ods CSc eee PLO Ly Piano > ean ees ABRSM Grade 2 Rrra Co 2023 & 2024 syllabusABRSM Piano Exams Here are some key points to help you prepare for your Grade 2 exam. All requirements are valid from 1 January 2023 until 31 December 2024. More detailed information on the syllabus requirements, as well as syllabus overlap information, can be found online at wwwabrsm.org. Practical Grades Performance Grades ‘ABRSM Practical Grades are our long-standing qualifications ABRSM Performance Grades are new qualifications that test all-round musical skills, demonstrated through introduced in 2020. They allow learners to focus on and the playing of repertoire (three Pieces) and completing showcase their performance skills. The exams are digital supporting tests (Scales and arpeggios, Sight-reading, and _ assessments using a video recording of the performance Aural tests), The exams are face-to-face assessments led by _made in one continuous take (four Pieces, in any order), an examiner and the six components can be taken inany _There is also an assessment of the Performance as a whole. order. See the Practical Grades syllabus for full det See the Performance Grades syllabus for full details, Pieces (both Practical & Performance Grade) ‘This book contains nine pieces from ABRSM's 2023 & 2024 Grade 2 Piano syllabus. You can choose from the pieces inthis book and/or the other pieces set for the grade: a full list is on page 16. For a Practical Grade, you will need to play three pieces, one from each of the three syllabus lists (A, B and C). For a Performance Grade, you will need to play four pieces, one from each ofthe three sylabus lists (A, B and C) and a fourth of your own choice, ‘which might also be from the lists. See the relevant syllabus (Practical or Performance) for full details of whatis required when selecting and preparing pieces for your exam, Including how to deal with repeats Performance as a whole (Performance Grade only) Ina performance, you take your audience on a journey with you and it is important to engage and hold their attention from the first to the last note. For a Performance Grade, itis important to consider how your pieces are contrasted, the order in which they are presented and the different moods and characters they inhabit. After your performance is completed, the examiner will award a mark based on how well you delivered and sustained it as a coherent and convincing performance event, not just a series of individual pieces. Scales and arpeggios (Practice! Grade ony) Learning scales and arpeggios helps you to build strong technical sills by developing rellable finger movement, hand position, co-ordination and keyboard fluency. Ialso helps you to develop your musical understanding through familiarity with keys and their related patterns. You can find a complete list of scales and arpeggios required for Grade 2 Practical inthe back of this book. For full details, please see the Practical Grades syllabus, Sight-reading (racic Grade oni) Learning to sight-read helps you to develop quick recognition of keys, onality and common rhythm patterns. Italso helps you to learn to keep going even when you make mistakes, and work music out for yourself - which makes learning new pieces quicker and easier. Ina Practical Grade, you will be asked to playa short piece of music that you have not seen before. You willbe given half a minute to look through and, if you wish, try outall or any part ofthe test before the examiner asks you to play i for assessment, For the fll sight-reading parameters, please see the Practical Grads syllabus. Aural tests (Practical Grace only) Aural skills enable you to assess the sound and balance of your playing, keep in time and play with a sense of rhythm and pulse. These skills also help you to develop your sense of pitch, your musical memory and to spot any