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Study Guide For A-Level Music (AQA Specification)

The A-Level Music exam consists of 3 sections: Listening, Analysis, and Essay. Students must study the Western Classical Tradition from 1650-1910 as well as other areas of music. For the Western Classical Tradition, students focus on 3 historical periods: Baroque solo concertos, Classical operas of Mozart, and Romantic piano works of Chopin, Brahms, and Grieg. The document then provides details on the musical elements that students are expected to understand, analyze, and discuss as part of the A-Level Music course.

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1K views15 pages

Study Guide For A-Level Music (AQA Specification)

The A-Level Music exam consists of 3 sections: Listening, Analysis, and Essay. Students must study the Western Classical Tradition from 1650-1910 as well as other areas of music. For the Western Classical Tradition, students focus on 3 historical periods: Baroque solo concertos, Classical operas of Mozart, and Romantic piano works of Chopin, Brahms, and Grieg. The document then provides details on the musical elements that students are expected to understand, analyze, and discuss as part of the A-Level Music course.

Uploaded by

David Cotter
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MUSIC A-LEVEL

AQA
WRITTEN EXAM

• A) Listening (56 marks)


• B) Analysis (34 marks)
• C) Essay (30 marks)
AREAS OF STUDY

• Western Classical Tradition (1650-1910) COMPULSORY


• Pop Music
• Music for Media
• Music for Theatre
• Jazz
• Contemporary Traditional Music
• Art music since 1910
WCT: 3 STRANDS

• Baroque: The solo concerto


• Classical: The operas of Mozart
• Romantic: The piano music of Chopin, Brahms and Grieg
BAROQUE: THE SOLO CONCERTO

• Purcell Sonata for trumpet and strings in D major Z.850 (complete)


• Vivaldi Flute concerto in D Il Gardellino op.10 no.3 RV428 (complete)
• Bach Violin concerto in A minor BWV1041 (complete)
CLASSICAL: THE OPERAS OF MOZART

Mozart: Le Nozze di Figaro k.492: Act 1, focusing on:


• Overture
• No.1 Duettino (Figaro and Susanna, including following recitative)
• No.3 Cavatina (Figaro, including the previous recitative)
• No.4 Aria (Bartolo)
• No.5 Duettino (Susanna and Marcellina)
• No.6 Aria (Cherubino)
• No.7 Terzetto (Susanna, Basilio, Count)
• No.9 Aria (Figaro).
ROMANTIC: THE PIANO MUSIC OF CHOPIN,
BRAHMS AND GRIEG
Chopin
• Ballade no.2 in F major op. 38
• Nocturne in E minor op.72 no.1
Brahms
• Intermezzo in A major op.118.no. 2
• Ballade in G minor op.118 no. 3
Grieg
• Norwegian march op.54 no. 2
• Notturno op.54 no. 4
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: MELODY

• Contour – ascending, descending, • Auxiliary notes – upper, lower and


stepwise, conjunct, chromatic
• Disjunct, scalic, triadic and arpeggio • Note of anticipation
• Intervals, including compound • Echappée note
intervals
• Portamento
• Phrase length – equal, unequal and
• Melodic devices – sequence, motif,
balanced
fragmentation,
• Ornaments – trill, mordent, turn,
• Repetition, intervallic augmentation
acciaccatura and appoggiatura
and diminution.
• Passing notes – accented,
unaccented and chromatic
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: HARMONY

• Consonant and dissonant • Circle of 5ths progression, harmonic


sequence
• Diatonic – primary and secondary
triads, dominant 7th and all • Pedal notes – tonic, dominant,
inversions inverted and inner
• Chromatic – diminished 7th, • Suspensions (4–3, 7–6, 9–8 and
secondary dominant 7th, bass), preparation and resolution
substitution chords (borrowing from
• Cadential 6/4.
opposite mode), chord of the
Neapolitan, Neapolitan 6th and
augmented 6th chords (Italian,
German, French)
• Cadences – perfect, imperfect,
interrupted, plagal, half close,
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: TONALITY

• Major, minor, and their key signatures


• Modulation to dominant, subdominant, and their relatives, also to tonic
minor, relative minor and tertiary keys
• Enharmonic keys
• Modality
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: STRUCTURE

• Binary, rounded binary and ternary


• Ritornello and episode
• Sonata form
• Through-composed
• Introduction and coda
• Recitative and aria
• Foursquare
• Antecedent and consequent phrases
• Ostinato
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: SONORITY (TIMBRE)

• Standard orchestral and vocal types


• Basso continuo
• Pizzicato, arco, col legno, con sordino, sul ponticello, sul
• Tasto and double stopping
• Sotto voce, vibrato
• Una corda, pedalling
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: TEXTURE

• Solo, monophonic, unison, octaves, parallel 3rds


• Melody and accompaniment, homophonic, chordal
• Polyphonic, contrapuntal, imitative, fugal
• Antiphonal
• Trio sonata texture
• Polarised
• Countermelody, descant
• Canon
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: TEMPO, RHYTHM, AND
METRE
• Simple and compound time
• Common Italian tempo terms including ritenuto, rallentando and
accelerando
• Rubato, pause
• Syncopation, hemiola, cross-rhythm, motor-rhythm
MUSICAL ELEMENTS: DYNAMICS AND
ARTICULATION
• Common Italian dynamic terms including sfz and fp
• Accent, tenuto, staccato, marcato, legato.

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