minor
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minor
A quality in music that describes a key, chord, or scale and is often perceived as sad, soft, or melancholic. The opposite is major.
Beethovens Mondscheinsonate beginnt mit einem sehr ruhigen Satz in cis-Moll.
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata begins with a very calm movement in C-sharp minor.
The adjective 'moll' (minor) is not declined before a noun like other adjectives. You don't say 'ein molles Lied'. Instead, you use a construction with 'in' or a compound noun.
Das Stück steht in a-Moll.
The piece is in A minor.
'Moll' (minor) is almost only used as part of a compound, e.g. 'Moll-Akkord' (minor chord), or in the fixed phrase 'in ...-Moll' (in ... minor) to indicate the key. It can also stand alone to describe a chord: 'Dieser Akkord ist moll.' (This chord is minor.)
Die Sonate in c-Moll ist weltberühmt.
The sonata in C minor is world-famous.
The word 'moll' (minor) is a technical term from music. In everyday life, it is rarely used except by people who talk about music or play an instrument.
Im Musikunterricht lernen wir den Unterschied zwischen Dur und Moll.
In music class, we learn the difference between major and minor.
major
'Dur' and 'das Mol' both refer to music here; with 'das Mol', the intended musical meaning is 'Moll' (minor). 'Dur' and 'Moll' are opposites. 'Dur' often sounds bright, open, or cheerful, while 'Moll' often sounds sad, soft, or melancholic. They can be confused because both are used with keys, chords, and scales. When you are describing the character of a piece, 'Dur' fits better for a brighter mood and 'Moll' better for a sadder mood.
Die Pianistin sagt, dass der Akkord in Moll gespielt werden soll.
The pianist says that the chord should be played in minor.
Für das Sommerfest spielen wir ein Lied in Dur.
For the summer festival, we are playing a song in a major key.