NOTES for LMusTCL CANDIDATES

General examination techniques 1. If you are a normal examination candidate, as soon as you open the question paper, you are likely to be engulfed by a feeling of panic. You may not know the meaning of bisbigliando, you may think you know nothing about the composers or works in section B of the paper, but, if you have prepared thoroughly and remain in control of yourself, you can make an attempt at every question. The first helpful hint is, therefore: DONT PANIC. Take a moment or two to collect yourself before you look at the paper in greater depth. 2. Take time to read through the questions carefully. This serves two purposes: firstly, it allows any initial insecurity to subside; and, secondly, it allows you to decide on your choices in all but the opening question. This perusal of the paper should occupy no more than a few minutes, and may well prevent you from rushing into answers which might not give the best opportunity for you to demonstrate your knowledge. 3. Make sure you answer all the questions all the subdivisions in Question 1, but on only five of the extracts in Question 2. (If you answer more, only the first five answers will be considered, and you will be wasting time which could more profitably be spent in answering other questions.) In Section B, be sure to answer only one question on your chosen set work, and only one on its associated genre. An unanswered question means a loss of at least 20 marks, severely reducing the chances of gaining sufficient marks to pass the examination. However, in Section A, the occasional subsection might be able to be omitted without causing a disaster: to lose a couple of marks because you cannot, with ease, find a diminished seventh chord in third inversion, for example, could possibly be offset by using the time it might take to find an elusive chord to supply more detail in Section B responses. 4. Do only what the question requires, and answer the question directly. For example, in Question 2, you are not asked to identify the composers of the extracts; and in essays, no matter how vast or detailed your knowledge, if your answer is not wholly and directly related to the question, its likelihood of gaining a high mark will be compromised. 5. Time management is important: candidates often spend too long on the two questions carrying 30 marks, with the result that answers to questions worth only 20 marks (especially the final question) are often hurried or incomplete. Aim to manage your time effectively: different candidates have varying strengths and weaknesses, and therefore a single time management plan cannot be appropriate for everyone. However, as a general rule, about 45 minutes is sufficient to provide an adequate response to each question worth 30 marks, and about 35 minutes for those questions worth 20 marks. This allows up to 20 minutes for the preliminary reading of the paper, making notes/planning answers where necessary, and for a final checking of responses before the end of the examination.

Hints on individual questions

Section A Question 1 Here candidates may be required to comment on aspects of harmony, style, texture, scoring, rhythm, melody and structure, and other common analytical matters. To the direct questions the aim here should be for answers to be as precise as possible. Keys, for example, should be identified clearly as major or minor the use of upper case letters (or +) to indicate major keys, lower case (or -) for minor keys, is discouraged. Similarly, chords should be located by bar, and, where necessary, by beat (e.g. bar 19, third quaver beat). Any recognised terminology for naming chords is acceptable. Questions requiring more discursive responses often cause problems, candidates being unsure of how much to write, or how much detail should be included. Generally questions requiring comment on the use of rhythm or motif should identify the basic element(s) if required, and then go on to explain how these features are modified as the music progresses. Structural analysis should not be over-detailed: identification of the principal formal sections are, of course, essential, as are the main keys, where required. It is not necessary to try to contort the given extract into a textbook form, as the examiners are looking for musical perception rather than regurgitation of a (perhaps artificial) preconception of what the form should be. Questions on textures may require one-word responses (such as contrapuntal) or more extended comments. The term textures can refer to the number of parts (in a polyphonic composition) or the actual nature of the music (melody plus accompaniment, chordal, imitative, etc.), and the approach taken must be guided by the wording of the question. Often it is merely the main textures which are required to be described as with any similar question, it is essential to give precise references to the music to support what is stated so that the validity of the commentary can be evaluated. The compare and contrast type of question is straightforward: harmony, texture, keys, tessitura, dynamics, and, if appropriate, scoring, are some of the areas which might merit comment.

Question 2 The requirements of the question are specific: reasons which support the suggested date need to be given these may refer to texture, style, scoring, etc. When the instrumentation is given for an extract, it is pointless to repeat this in the answer however, where there the scoring is not given, to state what instrument/s are required could support the suggested date (e.g. whether an extract is for harpsichord or piano). At least four valid points need to be made for each extract: comments on each extract are marked holistically.

Section B Question 1 The responses here require a detailed knowledge of the music: some questions require factual knowledge (structure, style, keys, word setting, scoring etc.), and others require a more discursive response (e.g. How successful has X been in conveying the emotion of the words?) In both cases specific references to the music are required to support the points made: these may be either general (e.g. In the third movement, it may be seen that .) or more precise (The central section of the third movement ): some candidates, particularly when considering longer movements, make use of bar numbers. These sometimes cause confusion movements/songs are sometimes interchanged, and if an edition other than that given in the syllabus is used, the barring sometimes differs. Any means of indicating exactly which passage is being considered is acceptable.

Question 2 Questions here vary considerably: sometimes a brief history of a genre (perhaps within a given time span) is required (in which case specific works and their composers must be mentioned). Other question types include the contribution of a particular composer to the genre: specific works must again be mentioned, and, where the question asks for it, an assessment of the composers contribution to the genre must be given: this should place his output in context and consider its influence on later composers. Such a question might be also be related to a particular work, or works: this requires a similar approach to the write a programme note type of question, though in this case the approach can be less academic.