Example Viva-Voce Questions

This page contains viva-voce questions that have been asked in diploma examinations. Any answers given are those written by the candidate and are not intended to represent good (or bad) answers to the questions: they are simply the answers the candidate gave. All viva-voces end with the question "Is there anything you would like to add?", it is not necessary to answer this question (with anything other than no) but if you do want to say something then this is the time to do so.

The questions as appearing here have been (lightly) edited for consistency throughout the page and to better reperesent the way that examiners are likely to word questions.

DipABRSM Programme:

• Scriabin Préludes Op. 11 Numbers 9 and 16
• Beethoven Sontata in C Minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique'
• Szymanowski Etude in Bb Minor, Op. 4 No. 3
• Bach Prelude and Fuge No. 16 in G Minor, WTC Book 1
• Debussy General Lavine Eccentric No. 6 from Préludes Book II (own-choice work)

Questions:

• How did you choose your programme?
• What were the technical challenges you faced when playing the Scriabin preludes?
• Where do the opus 11 preludes fit into Scriabin's compositional output?
• You say the First Movement of the Pathetique is in Sonata form. What is the structure of Sonata form?
• What influence did Beethoven's contemporaries have on this piece? In particular, Dussek (Dussek's influence mentioned in programme notes)
• You mention that it was written in Beethoven's early period; what characterises his early period?
• How many piano sonatas did Beethoven write?
• You said that in his early period, Szymanowski was influenced by Chopin. In what way can Chopin's influence be seen in this piece?
• What did Bach mean by 'Well Tempered' when he wrote the Well -Tempered Clavier?
• How should one approach playing Bach on a piano?
• What are stretti?
• What sort of answer does the Fugue have?
• I noticed that you played from memory today; what effect does that have on the performance?
• What does one have to bear in mind when playing the dynamics in, for example, the Debussy, compared to the Beethoven?

DipABRSM Programme:

Source

• Edwin Roxburgh - Moonscape
• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in F, from WTC II
• Schubert - Sonata in A, Op. 120
• Rachmaninoff - Etude-Tableaux in C minor op. 33 no. 3 (off syllabus work)
• Ginastera - Tribute to Aaron Copland (off syllabus work)

Questions:

• How did you go about putting your programme together?
• What else did Ginastera write?
• What other works did Rachmaninoff write?
• What works is Schubert most famous for? Did he write any other chamber works?
• Who else was writing sonatas/piano music at the same time as Schubert? Name a sonata they wrote at that time.
• Talk about the development of the piano from Bach's time to modern day.
• What other works/composers feature in Spectrum?
• In what ways is Ginastera's prelude similar to Aaron Copland's music?
• Do you feel that the cross-rhythmns and bi-tonality in Ginastera work against each other?

DipABRSM Programme:

Source

• Bach - Toccata in D major, BWV 912
• Mendelssohn - Prelude and Fugue, Op. 35 No. 5
• Ravel - Sonatine
• Prokofiev - Visions Fugitives, Op. 22 Nos. 8, 14, 19, 20
• Ogdon - Prelude No. 9 in E from '25 Preludes' (off syllabus work)

Questions:

• What determined your choice of programme? Does it have a theme?
• How does a fortepiano differ from a modern piano?
• Who else other than Bach and Mendelssohn wrote Preludes and Fugues?
• What performing difficulties are there in the Mendelssohn prelude?
• Is Mendelssohn's fugue like a Bach fugue? Show me in the music the subject, and the countersubject.
• What other piano music did Mendelssohn write? Did he write a concerto?
• What traditional harmonies and forms can you point out in Ravel's Sonatine?
• What other piano music did Ravel write?
• What other piano music did Prokofiev write?
• Why did you choose the John Ogdon piece to finish with?
• Is there anything further you would like to tell us?

