Cambridge International AS & A Level Music Syllabus Overview.

Cambridge International AS & A Level Music Syllabus Overview (9483)

  • Exams : Available in June and November series for 2025 and 2026.

Key Components of the Syllabus

  • Set Works for 2025-2026
    • Section A: Compositional Techniques and Performance Practice
    • Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 1, BWV 1066
    • Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in G minor, Op. 3 No. 2, RV 578
    • Section B: Understanding Music
    • Antonín Dvořák: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ‘New World’
    • Two Songs: Florence Price - "Travel’s End", Margaret Bonds - "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"
    • Michael Nyman: MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse)

Purpose of Set Works

  • Learning Goals:

    • Enhance descriptive skills and analytical listening through repeated exposure to music pieces.
    • Develop skills to identify and understand significant musical elements and their roles within compositions.

  • Benefits:

    • Facilitates knowledge transfer to other areas such as performance and composition findings.
    • Encourages constructive listening, allowing for confident discussion about music.

Exploration and Investigation Model

  • Study Method:
    • Focused analysis of music alongside syllabus concepts for enhanced understanding.
    • Supplemental research encouraged to deepen insights about specific works.

Contextual Links Among Set Works

  • Connections:
    • Music study informs both performance and improvisational skills, reinforcing compositional techniques observed in Set Works.

Exam Preparation Strategy

  • Recordings and Scores:

    • Importance of first listening without scores to engage with music purely auditorily.
    • Accessing scores post-listening for a visual understanding of compositions.

  • Final Exam Context:

    • Candidates may bring their own recordings for Section B Set Works but must refrain from using specific timing references.

  • Practicing with Past Papers:

    • Available specimens and past papers to prepare candidates for exam style questions.

Section A: Compositional Techniques and Performance Practice

Johann Sebastian Bach - Orchestral Suite No. 1, BWV 1066

  • Movements Covered: Ouverture, Courante, Gavotte I & II, Menuet I & II.

  • Important Concepts:

    • Familiarity with Baroque forms and terminology such as continuo, concertino, and concepts of contrast (tempo, texture, dynamics).
    • The role of ornamentation (trills, mordants, turns etc.) in performance, noting that performers may embellish beyond the score.

  • Tonality and Harmonic Language:

    • Basic harmonic analysis, identification of root position and inversion chords, focus on cadences.

Antonio Vivaldi - Concerto in G minor, Op. 3 No. 2, RV 578

  • Structure: Typically structured in a three-movement format (fast-slow-fast), featuring significant themes, rhythms, and detailed explorations of melodic ideas.

  • Key Terms/Concepts:

    • Understanding the role of the soloist vs. tutti sections and the characteristic elements of the concerto form.

Section B: Understanding Music

Antonín Dvořák - Symphony No. 9 in E minor, Op. 95 ‘New World’

  • Themes: Explore the concept of 'Journey', referring to literal and metaphorical interpretations through the composition’s themes.

  • Key Insights:

    • Understanding how instrumentation, melody, texture, and rhythm shape the overall experience and narrative throughout all four movements.

Two songs: Florence Price & Margaret Bonds

  • Travel’s End and Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening:
    • Themes of life journeys depicted through lyrical content and musical setting, emphasizing the integration of African American heritage within classical song traditions.

Michael Nyman - MGV (Musique à Grande Vitesse)

  • Concept: A musical depiction of an abstract journey, exploring change and continuity, emphasizing minimalist musical techniques, and the creation of timbre.

  • Elements to Observe:

    • Structures, harmonies, motifs, and the interplay of different instrumental forces to evoke the sense of journey.

Conclusion

  • Overall Aim: Achieve a detailed understanding and appreciation of significant works across the Set Works, enabling students to engage critically and meaningfully in their musical education.