Dipabrsm, My programme Options

[bourdour]

yamaha: yea, keeping my fingers CROSSED for the results...sigh. Anyhow, the third movement of the moonlight is tough, especially when one has not been doing finger exercises and scales consistently. lol ... i could have composed myself better before starting on the third movement, there was one section when the left hand was a little slower than the right hand(dang!) But it got better as I raced through the piece( I COULD have played it at a slightly more controlled tempo... Perhaps about 5-6 wrong notes for the third movement (thank god for no break downs!)
There u go, advice for all taking the exams once again: COMPOSE YOURSELF BEFORE U START ANY PIECE OR SECTION! lol

As for the Pathetique sonata, ive friends who played it and they too said that the first and the third movements didnt go as well as they would like in the exam. well, lets all just pray...

Esther: The Viva Voce questions will be asked in accordance with your programme notes. If the programme notes are not well-researched, with interesting points that you could elaborate on (keep the written notes simple and interesting, leave the elaboration for Viva Voce), then it will definitely affect the marks for programme notes AND the Viva Voce.
When the examiner seems to be digging questions for you to answer, then you're probably doing well... lol
Here are the questions....if i can recall all of them.... with my answers in general, for those who are curious.(It would be more relevant if you guys refer to my programme in the previous posting)
1) You mentioned in your programme notes about the clavichord and the harpsichord being the prevalent instrument in Bach's time and not the piano. How do these instruments differ from the piano? (talk about the make of the instruments and how it affects the sound. For eg, for the harpsichord, the strings are plucked and as such, no tonal nuances are capable on the piano. In the clavichord, small metal tangents hit the string when the key is struck and so the sound is smaller than the pianoforte. etc etc)
2)You mentioned in your programme notes about "Countess Giudicelli- possibly Beethoven's Immortal Beloved" whom Beethoven dedicated the "Moonlight". What is the relevance of stating the possibility of her being his Immortal Beloved in your notes? ( Obviously, the dedicatee of any work is important and the relationship between the composer and the dedicatee of the work can help shape how we interpret the piece. Beethoven was said to have rejected the Countess, when she came back to him for lessons after marrying another man and going away for several years. There was some bitterness on his part, and this we can hear in the third movement, which has been said to be composed by Beethoven in a fit of jealous rage for a lost love. In this context, we would not think of the first movement as a funeral march as some would like to think it is. Instead, the first movement represents a certain pining and languishing.
3) And what was the keyboard instrument prevalent in Beethoven's time and how did it affect the music that was composed in his period? (the fortepiano, with a wooden frame and leather hammers, was used etc etc)
4)What other non-piano works did Beethoven compose?
(He wrote nine symphonies, a violin concerto...)
5) Did he also write chamber music?
(yes...the most famous of his chamber music has to be the Archduke Trio.)
6) And what is the trio? What instruments does it consist of?
(If im not wrong, it consists of the violin, cello and the piano....)
7) You mentioned in your programme notes about Bellini's operas having a similiar style to the Chopin's nocturne in E. Can you describe more about Bellini's opera and in what way is it simliar to the nocturnes?
8) You mentioned about "coloratura" in your programme notes...what does it mean?
( Sopranos... *examiners laugh* The term generally applies to sopranos..and I do have a recording of Bellini's La Somnambula with Joan Sutherland singing the lead role...and I cannot help but notice the similarities in the style of the phrases, the florid passages etc etc)
9) What other works did Brahm's compose, other than the rhapsody?
10) You mentioned that Brahms is more of an "orchestral" composer, can you explain this?
11) Who were Brahm's contemporaries?
(Chopin... Liszt...)
12) And what kind of music does Liszt write?
(mainly piano music...)
13) What is his music like? Are they easy or difficult to play?
(It tends to be a little showy sometimes...but generally difficult technically speaking... Liszt was like the Paganini of the piano...so...)
14) Have you played any of Liszt's music?
(Yes...the piano sonata.. *exams are shocked* I emphasized that I played only the easier chordal passages and they laughed)
15) Why did Bartok write the Mikrokosmos for?
( He wrote them as exercises for his son whom he taught the piano...then they gradually increased in numbers and became a complete set of exercises over time. )
16) Name one comtemporary of Barok?
debussy

So there, i hope this is helpful for those sitting for the exams soon. god, i hope i dun fail...sigh...the sight reading was a little worse than expected.

[cecilia]

Isn't it annoying when your teacher hasn't had anyone take that exam before?
I learn piano at school and my teacher normally takes pupils to grade 5 and then they leave and/or give up- so I was her first grade 7! It wasn't nice being the "guinea pig" and she didn't really know the syllabus- had had to do a lot of research on my own initiative to know exactly what was required of me! <_<

[hgirl]

QUOTE (cecilia @ May 27 2004, 01:04 PM)

Isn't it annoying when your teacher hasn't had anyone take that exam before?