DipABRSM Programme:

• Bach - Prelude and Fugue No.5 in D major from Book II of WTC
• Beethoven - Sonata in C# Minor, Op. 27 No. 2, "Moonlight"
• Brahms - Romance in F, No. 5 from Six Piano Pieces, Op. 118
• Gerswhin - Preludes 2 and 3 from Preludes for Piano

Questions:

• How did you choose your program?
• What is stretto? Point it out in the music.
• How can a pianist play Bach on the piano?
• Explain the melody of the Moonlight sonata's first movement.
• Where is the chromatically descending bass line of the third movement?
• What is sonata form?
• Which movement uses sonata form?
• In the Brahms, the melody is doubled in the alto and tenor. How does this affect the way you play it?
• How do you play the melody of the Gershwin prelude 2?
• Where is the walking bassline in the third prelude?
• What were Gershwin's other 4 preludes?
• How did Ravel influence Gershwin?
• Why do people like Gershwin's more popular music more than his piano music?

DipABRSM Programme:

• Chopin - Nocturne No.18 in E Major, Op.62 No.2
• Beethoven - Sonata in F Minor, Op.2 No.1
• Debussy - Sarabande from the suite 'Pour le Piano'
• Schumann - Novelette No.1 in F Major, Op.21

Questions:

1. What is the nocturne? (Candidate mentions ABA form)
2. What do you mean by ABA form?
3. Is it more a day or a night piece?
4. What is rubato?
5. Would you as a performer use rubato in left, right, or both hands?
6. How different was the piano of Chopin from that of Mozart, and how could that have affected Chopin's composing?
7. Did Chopin compose anything else that was for piano and orchestra?
8. What were Beethoven's style periods? How many were there?
9. How big of an influence was Haydn on Beethoven?
10. Did Beethoven compose anything for piano and other instruments?
11. Have you played any other sonatas by Beethoven?
12. What was the Sarabande?
13. What was Impressionism in music?
14. Was there Impressionism in art?
15. Name any other Impressionist artists?
16. I see you played from music. Why did you choose to do this?
17. But could there be any advantages in playing from memory?
18. What was Schumann's disability in his hand that you talk about?
19. Did Schumann compose anything for piano and orchestra?

Summary of Candidate's Answers

1. Free, improvisatory piece coming from the Romantic period.. ABA form.. written before only by John Field
2. Describe basically the difference of parts, how they contrast, possibly modulate to other key, then come back
3. A night piece
4. speeding up and slowing down according to emotions
5. right hand, left hand keeps constant rhythm
6. larger range - Chopin experiments with all notes.. and better sound quality, allowing for "fleeting" scales , etc.
7. Yes, two piano concerti, but all of his compositions had something to do with the piano
8. Three style periods - Viennese Classical, Heroic, more serene and introverted, talk about which pieces characterised each period
9. Significant, was his tutor from 1792
10. Yes, 5 piano concertos, and 9 piano trios
11. Not full ones, just separate movements
12. Stylised old dance, 3-beat meter, Baroque, Debussy's tribute to French baroque composers
13. capturing a certain feeling/atmosphere in a piece
14. Yes, Claude Monet
15. Maurice Ravel, Charles Ives
16. Too much effort to memorize, not very good at it, prefer to have music just in case
17. Yes, you don't have to spend time glancing at the notes
18. Made an instrument to strengthen his hand, ended up damaging his nerves
19. Yes, 1 piano concerto

DipABRSM Programme:

• Bach - Prelude and Fugue in F# Minor,Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
• Beethoven - Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op 10 No. 1
• Faure - Barcarolle No. 6 in Eb, Op. 70

Questions:

• Why did you choose the pieces in your programme?
• What did you find difficult in playing the Faure?
• What do you think about pedalling in the Faure?
• Who were Faure's contemporaries?
• You wrote in your programme notes about chromatic twists, point to where these occur.
• A question on keeping the pulse in the slow movement of the Beethoven (which the candidate knew was not secure)
• The slow movements are notoriously hard to play - what problems did you have? (Mentioned technique, orchestral sounds, and thinking of song/opera - followup question asked whether the composer wrote any songs.)
• Who was Beethoven's first teacher? (Beethoven's first teacher mentioned in programme notes)
• Did Beethoven write any other sonatas in C minor?
• Compare the piano Beethoven had to the one in todays exam.
• Are there any technical things in the fugue e.g. stretto / inversion? Point them out in the score.
• Did you make any adjustments to the way you played the Bach because you were playing on the piano?

