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Graded Repertoire for Piano Ensemble (6 -8 hands)
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Graded by experienced teachers, the following list of works provides an annotated guide when searching for repertoire, especially for the NZCT Chamber Music Contest. Most of these works have score and audio samples available online, just click on the title to see details. All are available for purchase from SOUNZ. | ||
TITLE | DIFFICULTY LEVEL | COMMENTS |
Farr: Dua Lagu | Intermediate: Grade 5 |
The upper two parts work together with constant quavers in repetitive patterns; the third part is much simpler. Accessible, well-written and reasonably straightforward to put together. An established favourite with students. |
| Hamilton: Three Rags 2 pianos, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 7 | Ragtime. Accessible, attractive and fun. The texture is light with
each part contributing fragments, very converstional, and tonal. The
individual parts are not taxing - the ensemble playing is the difficult part. |
| Hamilton: Tui 2 pianos, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 6-7 | Light
texture, bird-like motifs, atmospheric. Comes with optional recorded
Tui sounds which frame the piece. Players asked to whisper at times. |
| Hamilton: Ghost Dance 2 piano, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 7-8 | Furioso,
scary and threatening. Ideas cascade across the parts, some clapping
and string plucking. Rhythmically insistent, constantly changing metres.
The pounding ostinato bass-line requires stamina. |
| Hamilton: Riding the Rails 1 piano, 6 hands | Intermediate: Grade 6-7 | Depicts a typical train journey from start to finish. Long. Stamina is required for some of the ostinato passages. |
| Hamilton: Mobile 2 piano, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 7-8 | Conceived
as a theatrical performance, including directions on how to walk on
stage. Each player also requires a mobile phone loaded with a piano
keyboard. Rhythmically challenging and would take considerable
rehearsal. |
| Holmes: A Tedious Brief Scene: Bottom's Dance 2 piano, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 6-7 | Programmatic. Allegro con moto. Murmuring semiquaver ostinati provide an active background to the melodic material. Rhythmically advanced, with polyrhythms. |
| Norman: Deck the Bells (with yuletide folly) 1 piano, 8 hands | Intermediate: Grade 6-7 | A romp through well-known Christmas carols. Effervescent, clever and humorous. Extremely sociable (four players at one piano). |
| Rimmer: Hammerheads 2 pianos, 8 hands | Professional: Diploma+ | Dissonant idiom, percussive and fragmented. |
| Utting: Onslow College Suite 2 pianos, 6 hands | Intermediate: Grade 7-8 | Energy and attitude with a peaceful central interlude. Strong character, changing metre and polyrhythms. |