Edexcel AS/A2 Compositional Techniques

Subject: Music
Level: Secondary
Age Group: 11 - 14
Order Number: 11042

This AS and A2 resource workbook prepares students for the requirements of the Compositional Techniques paper of the EDEXCEL Specification (Unit 2 and Unit 5).

Textures

Baroque Counterpoint - guidelines and exercises: completion of an upper part to a given bass with figures. Minimalism - guidelines and exercises: completion of an opening passage for keyboard, or opening passage for three or more melody instruments to make a piece lasting approximately one minute.

Chords and Cadences

Bach Chorale - guidelines, analysis and exercises: completion of three parts to a given soprano part to harmonise the cadences, and completion of three parts to a given soprano line following the chorale principal based on the Riemenschneider collection.

32 Bar Song - completion of exercises realising a bass line of the middle eight section and turnaround from a given chord chart.

Scales, Modes and Series

Renaissance Counterpoint - guidelines and exercises: adding 8-10, 12-16 bars to two/three given parts.

Serialism - guidelines, analysis (full analysis of Webern's Op. 22 Quartet, First Movement acknowledging the demands of Papers 3 and 6: Listening and Understanding, and Analysing Music: The new Anthology of Music.2004-2205 Special Focus Work: Webern;s Op.22 Quartet First Movement and exercises: completion of melody for solo instrument to a piece of approximately 12 bars, and extending a given 12 note melody to make a piece for two instruments that lasts about 20 bars.

Timbres

Extended Instrumental Techniques - completion of exercises developing melodic ideas into a piece lasting approximately one minute, exploiting vocal contract, prepared piano, woodwind chords, glissandi, vocalising through the instrument.

Electro Acoustic Music - completion of exercises adding a second recorded track to a given ostinato to make a piece lasting approximately one minute and exploiting one or two of the following: envelope shaping, filtering, pitch shifting, sampled sounds, reversing and looping.

This comprehensive set of photocopiable exercises guides students through the mechanics of the respective compositional techniques needed to create well structured realisations.