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Beethoven - Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119 No. 1
ABRSM Grade 5 – A5
A bagatelle is a short piece, usually light in nature. Beethoven wrote several sets of bagatelles throughout his life, the opus 119 set was completed in 1820. The G minor, op. 119 no. 1 is like a minuet, beginning with a melancholy theme in G minor, followed by a calmer section in E flat major. A short bridge brings us back to the opening theme, this time varied with more activity and an especially athletic left hand part. A Picardy third ends the piece with a smile. Preview (please log-in... Read >>
Andrew Eales - Fresh Air
ABRSM Grade 1 – B1
Andrew Eales’ Fresh Air features a gentle tune in the right hand with a chordal accompaniment in mostly long notes below. Here and there the lower right hand fingers are called upon to hold onto a harmony note, presenting a technical challenge that adds to the piece’s value. As the composer points out in the footnote, the chords mostly lack their bass note, which gives the music a sense of weightlessness, as if floating. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This... Read >>
Caroline Tyler - Little Whale Explores the Calm Sea
ABRSM Grade 1 – C3
In this piece, we find an instruction at the start of the piece to hold the pedal down all the way to bar 21, with just a brief moment of clarity before we use the pedal again for the ending. The idea is to create the necessary echoing, underwater effect of the title. Plenty of imagination is called for and the player might come up with a storyline that describes what is happening in each new phrase, or perhaps series of images that captures the changing scenes. Preview (please log-in or subscribe... Read >>
H. Hofmann - Minnelied (No. 7 from Stimmungsbilder, Op. 88)
ABRSM Grade 5 - B1
Heinrich Hofmann was a German composer in the Romantic tradition, and in this lovely piece we clearly hear the influence of Robert Schumann. In legato cantabile style, we project and shape the top right hand line as though we were singing it, ensuring the lower right hand notes are very much in the background yet allowing the left hand to supply appropriate support from the bass line. This layered sound requires blending and colouring with the pedal. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) ... Read >>
J. F. F. Burgmüller - Tarantella (No. 20 from 25 études faciles et progressives, Op. 100)
ABRSM Grade 5 – A1
Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full video) Resources & links This piece is available for individual purchase as a digital download here or in print as part of the Piano Exam Pieces 2025 & 2026 Grade 5 publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from this grade on Spotify using this link. ... Read >>
Haydn - Menuet and Trio (3rd mvt from Sonata in C, Hob. XVI:1)
ABRSM Grade 4 – A3
Resources & links This piece is available for individual purchase as a digital download here or in print as part of the Piano Exam Pieces 2025 & 2026 Grade 4 publication here. Open domain editions are also available here. You can listen to a recording of this piece and others from... Read >>
S. Heller - Prelude in C# Minor (No. 10 from 24 Preludes, Op. 81)
ABRSM Grade 6 - A1
Stephen Heller is best known for his piano studies. Even though this charming piece is a prelude (from a set of 24 preludes in all keys following the famous examples from Bach and Chopin), it serves as a study in leggiero playing. The required lightness is achieved by finger articulation supported by a weightless arm and feels akin to scratching the keyboard with the tips of the fingers. Most of the passagework is in the right hand, the left hand leading in bar 17. Preview (please log-in or subscribe to see full... Read >>
S. Coleridge-Taylor - Impromptu in B Minor (No. 2 from Two Impromptus)
ABRSM Grade 8 - B1
The title “Impromptu” is a generic term that carries little meaning other than a spontaneous approach on the part of the composer. Coleridge-Taylor’s Impromptu in B minor follows the A-B-A model of Schubert and Chopin’s forays into the form, the more florid outer sections contrasting with the song-like middle section. There are frequent tempo modifiers in the A sections that indicate rubato, but nothing in the B section. Here, the performer calls upon their musical instincts to allow phrases to move forwards and backwards, and to breathe naturally. Preview (please log-in or... Read >>
Schumann - Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (No. 1 from Kinderscenen, Op. 15)
ABRSM Grade 5 – B10
Kinderszenen (Scenes of Childhood) is a set of 13 pieces written in 1838 in which Schumann looks back on childhood memories from the perspective of an adult. The opening piece, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen (Of Foreign Lands and People) features a diminished chord on the second beat of the first bar. The player needs to colour the sound here to create a sense of wonder or mystery. The texture of the piece is typical of the Romantic style - a top melody supported by broken chords and a bass line (a counter melody appears in the bass in... Read >>