a level music essay structure

A-level Music: Model Essays

Edexcel a level music model essays.

Schumann Piano Trio in G minor Mvt. I Model Essays

Courtney pine back in the day model essays, kate bush hounds of love model essays, stravinsky rite of spring model essays.

What should I include in a music essay?

A strong A-Level music essay should mainly contain the identification and analysis of some of the key musical features within the given piece, and should also provide some information about the musical period in which it was written and how the period links to those features.A helpful way to begin finding points for a music essay is to remember the mnemonic "MRS HITT". This stands for all the important musical features that you will want to address within your essay; M- melody, R - rhythm, S - structure, H- harmony, I- instrumentation, T- texture, T- tonality. Identify features of the given piece of music using these headings to guide you; for example, in Debussy's Sarabande, this might include commenting on the fact that the texture of the piece is largely homophonic, or the harmony is non-functional. To make this a coherent and flowing piece of work, you will want to expand on these basic points and give some examples of them in the work using bar numbers.After outlining each point, providing a comment linking to the historical and musical context will help to strengthen your answer. This will require learning about the different musical periods and being able to identify the features of each. To use Debussy's Sarabande as an example, you might choose to comment on the fact that the harmony is non-functional, and then go on to say that this is characteristic of the 20th Century/Impressionist style in which Debussy was writing, as they aimed to use chords for colour and expression, rather than having a specific harmonic function, as in the Classical period.

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Edexcel A Level Music - The Beatles 'Tomorrow Never Knows' Element Map

Subject: Music

Age range: 16+

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

5 November 2022

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I create these ‘Element Maps’ for my A Level Music class. They are essentially element-based mind maps, but they are catered to the 30-mark essay in Section C of the Edexcel A Level Music Listening & Appraising paper.

I ask my students to structure their element paragraphs using the following template:

a general description of the element in the set work
two specific features of the element in the set work, linked to two relevant corresponding wider listening references
a link to their argument

The ‘Element Maps’ that I create are therefore structured like this, with a box for each of these aspects of a model paragraph for every element. I feel that this equips students comprehensively for Section C of the exam.

Please note: this is not a resource with detailed analysis of the set work, the idea here is to strip back the detail found in the Edexcel notes and anthology to make it more manageable for students to prepare for the exam.

Finally, I think the strength of these resources lies in the fact that AOS4: Popular Music is the Area of Study that I feel most at home in, and I therefore feel that I have been able to provide a wide range of interesting and relevant wider listening references for students.

The feedback from my students has been very positive so far, but I would welcome further feedback!

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Area of Study E Playlist
1712 – Corelli Concerto Grosso
1750 Stamitz Op. 3 No. 2
1758 Stamitz Trio Symphony in E major
1759 C.P.E. Bach in E minor
1760 Filtz Sinfonia a 8
1760 Haydn No. 2
1765 Haydn No. 31
1768 Haydn No. 26
1770 J.C. Bach Op. 18 No. 4
1772 Haydn No. 47
1773 Mozart No. 25
1788 Mozart No. 40
1788 Mozart No. 41
1791 Haydn No. 94
1804 – Beethoven Symphony No. 3

1808 – Beethoven Symphony No. 5

1808 – Beethoven Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)

1812 – Beethoven Symphony No. 8

1815 – Schubert Symphony No. 3

1816 – Schubert Symphony No. 5

1824 – Beethoven Symphony No. 9
1830 Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique
1834 – Berlioz, Harold in Italy

1850 – Schumann Symphony No. 3 (Rhenish)

