What would be considered a substantial piece of 20th Century music?

Question

I'm going to be auditioning for Oberlin and Eastman and I'm currently working on the Pour Le Piano Suite by Debussy and I was wondering, would one movement of the piece (say the Toccata) count as a substantial work, or would I need the whole suite? Thanks!

Answer 1

I'm not a pianist, and not familiar with the work, so I can't answer you directly, but I do have some thoughts.  You might call the schools and ask just the general, is an X minute long movement good, or should I prepare the whole suite?  Or a piano teacher in your area, university level might have an opinion.  

I presume you are playing multiple pieces for these auditions?  I would think they'd like music from different periods, so if this is just a section of your whole audition, one movement may be enough if it's fairly lengthy.  (I know that's subjective and what you're asking)  

I wish I could be of more assistance.  Best of luck to you.

Answer 2

you should go in prepared tp perform the whole work, not just a movement!

audition panels will rarely listen to an entire work-but some get pissy if you only can play a movement,...

Answer 3

Find out how long the audition is by calling the conservatories. Generally speaking, you need at least two contrasting pieces. Most conservatories want to hear the student in person. In extreme distances, they will accept a CD or DVD.

Most auditions aren't recitals. They don't want to sit there for longer than 5 or 10 mins. All that is required at an audition is to hear the quality of the performance: technical ability, lyricism, and so on. You are already judged within a minute of performing, so make sure your start is phenomenal. They may ask you to sight-read, play some scales or technical components, maybe some aural component, your background, what other pieces have you played, so bring a little list of them, a performance CV would be nice.

Debussy is an Impressionist composer, not 20th century. The Prelude and Toccata are considered two pieces.

If you are looking for 20th century, look at:

- Messiaen (any one of Huit Preludes Pour Piano or Vingt Regards sur l'enfant Jesus).  

- Ruth Crawford: her piano music is really different.

- Amy Beach: Fireflies,

- Gyorgy Ligeti's Etudes for Piano,

- Alberto Ginastera: any one of Danzas Argentinas; Malambo; Suite de danzas Criollas

- Bela Bartok's Allegro Barbaro,

- Samuel Barber's Nocturne (Homage to John Field),

- Alexina Louie's I Leap Through the Sky with Stars.

Best of luck!

Answer 4

I would say anything over 8 minutes would be adequate, and if it's not over 8 minutes, than learn the other movements of the suit. Debussy may not be the strongest choice though for a 20th Century piece... what they're looking for with this is if you can play something that isn't very tonal (or atonal) and has a lot of rhythmic challenges. (Debussy is more polytonal). I'd suggest you look into some other composers first, like Berg or Schoenberg, or a most anyone who wrote in the 1950s in a non-tonal style.