I am about to start formal vocal lessons with taking ABRSM exams in mind. I have received a hard-copy of the latest syllabus (2009 onwards). Having read it, I still have some doubts. My teacher is not very good at English, so I am responsible for finding out the details. Can anyone help me, please?

Q1) Keys
Under the "Keys" section, it is stated:

"All items may be sung by any voice and in any key, published or transposed, suited to the compass of the candidate's voice, except for those items from operas, operettas, oratorios, cantatas and sacred works in Grades 6-8 (Lists A and D) where a particular voice and key are specified (although original pitch may be adopted in Baroque pieces, if appropriate)."

i) How do I identify which items are from operas, operettas, oratorios, cantatas and sacred works?
ii) Is it true that for Grades 6 to 8, any pieces from Lists A and D cannot be transposed?
iii) What does "original pitch may be adopted" mean? Is transposition allowed or not, in this case?


Q2) Singing from memory

Under section "Singing from memory":

"All items in all grades must be sung from memory, except for items from oratorios, cantatas and large-scaled sacred works, where candidates are permitted to sing with score, if they wish, in accordance with accepted performance practice."

i) What is considered a "large-scaled" sacred work? How do I identify whether a sacred work is large enough to be eligible for singing with score? By the number of pages? By the number of instruments/voices?


Q3) Translations

Under section "Unaccompanied Traditional Song":

"The unaccompanied traditional song may be sung in any language. A short translation should be provided for the examiner when words other than English are used."

i) What should the short translation encompass? Should it have the score with words? Or would only words translated to English be required? Are the words in the original language required?

ii) Must the short translation be a published article? Or can it be created and printed by the candidate?


Q4)Sight-Singing & Aural Tests

i) Is the Sight-Singing a special test for singing candidates only? Or is it the same as Aural Test B from Grade 4 onwards (what I have for piano exams)?

ii) If the Sight-Singing test is separate from the Aural Test B, will Aural Test B still be conducted? If so, would that not be a duplicated test?


Many thanks for any answers or ideas. I am quite clueless now. The singing syllabus looks a lot more complicated than piano's. I want to make sure that my teacher and I are both 100% compliant with all the requirements.

Hello Teoani.

Well....

Q1
i) I think you need to rely on you teacher's expertise in knowing the repertoire, or look it up yourself. Sorry, not much help there.
ii) No - unless it falls in the categories you have mentioned.
iii) it means you can sing it a semitone lower, as was the original pitch in the Baroque era.

Q2
Again, it is a question of knowing the repertoire and the traditional current practice. Actually, all my students sing from memory, no matter what they are singing. I think it's a good habit to get into - you can communicate the text better.

Q3
Just the English words will suffice, and your own work will be fine.

Q4
You will be required to do both Aural test B, AND specialist sight singing, as you would Aural test B and piano sight reading in piano exams.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Thank you AnnC. I just find Aural Test B to be a duplicate of the Sight-Singing test from Grade 4 onwards, but I do understand that the Aural tests have to be kept in entirety for a common measure across all instruments.

Anyway, as a piano student, I am finding the Grade 6 Aural Test B a huge challenge because the excerpt has gone from 6 notes in any time to many bars, with accompaniment in the picture! I am amazed at how the singing students get by with even more difficult sight-singing tests!

It's not exactly a duplicate of the Sight-Singing test, Teoani. The actual S-S test is much more difficult than Aural test B!

Yes yes, that's what I meant to say. Since S-S test is much more difficult, I was thus wondering why Aural Test B is still required. That's what I meant by a duplicate (technically inaccurate).