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Can anyone show me a piece of repertoire that validly uses B## and E## notes?

I've had people tell me that of course they exist, but have never been able to give me an example; or they try to build a theoretical example using something like the key of A# major, rather than the much more simple Bb major.

This is just to prove to myself that a double-accidental is always a white note on the piano. :)

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    Why do you need a piece of music to validate double sharps? An augmented 5th above A# is E##, for example in an A#+7 chord. Also, double sharps (which are not necessarily accidentals) are not always white keys. B## is enharmonic to C#, and E## is enharmonic to F#, neither of which are white keys.
    – user39614
    Commented Nov 4, 2018 at 4:40
  • It's the practicality of coming across them in sheet music - I stumbled over a lot of double sharps in a piece until I realised they were always the next white note up, then they were no problem. There are examples here of E## and Cbb which would seem to be quite rare, and then B## and Fbb would be rarer still. So the 'always a white note' thing might be a good enough heuristic.
    – Wilskt
    Commented Nov 4, 2018 at 7:13
  • A good heuristic for what purpose? It would be far less confusing just to recognize that a double sharp is just two half steps higher, whether the note is black or white.
    – phoog
    Commented Nov 5, 2018 at 5:42

3 Answers 3

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Here is Scriabin's study op. 42, no. 5, bar 18, which includes an E-double-sharp...

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I don't know about pieces using B## or E##, but I can give an example of a piece of piano music using Cbb: Godowsky's paraphrase on Strauss's "Die Fledermaus". In the section below,

Strauss/Godowsky Fledermaus Cbb example

there is a Cbb in the left hand in the third bar, which is a double-accidental and which is a black note on the piano (enharmonic to Bb).

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F♯♯maj13♯11 consists of the notes F♯♯-A♯♯-C♯♯-E♯♯-G♯♯-B♯♯-D♯♯

Enharmonic to Gmaj13♯11.

Used in C♯♯ major as a IV chord.

How to theoretically use this absolute mess of a chord: If you started a piece in D♯ minor, then modulated to E♯ minor, then to E♯ major, then went to C♯♯ minor, then to C♯♯ major, you could theoretically use this chord as the IV. Basically, thorugh a bunch of modulations, it's possible to get there. Or you could be smart and just write augmented chords in sharp keys.

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