Composition Portfolio Assessment 2

DUE TUESDAY 18th DECEMBER but PLEASE hand in earlier and then re-submit if you change anything.

• COMPOSITION 1: I would like PRINTED scores and logs for this as well as Sibelius files on Moodle (this should be a finished rough draft)
• COMPOSITION 2: I just need a Sibelius file and a clear explanation in the text on Moodle of what this piece is (this should be some substantial sketches).

Revision for Mock

AoS A

• Haydn Symphony 104 – details of all four movements so you can answer short answer questions on this work with a blank score
• Wider listening works, Haydn Symphony 104 AND Mendelssohn ‘Italian’ main points organised by topic for 15-mark essays (ESSAY WILL BE ONE FROM TOPICS A-H & L)

AoS C

• Musical Theatre – main composers and the dates of their key works. Make sure you are clear about the main comparison points you should use for musical theatre

AoS E

• Poulenc and Debussy set works so that you can answer detailed short answer questions on these works with a blank score
• Core Listening works so that you can describe them in terms of their various parameters. You have to explain, for example, form or harmony in a Core Listening work that contrasts with the unseen listening (5 marks)

Remember to revise of Topic A/H for hybrid timed essay for this week

AoS E Revision

Revise the Core Wider listening works from the C20 ready for a test next week (Tuesday/Wednesday)

Performance
Forms (Performance Programme Submission), music and accompaniments are due THIS FRIDAY

Review 

• Topic H) Humour, drama, narrative and programme. (notes and stuff on alevelmusic)
• Haydn 104 first movement

Review for NEXT WEEK

• Timed essay on how the incorporation of drama and narrative affected the overall form of the Symphony (Friday for both groups)
• Haydn 104 second movement

Composition
Hand in initial sketches (or reworked material from last year) this week on Moodle please.

Don’t neglect Composition 1 – a finished draft is due at the end of term (I will be doing a session of developments this week to help people get this section finished)

Getting on with composition is the major priority. You need to have finished a draft of your Composition 1 by the end of this term and done some substantial sketches for composition 2.

Please don’t neglect planning and preparing for your recital. For most of you this is 35% of your marks. If you are not prepared, it will be pretty disastrous. Finalized programmes and due in in a few weeks along with accompaniments.

Work for next week

AoS A – please review your notes on humour and revise Haydn movement 1 for short answer questions during the lesson on Wednesday C / Friday D next week.

Work set previously for THIS WEEK

Composition
You must hand in:

1.  your score on Moodle
2.  your log sheet attached as a file here but also printed out filled in as follows:
   • Structure summary indicating what passages in your composition are (e.g. bars 1-16: first subject, bars 40-52: development sketch, bars 1-20: in the sorceror’s cave)
   • AT LEAST four documented influences
   • AT LEAST four WCT Stylistic features

Revision for test (C group – Friday; D group – Wednesday)
An essay on EITHER second movements OR third movements

Review
This week we will be looking at FOURTH movements as well as reviewing the Poulenc set work.

Work set for half term

Revise for a comprehensive test on Poulenc and Debussy in the first week back after half term. You should also revise the focus wider listening works that we have so far covered (Poulenc brass trio and Webern) so you can answer the 5-mark question at the end.

You need to fill in a Free Composition Planning Document for Composition 2 to be handed in the first lesson back after half term. Please print this out for submission.

Work set last week for this week

Composition

As you prepare for the first Draft Portfolio Submission you need to consider the three things that will help you improve the most:

• Including textures that you have stolen from other pieces and DOCUMENTED on your log
• Including WCT features that are DOCUMENTED on your log
• Making sure that your ideas are proper musical gestures with dynamics and articulations.

AoS E (C: Tuesday 2nd / D:  Wednesday 3rd)

Review the Debussy using the tabular summary in the Year 13 Revision Guide and the annotated score on Moodle. We will be doing review and summary tasks in the Tuesday/Wednesday lessons next week.

Review

Make sure you review THIRD movement of Haydn and essay topic (D) for this week’s lessons please

Work set this week for NEXT and beyond

On Wednesday 24th (D) /Friday 26th (C) we will have a 30 minute timed essay on ONE of SECOND or THIRD movements.

In the first week week back after HT test there will be a test on both Poulenc AND Debussy set works in the Tuesday/Wednesday lesson.

For next AoS E lesson please review Debussy using annotated scores and table in revision notes.

Composition

You need to  make some serious progress. Clear documentation of influences (I will be taking a closer look at the logs this week (download them from Moodle) and in the score. The examiners report is clear that good phrase structures are important.

AoS E (C: Tuesday 2nd / D:  Wednesday 3rd)

Write a single page summary of the Webern Quartet op. 22 in terms of its STRUCTURE and SERIAL CONSTRUCTION. I want a bit more detail than you would put in an exam question but I am not looking for a novel!

Review

Make sure you review first movement of Haydn and first movement essay topic (B) for this week’s lessons please

NEXT WEEK

We will be reviewing SECOND movement Haydn and essay topics in class and on Wednesday (D) /Friday (C) we will have timed essay on FIRST movements.

Submission: Group C end of Wednesday / Group D end of Tuesday

You need to make a proper start on your WCT composition – hand in some sketches and a log with any relevant parts filled in (i.e. influences and perhaps WCT Features)

WCT Weekly log (Sonata) / WCT Weekly log (Sorceror)

• Try and write at least one 8-ish bar idea, preferably two contrasting ones
• Use the resources on the WCT Hub (e.g. look at Basic idea and phrase structures)
• Use the resources on the Composition Moodle to find models and things to steal
• Use the relevant handout to help you (on Moodle)

When you start year 13 in September, we will have three tests that you need to prepare for over the summer

1. Development of the Symphony topics A-E – this is the foundational stuff that we will build on for the remaining essay titles (next FRIDAY – not Thursday as I said to C group)
2. Haydn short answer (WEDNESDAY)
3. Poulenc short answer (to make sure it is still in your brains after the summer break before we start on Debussy) (WEDNESDAY)

There are revision aids on Moodle (I am currently re-organizing the quizzes) and notes both there and on here. I would practice making notes for the Dev. of the Symphony and then test yourself to see if you have got them right.