1 NZQA New Zealand Qualifications Authority Mana Tohu Matauranga O Aotearoa Home > Qualifications and standards > Qualifications > National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) > Subjects > Music- annotated exemplar Level 3 AS91423 (A) Music- annotated exemplar Level 3 AS91423 (A) Examine the influence of context on a substantial music work (3.8A) Show: All Music exemplars See EXEMPLAR B for this standard TKI Music Assessment Resources Download all these exemplars and commentary (PDF, 2.9MB) The music work under study in this instance is J.S Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. This work lends itself well to the examination of aesthetic, historical and cultural contexts related to the ideals and conventions of the Baroque period. Low Excellence Commentary Student response Student 1 page 1 (PDF, 453KB) Student 1 page 2 (PDF, 291KB) At Excellence level students are required to examine perceptively the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Excellence will produce a presentation that critically and perceptively examines the cultural, social, historical, aesthetic and geographical contexts to show how and why they have influenced the music work. They will discuss with insight whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music and provide detailed musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. In this exemplar the student evidence includes a perceptive discussion on Aesthetic context, together with several detailed reasons behind the conception of the work. The conception of Brandenburg No. 5 is covered in a succinct introductory section which is both factual and displays personal insight. "As was common during the Baroque period, Bach’s manuscripts were stored in the Margrave’s library where they were never played. It is probable that he did not have the same level of musical ability available to him in his court that Bach did." In the section headed Aesthetic context the student perceptively examines Baroque instrumentation and the role of the harpsichord together with various musical elements and devices which have been exemplified in the concerto. Detailed musical examples have been provided. For example, "Also seen … is the use of ornaments (trills) to provide another Baroque aesthetic – that of ornate decoration." 2 There is minimal work required for this exemplar to reach a more secure Excellence. Further fleshing out of Baroque aesthetics, such as the use of dramatic contrast, would secure this grade level. Please note: the exemplar for Low Excellence is only a sample of full student work. The expectation would be for further contexts to be covered in similar depth. High Merit Commentary Student response Student 2 (PDF, 169KB) At Merit level students are required to examine in depth the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Merit will produce a presentation that examines in depth the cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and geographical contexts, showing how and why they have influenced the music work. They will consider whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music, and provide detailed musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. In this exemplar, the student evidence includes Historical, Cultural/Social, Geographical and Aesthetic contexts. There is some in-depth discussion as to how these contexts influenced the conception, production and interpretation of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. For example, in the section headed Historical Context, the student writes, "With the quality of musicians … at his disposal he began writing harder music. This is highlighted in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 as it has some incredibly difficult passages …" Under the next heading, Cultural/Social context, the student discusses Bach’s innovation in composing a concerto which what is regarded as the origin of the keyboard concerto. There is also discussion around the performance capabilities of 18 th century court musicians, free-lance musicians and the virtuoso. Geographical and Aesthetic contexts make up the final sections of the exemplar and are similarly in- depth, particularly when the student discusses how modern interpretations of the Brandenburg will differ from an 'authentic sound' created by period instruments. As this exemplar is on the Merit/Excellence criteria boundary, to reach Excellence the essay would benefit from further detailed musical examples from the concerto to demonstrate fully the influence of context. Low Merit Commentary Student response Student 3 (PDF, 45KB) At Merit level students are required to examine in depth the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Merit will produce a presentation that examines in depth the cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and geographical contexts, showing how and why they have influenced the music work. They will consider whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music, and provide detailed musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. 3 This exemplar focuses on Geographical context and is generally covered in depth with a summary of Bach’s upbringing and musical background in Eisenach together with his time in Köthen. There is also some discussion to the general difficulties of travel during the Baroque period. "There are several occasions of Bach having travelled large distances to view the works of composers such as Buxtehude (famous organist and composer) which included an 800km round trip". For a more secure Merit more detailed musical examples are required to support what are already solid and well expressed facts and personal opinions. Please note: the exemplar for Low Merit is only a sample of full student work. The expectation would be for further contexts to be covered in similar depth. High Achieved Commentary Student response Student 4 page 1 (PDF, 366KB) Student 4 page 2 (PDF, 391KB) At Achievement level students are required to examine the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Achievement will produce a presentation that examines cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and geographical contexts in detail, showing how and why they have influenced the music work. They will consider whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music and provide musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. In this exemplar, the student examines Cultural/Social, Historical, Geographical and Aesthetic contexts. The student’s work in this exemplar is on the A/M boundary as some aspects are covered in depth; however, holistically there are not yet enough detailed musical examples to secure Merit criteria. The first section examines in some detail the Cultural/Social context of the Baroque period during Bach’s lifetime. For example; "… not everyone who enjoyed Bach’s pieces would have been able [to] hear his truly wonderful pieces such as his concertos because of the massive class difference between poor and rich." The student also discusses the importance of the Church in Bach’s life and the pressures of living under the patronage system. In the next section, Historical context, the student examines how Prussian politics directly influenced Bach’s appointment as musical director in Köthen to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cöthen. However no link is made between how the "very talented musicians" Bach had available to him during this time specifically influenced the production of Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. The final sections on Geographical and Aesthetic contexts are covered in detail with reference to Bach’s geographical isolation and the development of Baroque instruments and notation. "The introduction of bar-lines and new clefs brought about the end of the Renaissance …" As stated earlier, the majority of the contexts have been well examined; however more detailed musical examples would enable this exemplar to reach Merit. 4 Low Achieved Commentary Student response Student 5 page 1 (PDF, 248KB) Student 5 page 2 (PDF, 299KB) At Achievement level, students are required to examine the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Achievement will produce a presentation that examines cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and geographical contexts in detail, showing how and why they have influenced the music work. They will consider whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music and provide musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. This exemplar of a power-point presentation includes an examination of Cultural/Social and Aesthetic contexts. (Geographical context was also included, but it not shown here due to space limitations). Generally, the above contexts are examined in some detail, but the musical examples are limited and pull the work back from a more secure Achieved. For example, slide #7 under 'rhythm' correctly identifies the forward driving nature of Baroque music but does give a specific example from either allegro movements. Each of the musical elements on this slide could be expanded on for a more secure Achieved, as the other slides all contain pertinent contextual details. High Not Achieved Commentary Student response Student 6 page 1 (PDF, 374KB) Student 6 page 2 (PDF, 281KB) At Achievement level, students are required to examine the influence of context on a substantial music work. Students gaining Achievement will produce a presentation that examines cultural, social, historical, aesthetic, and geographical contexts in detail, showing how and why they have influenced the music work. They will consider whether the examined contexts have influenced the conception, production, and interpretation of the music and provide musical examples to support their conclusions. Further, they will discuss the extent to which they think each particular context has influenced the music. This exemplar is a good basis for the requirements of this standard. The work completed shows some examination of Cultural/Social, Historical, Aesthetic and Geographical contexts; however further investigation from the student is required to secure Achievement. For example, the section titled, Aesthetic context, begins to discuss specific Baroque timbres however these are not specifically linked back to how Bach uses them in Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. "The violin family was slowly replacing the viol family, which had more strings than violins and were played on the lap." Cultural/Social context has generally been well examined however both Historical and Geographical contexts require further investigation to enable this exemplar to reach Achieved. 5  Copyright © New Zealand Qualifications Authority . Achievement (NCEA) > Subjects > Music- annotated exemplar Level 3 AS914 23 (A) Music- annotated exemplar Level 3 AS914 23 (A) Examine the influence of context. substantial music work (3. 8A) Show: All Music exemplars See EXEMPLAR B for this standard TKI Music Assessment Resources Download all these exemplars and commentary (PDF,