8703 Music June 2005
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CONTENTS
FOREWORD ....................................................................................................................... 1
MUSIC ................................................................................................................................. 2
GCE Advanced Subsidiary Level .................................................................................................................. 2
Papers 8703/11 and 8703/12 Written Paper ................................................................................................. 2
Papers 8703/21 and 8703/22 Performing ..................................................................................................... 5
FOREWORD
This booklet contains reports written by Examiners on the work of candidates in certain papers. Its contents
are primarily for the information of the subject teachers concerned.
http://www.xtremepapers.net
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8703 Music June 2005
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MUSIC
GCE Advanced Subsidiary Level
Papers 8703/11 and 8703/12
Written Paper
General comments
Again this year the number of candidates entered for this examination increased, and all candidates in this
session sat Paper 11 rather than Paper 12. The cohort produced a wide spread of marks, with the majority
of candidates answering questions on the Haydn/Mozart combination of extracts rather than the sections of
the paper based on more modern repertoire.
Examiners were pleased that many candidates performed well in Part B Section 1 of the paper,
demonstrating a secure understanding of the prescribed repertoire. This level of security was rarely matched
in the questions relating to the “unprepared” extract of music in Part A.
Last year’s report drew attention to Examiners’ concerns relating to candidates’ essay-writing skills, and
again this year they wish to reinforce their concerns that candidates’ essay-writing techniques appeared not
to have been allowed to develop to appropriate levels. The evidence suggests that courses designed to
prepare candidates for this examination could focus more effectively on the acquisition of basic essay-writing
skills as an essential element of preparatory work for this paper. Many candidates were unable to gain credit
because their essays simply recorded knowledge acquired and failed to address the specific questions set
by Examiners. In addition, relatively few candidates were able to support their points of argument by
reference to an appropriate range of musical repertoire.
Comments on specific questions
Part A: Listening (Related Repertoire)
Side A Item 1: Haydn, Piano trio in F, Hob.XV:2, 3rd movement, bars 0-182 and 372-542
Question 1
This question was answered well by almost all candidates. Key identification was well done, although some
scripts failed to appreciate the dominant relationship of the new key to the main tonal centre of the extract.
Question 2
Several answers to this question omitted the B s in bars 6, 8 and 9, although most answers had a sense of
the overall melodic contour and many appreciated the scale descent in bar 7. Repeated pitches caused
difficulties for some candidates.
Question 3
Almost all candidates identified the cadence in bar 8 accurately as imperfect.
Question 4
This question was answered well by most candidates. Chords I and V were almost always placed correctly,
although the two remaining chords were positioned less accurately.
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Question 5
Many candidates seemed to be unable to discern the binary (AABB) structure of this extract. Only a few
scripts made reference to the use of matching opening motifs in each section or the return of the “A” motif
towards the end of the “B” section.
Unfortunately a number of candidates spent time writing about details of instrumentation. This material was
irrelevant to the question, which required discussion of aspects of phrase structure (e.g. the use of unusual
nine-bar phrases), melody, key and harmony. Candidates are encouraged to read questions in detail so that
they note (and can address in their answers) specific pointers such as these.
Question 6
Most candidates noted that the piano no longer played chords, and a number of answers referred to the use
of shorter note values (with many candidates describing the note durations as semiquavers rather than
demisemiquavers). Examiners also credited references to Alberti bass/broken-chord figuration and to the
two-part nature of the piano music in the Variation.
Question 7
A number of candidates gained full marks for their answer to this question. Common errors included starting
on the wrong pitch (often an E or a G rather than the F required) and failure to appreciate the octave leap in
bar 28.
Question 8
Several candidates appeared to be unfamiliar with the common string technique of double stopping.
Question 9
Very few candidates were able to locate the dominant 7th chord accurately on the second beat on bar 29.
Question 10
Many answers referred to irrelevant aspects of instrumentation, and only a few candidates were able to
describe convincingly the lack of suspended harmony or the absence of a cadential appoggiatura in the
music of the Variation.
Question 11
Many candidates were able to produce at least two points of musical evidence to demonstrate the ways in
which the recorded extract was typical of the classical style. Examiners were disappointed that many
candidates appeared not to be able to produce a range of examples to show that they had understood more
than the surface features of the style.
Side B Item 1: Poulenc, Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano, 2nd movement, bars 1-55
Very few candidates chose to answer questions on this item and the Examiners’ comments in this part of the
report are of a general nature.