I find it more worrying than annoying! I just feel as though I'm not up to the standard of Dip.ABRSM, and although my teacher says I am, she's never had anyone else take it so I might not be! Oh, I'm soooo worried about it! 4 weeks to go! :(

[esther]

bourdour, thank you so much for listing the questions in detail.
It is really helpful !
Wish you pass the exam ! :)

[isabel913]

QUOTE (Alvin @ May 26 2004, 02:16 PM)

To isabel913: Would you like to test how fast you can play for the 1st movement?

158 = =|||||| I can't play that fast...
I play roughly 138 for the 1st movement....100 for the 3rd movement...

[the_pianist_87]

omg bourdour, those questions seem so difficult !!!! i'm taking my exam on tuesday, 1st june... in 5 days!! and i don't think i'm at all prepared to answer questions like that, eeek... gosh im so scared ! did the people who examined you seem very very happy with your responses? because judging by what you wrote, i think you will get a disctinction. and i'd be happy with a low pass (as long as i don't fail!), so hopefully I have some chance then! :) ah everyone, i'm so nervous !!! I knew i shouldn't have let myself in one this.. pff who could be so stupid as to think that they could prepare the diploma programme in 4 months?? yeah, me... wow. wish me luck, im gonna need it !!!!
--selma--

[bourdour]

all the best pianist87...keep ur cool!!! guess the viva voce section is just about doing ur own reading...besides, studying the history of the composers can be quite interesting(especially the scandals n the gossips..haha).
Good luck too esther, tell us all how u fare after ur exams!

[Alvin]

I can play about minim=138 also now. :D

[yamaha]

QUOTE

I wonder what recording of 3rd movement you are having.

Hi Alvin :)

Im sorry, I didnt notice your post. I must check the CD again and let you know, I hope it isnt minim 100! :o I better get practicing if it is! :D

[pianissimo]

0hg

[the_pianist_87]

hey all !! its me , im back! post-exam, that is !! :) :) :)
wow...
my diploma is DONE !!!!!
what an incredible, unbelievable feeling...
i did it yesterday.. at 2pm. and its over. i can't imagine that a whole year's worth of work went into that one, single hour...
ok, now to recount.
on the whole, i think i did a pretty good job. when i came in, the examiner asked for my programme notes and the music of my pieces. he even offered to help me to carry it since i had 8 huge hardback books, but i declined.. to be polite. :) he then allowed me to try the piano, and i started playing.
here's some advice: take a bottle of water and a tissue or handkerchief with you into the exam. they are very lenient with time - you can wait for a minute or two between pieces if you like. i drank water three times i think.. and it helped me refresh myself a LOT. plus after playing for half an hour, or playing any fast pieces, your hands get sweaty.. so dont remember the essentials!!
after each piece, the examiner always said 'thank you'.. it was so cute - i didnt know what to say back ---? you're welcome!! lol, i guess not!!! if i took a longer piece before a piece, say to have some water, he would ask - are you ready to go on now? and then i would continue.
after the pieces were done, i had the viva voce. i will write here all the questions, because i know of what a HUGE help it was to me when bourdour wrote her questions (and i mean HUGE !! thank you so much !!!! i wouldnt have passed viva without it, you're a sweetheart!!).. so i'll add that to the end.
after the viva voce was the quick study, and that was TERRIFYING. oh my god. oh my god !!! that was the one part where i really, seriously, messed up.. but hear this - it was SO difficult. this is what they gave me : a two-page piece that is in 5/8 meter, with crazy dotted rhythm! and then it changes to 6/8 meter with regular and then dotted rhythm AGAIN..and modulates to some foreign key with 6 or 7 flats!! and then 2/3 of the way through it modulates BACK again to the original key, and the meter changes AGAIN to something else.. IT WAS SO HARD !!! ok i dont want to scare you all that will be taking it.. BUT PRACTISE YOUR SIGHT READING !!!!!!!! i thought i would be fine, since i sight read all the time, just for fun.. but clearly that wasn't enough. i didnt include 1/10 of the dynamics and playing directions that were there.. and i got so many of the rhythms wrong. wow. so im terrified about that.. i really hope that doesnt make me fail the diploma..
so that's that. i really hope i passed.. but for some reason, i had this really bad feeling about it... :( of course i can think of a million things i could've done better.. but i guess that's always the case, right.. well good luck to everyone else, and here are my viva voce questions to help you prepare!!

