A-LEVEL MUSIC MUSC2 Influences on Music Report on the Examination 2270 June 2016 Version: 1.0
Further copies of this Report are available from aqa.org.uk Copyright 2016 AQA and its licensors. All rights reserved. AQA retains the copyright on all its publications. However, registered schools/colleges for AQA are permitted to copy material from this booklet for their own internal use, with the following important exception: AQA cannot give permission to schools/colleges to photocopy any material that is acknowledged to a third party even for internal use within the centre.
Introduction The familiar three routes through this unit generated a familiar pattern of choices. Approximately 40% of students chose Brief A the Techniques of Composition option, 55% of students chose Brief B Free Composition, and 5% chose Brief C Arranging. All three options elicited a wide range of responses. Taken as a whole, the unit has always produced an impressively diverse set of scripts, not just in the open-ended Free Composition, but in solutions to the technical exercises of Brief A, and in approaches to arranging the set folksong in Brief C. Brief A Very nearly all submissions to this brief were produced on score-writing software and recorded from computer playback facilities. Greater thought could, in some cases, be given to stave size, system breaks and printing layout; most presented clear scores for both questions. It is very difficult to perceive any advantage in writing answers to Question 1 in open score, or answers to Question 2 with transposing instruments (where chosen) shown not at concert pitch. Where such methods were seen, it often seemed to lead to less clear thinking on the student s behalf over technical issues. Question 1 The melody in this year s question was in A minor and triple time. Unusually, it was a tune with five asymmetric phrases. Nearly all students showed clear understanding of the home key, providing G#s where appropriate, and many realised that the second phrase was in the relative major. The other two phrases created some difficulties. Some wrote a perfect cadence in b.9-10 with E as a tonic, but failed to use D# as the leading note, resulting in an unconvincing modal feel; others lost sight of a tonal centre in one or both of these phrases. The best answers not only realised that the C# in b.13 invited an imperfect cadence in D minor (the subdominant), but then found a way to incorporate a Bb in the progression, giving a much more strongly coloured and confident progression. The examiners saw many stylish cadences, but this was not always the case. Among the issues arising, the penultimate note was sometimes harmonised by a minim-long dominant chord that gave a static effect just where movement to an inevitable resolution on the tonic is most needed; better solutions decorated this with a 4-3 suspension, others more imaginative used II 7 b on b.15 2 and moved to chord V 7 on the final beat of the bar. Just a few saw the chance for a diminished 7 th chord on the downbeat of b.15. Some got in a tangle trying to incorporate the dominant 7 th into a perfect cadence in C major at b.5-6; others avoided the dominant 7th throughout the whole piece, which was not a good plan. Grammatical errors were a frequent detraction. Some of the most common parallels came in b.3-4 where many students, having completed the first phrase with a perfect cadence in A minor then began the next phrase with a C major root position chord, oblivious to the resulting parallel octaves between soprano and bass. In some cases, this was compounded by parallel 5ths between alto and bass. The handling of 7ths was another frequent weakness: they must move forward by a descending step. If this is not possible, they should not be used. Some students took the opportunity to finish their harmonisation with a Tierce de Picardie. 3 of 7
Question 2 This year there was something of a change of style in the material for this question: an accompaniment more suited to piano than harpsichord, redolent, maybe, of Schubert and Mendelssohn rather than Handel and Corelli. The change provoked no adverse comment, and broadly students seemed to fare a little better, perhaps finding it a little more clear in terms of finding cadences and following the phrase structure. Some of the melodic ideas also had a stronger sense of musical shape. Other aspects caused some students difficulties, in particular the multiple appoggiaturas at the cadences in bars 4, 8 and 19. There were also gaps in the given accompaniment in bars 10, 12 and 15 that invited (and needed) covering with melodic content; where this was done well, it was through thinking anacrusically. Many students seem to assume all melodic phrases must begin on a downbeat, but this is clearly not true. One, two, or probably best of all three quavers (note: this requires inserting a quaver rest on beat 3 as a first step) leading onto the following downbeat adds an elegance to the melody that is well suited to this idiom. Often these anacruses work best if they are conjunct in contour. The choice of melodic instruments is an important part of answering this question. Generally bass clef instruments are liable to create problems of undermining the given bass in the piano part. If cellists or bassoonists wish to write for their own instrument here, use of the tenor clef is recommended; some do this very creatively. A more common issues arises with instruments such as flute and violin. Frequently it is the case that students choosing these instruments find a mystic magnetic quality to the treble clef stave and devise melodies that only use notes that sit on the stave; this overlooks the bright, attractive tone of this instruments in the 5 th or more above the stave, and condenses the range of the melodic writing, often detrimentally. Stylish melodies tend to use a blend of conjunct movement with occasional wider leaps to give a defining character, and they tend to have a gentle mix of note values that lends a fluid quality. Common shortcomings in the melodic ideas submitted on this question include: Contours reliant on triadic shapes in order to guarantee consonance with the harmony Contours that are entirely conjunct Contours that are excessively angular and disjunct Rhythms that get locked into using a single note value for several bars Rhythms that are unnecessarily complex and / or diffuse Conjunct contours are achieved through understanding passing notes and auxiliary notes and having occasional appoggiaturas, wider leaps (4ths, 5ths and 6ths often work well) moving onto strong beats. A balance of rising and falling leaps can be pleasing; it is possible to use the change of direction to enhance the sense of structure (rising leaps used in outer phrases, falling leaps in the middle phases, for instance). It is possible have a good rhythmic identity to a melody using just quavers and crotchets with an occasional minim. Greater eloquence comes with placing a quaver rest on a downbeat, or tying a 2nd beat crotchet to a quaver on the 3rd beat. A pair of semiquaver, perhaps just before the barline can give a little extra character. Triplets, syncopations, and Lombardic rhythms are unlikely to be beneficial. 4 of 7