Questions requiring basic identification of items such as chords, keys and textures (Questions 12, 14 and
15) were answered well by most candidates and Examiners were pleased to note a high degree of accuracy
in the notation of the missing oboe melody (Question 16). This was not matched by a similar degree of
accuracy in candidates’ notation of the bassoon bass line (Question 18), suggesting that aural perception of
bass contour is less acute than that of melodic lines.
Answers to questions involving a degree of description and/or comparison (Questions 13, 19, 20 and 21)
enabled all candidates to gain credit for relevant detail, although many answers failed to observe evidence
that went beyond basic surface features of instrumentation. Very few answers addressed aspects such as
texture, tonality and/or composing devices.
In Question 22 candidates revealed some awareness of the essential characteristics of early
twentieth-century music, but were not able to produce evidence that went beyond mention of the extract’s
use of a typically small chamber ensemble.
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Part B – Section 1: Prescribed Works
Prescribed Work 1: Side A Item 2: Mozart, Clarinet Quintet, K.581, 1st movement, bars 42-65
Question 23
(a)
Almost all candidates explained the musical terms accurately.
(b)
This was answered accurately by almost all candidates. Only a few scripts gave the interval of
transposition incorrectly.
(c)
Examiners were disappointed that few candidates recognised the use of a diminished 7th chord in
bar 60, and, while many answers described the chord used in bars 61-62 as a tonic chord,
relatively few candidates mentioned that the chord was in second inversion (Ic): a characteristic
use of this chord in context.
(d)
This was answered well by most candidates. Almost all answers referred to the major/minor
contrast of key, and many candidates identified the new tonal centre as e minor.
(e)
Examiners were disappointed that so many candidates were unable to relate the extract to the
overall structure of sonata form. Very few answers mentioned key terms such as “second subject”
or “exposition”.
(f)
Most answers referred to features such as the lyrical melodic line, melodic agility and the use of
trills in Mozart’s writing for the clarinet. More perceptive answers also focused on Mozart’s
effective use of the clarinet’s contrasts of register, but many answers failed to provide details of
specific musical evidence (bar numbers, for example) to locate the support for their points of
observation.
(g)
Many candidates gave clear references and accurate descriptions of the music in support of their
evidence to demonstrate Mozart’s exploitation of the clarinet. This question was well answered by
almost all candidates.
Prescribed Work 2: Side B Item 2: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, rehearsal 49 to 54.
Question 24
As in Part A, very few candidates chose to answer questions on this item of prescribed repertoire and the
comments in this section of the Examiners’ report are of a general nature.
Candidates’ answers in general revealed a secure understanding of aspects of the score: tempo and
performance markings ((a) and (b)) and transposition intervals ((c)).
Candidates were less successful in describing Stravinsky’s characteristics of building melodic and/or
rhythmic tension by extending and combining ideas ((d) and (f)), although most candidates were able to write
convincingly about the creation of a musical climax towards the end of the prescribed extract ((e)).
Part B – Section 2: Related Repertoire
Again this year, Examiners expressed concern about candidates’ essay-writing technique: in too many cases
candidates failed to gain maximum credit for their knowledge as a result of a poor focus in their writing.
It is important that candidates read each question thoroughly and note precisely the detail and knowledge
being asked for. Candidates’ writing must address the issues of the question: this part of the paper should
not be seen as an opportunity simply for candidates to write down the knowledge they have acquired as a
result of the course. That knowledge must be focused and tailored to the demands of the specific question
set by Examiners.
In this section of the paper candidates are expected to show evidence of their familiarity with a range of
repertoire related to the Prescribed Works, but this knowledge must be applied to the question and the essay
must be relevant and consistent in its focus on appropriate musical detail.
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Question 25
Only a few candidates chose to answer this question. Debussy proved to be a popular choice for musical
examples, although several essays revealed a rather muddled understanding of specific relationships between
impressionism in music and in art. Some successful answers approached this question from the perspective
of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and its links with ballet. Examiners were pleased to note that many candidates
had acquired a good grasp of contextual background in relation to Stravinsky’s work for Diaghilev and the
Russian Ballet in Paris during the early 1900s.
