Graded Repertoire: Favourite Pieces from the AMEB Manual List - Sonatinas

This is the first of a series of posts looking at some of the repertoire collections I use in my studio, listing the Grade and List of any exam pieces that are included in the Australian Music Examinations Board Manual of Syllabuses. Some of the collections are the works of a single composer, while others contain a variety of composers' works. Either way, these collections represent very good value for money for parents and students, as they can be used year after year.

The previous post provides explanation of some of the terms used which are specific to the AMEB, so you may wish to read it first. These posts will not present the repertoire in any particular order, but once I have completed a few posts, I will create an index to make the information as easily accessible as possible for you.

Many collections are good value for money: they provide the teacher and the student with a selection of pieces that can be used over the course of several grades.

One such collection that I use in my studio is Essential Keyboard Repertoire Volume Three: 16 Early/Late Intermediate Sonatinas in their original form, published by Alfred. Many of these sonatina movements appear in other graded collections, but the beauty of using this book is that students can be introduced to the whole work, and then choose which movement/s they want to perform in their exam. The pieces are well laid out on the page and easy to read, with some thought given to ease of page turning.

When first introducing the concept of the Sonata / Sonatina for general knowledge purposes, students have a wonderful resource of examples on hand, to see what they have in common and where exceptions to the rule occur.

Here is a list, in alphabetical order of composer, of the sonatinas in this volume, which are also in the AMEB Syllabus for Piano. Do take careful note that not all of these Sonatinas are in List B! Several of the compositions appear in List D (predominantly post-Romantic piano literature), even though they are Sonatinas.

There are also Sonatinas by Diabelli (Op 51 Nos 3 and 4, and Op 168 No 2) and Gurlitt (Op 54 No 1), which are not in the AMEB syllabus.

Here is the same list, organized according to grade level, to create an easy reference guide for you:

The listings are taken from the 2017 AMEB Manual of Syllabuses. Please do check your copy of the Syllabus in case I have made an error (and if so, please let me know in the comments below).

What are your favourite Sonatinas or Sonatina Collections?

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Next post in this series: Graded Repertoire for Students – Kabalevsky