Students are advised to consider the structure of the given material. This year there were significant opportunities to explore sequence (perhaps with reversal of instrumental roles) and recapitulation (perhaps with some enhancement). Brief B The Free Composition option continues to be the catalyst for a very wide range of work. The vast majority continues to be submitted as a full notated score, others appear in a variety of annotations that can include lyrics, chord symbols, timelines and screenshots from sequencing programmes. Students using notation are encouraged to give thought to presentational issues: examiners prefer not to see pages of large stave size with whole staves of rests and many pages to turn; similarly, tiny stave size, dense with semiquavers is also discouraging. Sometimes changes of clef or use of 8va signs would reduce leger lines and help legibility. Scores are also more engaging when they contain clear indications of instrumentation, tempo and dynamics. Surprisingly, some do not even have a title or composer s name. Those submitting annotations are advised to consider the role of this annotation as being in lieu of a score. It should not be a narrative of how the piece was written; instead it needs to be a helpful guide to listening to the music. Among the aspects that should be described are: instrumentation and the role of each instrument, tempo, metre, rhythmic character, melodic shapes, harmonic choices, and structure including some defining insights into what is contrasting about a new section, lyrics (if applicable). This can be done either in chart or prose form, but it is vital that thought is given to a clear, helpful layout. When it comes to compositional content, it is impossible to give advice that is both detailed and applicable to all in a report such as this. In short, examiners are looking for imagination and technical control, and the successful realisation of both within a clear structure that has a sense of both development and contrast. Each of the component elements of musical language should be considered against this sentence. Among the ways in which many pieces might be improved are: Having a sense of micro-structure within sections, and not just a macro-structure of ABA or verse-chorus Having second phrases that are different to first phrases but that clearly have the same melodic DNA (at a rudimentary level, if the initial phrase uses chords I and V, think how to use one s melodic shapes starting from chord IV) Varying the length of phrases within a section: maybe shorter sequential phrases in the middle of a section, or an extended phrase to end a section Exploring ways in which a melodic shape or motif can be manipulated Including 1 st inversion chords and pedal notes to vary a diet of root position chords Changing the harmonic rhythm Finding occasional chord substitutions in repeating chord pattern, or developing a pattern that alternates between two forms: e.g. W-X-Y-Z; W-Q-Y-Z 5 of 7
Changing tonality for a new section: examiners see many pop songs that have verse, bridge and chorus all in the same key (and with similar chord patterns and identical harmonic rhythm) Exploring a wider variety of texture not necessarily as drastic as swapping a melody and accompaniment texture for complex fugue, but changing the register, having the melodic line in the tenor, having more rests in the bass line, or doubling the melody in octaves Having a change of role for the instruments in your ensemble; for instance, maybe the cello could take the melody over a viola bass line with the violins having a discreet accompanimental pattern Brief C This year brief C was chosen by rather more students than in 2015. There were some inventive responses that dressed the elegant melody in a variety of guises from a jazz combo to barbershop quartet. Not all students handled the implied visit to the relative minor in b.11-12 convincingly. The best arrangements had a freedom to use the set melody in more the one key, and with some attractive, varied textures. Where students used the melody without any singers, the melody was sometimes hidden in a dense texture where there was little sense of it being accompanied by the other instruments, instead it was having to compete for ascendancy. It is recommended that students choosing this option should spend some time planning their piece. The set melody is of finite duration and the specification asks for a minimum of 3 minutes of music. Questions that students would benefit themselves are: How many times would the listener want to hear the melody played / sung through? How much more music is needed to meet the duration I am aiming for? When in the piece will this other music be needed: intro, interludes, coda? How will the musical affect be changed each time the melody is heard? Should I change key for one of the versions? Can I change the voice / instrument that presents the melody? How might I decorate the melody? In what ways can I change the mood / colour / idiom of the accompaniment for each time the melody is heard? Final word With the impending change of specification, this was the last year in which we expect a large cohort of students for MUSC2. It has been a fascinating task to assess thousands of students work and a privilege to be witness to some very fine creative and imaginative work. The examiners would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers who guided, encouraged and supported their students through this unit over the lifetime of the specification. Your work is an inspiration. There will be chance for students to take MUSC2 in summer 2017. 6 of 7
Mark Ranges and Award of Grades Grade boundaries and cumulative percentage grades are available on the Results Statistics page of the AQA Website. Converting Marks into UMS marks Convert raw marks into Uniform Mark Scale (UMS) marks by using the link below. UMS conversion calculator 7 of 7