1854 – Liszt, Les Preludes, No. 3

1874 Bruckner, Symphony No. 4
1875 – Smetana, ‘Vltava’ from Ma Vlast

1883 – Brahms Symphony No. 3

1885 – Brahms Symphony No. 4

1888 – Strauss, Don Juan

1888 – Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 5

1889 Dvorak – Symphony No. 8
1893 – Dvorak Symphony No. 9
1893 Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6

1894 – Mahler Symphony No. 2

Haydn and humour
Music at University and Conservatoire
Starting Points
Basic idea examples
Stage 2: Writing Cadences
Modulating Period
Rondo Overall Structure Examples
Small Ternary
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String Quartet Reduced Textures
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1 Common cadences
2 Circle of fifths
3 Parallel Motion
4 Octave Unison
5 Tonic Pedal
Chords over a dominant pedal
7 Diminished seventh
7b Secondary dominant
8 Augmented Sixth
String Quartet Modulations
1 Melody and dissonance
2 Voice-leading
4 Keys and modulation
5 Dynamics and articulation
6 Instrument Ranges: Strings
7 Instrument Ranges: Woodwind
8 Instrument Ranges: Brass (and timps)
Dissonance Rogues Gallery
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String Writing 1: Pizzicato and Double Stopping
String writing 2: Open Strings and Vibrato
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String Writing 4: Bow Placement
String Writing 5: Other Bowing Techniques
String Writing 6: Harmonics
String Writing 7: Muted Timbres and Glissando
2 Piano accompaniments
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Dissonance on the rise!
Octatonic Scales for composition
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Ravel String Quartet Examples
Storm Episode – Semiquavers
Rondo Composition (Project 7)
Tempo markings
Instrumental and Vocal Lessons at King Ed’s
Xmas Schedule
Careers in Music
Comparison (Schoenberg/Sondheim)
Into the Twentieth Century (AoS E)
Sibelius Shortcuts
Virtual Choir (members)
Year 11 Transition to A level Music
Year 13 Transition Work for Music at University
1 SHOM – Late Renaissance
2 SHOM – Baroque
3 SHOM – Classical
4 SHOM – Romantic
5 SHOM – Twentieth Century
Music @ King Ed’s Video Upload Page
Summer Virtually Live 2021
X – Chorale Worksheets (ChoraleGUIDE)
Basic Textures
Harmony opposites
Melody: Scales
Rhythmic features
Sequence and Inversion
X – Info for Peripatetic Teachers (2023-24)

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Tom Pankhurst's A-Level Music Site

Home » A Level Links & Resources » Development of the symphony

Development of the symphony

These pages offer a selective listening guide to some key milestones in the development of the symphony from 1750 to 1900 for the purposes of the Eduqas A level Area of Study A and in particular for writing the 15-mark essay. It is not a comprehensive history but a brief summary of works that can be used as examples for discussing the development of the symphony in the Classical and Romantic eras (a very short history of the symphony – external link ). Key Symphonic Repertoire Spotify Playlist

At the bottom of this page are a list of broad essay topics outlined in the specification and referred to in the detailed notes on each symphony.

Early Classical

The Galant style originated in France. In comparison to the late Baroque (Bach, Telemann, Handel etc.) textures and harmony were simpler and phrasing more regular. The style strongly influenced composers such as Johann Stamitz, C.P.E Bach and Haydn.

Johann Stamitz (study guide p. 47) was also the leading composer and conductor at the court of Mannheim , which became famous for its energetic rhythms, strong thematic material and powerful use of the orchestra. The influence of this sort of writing can still be seen in Haydn’s Symphony 104 (the driving tonic filler material after the first subject in the opening movement, for example).

(1712 – Corelli – Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 4 )
1750 – Stamitz Op. 3 No. 2
1758 – Stamitz Trio Symphony in E major
1760 – Filtz Sinfonie Periodique No. 2
1760 – Haydn Symphony No. 2
1765 – Haydn Symphony No. 31 (Horn Signal)
1770 – J.C Bach Symphony Op. 18 No. 4

The Empfindsamer Stil or ‘senstitive style’) is another early Classical movement, but one which made greater use of dramatic contrasts and chromaticism in order to provoke a strong emotional reaction in the listener.

1759 – C.P.E. Bach Symphony in E minor

Mature Classical

Mature Classical is the term used to describe the music typical of Haydn , Mozart and early Beethoven . In this repertoire the Classical orchestra is established as is the four-movement pattern starting with a movement in sonata form followed by a slower movement, a Minuet and a lively finale. The relative predictability of the well-established patterns of Classical music allow composers to play humorous (or sometimes dramatic) games with the listener ( click here for some Haydn humour ).

Whilst Haydn’s earliest symphonies had tended to be relatively light-hearted showpieces, he started to incorporate more complexity and drama into his works as the symphony as a genre began to be taken more seriously. Influences of the literary Sturm und drang (storm and stress) movement can be found in certain works of Haydn, Mozart and others around 1770. The music tends to be in stormy minor keys and use syncopated rhythms (it is worth noting that although this has been part of music history books for a long time, the dates don’t really add up for the literary style to have directly influenced the musical one as they emerged at pretty much the same time).

1768 – Haydn Symphony No. 26 (Lamentatione)
1773 – Mozart Symphony No. 25

In their later symphonies, Haydn and Mozart both added more instruments (in particular Clarinets, trumpets and timpani) and their harmony, use of contrapuntal devices and handling of symphonic structure became ever more bold and sophisticated.