DipABRSM Programme:

• Scarlatti - Sonatas K208 and K209
• Beethoven - Sonata in F Minor, Op.2 No.1
• Gershwin - Preludes 2 & 3

Questions

Questions about the programme:

• How did you choose your programme?
• How did you try to achieve contrast?
• You did not include a Romantic piece? Why? (Candidate expresses enthusiasm about Spanish Romantic composers)
• Name a Spanish Romantic composer.
• Scarlatti’s Sonatas were composed for harpsichord. What difference did it make to your approach?
• Did you go for stylistic authenticity or on the contrary use the breadth of the modern piano’s expression?
• How had the piano evolved at that time and what difference does it make to your approach to the sonata?
• How do Beethoven’s sonatas change over his 28 years of composition?
• How was Beethoven’s use of sonata form in his early sonatas different to say Mozart or Haydn? How did they influence Beethoven?
• What characterizes the first period of Beethoven’s compositions?
• What is unusual about the key of F Minor used in this sonata?
• How does this sonata compare, structure-wise with his later works? (e.g. use of scherzo to replace minuet, decreasing slow movements etc…)
• How does the minor tonality bring out the piece?
• What are the technical challenges in this piece, especially in the Prestissimo?
• You say the inspiration for the (Gershwin) Preludes came from Chopin, can you clarify that?
• How did you approach the 3rd prelude, especially the last section with large intervals, because at that point you seemed to be playing from memory?
• What are the advantages for a pianist to play from memory?

Questions about the Quick Study:

• About the quick study, are there any elements you particularly enjoyed? How did you approach it?
• What key did the QS start in?
• What did it modulate to in the second half?
• Was the start major or minor?

N.B. Questions about the quick study seem to be very rare: if you are desperate to avoid these questions simply request to do the viva before the quick study (the syllabus states one can do them in any order).

DipABRSM Programme:

• Bach - Toccata No.2 in E Minor BWV, 914
• Beethoven - Sonata No.14 in C# Minor, Op. 14 No. 2, "Moonlight"
• Chopin - Nocturne in E, Op.62 No.2
• Brahms - Rhapsody in G minor, Op.79 No. 2
• Bartok - No. 1 from "Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm", Microkosmos No. 149

Questions:

1. You mentioned in your programme notes about the clavichord and the harpsichord being the prevalent instrument in Bach's time and not the piano. How do these instruments differ from the piano?
2. You mentioned in your programme notes about "Countess Giudicelli- possibly Beethoven's Immortal Beloved" whom Beethoven dedicated the "Moonlight". What is the relevance of stating the possibility of her being his Immortal Beloved in your notes?
3. And what was the keyboard instrument prevalent in Beethoven's time and how did it affect the music that was composed in his period?
4. What other non-piano works did Beethoven compose?
5. Did he also write chamber music?
6. And what is the trio? What instruments does it consist of?
7. You mentioned in your programme notes about Bellini's operas having a similiar style to the Chopin's nocturne in E. Can you describe more about Bellini's opera and in what way is it simliar to the nocturnes?
8. You mentioned about "coloratura" in your programme notes...what does it mean?
9. What other works did Brahms compose, other than the rhapsody?
10. You mentioned that Brahms is more of an "orchestral" composer, can you explain this?
11. Who were Brahms's contemporaries?
12. And what kind of music does Liszt write?
13. What is his music like? Are they easy or difficult to play?
14. Have you played any of Liszt's music?
15. Why did Bartok write the Mikrokosmos?
16. Name one contemporary of Barok?

