This page is a collation of resources to help those attempting diplomas. It contains some programme notes that people have written for exams, sample viva-voce questions and suggested quick study material. The information here pertains to the ABRSM performance diplomas in particular and, as the authors of the page are pianists, is likely to be most helpful to pianists; although other instrumentalists should find some useful material too.
In response to discussion on the forum, there is now a page - although it's mostly empty - which we hope to host resources to assist in the preparation for teaching diplomas. Any help with the page gratefully receieved.
Resources for Writing Programme Notes and for Viva-Voce Research
Advice for Writing Programme Notes
Examples of Programme Notes
Example Viva-Voce Questions
Suggested Quick Study Material
What is the Required Standard of Playing for the DipABRSM?
Repertoire Selection
Further Help
Acknowledgements
The first place to look is the ABRSM's resources for diploma candidates. These include a guide to writing programme notes, giving examples of good and bad notes and the style of writing expected; there is also a suggested reading list and, of course, the syllabus detailing marking criteria.
Do not neglect the text that often accompanies an edition of the sheet music; but certainly do not use this as your only source.
The Naxos website is a good resource for finding information about pieces. Naxos have a large collection of recorded music and each CD has sleeve notes discussing the pieces. It is likely that you will find at least some, if not all, of your pieces on there. It is also a useful page for selecting repertoire as one can listen to partial tracks online. Registration is required but is free.
If you are wanting to look at a limited number of pages of a book (and are unable to go to a library) search for it on Google Books: you may be able to find the information you need. Searching generally for the information you want at Google Books will also return relevant books.
If you're struggling to find copies of the books you want to read, try searching for a second-hand copy of the book on Abe Books - an invaluable resource for finding copies of out-of-print books listed on the ABRSM's recommended reading list.
Music in Words (ABRSM Publishing) is helpful in giving guidance on good stylistic writing about music; grammar pedants may not find this such a good investment as much of the book focuses on correct use of English. The book serves more of a resource on how to write rather than what to write; but is useful if one doesn't have experience of academic writing.
Grove is a wonderful resource if you have access to it. It is often possible to read a copy of it in the library, and well worth the effort (to read the relevant section, not the whole thing!). If you are at a university you may have access to Grove Online and not realise it: usually all students can use this, not just music students. If you have an ATHENS password try it out at the ATHENS login page for Grove.
The Internet is a wonderful resource and using Google one can find a wealth of information. The difficulty in using this resource is that one has to be more careful about the reliability of the information retrieved. As a general rule academic sites ending in, for example, .edu or .ac.uk, are likely to be reliable as they are based in Universities. Bear in mind, though, that students can also use these addresses for their pages hosted on University computers. Published sleeve notes, of which copies appear on the web, are more likely to be accurate as they have been published. The best way to judge whether information that you have found on the web is accurate (in the absence of a reliable source) is to look for many authors giving the same information and judge the credibility of what is being said based on how authoritative the author's writing style appears, although this is by no means fool-proof.
For those playing a Beethoven Piano Sonata there are some brief programme notes on each of these here on the BBC website.
mrbouffant, a member of the ABRSM forums is currently preparing his written submission for his FRSM in organ performance. Whilst doing so, he is maintaining a blog of his progress.
It is essential to understand the structure of your pieces and to be able to analyse them. If you are playing a sonata you should know about sonata form and how it applies to the piece you are playing. Further knowledge of other composers of sonatas and the development of sonata form (key works) may help in the viva-voce. If you are playing a fugue you should know how to analyse fugue and be familiar with terms such as stretto, exposition, subject and counter-subject; again, you should be also able to relate this to your piece. You should try to understand the form of other pieces that you are playing, how that form developed, and other composers that wrote using it. Below are some references which may help:
Those playing one of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas might find Tovey's Companion to Beethoven's Pianoforte Sonatas useful.
Here is a good website for help with the Analysis of Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier. Be careful not to substitute the use of this site for gaining your own understanding through analysis.
