Music Audition Information
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Perform two works of contrasting style – please see your specific instrument for definition of contrasting style
Keep all audition materials to approximately 7 minutes of total length
Be prepared to perform scales
Understand that sight-reading may be requested
The following must be sent to Joey Crowley two weeks prior to your audition date:
- Piano accompaniment for selection(s) you will be doing with our accompanist
- Sheet music for both selections you will be performing
Strings / Woodwinds / Percussion / Piano / Voice / Jazz
Strings – Two works chosen from these categories:
Baroque period composition; a composition or sonata movement from the Classical or Romantic period; a composition from post-1900.
- One work should be technical, such as an etude
- One work should be melodic
- At least one work must include piano accompaniment
Woodwinds – Two works chosen from these categories:
Baroque period composition; a composition or sonata movement from the Classical or Romantic period; a composition from post-1990.
- One work should be technical, such as an etude
- One work should be melodic
- At least one work must include piano accompaniment
Percussion – Two works on contrasting instruments
- One work should be on a batter instrument
- One work should be on a melodic instrument
- At least one work must include piano accompaniment
Piano – Two works from two different periods
Voice – Two art songs or arias
- Consider songs that contrast in tempo, mood, character, style, and period
- Both songs must be memorized
- Both songs must have piano accompaniment
- Original language is preferred
- Foreign language songs are encouraged, but not required
- One song may be a musical theatre piece
- Popular songs are not acceptable
Jazz – One or two works that display improvisatory skills and/or swing feel and jazz articulation
- Cornell will provide rhythm section accompaniment if requested in advance
NOTE: The following lists are provided to represent sample repertoire only and are not meant to be exclusive listings of acceptable works that may be performed. Please contact your personal music instructor if you need additional help in choosing acceptable audition material.
Strings / Woodwinds / Brass / Percussion / Piano / Voice
Violin
- First movement from a Mozart Concerto:
- No. 3, K. 216
- No. 4, K. 218
- No. 5, K 219
- The first movement of any standard repertoire concerto
- One etude from standard literature, such as:
- Kreutzer
- Rodé
- Fiorillo
- Gavinés
Viola
- First movement of a standard repertoire concerto or sonata, such as:
- J.C. Bach: Viola Concerto in C minor
- Hoffmeister: Viola Concerto in D Major
- Telemann: Viola Concerto in G Major
- Marcello: Sonata in G Major
- Mozart: Sonatina in C Major (ed. Piatigorsky)
- Marais: Five Old Dances
- Bloch: Suite Hébraïque
Violincello
- First movement of a standard repertoire concerto or sonata, such as:
- Dvořák: Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B. 191
- Schumann: Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129
- Haydn: Cello Concerto No. 1 in C Major
- Prelude to any Bach Suite (Prelude and Fugue if Suite V)
Double Bass
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Capuzzi: Double Bass Concerto in F Major
- Dragonetti: Double Bass Concerto in A Major
- Dittersdorf: Double Bass Concerto No. 1 in E-flat Major
- Marcello: (select 1 from) Six Sonatas for Cello or Double Bass
- Vivaldi: (select 1 from) Six Sonatas for Cello or Double Bass
- Eccles: Sonata in G minor
Harp
- Two works of contrasting styles.
