Teacher's Guide Cambridge Pre-U MUSIC Available for teaching ...

LISTENING, HISTORICAL STUDY and ANALYSIS
Component 1
Cambridge Pre-U Teacher Guide
This component is designed to embrace a wide range of historical periods, extending from the
late Renaissance to the twentieth century and covering a broad variety of topics and repertoire. It
is divided into two papers, defined in the Syllabus as Paper 11 and Paper 12. The purpose of this
division is entirely practical, to allow for a break between the two papers so that candidates do not
have to write for a solid three hours. This recognises the fact that the component requires a range of
very different skills to be demonstrated in its various sections.
In Paper 11 (Sections A and B) there are two listening tests that address a variety of aural skills
through recorded extracts taken from the repertoire of specific genres from the Baroque, Classical and
Romantic periods. In Paper 12 (Section C) there are five topics, from which candidates must choose
one: these topics include the study of a substantial Prescribed Work and are intended to encourage
a detailed study of history and analysis, assessed by two essay questions for each topic. In Paper
12 (Section D) candidates have the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of more general
musical issues, which may be based on the historical topics studied for Component 1, but may also
embrace matters that require an ability to see the links that connect all aspects of the study of music.
Some candidates coming to the Pre-U course after GCSE are likely to have had little previous
experience of studying music from complete scores, and this is a skill that needs to be addressed at
the earliest possible opportunity. Candidates should become familiar with the normal layout of an
orchestral score and with the process of associating what they hear with what they see. They should
also understand the relationship between a complete score and a reduction, especially for Section A
of the question paper, where either may be provided. For Section B a ‘skeleton score’ will be used.
This means a score that is essentially a reduction, but with significant omissions. It will show enough
of the music for candidates to be able to follow it, and may be written on two, three or four staves
(but not more). In principle, questions based on a skeleton score will focus on aspects of the music
that are not shown in the score, so that candidates must rely on their ear to supply the answers,
guided by the information given in the incomplete score. This is a skill that also needs to be practised
from a relatively early stage in the course.
Paper 11 Section A
Topic A: The Concerto in the late Baroque and Classical Periods
In the late Baroque period there were two main approaches to the concerto: the so-called concerto
grosso (typified by Corelli’s Op. 6, which influenced Handel, Geminiani and other contemporary
composers who worked in England) and the solo concerto (typified by hundreds of examples
by Vivaldi and other contemporary Venetian composers, which influenced Bach and many other
composers who worked in Germany). The Corellian concerto grosso is often in several movements,
with fugal fast movements if it belongs to the concerto da chiesa type, or with movements in dance
rhythm if it is a concerto da camera. By contrast, the solo concerto is almost invariably in three
movements (fast – slow – fast) and normally uses Ritornello form in the outer movements. The
concerto grosso was primarily a work for strings (in origin a kind of accompanied trio sonata), with a
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