Question 26
Examiners noted that many answers to this question did not investigate repertoire beyond the prescribed
Clarinet Quintet by Mozart. In some cases candidates did attempt to provide evidence from a second work,
but the writing made it very clear that the second work was known only superficially, and this suggested that
limited exploration of related repertoire had been undertaken. Almost all candidates addressed this question
from the perspective of the Classical period; very few answers provided evidence taken from early Romantic
repertoire.
Question 27
This was a popular question and many candidates showed a detailed awareness of national influences in an
appropriate range of repertoire. Several answers did not venture beyond the prescribed repertoire
(Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring), and while candidates frequently displayed a detailed knowledge of national
influences in this work, a second work was treated in a far more superficial manner. This suggested that
candidates had not always investigated a sufficiently wide range of related repertoire. In this section of the
paper candidates must not confine themselves to the limits of the prescribed repertoire but must convince
Examiners that they have explored a range of appropriate related repertoire.
Question 28
Many candidates chose to answer this question and some essays produced a convincing picture of Mozart as
a “typical Classical Viennese composer”, supporting points of argument with detailed references to repertoire.
Candidates who fared less well in this question tended to fall back on long and detailed life histories of the
composer. These are not required in this paper. Biographical detail may be important when it has some direct
contextual relevance or bearing on the production of repertoire (for example, the influence of Mozart’s
patrons), but essays in this section must have a primary focus on repertoire, not on biography.
Question 29
Very few candidates answered this question and only a small number of answers were able to make detailed
comparisons of chamber music selected from the two repertoire periods. Often the essays contained
excessive generalisation and the writing lacked an effective focus on detail of appropriate repertoire.
Papers 8703/21 and 8703/22
Performing
General comments
A number of outstanding performances and many good ones were submitted this year in a range of music
from the Western, Popular and non-Western repertoire. Most candidates were well prepared for their
examination and were ably accompanied where appropriate, sometimes by the teacher, and sometimes by
other candidates offering accompaniment as their Further Performing option.
In most Centres, considerable care had been taken to ensure that Solo Recitals were of the appropriate length
and presented music from more than one period or style as required by the syllabus. Where recitals were
either very short, or offered music of a restricted style/period, it was difficult for candidates to demonstrate the
full range of skills and interpretative understanding that would enable them to access the higher mark bands.
Choice of music should be carefully considered at an early stage in preparation for the examination. Most
candidates presented music of a suitable standard, but some sang/played items that were, for the moment,
beyond their technical capabilities. While it is commendable for candidates to be stretched through exposure
to such repertoire, in the context of this examination, the inclusion of music that is too difficult inevitably leads
to marks being lost unnecessarily. Slightly easier pieces, which give candidates a real chance to perform,
would enable them fully to demonstrate the wider skills assessed by the syllabus.
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Most candidates presented appropriate repertoire for their Part B Further Performing, with some outstanding
duets and ensembles heard. Care should be taken, however, to ensure that the nature of the Further
Performing is sufficiently different from that presented in the Solo Recital. The addition of two ‘backing
instruments’ to a solo piece (by the same composer, and in the same style as an item offered in the
Solo Recital) in which the candidate continues to play as a soloist, limits the additional skills experienced.
Centres are reminded that, in order to assist with moderation of the criteria of ‘accuracy of pitch and rhythm’
and ‘realisation of performance markings’, copies of the music for both Parts A and B should be sent with the
submission wherever possible. Some Centres had gone to considerable trouble to transcribe non-Western
pieces to ensure that this was the case and the Moderators appreciated this.
Marking was mainly accurate and consistent and Centres have this year looked more favourably on their less
able candidates meaning that fewer ‘lowest’ marks had to be raised. Some Assessors made particularly
perceptive comments in support of the marks awarded, but too often the comments were over-general or
totally absent. Comments should refer to the specific descriptors in the Assessment Criteria and should
show how these have been demonstrated. It is helpful to include information that identifies the candidate in
duets or ensembles, but it is not necessary to give background detail such as how hard-working, or
otherwise, the candidate might be. Some difficulty arose when awarding marks for the ‘aural and stylistic
understanding’ section of the marking criteria. Assessors should consider how much candidates are actually
listening to the sound they are producing and how much they are aware of the style in which they are
performing.
Video and audio cassette/CD recordings were submitted in almost equal numbers. These were generally of
a high standard and Centres took great care to ensure both that candidates were identified and that the
running order was clear. The accompanying documentation was mostly correctly completed, but Centres
should be reminded that the Moderator’s copy of the computer mark sheet (MS1) should always be included
in the submission.
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