1772 – Haydn Symphony No. 47
1778 – Mozart Symphony No. 40
1788 – Mozart Symphony No. 41
1791 – Haydn Symphony No. 94
Haydn Symphony 104 Revision Video Movement 1
Haydn Symphony 104 Revision Video Movement 2 (Andante)
Haydn Symphony 104 Revision Video Movement 3 (Minuet)
Haydn Symphony 104 Revision Video Movement 4 (finale)
[Haydn notes on Moodle ]
Haydn 104 (with Paul Risman)

The works of Beethoven straddle the mature Classical and Early Romantic periods. Starting in the early 1800s Beethoven began to break new ground in several ways: length of movements, complexity, size of orchestra, increased energy and drama, and a dramatic narrative style. His symphonies were extremely influential, with composers taking their lead from different aspects of his works as discussed below.

One aspect of Beethoven’s music was the way it took the basics of the Classical style (simple diatonic themes, clear structures and emphatic cadences) and made them both monumental and dramatic (mostly by increasing the volume and the scale). This is seen particularly clearly in his third symphony, the ‘Eroica’ which begins with a simple theme based on arpeggios and turns it into a powerful drama. Beethoven’s famous fifth symphony is similarly monumental and the composer makes the blazing C major last movement the culminating triumph of a work that starts in a stormy C minor.

1804 – Beethoven Symphony No. 3 (Eroica)

Two other Beethoven symphonies that had a particular impact on later composers were his sixth and ninth. The ‘pastoral’ programme of the sixth symphony with its bubbling stream, storm and dancing shepherds inspired and helped justify those who wanted to bring more concrete drama and story telling into the symphony. The famous Ninth, on the other hand, was such a monumental work (ending with a huge choral finale) that many composers felt quite intimidated by the task of writing symphonies that could match up to it. It is also worth mentioning Beethoven’s Eighth symphony (1812) for its gentler minuet movement.

1823 – Beethoven Symphony No. 9 (Choral)

Early Romantic

Early Romantic (up to around 1830 – discussed on p. 60 of study guide). Schubert and Mendelssohn are early Romantic composers who continued to develop the symphony, using a similar sized orchestra to Beethoven and continuing to compose within the conventional classical forms and styles. However, they were a bit more adventurous (particularly in harmony and structure) and both were masters of writing attractive, lyrical melodies. Mendelssohn’s symphonies often have an overall program but it tends to be quite vague (e.g. ‘Scottish’, ‘Italian’, ‘Reformation’)

1833 – Mendelssohn Symphony No, 4 (Italian) [see notes here: Mendelssohn Italian Revision Notes ]

1842 – Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 (Scottish)

Later Romantic

Later Romantic (1830 onwards – p. 62 of study guide). Berlioz , Liszt and later Strauss all pushed the boundaries of the traditional symphony with much increased programmatic content and development of the orchestra – in the case of the second two they largely abandoned the symphony in favour of the tone poem , which offered a freer form within which to unfold their ideas. Schumann and Brahms , on the other hand, largely developed their ideas within a more traditional symphonic framework as did the later Tchaikovsky . Some later Romantic composers took inspiration from the folk music of their countries, using dance rhythms and folk-like melodies ( Dvorak’s symphonies and Smetana’s tone poems are good examples). Bruckner and, slightly later, Mahler vastly increased the scale and proportion of their symphonies, with Mahler’s third, for example, weighing in at nearly 1 ½ hours, compared to a bit more than twenty minutes for a typical Mozart or Haydn symphony.

1830 – Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique

1834 – Berlioz Harold in Italy

1874 – Bruckner Symphony No. 4 (Romantic)

1875 – Smetana Ma Vlast

1888 – Strauss Don Juan

1888 – Mahler Symphony No. 1

1889 – Dvorak Symphony No. 8

1893 – Dvorak Symphony No. 9 (New World)

1893 – Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 6 (Pathetique)

The detailed notes on symphonies are organised according to the following broad topics:

A) Overall form ( Revision video on Overall Form ) B) First movements / Sonata form C) Second movements / slow movements D) Third movements / Minuets E) Fourth movements / Finales ( Video Part 1 / Video Part 2 ) F) Development of the orchestra G) Development of harmony and tonality ( Video Introduction ) H) Humour, drama, narrative and programme I) Melody and theme J) Texture K) Rhythm L) Dance, folk and national styles M) Patronage and Commissioning

A-level Music

Specification
Planning resources

Teaching resources

Assessment resources

Introduction

Specification at a glance
3.1 Appraising music
3.2 Performance
3.3 Composition
Scheme of assessment
Non-exam assessment administration
General administration

Why choose AQA for A-level Music

Music is constantly evolving , inspiring creativity and expression in a way that no other subject can. That's why we have designed a relevant and contemporary A-level qualification that offers your students the chance to study a wide range of musical genres. Our A-level brings listening, performance and composition to life in new and engaging ways, and links to the world around us like never before.

