An Overview of the 2025 & 2026 ABRSM Piano Syllabus (3)
The new ABRSM piano examination syllabus for 2025 & 2026 is now available. As with previous syllabuses, I will be presenting a series of workshops and creating a collection of video lessons featuring selection of repertoire from each of the grades.
In this last instalment of a three part blog series, I have written a brief overview for two pieces from Grades 7 & 8 that captivated me and sparked my imagination (click here to view the first instalment or click here for the second).
Grade 7
Scherzo (3rd mvt Sonata in A, Op. 2 No. 2) – Beethoven
The term scherzo (literally “joke”) makes its first appearance for Beethoven in this work, his second piano sonata. It comes with a trio and replaces the traditional (and more sedate) minuet. This movement, technically very challenging for the grade, requires fast responses to the many changes of mood, texture, and colour.
From the lightness of touch and spirit in the opening section, the sunny humour gives way to something gruffer, melting into a section featuring a gently expressive melody in the remote key of G# minor. This undercurrent of darkness returns in the trio section. Remember that sf (sforzando) tells us to make a sudden accent at the dynamic level of the passage. It is different from fp, which means suddenly loud then immediately soft.
Le coucou (from Premier livre de pièces de clavecin) – Louis-Claude Daquin
Daquin was a famous French organist and composer. Le coucou (The Cuckoo), written for the harpsichord, is an encore-style piece that makes appearances in professional piano recitals, often played very fast and lightly to bring out its grace and humour. It is an example of a French rondeau, where the opening grand couplet returns between (in this case) two subsequent couplets, creating a musical club sandwich!
While the editorial fingering for places such as bars 5-9 is designed to avoid putting the right thumb on black notes it does have its disadvantages, chief among them playing the repeated notes with the same finger. While this is not wrong as such, this passage and others with the same note patterns may be considerably easier with the following fingering, that allows rotational movements of the forearm (we will look at how this works in the workshop!).
Never be scared to change any fingering we find in our scores to something that suits our hand better. Printed fingerings are suggestions only!
Grade 8
Sonata in C, K. 513 – Domenico Scarlatti
This sonata is subtitled Pastorale and paints pictures in sound of rural life. The gently rocking siciliano flavour of the opening section evokes the sound of woodwind instruments and suggests a legato style of playing at relatively soft dynamic levels (although with plenty of gradation and colour). Discreet touches of pedal are of course fine.
The molto allegro section should not be played too fast (the suggested metronome marking is good). Perhaps we feel the presence of a percussion instrument here, such as a tambourine that plays along with the drone bass, adding some bite to the sound? I hear two oboes in the RH, rustic reed instruments that penetrate.
To bring out the rhythmic life of this section, we might play less legato, exploring some options for articulation in the upper voices. Feel the final presto as one-in-a-bar. There are some tricky moments here; some careful initial slow practice will lay the groundwork for success later on. I will explore several ideas for practice in our workshop.
Maple Leaf Rag – Scott Joplin
What could be more appealing than this catchy piece by the master of ragtime, Scott Joplin? Part of the enjoyment of playing in this style is really feeling how the RH syncopations bounce off the steady quaver pulse generated by the LH.
One of the main challenges here is to automate the LH so that the jumps happen by themselves, without the need to look down at the hands. The process begins with carefully considered fingering choices, avoiding the 5th finger on the off-beat chords wherever possible. Proven practice techniques, which will be explored fully during the workshop, will yield the desired result – given a little time and patience.
Discover More!
If you found these notes useful and would like a more in-depth exploration of these works then please do join me for my online workshop series. Over the course of three sessions, I’ll be giving and demonstrating insights on learning, interpreting and practising these pieces. Click here to find out more and to book your place!