mistakes. Please see the Practical Grades syllabus for full details of the tests, which will be given by the examiner from the piano. Editorial guidance We have taken the pieces inthis book from a variety of sources. Where appropriate, we have edited the pieces to help ‘you prepare for your performance. We have added metronome markings (in square brackets) and ornament realisations, Details of other changes or suggestions are given inthe footnotes. These editorial additions are for guidance only: you do not have to follow them in the exam.Piano Exam Pieces Name ABRSM Grade 2 Selected from the 2023 & 2024 syllabus Date of exam Contents page UST A 1 Ludwig van Beethoven Ecossaise in G, WoO 23, arr. Czerny 2 2 J.L.Dussek Gavotte in F 3 3° Agnieszka Lasko Tarantella: from Little Stories 4 UST B 1 Stephen Duro Forget-me-not Waltz 2 G.V. Stanford Lullaby: No.5 from Six Sketches 3 Trad. Chinese Kangding Love Song, arr. Yip ust c 1 David Blackwell Railroad Blues 10 2 Elissa Milne Mozzie: from Easy Litle Peppers 2 3° Kristina Arakelyan Daydream 13 Editor for ABRSM: Richard Jones The pieces listed above are just a selection of those on the syllabus that you can choose for your exar options are listed on page 16. Whether you are taking an ABRSM Practical or Performance Grade, pieces are at the heart of your exam; after al, playing an instrument is all about exploring, performing, and learning through repertoire. ‘While this book contains nine pieces in a range of styles, the full syllabus has a wealth of other exciting repertoire that ‘we encourage you to explore - to find pieces that really inspire you, that you connect with musically and will enjoy learning, and that will allow you to perform to your very best. The full syllabus also includes duets, to give you another ‘musical option and the opportunity to play with another musician. You can pick a mixture of pieces from this book and the wider lists if you like - you just need to have one piece from each list, A, Band Cand no more than one duet. Ifyou are taking a Performance Grade, you also need to prepare a fourth plece which is entirely your own choice. Here you have even more freedom to choose music that really speaks to you, that you want to communicate to others, and that successfully completes your programme. It can be from the syllabus lists, or somewhere else entirely, Just be sure to check the ‘Selecting Repertoire’ section ofthe Performance Grades syllabus for important requirements and options for the own-choice piece (like standard and minimum length) and the programme of four pieces overall. Finally, you need to decide what order to play your pieces in and how you, the performer, will take your audience from the very fist to the very last note, including moving from one piece to another, so that the performance forms a complete musical journey. The separate syllabuses are available at www.abrsm.org, Whether taking a Practical or Performance Grade, enjoy exploring the possibilities on offer! Fist published n 202 by ABRS (Publshing Lid ‘Unauhortsed photocopying tga ‘Mus craton by aa Bove holy owned iar of ABESM,éLandon Wal ace, Allightereered Nort othe pebleaton Cows by Loyd Wines Kat erin & Andy Pot, wth thanks to {ndoa ay SAU, United Kingdom Inaybe eyo totedortanemned Ty School Condon (©2022 by The Assented Board othe Royal SdookofMusicinanyformor by any means witout the Pin gandby Haan &Co Lu Anesham, Bucks. ‘Distroured worldwide by Ousord University Press Saleen neuthinneinmen hie2) its ie Ecossaise in G Soe Wo0 23 Arranged by Carl Czerny Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) “The écossaise (French for ‘Scottish isa dance that might have originated in Scotland. Itis usually ina major key and ina lively 2/4 time. Dances of this kind were composed by Beethoven, Schubert and others, Beethoven originally composed this piece for