Sunday 23 December 2012

Grade 8 piano exam next year

CI have set myself a target of doing (and passing) my grade 8 piano exam next year before I am sixty. It has been my ambition since I was eight to do grade 8 piano. My first piano arrived on the back on the Co-op coal lorry on a Saturday afternoon. My dad was the Co-op coalman (and milkman) and one of his customers gave me my first piano and he used the Co-op lorry to bring it home - I wonder if he had permission to do that!!! I thought you might like to have a listen to the pieces I have chosen to play.

My exam will probably be in July next year. I had intended to do it this year but started playing the recorder instead. My DH just loves me playing the recorder (not!). I love it and have reached grade 3 standard in the last six months. Well it is easy - you only need to read one line of music!

The first is Scottish Legend by Amy Beach an American composer - being Scottish of course this music is so evocative of home. I do like playing works by female composers.

You may need to copy and paste  these into your browser.

Scottish legend




Farewell Waltz
The second is Chopin Farewell Waltz. Such a sad piece in many ways as he wrote it after his future mother in law decided he was too unwell to marry her daughter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn2aB-u3_6g

Haydn Sonata

The third and last piece is the first movement of a Haydn sonata. I adore this piece by I am not sure I will be able to get it to sound like this lol!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4IyWe6BQbI


Cecile  Chaminade is my favourite female composer and I adore this piece - Automne. It is a diploma level piece and it is on my to learn list:
Automne


I hope you enjoy listening to my grade 8 pieces and the piece by Chaminade.

12 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Just beautiful. Good for you. I wish you well. A Blessed, Merry Christmas.

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  2. They are lovely, thank you for sharing.

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  3. Oh what fun! Good for you. Next, you will need to record yourself playing so that we can hear YOU!!! Happy New Year.

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  4. Fantastic! That is so cool! Periodically I think about seeing if I can still play piano, but since I was never very good in the first place, it's a vain hope. lol! I am going to listen to the music when I have the time to enjoy and relax -- am looking forward to it! And congratulations on Salley Morse too! Have you received Seventeen Sailors yet? You made me fall in love with that one. lol! I want it too!

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    1. Hi Margaret - I have received seventeen sailors and it is beautiful. However I asked for Aida to be supplied instead of linen and really it needs to be done on linen to do it justice. So I am doing Elizabeth Mitchell on Aida to get a bit more practice before doing SS. I am doing a small piece on linen to get used to it but it is taking me forever!

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  5. Good for you, it's great to push yourself to achieve new things. I'd love to know which part of Scotland you're from Elizabeth. Reading your profile, you've had a very varied and interesting career.

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    1. Hi Ann - I am from East Ayrshire in Scotland. A lovely part of the country. I would like to live in Scotland again but I prefer the warmth of living further south.

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  6. I learned to play the piano at an early age and have fine wanted to pick it up again..... I am glad to have found your blog.... Thanks for he sound bites.... Ilook forward to following your progresses of music and stitching....

    Peace, Faye

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  7. I have enjoyed listening to the sound clips. Thank you Elizabeth.

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  8. Ayrshire has some lovely parts, we used to often visit Culzean Castle when we were first married.
    Mind you the west of Scotland generally gets more rain. I do agree with what you say about the weather up here, my sister lives in Bedfordshire and it's so much warmer there all the year round.

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  9. Good Luck with the piano playing. Grade 8 before your 60th will be an amazing achievement.

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