Flute
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Mozart: Flute Concerti in either G Major (K.313) or D Major (K.314)
- Bach: Sonata in A Major (BWV 1032) or Partita in A minor (BWV 1013)
- Poulenc: Sonata for Flute and Piano
- Chaminade: Concertino for Flute in D Major, Op. 107
- Quantz: (select 1 of the following):
- Concerto for Flute in G minor, QV5:196 (No. 262)
- Concerto for Flute in D Major, QV5:74 (No. 70)
- Concerto for Flute in C Major, QV5:15 (No. 188)
- Concerto to Flute in G Major, QV5:174 (No. 161)
Oboe
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Mozart: Oboe Concerto in C Major, K. 314
- Vivaldi: Oboe Concerto in F Major, RV 455
- Cimarose: Oboe Concerto in C minor: (I. Introduzione or II. Allegro will be accepted)
- Schumann: (select 1 from) Romance No. 3, Op. 94
Bassoon
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Mozart: Bassoon Concerto in B-flat, K. 19: (I. Allegro or III. Rondo di menuetto will be accepted)
- Weber: Bassoon Concerto in F Major, Op. 75
- Galliard: (select 1 from) Six Sonatas for Bassoon
- Milde: (select 1 from) Concert Studies for Bassoon
Clarinet
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Mozart: Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622
- Weber: Clarinet Concertino in E-flat Major, Op. 26
- Cavallini: Adagio and Tarantella
- Jeanjean: Arabesque
- Rose: 32 Etudes for Clarinet
Bass Clarinet
- Bozza: Ballade for Bass Clarinet and Piano
- Gipps: Prelude for Unaccompanied Bass Clarinet
- Galliard: Adagio and Allegro for Bass Clarinet and Piano
- Diethe: Romanze for Bass Clarinet and Piano
Alto Saxophone
- Bozza: Concertino for Alto Saxophone
- Debussy: Rhapsodie for Alto Saxophone
- Handel/Rascher: Sonata No. 3
- Creston: Sonata, Op. 19
Tenor Saxophone
- Bach/Gateau: Deuxiéme Sonate BWV 1031
- Bach/Gee: Sonata No. 4
- Handel/Londeix: Sonata No. 1
Baritone Saxophone
- Davis: Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann
- Gurewich: Fantasy in F minor
- Vince/Wain: Sonata No. 1, Adagio and Allegro
Horn
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 2 in E-flat Major, K. 417
- Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major, K. 477
- Mozart: Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat Major, K. 495
- Strauss: Romanze
- Strauss: Nocturno
Trumpet
- First movement of a standard repertoire
concerto or sonata, such as:
- Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E-flat Major
- Hummel: Trumpet Concerto in E Major
- 1st or 3rd Movement
- Bozza: Badinage
- Whitney: Concertino
- Barat: Andante et Scherzo
- Fitzgerald: Gaelic Suite
Trombone
- Ropartz: Andante et Allegro
- Guilmant: Morceau Symphonic pour Trombne et Piano
- Marcello/Ostrander: (select 1 from) Six Sonatas for Violoncelli and Cembalo
Euphonium
- Barat: Andante et Allegro
- Corelli/Maganini: Suite in B-flat Major
- Gottwald: Fantasie Heroique, Op. 25
Tuba
- Bach/Bell: Air and Bouree
- Vaughan Williams: Concerto in F minor for Bass Tuba
- Stevens: Sonatina for Tuba
Timpani
- Perform an etude or solo from one of the
following:
- Peters: Fundamental Method for Timpani
- Peters: Fundamental Solos for Timpani
- Goodman: Modern Methods for Timpani
- Beck: Sonata for Timpani
Snare Drum
- Clark: MacArthur at Manila
- Harr: Downfall of Paris
- Gauthreaux: Speed Trap
- Albright: Contemporary Studies for the Snare Drum
Mallets
- Musser: Etude in A-flat Major
- Chopin/Musser: Etude in F minor
- Rodriquez/Breure: La Cumparsita
- Bach: Violin Concerto in A minor; Suites for Cello
Drum Set
Show ability to perform basic styles such as swing, jazz brushes, bossa nova, samba, Afro-Cuban, funk, and rock. Demonstration may be in a presentational format or structured into a solo format (such as 8 bars of each style, or 4 bars followed by 4 bars fills, etc.). A composed drum set solo may also be performed.
- J.S. Bach. Preludes
- Two Part Inventions
- Three Part Inventions
- Prelude and/or Fugue from Well Tempered Klavier (either volume)
- Movement from a Suite
- Sonatina movement
- Sonata movement by: Beethoven, Chopin, Greig, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Schubert, Schumann
- Character piece by: Brahms, Chopin, Faure, Grieg, L Mendelssohn, Liszt, Scriabin, Schubert, Schumann
- Work or movement by: Albeniz, Bartok, Debussy, Granados, Prokovieff, Ravel, Shostakovich
Two memorized songs with piano accompaniment; foreign language is not required. Suggested resources include the following:
- Art songs or arias, such as solos from:
- First Book anthologies series, Joan Boytim, editor
- 26 Italian Songs & Arias, John Glenn Paton, editor
- One excerpt may be from the musical theatre repertoire – see Singer’s Musical Theater Anthology series, Richard Walters, editor
NOTE: Popular songs are not an accepted form of audition repertoire.
Mail to: Cornell College Admission Office, attn: Joey Crowley, 600 First St. SW, Mt. Vernon, IA 52314
OR scan/e-mail to JCrowley@cornellcollege.edu