Hi! I have a friend who wants to know if anyone is taking Grade 5 Cello and what piece are you choosing to play for List C?

I have a freind doing that too, I can ask him for you, but I'm not sure he'll tell me...

Rosie's doing G5, so she might have some thoughts.......

Don't have a piece for List C yet I'm afraid... I've only chosen a piece for List A and I'm working on the scales. I'd love to know what everyone else is doing for List C though as this would help me with my decision! IS there anyone else doing grade 5 cello out there??

Sorry I couldn't help you!

Rosie

Son will do grade 5 soon, next term I suspect. His teacher buys his music/chooses his pieces for him (not sure how much say he gets if any), but hasn't bought his C piece music yet so not much help. The only piece I recognise on the list is Gershwin Summertime which in my opinion could sound gorgeous on cello (but then again so might some of the others).

Gosh sounds like everyone is checking with the other what they're doing for list C. Nobody wants to go buy the music in case they don't like it I guess, huh?

Anyone think Summertime is a 'risky' piece to choose as its so well known? Its a bit like 'The Swan' I think someone would need to be very brave to play that one. Its so well known the examiner is bound to know it, while some of the others might be less familiar. I wonder is there the same indecision about the List C piece for other instruments or is it just cello.

You're right there Violin-Ann. WHY can they not publish a book of all the pieces??? I haven't been out and bought any pieces from the other lists because I've got no idea what they're like, so I'm waiting until September for the recommendations of my teacher. I'd also be quite interested in what anyone else is doing for Lists A and B actually and what they think of the pieces...

Actually Noodle, it's List C I can't decide on for piano either! My list A and B choices are easy, but I'm not so keen on any of the List C ones really...

Well we asked them the same question during one seminar, and the examiners said it'll cost even more like a bomb if they published all the pieces in the book, so they picked 3 for each list which they think will be popular, or something really obscure so that people will get to know about it.

I don't blame you, the Grade 7 list C for piano isn't my favourite list either! If it were me, I might do the Andante and Sostenuto. Because I would rather have something at a slower tempo (although I would have to work hard at the Grace notes!) than everything at breakneck speed. Or you could try looking for the Bartok.

Well they don't publish a book at all for cello! Plus, neither of the music shops in Exeter stocks any of the books with the pieces in, so I can't even have a look at them before I buy them!



I have the music for all of the pieces from List C, excluding the Bartok. What's it like? Unless it's very different than Bartok normally is, I probably won't like it as Bartok is my least favourite composer... (although a close rival with CPE Bach purely for writing Solo per il Cembalo in E flat... )

I quite like the Andante and Sostenuto, but then I also like For Johnny Mehegan, The Little White Donkey and Carousel too, but I'm just not so thrilled with any of them that I feel like practising them for several months on end... I'm too indecisive, that's my problem!

I have just recently taught a pupil who took grade 5 cello. His pieces were

List A - Boni Sonata in C

List B- Tchaikovsky Waltz

List C - Gershwin Summertime

Can you tell me a bit about the Boni Sonata? I'm already playing a piece from list A (Adoring I Suffer - Handel), but I'm not really that keen on it... Is it fast/slow, how difficult is it etc.?

Thankyou!

Rosie

I think it is a good grade 5 piece. Not too difficult but not too easy. In my opinion anyway!

You have to do the 3rd and 4th movements. 3rd is slow and 4th is fast. You also have to do the repeats in the 4th movement which makes it a bit longer.

Have fun and good luck

Thankyou!!

I just did Grd 5 cello, my pieces were

a) Minuet & Variation

Brahms - Wie melodien........something

c) sabre dance by james macmillan - a modern, lively, fun and easy piece to play!

im doing adoring i suffer from list A but i have no idea what its supposed to sound like
summertime was too slow for me on list c so i chose the sabre dance
not sure about list B

I'm doing 'Adoring I Suffer' as well. I didn't like it to start with, but it's growing on me...will probably still change my mind though knowing me! My only problem with it is the A flat. I keep playing A instead! Grrr

What's 'Sabre Dance' like?

Sabre Dance is a modern piece. It is in 4/4 with no sharps or flats (not convinved as to what key it's in though). Sometimes it switches to 7/8, it's got alot of potential for character (imagine cossacks sword dancing). Only goes up to an A above the bass clef. There a couple of hairy bars for position changing, but otherwise simple. Requires FF+ at times

Are you lot all still sitting on the fence over this? Son's teacher has recommended 'Spring Song' by Frank Bridge for his C piece. He hasn't started learning it yet, so I can't tell you what it sounds like, but we have the music and it's in G major or its related minor, (I can't really tell - but there are a few accidentals) and is 2/4 time and 'allegretto con moto' - not too fast I think.

What do you mean are we still sitting on the fence over this? This thread hadn't received any posts from 5th September until today.
Spring Song is a nice piece, but its a bit more complicated than Sabre Dance. It is in G major and quite high in places.

I was given spring song to play over the summer, lost the sheet music though so I've only just got a copy. I'd say the hardest thing about it is the position changes

I HATE POSITION CHANGES!

Sorry, didn't mean to sound abrupt. Thought Rosie for one was waiting to talk to her teacher before deciding & it wasn't clear if she still was undecided.

I noticed the tenor clef crept in for a few bars shortly after my post, so yes I guess it wouldn't suit someone who doesn't like high bits.