wind band: this piano reduetion was made by his pupil Carl Cerny. The dot and wedge are both used here for staccato, The dot means an ordinary staccato, whereas the wedge probably stands for a more accented staccato. The dynamics in bars 4 and 7 are editorial suggestions only. and the slurs that Source: Ludwig van Beethoven Werke, Seri 25, Supplement: strumental-Muslk, Ne 30 (Breitkopf & Hartel) The slur in bar 4 (st ero 1H ae ao editorial ‘ross he bar ines in bars 10-11 and 12-13 are editorial. The righthand staccatos in bar 1 ef bar8) and the left-hand sur and wedge inb (© 2022 by Te Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Musle AB 4048his 3 egal tomate unauthorised oe Gavotte in F JL Dussek 760-1812) 120) 5 pa Jan Ladislav Dussek was a Czech pianist and composer who led an international career: after studying in Prague, he toured asa virtuoso pianist {in Holland, Germany and Russia. Later he lived and worked in Paris and London, ‘The gavotte isa French pastoral folk dance, common in the 18th century. Its in duple time and usually moderate in tempo. In this Gavotte, all slurs and dynamics are editorial suggestions only Source: Duses Insrutions onthe Art of Playing the Plano Forte a Harpsichord (London & Einburgh, 1796) ©2002 by The Assoclated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music Reproduced from Seleted Piano Examination Plees 2003 & 2004, edited by Richard Jones (ABRSM) AB 40484 ies Megat tomate unauthorised Tarantella ous from Little Stories Agnieszka Lasko (born 1982) Allegro con moto [+= ¢.120] S 2nd tine:p), * Seconda volta tuto Bva (2nd time both hands 8va) Agnieszka Lasko is a Polish pianist, teacher and composer, whose collection of plano pleces Litle Stories has become well known. The title “Tarantella, used by many other composers too, is named afte the Italian town of Taranto and indicates a folk dance from southern Italy. Whilst the repeats are not required for Practical Grade exams, when they are included, the composer indicates that bars 1-8 and 25-32 are to be repeated with both hands up an octave, © 2m19Wydawnierwo Euterpe Licensed with permission from Wydavnicnvo Euterpe, wwew.euterpe pL AB 4048FF (2nd time: p) * Seconda volta tuto 8va [2nd time both hands 8va) AB 4048,6 its Megat tomate Unauthorised Forget-me-not Waltz sone Stephen Duro (born 1939) ‘Stephen Duro is an English pianist, organist, music teacher and composer. Many of his pleces are designed for young players, and he writes in a range of tyls, including jazz. The waltz a dance for couples in tiple time, which has been popular ever since the 18th century. On the second, ‘and third crotchets ofthis Waltz, the left hand often has the characteristic repeated notes of the dance, whereas the right hand often has the more ‘melodious dotted-crotchet rhythms. © Oxford University Press 2016 Reproduced by permission rom Piano Time Dance edited by Paulie Hall Al rights reserve, AB 404817 atempo yo Tall.al fine AB 4048itis egal tomake Unauthorised Lullaby seat No. 5 from Six Sketches C.V. Stanford (1852-1928) Charles Villiers Stanford was an Irish-born composer who studied at the University of Cambridge, UK, where he later became professor of music. At the same time, he was professor of composition atthe Royal College of Music in London, He was not only a prolific composer but also an {influential teacher, whose pupils included Vaughan Wiliams, Hols, Ireland and Howells, ‘This charming Lullaby has a slow lilt that imitates the rocking of the cradle. ll slurs are original, except those in the let hand of bars 17-18, Which are editorial suggestions only. The tes in these two bars are also editorial. Source: Se Steches for Planofore (London: foseph Wiliams, 1918) (© 2012 by The Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Musle Reproduced from Plano Exam Piece 201 & 2014, edited by Richard