ABRSM Grade 5 Practical: Aural test 5C After listening to a
short excerpt/piece, you will be asked questions on the piece and
then asked to clap a rhythm of a short extract played twice and
state if it is in 2, 3 or 4 time. When you answer questions about
style, period or mood, also state what features led you to that
conclusion. Things you might be asked: dynamics
piano/forte does this change in the piece, or does it remain
constant throughout?
gradation of tone crescendo/diminuendo was this gradual or
sudden? does this change in the piece, or does it remain
constant
throughout? articulation
staccato/legato does this change in the piece, or does it remain
constant throughout?
rhythm anything significant?
e.g. waltz rhythm (in triple time) swing, jazzy march (in duple
time, stress on main beats) syncopation (playing off the main
beat)
tempo changes accelerando/ritardando (rallentando) flexible
tempo - rubato (speeding up and slowing down expressively)
tonality major/minor/atonal are there any key changes?
texture thick - lots of chords, thin - simple melody and harmony
contrapuntal/imitative - multiple voices, like a fugue (e.g. listen
to J. S. Bach) anything else significant? e.g. uses lots of
arpeggios
form binary - A B ternary - A B A rondo - A B A C A
character/mood agitated/joyful/calm what features suggest
that?
style/period (next page)
Baroque
(1600 - 1750) Classical (1750 - 1800)
Romantic (1800 - 1899)
20th Century (1900 - present)
Characteristics often contrapuntal melodic ideas in both upper
and lower parts, sometimes with parts copying each other melodic
ornamentation (trills, mordents, turns...) usually has light
articulation, limited pitch and dynamic range, reflecting the
original use of harpsichord
often contains simple melody with harmony may have
chordal/alberti bass clearly punctuated melodic phrases (listen out
for 4-bar phrases)
highly expressive flexible tempo + rubato song-like melodies,
rich harmonies thicker texture, use of sustaining pedal, wide
dynamic range
may be atonal, dissonant harmony usually has unusual/irregular
rhythms, changes in time signature may have jazzy swing wide
dynamic range - sometimes with sudden changes
Example composers contrapuntal - Bach
Handel, Scarlatti, Couperin
Beethoven, Clementi, Haydn, Mozart
Schumann, Chopin, Grieg, Brahms
Jazz - Aaron Copland, Gershwin Atonal - Bartok, Satie,
Stravinsky
