Why so much original music written in different keys!!

I hope someone can give me some logic to this. Why are so many original pieces of classical music written in a different key other than how it was originally composed?
I have a lot of sheet music, and I would like to have orchestral accompaniment with it so it sounds better and I can make recordings. Not many people want to just hear a solo flute. Anyway, I will often find something on itunes and when I try and play along, it is in a different key. I have many play along books, but it is much cheaper for me to find the music for each individual song I want to play instead of buying a book just for one song I like. I ordered a book one time just to get the orchestral accompaniment to Orchestral Suite in D major, and the darn flute part was written in the key of C major!! I can't find a Star Spangled Banner on itunes that is played in Ab! Why oh why do original works get changed like that???? :-(

Much music is put in a different key when it goes to sheet music to placate the masses who play the instrument. The editors and publishers will try and place the tune in a range that more people can play.

iTunes. There are quite a few recordings that are not to pitch. Sometimes the engineering adjusts the pitch on the recordings. Some of the reasons are; the engineer thinks it sounds better at that pitch, or on more popular tunes the music is modulated up or down in pitch to fit in with the pieces on either side of it on the CD/alubum, some times the pitch is adjusted to change the length of the piece to make it fit in a shorter or longer time span.

I know I may sound stupid, but why would the masses not be able to play the song in the key it was written in originally, especially if it was written for the instrument you play? Your answer is excellent by the way, and explains a lot about itunes. I guess I am up the creek without a paddle when it comes to finding music on itunes to help accompany my flute music. What a bummer. :-(

By putting it down one or two half steps there are several higher notes that will now be in certain players ranges. .

You might not be so far up the creek. there are software programs out there where you can either A) download an audio file to your computer and adjust the pitch without changing the tempo. and B) take any of the muic you have, scan it and then transpose it and print it out in whatever key you want.

Yes, they cost money - - but we all have lots of that laying around don't we? (light sarcasm).

Hey John,

Do you know where I can get this software? What would I Google if I wanted to purchase it?

Namaste,
Tiff

The software for transposing the written music can be found in Finale and Sebelius music software programs. The full versions of these do cost some money, but as a student you can get great discounts.

The software for audio adjustments? Here is one.

http://www.abyssmedia.com/audioretoucher/?gclid=CJDf0ePts54CFQnxDAodAWTQlw

To search put in something like, "convert pitch on audio files" or "I want to change pitch on my audio files".