Candidates for Grade 6, 7 or 8 exams must already have passed ABRSM Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory, Practical Musicianship or a solo Jazz instrument. For full details including a list of accepted alternatives, see Regulation 1d.
Practical Treble Recorder Grade 8 exams consist of three pieces chosen by learners from lists in the current syllabus, scales and arpeggios, sight-reading and aural tests.
Total marks in all individual Practical exams are 150. You need 100 marks to achieve Pass, 120 marks to pass with Merit and 130 marks to pass with Distinction.
Find out about our Performance Grades and alternative route to a graded music exam.
Practical Treble Recorder Grade 8 exams consist of three pieces chosen by learners from lists in the current syllabus, scales and broken chords, sight-reading and aural tests.
Total marks in all individual Practical exams are 150. You need 100 marks to achieve Pass, 120 marks to pass with Merit and 130 marks to pass with Distinction.
Find out about our Performance Grades and alternative route to a graded music exam.
Learners choose three pieces, one from each list (A, B and C) – 30 marks each.
| No. | Composer | Piece information | Publication(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Albinoni |
Adagio And Allegro 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata in A minor |
|
| 2 | Babell |
Adagio And Vivace (Descant/Tenor) 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata No. 11 in G minor |
|
| 3 |
J. S. Bach
arr. W. Kirchner, G. Kirchner and Harras |
Vivace (Tenor) 3rd movt from Sonata in D minor, BWV 527 |
J. S. Bach: Sonata in D minor, BWV 527 for Tenor Recorder, arr. W. Kirchner, G. Kirchner and HarrasBärenreiter (8076) More details |
| 4 |
J. S. Bach
arr. Sokoll |
Allegro 1st movt from Sonata in A minor, BWV 1020 |
|
| 5 | Barsanti |
Adagio And Allegro 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata in C |
|
| 6 | Handel |
Largo And Furioso (Presto) 1st movt And 3rd movt from Sonata in D minor (Fitzwilliam Sonata No. 3), HWV 367a |
|
| 7 | F. Mancini |
Andante And Allegro 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata No. 2 in E minor |
|
| 8 | Giuseppe Sammartini |
Allegro (Descant) 1st movt from Concerto in F (recorder to play in tuttis) |
|
| 9 | Telemann |
Adagio–Allegro 1st movt from Sonata in C, TWV 41:C5 |
|
| 10 | Vivaldi |
Allegro 1st movt from Concerto in A minor, RV 108 (recorder to play in tuttis) |
| No. | Composer | Piece information | Publication(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Bergmann |
Largo assai And Rondo danzante 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata for Treble Recorder (ending 21 bars after letter I) |
|
| 2 | L. Berkeley |
Moderato 1st movt from Sonatina, Op. 13 |
|
| 3 | A. Bernard |
Prelude and Scherzo (observing printed cadenza) |
|
| 4 | Alan Bullard |
Top Hat Quadrille (Descant) No. 1 from Hat Box |
|
| 5 | N. Fulton |
Reel 5th movt from Scottish Suite |
|
| 6 | Glanville-Hicks |
Lento recitativo And Vivace 2nd And 3rd movt from Sonatina for Treble Recorder |
|
| 7 | Jacob |
Allegro 1st movt from Sonatina for Treble Recorder |
|
| 8 | Reizenstein |
Sarabande And Bourrée 2nd movt And 3rd movt from Partita for Treble Recorder |
|
| 9 | Philippe Rombi | Nocturne No. 1 | |
| 10 | Staeps |
Ruhig bewegt And Lebhaft 1st movt And 2nd movt from Sonata in E♭ |
| No. | Composer | Piece information | Publication(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
J. S. Bach
arr. Harras or Robinson |
Bourrée anglaise 4th movt from Partita in C minor, BWV 1013 |
|
| 2 |
Telemann
arr. Harras or Robinson |
A tempo giusto And Presto 1st movt And 2nd movt from Fantasia No. 10 in A minor, TWV 40:11 |
No. 10 from Telemann: 12 Fantasias for Treble Recorder, arr. HarrasBärenreiter (BA 6440) More details |
| 3 | Christopher Ball | Pagan Piper (Treble/Tenor) | |
| 4 |
G. Bassano
arr. Hintermeier |
Ricercata terza Or Ricercata quarta | |
| 5 | Brüggen |
Vivace No. 3 from Five Studies for Finger Control |
|
| 6 | van Eyck |
Ballette Gravesand Or Engels Nachtegaeltje (Descant/Tenor) from Der Fluyten Lust-hof (complete) |
|
| 7 | Genzmer |
Abends (In the Evening) (Treble/Tenor) No. 1 from Klänge der Nacht |
|
| 8 | E. Köhler | Study in E♭ | |
| 9 | Krähmer |
Adagio con espressione (Descant) No. 1 from 12 Divertimenti (1822) |
|
| 10 | Kuhlau | Andante cantabile (Descant) |
Grade 8 Treble Recorder learners may play one of their three pieces on a descant or tenor recorder where shown in the lists. Taking this option won't give you an advantage over other learners, and you must play all other requirements on a treble recorder.
Learners for Grade 8 exams must already have passed ABRSM Grade 5 (or above) in Music Theory, Practical Musicianship or a solo Jazz subject. For full details including a list of accepted alternatives, see Regulation 1d.
Practice material for learners preparing for Recorder exams.
New editions offering support to teachers preparing students for Practical exams.