Summary of Candidate's Answers

1. Talked about the make of the instruments and how it affects the sound. For eg, for the harpsichord, the strings are plucked and as such, no tonal nuances are capable on the piano. In the clavichord, small metal tangents hit the string when the key is struck and so the sound is smaller than the pianoforte. etc etc
2. Obviously, the dedicatee of any work is important and the relationship between the composer and the dedicatee of the work can help shape how we interpret the piece. Beethoven was said to have rejected the Countess, when she came back to him for lessons after marrying another man and going away for several years. There was some bitterness on his part, and this we can hear in the third movement, which has been said to be composed by Beethoven in a fit of jealous rage for a lost love. In this context, we would not think of the first movement as a funeral march as some would like to think it is. Instead, the first movement represents a certain pining and languishing.
3. The fortepiano, with a wooden frame and leather hammers, was used etc etc
4. He wrote nine symphonies, a violin concerto...
5. Yes...the most famous of his chamber music has to be the Archduke Trio.
6. If I'm not wrong, it consists of the violin, cello and the piano....
7. -
8. Sopranos... *examiners laugh* The term generally applies to sopranos..and I do have a recording of Bellini's La Somnambula with Joan Sutherland singing the lead role...and I cannot help but notice the similarities in the style of the phrases, the florid passages etc etc
9. -
10. -
11. Chopin... Liszt...
12. Mainly piano music...
13. It tends to be a little showy sometimes...but generally difficult technically speaking... Liszt was like the Paganini of the piano...so...
14. Yes...the piano sonata.. *exams are shocked* I emphasized that I played only the easier chordal passages and they laughed
15. He wrote them as exercises for his son to whom he taught the piano...then they gradually increased in numbers and became a complete set of exercises over time
16. Debussy

DipABRSM Programme:

• Bach - Toccata No.5 in E minor, BWV 914
• Mozart - Sonata in D, K.311
• Gershwin - Preludes 2 and 3

Questions:

• What is a Toccata?
• Did any other composers write toccatas, if so how do they differ?
• What are the differences between the harpsichord and the piano you've played today?
• How did this affect the way you played this piece?
• Guide me through the adagio section, and explain why you played it the way you did.
• What do you think of using pedal to play Mozart's pieces?
• Would you use any rubato in Mozart's pieces?
• What contribution did Gershwin make to the music industry in his time?
• Do you know of any other American Composers?
• What's the difference between the conventional american music and his?

DipABRSM Programme:

• Bach - Toccata No.5 in E minor, BWV 914
• Mozart - Sonata in D, K.311
• Franz - Impromptu in G flat, Op.90 No.3, D899/3
• Gershwin - Prelude I in B flat, Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

Questions:

• Which piece do you like most in your performance?
• What is the style of Gershwin's music?
• What other composition did Gershwin write?
• Where did Bach come from?
• Where did Bach spend his height of his career?
• Name some other composers who lived in Bach's time.
• What is the difference between the instrument Bach used and the piano? How does it affect your approach?
• As there is no dynamics indication in this movement (the second movement), how do you decide the dynamics?
• What is a fugue?
• What is the key of this fugue and does it remain in the same key in the whole movement?
• What is the difference between Baroque music and classical music?
• Tell me about the structure of the sonata.
• What other compositions did Mozart write?
• Can you think of another of Mozart's compositions that is similar to the theme of the second movement in this sonata?
• Where did Schubert come from?
• What was Schubert well-known for?
• As a pianist, what did you find the most difficult in preparing the Impormptu?

DipABRSM Programme:

Programme includes:

• Mozart's K 445 (adapted from Gluck's opera)
• A Scarlatti Sonata

Questions:

• You might not listen to operas much, so why did you choose this Mozart piece?
• Give one example of a Mozart comic opera and a Mozart tragic opera.
• What technical and musical difficulties did you encounter in playing these (Mozart) variations?
• Why do Scarlatti's sonatas have a K. and Longo?
• Why did he write these exercises?
• Besides what you've said, do you have any idea to whom did he write them for? (Queen Maria Babara) Which country was she from?

DipABRSM Programme:

Programme unknown

Questions:

• How do you think the recital went?
• What did you consider when planning your programme?
• Your programme was very stylistic. What other styles have you not included? And why?
• You state in your programme notes that Debussy was the most influential composer since Chopin. Why do you believe this?
• What does the word Hausmusik mean? (Programme notes contain a quote including this word).
• You wrote that Schubert composed over 200 songs; is this a good estimate of the volume of his output? (Schubert wrote in the region of 600 songs).
• Map out the structure of the first movement of the Schubert.
• What key has the music modulated to at the start of the development section?