Music Craft Preliminary Listening List
Suggested listening to help with Music Craft
These lists are designed to accompany AMEB's Music Craft syllabus. At each grade students are required to become familiar with the sounds of various musical instruments, and are given set works to study. The music selected below gives a sample of each instrument for the grade, both in solo and orchestral contexts, and also includes a full version of each of the set works. The music includes some well-known and some less famous pieces, and covers a wealth of music in a variety of styles. The selections for each grade fit onto a single CD, or the songs can be downloaded onto an MP3 player.
Preliminary Listening List
There are no set works for this grade, so there are only instrument samples here.
Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
This piece demonstrates the instruments of the orchestra.
Sydney Symphony Orchestra, Christopher Lawrence and Benjamin Northey
Mozart: Serenade No. 13 in G, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, 4th movt Rondo
The string section
Robert Baksa: Octet for Woodwind Instruments: Moderato (1st movt)
The woodwind section
Handel: Judas Maccabaeus: Sound an Alarm (arranged for brass)
The brass section
From the album “Virtuoso Brass” by the Chicago Brass Quintet
Joel: Root Beer Rag, arranged for percussion
The percussion section
From the album “Whiplash” by Gary Olmstead and O-Zone Percussion Group
Chopin: Prelude in A major, op. 28 no. 7
Piano
Bach: The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I: Prelude in C major BWV 846
Harpsichord
From the album “Bach: The Essential Harpsichord Music”
Bach: Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 656
Pipe organ
From the album “Bach: The Great Organ Works”, Wolfgang Rubsam