We know that every student has different learning styles and musical tastes, which is why our A-level values all music styles, skills and instruments. Broaden your students’ minds and foster a love of all music with a qualification that students of all abilities and backgrounds will enjoy.

You can find out about all our Music qualifications at aqa.org.uk/music

A specification designed for you and your students

Our specification and assessments have been designed to the highest standards, so that teachers, students and their parents can be confident that an AQA award provides an accurate measure of students' achievements.

The flexibility of the previous specification has been retained so that students can focus on an area of personal interest and you can create courses which play to your school or college's strengths.

The specification supports progression to higher education in music and related subjects, as well as providing all students with a platform to inspire a lifelong interest and enjoyment of music.

It also offers logical progression from GCSE as the assessment objectives, structure and titles are very similar to those specified in the AQA GCSE Music specification.

Teach AS and A-level together

The specification has been designed to enable AS and A-level students to be co-taught. For example, you may deliver the course to AS and A-level students in the same year group, as well as give AS students the option to progress onto the full A-level.

At the start of the course, to ensure you are clear about the standards at AS and A-level, review the A-level Music performance descriptions and the online exemplification materials provided on e-AQA. Please also see Assessment criteria .

Support and resources to help you teach

We’ve worked with experienced teachers to provide you with a range of resources that will help you confidently plan, teach and prepare for exams.

Visit aqa.org.uk/7272 to see all our teaching resources. They include:

Schemes of work: a variety of ideas across all titles to help you plan your course with confidence
Good practice guides: to help you to inspire and challenge students to think creatively
Teachers guides: detailed guides for the set works to help you to support your students in all areas of the specification
Suggested listening lists: details of tracks/works for named artists/composers to help you prepare your students for the written exam.
Exemplification materials: to showcase sets of students' work supported by examiner commentaries and guidance.

Support service

Training courses: to help you deliver AQA Music qualifications
Subject expertise courses: for all teachers, from newly-qualified teachers who are just getting started to experienced teachers looking for fresh inspiration.
Music advisory service: each school or college is allocated a subject adviser. You can contact them for one-to-one advice on any aspect of the subject, assessment and/or support with planning and delivery of course content.
Subject community: provides access to free resources and services offered by music venues, organisations and charities.
Support meetings: to help you with course delivery; offering practical teaching strategies and approaches that really work.
Teacher network group: this group has been set up to allow teachers to contact colleagues at other centres to share ideas about resources and teaching strategies for the AQA specification.

To find out more about our support service visit aqa.org.uk/7272

Preparing for exams

Visit aqa.org.uk/7272 for everything you need to prepare for our exams, including:

past papers, mark schemes and examiners’ reports
specimen papers and mark schemes for new courses
Exampro: a searchable bank of past AQA exam questions
exemplar student answers with examiner commentaries.

Analyse your students' results with Enhanced Results Analysis (ERA)

Find out which questions were the most challenging, how the results compare to previous years and where your students need to improve. ERA, our free online results analysis tool, will help you see where to focus your teaching. Register at aqa.org.uk/era

For information about results, including maintaining standards over time, grade boundaries and our post-results services, visit aqa.org.uk/results

Keep your skills up-to-date with professional development

Wherever you are in your career, there’s always something new to learn. As well as subject-specific training, we offer a range of courses to help boost your skills.

Improve your teaching skills in areas including differentiation, teaching literacy and meeting Ofsted requirements.
Prepare for a new role with our leadership and management courses.

You can attend a course at venues around the country, in your school or online – whatever suits your needs and availability. Find out more at coursesandevents.aqa.org.uk

Help and support available

Visit our website for information, guidance, support and resources at aqa.org.uk/7272

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Alternatively, you can call or email our subject team direct.