Jones (ABRSM) AB 4048legal tomake Unauthorised copies ofthis copyright Kangding Love Song Arranged by Austin Yip Trad. Chinese Gently « 6.96 — : hi rit. — x Ro ‘This popular Chinese song is from the mountainous Kangding region of south-west China, close to the border with Tibet. It originated in the 1930s, and the text first sets the scene - horses run on the mountains as the moon shines above - then celebrates youthful love. The melody of this piece is pentatonic; that ist uses the five-note scale often found in folk music, here in the form A-C-D-E-G, Although the arranger’s ‘metronome mark s¢= 96, students may prefer a slightly slower tempo, for example «= 88 (© 2015 by The Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music : Reprodced from Plano Mix 2(ABRSM) AB 404810 itis ‘legal remake Unauthorised Railroad Blues ome David Blackwell (bom 1961) 104) dl ‘Blues’ is an African-American type of folk music from the 20th century, related to jazz. This blues piece creates a sound picture of the railroad ~ that is, the North American railway. The composer tells us to make a ‘noisy’ (both hands) and ‘heavy’ (left hand) sound on the piano. The standard 12-bar blues (bars 2-13) is followed by a louder, varied repeat (bars 14-25) as the engine driver blows his whist. (© Oxford University Press 1998, Reproduced from Plano Time Jazz, Book2.Alrights reserved. AB 4048,1 7 3 a3 AB 4048a itis ‘egal tomake Unauthorised Mozzie Sets from Easy Little Peppers Elissa Milne (born 1967) Elissa Milne is an Australian-born composer and piano teacher who studied composition in New Zealand (Auckland University). She has written, ‘over 100 educational piano pieces. This jazz-style piece imitates the flight of the ‘mozzie'~ that is, the mosquito. Although the composer's ‘metronome mark is = 138, students may prefer a slower tempo, for example 4= 126. (©2004 by Faber Music Lad Reproduced by permission ofthe publishers. Alrights reserved. AB 4048,B its egal tomake snouthocised copies of this ‘oyna Kristina Arakelyan (bom 1994) Andante 60 Imp espress. Kristina Arakelyan isa British-Armenian composer, planist and music teacher who studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and at Oxford University. She is also a teacher of music theory and composition at the Royal Academy of Music's junior department. She says of this piece:“Itis about getting lost in our thoughts, discovering a beautiful world which lives within us and expressing it through music. {After an eight-bar broken-chordal introduction, the theme (ba 9) is treated constantly in imitation between the right hand and lefthand. The coda (bars 23-25) refers back to the introduction. (© 2022 by The Associated Board ofthe Royal Schools of Music AB 404816 Piano Exam Pieces 2023 & 2024 Other pieces for Grade 2 Composer Piece B® 4 Aron Corranto (rom Fitzwiliam Virgina Book) 5 Case Rustic Dance (No.7 from Progressive Duets for Panis, Book 1) primo part BUET 6 Goedicke Etude in A minor, Op.36 Na.13 7 Haydn Rondine (Theme from Cello Concertoin D), ar. Agay 8 Kabalevsky 1 Chevalier de Saint-Georges primo port OUET Galop/Hopping (No.18 from 24 Little Peces, Op. 39) Minuet in D,K.7 Bourlesa (from The Wolfgang Notebook) with frst repeat Rondo (from Quartet for Harpischord and Strings), ar, Talbot Howard Publication. Grade by Grade, Piano Grade 2 (Boosey & Hawkes) arse: Progressive Duets for Pianists, Book 1 (Gtainer & Bell) Piano Time Pieces 3 (OUP) ‘The Joy of Piano Duets (Yorktown Music Press) Kabalevsky: 24 Little Pieces, Op. 39 (Boosey & Hawkes) or More Romantic Pieces for Piano, Book 1 (ABRSM) My First Mozart (Schott) L Mozart: Notenbuch fir Wolfgang (Schott) or “The Young Pianists Repertoire, Book 1 (Faber) Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Rondo from the Quartet for Harpsichord and Strings (ABRSM) (digital only edition) 12 Prészytski ‘owalezyki (Apprentice Smiths) (from Easy Pieces) Prészyfskl: Easy Pieces for Piano (PWM) 13 Purcell Air in D minor, 2. 