MusicQ&A by dot point

Bach: 3rd movement from Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major. Its Baroque concerto-grosso scoring, fugal gigue subject, ritornello structure, and the concertino of flute, violin and harpsichord against the ripieno.

Beethoven: 1st movement from Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor 'Pathetique'. Its sonata-form structure, the slow Grave introduction, the dramatic C minor mood, and the dynamic contrasts of early-Romantic piano writing.

Comparing the two instrumental set works (Bach's Brandenburg finale and Beethoven's Pathetique) across the musical elements, and applying that comparison to the 12-mark Section B extended response.

The context of Area of Study 1, Instrumental Music 1700 to 1820: the features of the Baroque and Classical styles, the development of the concerto and the piano sonata, and how the Bach and Beethoven set works represent the period.

Comparing the two vocal set works (Purcell's Music for a While and Queen's Killer Queen) across the musical elements, and applying that comparison to short comparison and 12-mark Section B questions.

Purcell: Music for a While. Its Baroque style, the ground bass (basso ostinato), continuo accompaniment, word-painting and melismatic word-setting for solo voice.

Queen: Killer Queen (from Sheer Heart Attack). Its verse-chorus structure, multitracked and harmonised vocals, studio production, rock band instrumentation and word-setting for solo voice with accompaniment.

The context of Area of Study 2, Vocal Music: word-setting and text-painting, the relationship between voice and accompaniment, and how Purcell's Baroque song and Queen's rock song both set words for solo voice with accompaniment.

Comparing the two stage-and-screen set works (Defying Gravity and the Star Wars main title) across the musical elements, and applying that comparison to short comparison and 12-mark Section B questions.

Schwartz: Defying Gravity (from Wicked). Its musical-theatre style, how the music supports the drama, the shifting tonality and key changes, the voice-and-orchestra texture and the structure that builds to a climax.

The context of Area of Study 3, Music for Stage and Screen: how musical-theatre songs and film scores support drama and narrative, the use of leitmotif and underscore, and how Defying Gravity and the Star Wars main title represent the area.

Williams: Main title / Rebel Blockade Runner (from Star Wars Episode IV). Its orchestral film-score style, the B flat major fanfare main theme, leitmotif, the contrasting Blockade Runner section and writing to picture.

Afro Celt Sound System: Release. Its fusion of West African and Celtic music with Western dance technology, the layered ostinati and drones, call and response, hand percussion and the role of programmed beats and samples.

Comparing the two fusion set works (Afro Celt Sound System's Release and Spalding's Samba Em Preludio) across the musical elements, and applying that comparison to short comparison and 12-mark Section B questions.

The context of Area of Study 4, Fusions: how two or more musical cultures are combined to create a fusion, the role of world-music features and technology, and how Afro Celt Sound System and Esperanza Spalding fuse styles.

Esperanza Spalding: Samba Em Preludio. Its fusion of Brazilian bossa nova and jazz, the gentle samba rhythm, jazz harmony and improvisation, the voice, double bass and nylon-string guitar, and the Portuguese word-setting.

The Component 2 composition to a Pearson-set brief: responding to one of the annually released briefs (linked to the areas of study), of at least one minute, marked out of 30 for meeting the brief, developing ideas and technical control.

Compositional techniques for developing musical ideas (sequence, inversion, augmentation, modulation, variation and changes of texture) and the methods of notating a composition score (staff notation, lead sheets, tab and DAW).

The Component 2 free composition: a piece set by the student in any style, of at least one minute, marked out of 30 for developing ideas, compositional techniques and coherence, and how it differs from the brief composition.

The structure of the Component 3 Appraising exam (Section A and Section B, 80 marks), the question types (multiple choice, grid, short and free response, dictation and extended comparison) and how to manage the playing of audio extracts.

The Component 3 dictation question (worth 6 to 10 marks): completing missing notes, rhythms or chords on a score by ear, using pulse, intervals, note values and the conventions of the set works.

The Component 3 Section B extended-response question (12 marks): comparing and evaluating a set work with an unfamiliar piece across the musical elements, structuring a balanced, evaluative answer that reaches a conclusion.

The Component 3 unfamiliar-piece question (8 marks): applying set-work knowledge to a related unfamiliar extract, using the skeleton score and the musical elements to comment on its features.

Approaches to performing: developing technical control, expression and interpretation, communicating the style and mood, using performance directions, and the role of music technology in performance.

The Component 1 ensemble performance: a minimum one-minute performance as part of a group with a non-doubled part, marked out of 30 for accuracy and for ensemble skills such as balance, blend and timing.

The Component 1 solo performance: a minimum one-minute solo on any instrument or voice, marked out of 30 for accuracy, technical control, expression and interpretation, with the duration and timing rules.

Melody (conjunct, disjunct, sequence, ornamentation, riffs and ostinati), harmony (diatonic and chromatic chords, cadences, pedals and drones) and tonality (major, minor, modal, pentatonic and modulation).

Rhythm and metre (simple and compound time, syncopation, dotted rhythms, triplets and swung rhythms), tempo (Italian terms), dynamics (piano to forte, crescendo and diminuendo) and articulation (legato, staccato, accent).

Texture (monophonic, homophonic, polyphonic, heterophonic and unison) and structure (binary, ternary, verse and chorus, call and response, ritornello, sonata form and theme and variations), with the correct terms Edexcel rewards.

The musical elements examined in Component 3, organised by the MAD T-SHIRP framework (melody, articulation, dynamics, texture, structure, harmony, instrumentation, rhythm and pitch), and how to use them with precise vocabulary.