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Manwaring Music Education Blog

Life in a Music Department

The Unfamiliar Listening Question

The Unfamiliar Listening Question 5 in the A-Level exam will be based on a piece of Unfamiliar music and it is worth 20 marks. It is something students will have to prepare for in a slightly different way to Question 6. I will just add that I am talking about the Edexcel A-Level Specification , but there might be some hopeful points here for any board. THe Unfamiliar Listening Question is not something we need to be afraid of!

What Can I Hear?

Think to yourself – What can I realistically hear when I don’t have a score in front of me? What are the more obvious things that can quickly jump out at me? This is something that you can start to think about in your revision. Listen to any piece and think about the music. The more you listen, and the more you think about what exactly you are listening to, the better. You never know, a piece might come up that you have already listened to – that would be a stroke of luck. But chances are you won’t know it and so you need to think fast and make clinical decisions about what you are listening to.

Hearing the Elements

Some things are more obvious than others, but not necessarily less relevant. And we are all different, so some people may notice something that others don’t.

Instrumentation & any obvious techniques.
Texture – Can we quickly and easily describe the various layers that are present in the extract.
Tonality – You should be able to quickly ascertain what the tonality is and therefore state that in your answer.
Time Signature, Tempo, Dynamics – These are all fairly obvious, but should be mentioned and then described and linked to the question.
Potentially the use of music technology.

Musical Features

There are other features that may take a little more thought and reflection as they are less obvious, but very important to consider:

Guess the period – or you might know the period due to a key feature.
Guess the composer – You have got nothing to lose by naming a composer, even if you are not sure. You should only do this if you have a rough idea and you are aware that the composer was alive during the period.
Naming specific chords or chord progressions
Naming a musical device such as an appoggiatura.
Dissonance or extended chords.
Some layers will be more difficult to name or describe – you may not for example instantly spot an Alberti bass.

Approaching The Unfamiliar Listening Question

You will be told which Area of Study the piece is linked to and given a brief explanation of the piece. You won’t be told the title or composer and you won’t have a score. What you need to quickly do is start to compare it to music that you know or a piece from the anthology. This will help you to think about the context and potential lines of argument . You may think of a composer that you think could have composed the piece.

You then need to clearly look at the question and see what it is asking you to do. It is likely to ask you something specific but give you scope to talk about a range of musical elements. It might suggest how the music represents something or how it portrays some specific lyrics. The question could ask about features of the music that place it in a specific time period. You can prepare for this by really knowing your music history. The question is fundamentally about unpacking and unpicking the composers intentions behind the music. What did the composer want to achieve and what sound were they going for?

What should be included?

You need to aim to discuss as many of the elements of music as possible:

Harmony & Tonality
Texture & Melody
Instrumentation – listen out for specific instruments that may point to a period in history or may be obviously representing something specific. Also consider the instrumental grouping and if that points to a specific period or genre. A chamber group for example or a Concerto Grosso. The harpsichord might be used if it is a baroque piece or if it is aiming to make you think of that period of time.
Rhythm – don’t forget that this means the value of the notes and anything that affects this horizontal organisation of note values. But make sure you can link it back to the question. Mention tempo and metre when you discuss rhythm, but it is the nature of the rhythm that is most likely to answer the question.
Dynamics, Tempo, Time – state the obvious/key features
Structure potentially, although it might be hard to define it with only 2 minutes of listening. You can comment on phrasing and the structure of the melody or suggest what you think it might be based on the period.

Initially think about how the music makes you feel and then you can start to attach adjectives to some of the key musical features e.g. – Arresting horns, Brittle Xylophone, melancholic melody on the flute etc.

Linking the Elements

What you are doing is linking musical elements to the question. So if they question asked you to suggest how the piece is a good example of 19 th century music, you would need to select elements that typify that 19 th century style.

There is no point discussing something that isn’t backing up or addressing the question. If the question asks how the music is presenting something in a film then you pick the best and most obvious musical features. For example, the time signature might be 4/4 but it is only relevant if that is helping you answer the question. The use of modality in a piece of music might be more beneficial to discuss if the music is from a film that is representing the past – like The Duchess. So just make sure you pick a musical feature of the music that address and links to the question.

It might be a good idea to add a conclusion at the end because it is a good writing approach and helps you to round things off.

Wider Listening

The best place to start is with something from the Anthology. The Unfamiliar question will link to one of the Areas of Study from the Anthology. Once you have a piece that you think sounds like the unfamiliar piece, you will open the door for all the Wider Listening you have covered. But start with the anthology as it will tell you in the question which Area of Study the piece links to.