7676 Pianissimo: Piano Piccolo (Schott) or Piano Repertoire, Level 1 (Universal) or Piano Lessons, Book 1 (Faber) B 4 Bartek ‘Sorrow (No.7 from For Children, Vol.2) Bartdk For Children, Vol 2 (Boosey & Hawkes) or Grade by Grade, Piano Grade 2 (Boosey & Hawkes) 5 Grechaninov Farewell (No.4 from Children’s Album, Op.98) Grechaninov: Children’s Book, Op. 98 (ABRSM) or ‘A Romantic Sketchbook for Piano, Book 1 (ABRSM) or Pianissimo: Plano Piccolo (Schott) 6 Heather Raindrop Reflections primo part BUET Piano Star Duets (ABRSM) Hammond 7 Ravel Pavane de la belle au bois dormant (No.1 from Mamére Ravel: Ma mére oye (Durand) oye) secondo art OUET 8 Spindler Waltz in A minor Pathways to Artistry: Masterworks, Book 3 (Alfred) 9 Steibelt ‘Adagio in A minor (from Sonatina in C) ‘A Keyboard Anthology, 2nd Series, Book 1 (ABRSM) or Core Classics, Grades 1-2 (ABRSM) or Pianoworks Collection 2 (OUP) or Pianissimo: Piano Piccolo (Schott) or (My First Concert for Piano (Schott) 10 Sarah Watts Postcard from Pars (rom Razzamojazz Repertoire Piano) Sarah Watts: Razzamajazz Repertoire Piano ae : (Kevin Mayhew) 11 EL-Dabh ‘Soufiane (from Mektain the Art of Kita’, Book 2) Piano Music of Africa and the African Diaspora, Vol. 12 Chee-Hwa Tan 13 Tehaikovsky © 4 Ben Crosiand 5 Sarah Konecsni 6 Ludovico Einaudi Garécia Nik les Sculthorpe 10 Giles Swayne M1 Mirostaw Gasieniec 12 Grieg 13 Seiber “The Moon (from A Childs Garden of Verses) Waltz from The Sleeping Beouty), art. J. & A. Bullard In My Spot Dinosaur, Don't! The Snow Prelude No.3 this edition only Brigands’ Dance (from Let's Play a Plane Duet, Op. 37) primo part OUET ‘Sweet Pea _primo port ‘BUET Singing Sun (No.6 from A Little Book of Hours) Whistling Tune Kukuta | Norwegian Dance No.2, arr Hall_primopart DUET Tango Il (Habanera) (from LeichteTanze I) cou) Chee+Hwa Tan: A Child's Garden of Verses (Piano Safari) Pianoworks, Collection 1 (OUP) ‘Mosaic, Vol.2(Eéitions Musica Ferrum) Mosaic, Vol.2 (Editions Musica Ferrum) Ludovico Einaudi: Graded Pieces for Piano, Preparatory to Grade 2 (Chester) GGarscia: Let's Play a Piano Duet, Op. 37 Vol. 2 (PWM) Piano Star Duets (ABRSM) ‘Sculthorpe: A Little Book of Hours (Faber) Spectrum 4 (ABRSM) ‘Mirostaw Gasieniec: Album for Children (PWM) Mixed Doubles: Piano Time Duets, Book 2 (OUP) Seiber: Leichte Tanze (Easy Dances), Book 1 (Schott)Scales and arpeggios (Practical Grade only) You will be asked for at least one of each type of scale and arpeggio, which should be played legato, in even notes and from memory. For full details, please see the syllabus. Scales (similar motion) G,F majors A, D minors (natural orharmonic or melodic, atcandidate's choice) D,Amajors E,G minors (natural orharmonic or melodic, ateandidate's choice) Contrary-motion scale Cmajor Chromatic scale starting on D Arpeggios D.A majors E,G minors 2oct 2oct. 2oet. oct. 2oet Piano Exam Pieces 2023 & 2024, Grade 2 hhands together hhands separately hhands starting on the tonic (unison) hhands separately hands separately ISBN 978-1-78601-455-9Piano Exam Pieces This book contains nine pieces from ABRSM’s Grade 2 Piano syllabus for 2023 & 2024, three pieces chosen from each of Lists A, B and C - ideal for both Practical and Performance Grade exams. The pieces have been carefully selected to offer an attractive and varied range of styles, creating a collection that provides an excellent source of repertoire to suit ‘every performer. The book also contains helpful footnotes and, for those preparing for exams, useful ey Seca A version of this book with audio is also available Support material for ABRSM Piano exams POE eee ee eee a Sree ee ee ee Sst theca lng of ri serine ero eo Se rN) ><) 0 tienes eee Rr eee Pere Utd HOT VETOZ SE221g Wexy OURIg PORT Eh