New video lessons for Grades 5 – 8!
Video lessons for the remaining five pieces in our selection of repertoire from the intermediate (4 – 6) and advanced (7 & 8) grades from the 2023 & 2024 ABRSM examination syllabus are now available. With this final instalment, our collection now contains videos for over sixty pieces from across the entire syllabus!
In this blog post we provide video previews for four of these new lessons, including a melancholic Bagatelle by Beethoven, Howells’s wistful There Was a Most Beautiful Lady and two movements of typical classical sonatas by Kuhlau and Mozart.
New Videos
ABRSM Grade 5 A5: Beethoven – Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119 No. 1
A bagatelle is a short piece, usually light in nature. This example by Beethoven is like a minuet, beginning with a melancholy theme in G minor, followed by a calmer section in E flat major. In this excerpt from his video lesson on the piece, Graham Fitch deconstructs one of the more challenging sections with a running arpeggiated left hand and a tricky right hand – both of which share the challenge in playing the thumb on a black note!
ABRSM Grade 6 B9: Howells – There Was a Most Beautiful Lady (No.3 from Country Pageant)
Sometimes known as “Slow Dance”, Herbert Howells’ There Was a Most Beautiful Lady comes from the set Country Pageant composed in 1928. Full of piquant modern harmonies, there is a strong sense of a much earlier Old English style in this wistful piece. In this video excerpt, Graham discusses the opening and it’s dance-like nature with wonderful, colourful harmonies:
ABRSM Grade 7 A6: Kuhlau – Allegro con spirito (1st movt from Sonatina in A, Op. 60 No. 2)
Friedrich Kuhlau’s Allegro con spirito from the Sonatina in A (Op. 60 No. 2) is excellent preparation for the larger-scale sonatas the pianist will encounter along their journey to the advanced levels. This movement opens starkly in unisons, establishing the serious, sombre character that prevails throughout. In this video excerpt, Graham shows us how to practice the dotted chords in the opening for rhythmic precision and accuracy:
ABRSM Grade 8 A2: Mozart – Allegro (1st movt from Sonata in F, K. 332)
The first movement from Mozart’s Sonata in F, K. 332 is bursting with different ideas, contrasted so dynamically you would think you were at the circus! In this video excerpt, Graham divides the work up into various practice sections or tracks to achieve an in-depth understanding of this complex and contrasting piece and for more focussed, effective practice:
The full videos for these works along with those for over 60 pieces from across all levels of the ABRSM 2023 & 2024 syllabus are available with an Online Academy subscription and can be viewed here. Click here to find out more about the Online Academy or click here to subscribe.
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