actually I just realized that the original score has Horns with no key signature (which I understand most horn players prefer). I switched the instruments in the setup menu to Horns in F No Key Sig. However interestingly in my example above, in the bottom menu bar C still shows as E#, and G# as Bx. Is that just the way it is?
Here is an interesting idea: In the movement with the key signature of F# major, if you give the horn in F an independent key signature of Gb major, then the notes displayed in the status bar will be a perfect fifth below the notes in the horn part.
So I think I was expecting to see it say F#. I just compared to a non-transposing instrument and I can confirm pitch-wise it is sounding a perfect fifth down.