the pieces i played (to help understand the questions):
-Nocturne no.18 op.62 no.2 in E major - Chopin
-Sonata op.2 no.1 in F minor -- Beethoven
-Sarabande from the suite Pour le piano - Debussy
-Novelette no.1 op.21 in F major - Schumann

the examiner went piece by piece.. so here goes! just like bourdour, i included some suggested answers (or in other words, MY answers! lol)

1. What is the nocturne ? (free, improvisatory piece coming from the Romantic period.. ABA form.. written before only by John Field)
2. What do you mean by ABA form? (describe basically the difference of parts, how they contrast, possibly modulate to other key, then come back)
3. Is it more a day or a night piece? (its a NIGHT piece!! but i didnt know that, ahh!!!! so i was sort of ambiguous.. and he sensed it, so he was like "is it more for the evening?" so i said yes.. but i messed up there. nocturne means night, apparently, in some foreign language!!!)
4. What is rubato? (speeding up and slowing down according to emotions)
5. Would you as a performer use rubato in left, right, or both hands? (right hand, left hand keeps constant rhythm)
6. How different was the piano of Chopin from that of Mozart, and how could that have affected Chopin's composing? (larger range - Chopin experiments with all notes.. and better sound quality, allowing for "fleeting" scales , etc.)
7. Did Chopin compose anything else that was for piano and orchestra? (yes, two piano concertos. but all of his compositions had something to do with the piano.)
8. What were Beethoven's style periods? How many were there? (3 style periods - Viennese Classical, heroic, more serene& introverted.. talk about which pieces characterised each period)
9. How big of an influence was Haydn on Beethoven? (significant, was his tutor from 1792)
10. Did Beethoven compose anything for piano and other instruments? (yes, 5 piano concertos, and 9 piano trios)
11. Have you played any other sonatas by Beethoven? (not full ones, just separate movements)
9. What was the Sarabande? (stylized old dance, 3-beat meter, Baroque, Debussy's tribute to French baroque composers)
10. What was Impressionism in music? (capturing a certain feeling/atmosphere in a piece)
11. Was there Impressionism in art? (yes, Claude Monet)
12. Name any other Impressionist artists? (Maurice Ravel, Charles Ives... --> im not sure, i hope they are!!)
13. I see you played from music. Why did you choose to do this? (too much effort to memorize, not very good at it, prefer to have music just in case)
14. But could there be any advantages in playing from memory? (yes, you dont have to spend time glancing at the notes)
15. What was Schumann's disability in his hand that you talk about? (made an instrument to strengthen his hand, ended up damaging his nerves)
16. Did Schumann compose anything for piano and orchestra? (yes, 1 piano concerto. --> i said 3 piano concertos, i got it wrong!! argh... trying to remember what they all composed can be difficult!! )

so thats that.. i really hope i passed, but i have this bad feeling about it after the sight reading.. ::sigh:: i dont want to fail !! :(
take care everyone, and GOOD LUCK!!
--selma--

[isabel913]

you're all VERY helpful :D I think I can have a better preparation with all those examples ~

don't the ABRSM said that the sight reading would be at grade 6 level = =? it seems difficult....The grade 6 exam pieces may not as difficult as ur sight reading piece....(worrying)

oh...I want to talk about the pathatique...
I played it at 138 (1st) and 100 (3rd), and my new teacher said that it's not FAST ENOUGH = =....

[bourdour]

yay! congrats and I hope u pass, or maybe do well(who knows). Sight reading was a killer for me too...one comforting thing was that there was CONTINUITY in my playing...so its not that bad... Its like i memorised my pieces a long time ago, and stopped looking at the scores of my pieces. And yes i havent been practising sight reading consistently, and it was horrifying to see the modulations all over, and accidentals... *weeps* i do hope this doesnt make me fail the exams though....argh! keep our fingers crossed!!!! Good luck to all who are taking their exams soon! Now u guys have two case studies for viva voce..lol *waves magic wand*

[harpsichord]

I've got my DipABRSM harpsichord exam on the 18th of June! I have no idea what to expect for the sight reading or the viva voce and it's a bit difficult to find out since there arn't not many harpsichordists.

Any help would be appreciated though.

[yamaha]

QUOTE

oh...I want to talk about the pathatique...

No fast enough?!!! Your teacher would be horrified by my tempo then! :o

I have checked the CDs again and the 3rd movement is indeed minim 100 :blink: I dont play it that fast though, oh well :(

The main thing though really, is to play musically. I think a slower but beautiful performance would gain more marks than a faster, "hurried" performance. Lets hope so, for my sake! LOL!! :D