The first place to look for this is the ABRSM's Guide to writing programme notes, which can be found in the ABRSM's resources for diploma candidates. This advice is in addition to that presented there: important information given in that document is not duplicated here.
An issue mentioned in that document that arises frequently is the analysis (or lack thereof) of the pieces. Do not try to get out of analysis: this is the hard bit as it has to be your own work. The AB comment that programme notes avoiding this are weak; furthermore, the examiner will ask you about structure in the viva if you avoid writing about it so you still have to analyse your pieces to pass the viva voce.
Read lots of other programme notes, about a variety of pieces, from CD sleeves and concerts to observe the writing style and general content, even if the notes are not specifically about your pieces. Doing so will give you examples of how pieces are described, and a feel for what sort of audience one is expected to write for.
If you are completely stuck on where to start in writing programme notes, one way to start would be to research, and then answer, the following questions about each of your pieces to give you a starting place. Remembering to look at many sources and not to directly copy the answer out of
sources you have found. When you have answered the questions, arrange the text to form the basis of
what will later become your programme notes. Be aware that not every answer to every question need be in the finished programme notes for each piece — due to the word limit you will have to decide
which are the most important and interesting facts to keep once you have found a corpus of background information. Any material you choose not to include in the programme notes
will be useful for revision in preparation for the viva voce.
Note that these questions are by no means comprehensive and not all of them will apply to every piece.
If you find other important facts whilst researching the answers to these questions, write those facts down too.
Questions to answer:
Make sure that you understand the quote and, if it is in a different language, that you can translate it; you may well be asked about it in the viva voce.
Below are some programme notes that have been submitted in diploma examinations. They are here for the purposes of reference to give an idea of what sort of things people have written. They are for reference only and must not be copied in whole, or in part; the ABRSM will have copies of these notes from when they were submitted in the exam, and they are aware of this site: therefore, any plagiarism is likely to be detected, and will result in immediate disqualification from the exam.
The copyright of the notes on this site remains the property of their respective authors; any enquiries about distribution should be passed on to the webmaster who will contact the author. Comments on the programme notes are not quoted directly from the mark sheets, as examiners' comments are not for publication. The comments merely give an indication of the examiners' overall opinion of the notes.
The questions asked in the viva-voce section of the exam will be based on both the information given in the programme notes and anything the examiner considers to be important and omitted from the notes. Questions can be also asked based on the answers given by the candidate in their viva-voce: as such, if asked to name a contemporary of a composer, for example, select one with whose output you are reasonably familiar.
Probabilistically speaking it is likely that the examiners' knowledge of better-known composers will be greater than their knowledge of lesser-known ones, simply because the examiner is more likely to have studied them. Make sure, therefore, if you're playing pieces by well-known composers that you have a good general knowledge knowledge of about them. This does not mean, of course, that the examiner will not know about lesser-known composers: you may be unfortunate and get an examiner who is an expert on Berg!
Be prepared to defend any statement you made in your programme notes: read through them thinking about what questions could be asked about the various things you've said: for example, if you've said that A was influenced by B then the examiners may well ask, "how can B's influence be seen in this piece?".
Some sample viva-voce questions, as reported by candidates who have sat diploma examinations, are included here in addition to those that can be found in the diploma syllabus.
For all instrumentalists a good place to start looking is current and past grade 6 syllabuses for your instrument. The list C pieces are most likely to be similar to the material used in the exam. Most of the pieces are in a modern style: be ready for changes of key and time signature during the piece and don't expect a simple key signature. Try quick-studying some harder pieces before your exam (e.g. some grade 7 ones if you're sitting the DipABRSM) so that you can handle the one in the exam more easily.
The following books may be useful for quick study practice:
A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano, Book IV Grade 6 level Romantic Pieces.
A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano, Book V Grade 7 level Romantic Pieces.
Spectrum Modern pieces for piano in a range of styles varying in difficulty level (grades 5 - 8).
Spectrum 3 Modern pieces for piano in a range of styles varying in difficulty level (grades 3 - 7).
Spectrum 2 Modern pieces for piano in a range of styles varying in difficulty level (grades 1-6, so perhaps not as useful as Spectrum 1 or 3).
