The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) has expanded its range of exam set pieces available for audio download.
Now, as well as making use of the existing collection of piano exam repertoires, musicians can pay to download recordings of pieces set for violin (2008-11 syllabus), flute and clarinet (2008-13).
A spokesman said: “This expanded range gives many more students and teachers the facility to preview, purchase and download recordings of individual pieces set on ABRSM syllabuses for as little as 79p each.”
Violinists will find Howard Blake’s “Dance of the Snowmen” at grade 5, and can make new discoveries, such as “Sentimental Romance” by Wilhelm Stenhammar at grade 8.
Individual movements from Koechlin’s 14 pieces were reintroduced to the flute syllabus in 2008, and flautists at grades 1, 2, 4 and 5 can enjoy these beautiful pieces. Grade 3 clarinettists can discover the highly effective transfer of Mendelssohn’s “Song without Words”. “The Arabesque” by Germaine Tailleferre (the only female member of the early 20th-century French group of composers, Les Six) is a wonderful find at grade 7, the spokesman said.
The preview facility allows users to try out 10 seconds of any track before buying. Recordings of pieces set at grades 1-5 are 79p each; grades 6-8 are 99p each.
www.abrsm.orgaudioshop.