We are more than happy to include suggestions of quick study material for other instruments, and further material for piano, if anyone is willing to make suggestions.
It has been said many times that the DipABRSM is a lot harder than grade 9: playing at a standard that would achieve a good pass at grade 8 will result in failure in the diploma exam, something that does not happen in moving between the grade exams. It is impossible to describe a standard of playing in words which is why, having read the syllabus, many people still do not know how good they need to be. The failure rate for diploma exams is 50%; thus, half of the people who have already passed grade 8 and feel they can play to diploma standard, quick study to the required level, and pass the viva voce are, in reality, unable to do so. Make sure that you are well above grade 8 distinction standard before entering for the DipABRSM.
The ABRSM's DVD "Achieving Success" is a helpful resource, if used wisely, for those whose instruments are covered. Beware though — many people watch this and, trying very hard to pick holes in the performances on the DVD, conclude that their playing is easily better. Listen to your own playing with the same level of scrutiny you listen to the DVD. Record your performance (giving yourself one chance only as these are the conditions in which the DVD was recorded) and then compare yourself, on the basis of that recording only, to the DVD. Don't just pick holes in the perfomances on the DVD and ignore your own faults; otherwise, the DVD will not be a useful resource.
Obviously, it is not possible to give direct instruction on the pieces a person should play without knowing them very well. It is also not prudent to do so at
this level. It is important that a coherent programme of repertoire is selected that suits the candidate both technically and musically. The best thing to
do is to listen to as much of the repertoire as possible, even if it is only 30 second clips from Naxos or Amazon.
Although this isn't ideal, it may give an idea of which pieces to explore further. A good knowledge of the repertoire will not only help in knowing which pieces to
use in the programme, but will also help with the viva-voce and to gain greater knowledge of interpretative conventions in various periods.
At DipABRSM level the programme must be balanced: that is, contain a mixture of styles, moods and form as well as covering a wide chronological
interval. Following the formula below can help to create a chronologically balanced programme:
Piansts, and other instrumentalists if possible, should aim to include a longer work in the programme. This has several beneficial effects:
A question that is often asked is "May I play an easier piece for my own choice work?". The answer is yes, although it must be played very well, to the same high standard as all of the other pieces. It has been known for the DipABRSM to be passed using a grade 5 piece as an own-choice item; this is entirely acceptable so long as the piece is played to DipABRSM standard.
Try to avoid just going for the popular pieces: the examiners will hear these a lot and in selecting them you risk two things: not giving what appears to be an individual interpretation of the piece; and giving the impression to the examiners, even before the viva-voce begins, that you do not have a good knowledge of the rest of the repertoire. If you do really genuinely want to play a popular piece from the syllabus, then there's nothing stopping you from doing it—after all, it is on the syllabus. Just be sure that do you do prefer it to the other non-popular works, and it's not just that you haven't heard any others. For instance, suppose you were planning to select a popular Beethoven sonata: ask yourself, "Have I heard many (or any) of his other sonatas listed on the syllabus?". If the answer is "No" then you may merely think it is your preferred Beethoven sonata because it's popular—you've not picked it out as one you particularly like from those available, it's just one you happen to have come across and liked, or have associated with a positive time. If you do want to play a popular Beethoven Sonata, make sure you have heard and have a good knowledge of the rest, as it's likely to generate a viva-voce question on the subject.
If you have any further questions, or would like to talk to the authors of the programme notes or other fellow diploma candidates, pop over to the ABRSM forums and join in the discussion. There are many helpful people there willing to answer questions about their experiences.
Thanks to all those on the ABRSM forums who have posted their advice and experiences: this page is a collation of their input and the authors' personal experiences.
This site is neither ran by, nor affiliated with, the ABRSM. This page is compiled and written by an independent third party.
Whilst every attempt has been made to give useful and correct information, the authors accept no liability for anything occurring, either directly or indirectly, as a result of visiting this website. Reading this website is no substitute for thorough, individual preparation for diploma examinations.