<p>Hello:
I'm writing a coming-of-age novel about a young pianist who wants to go to a top conservatory, and am only starting to research the kinds of experiences she needs, and the repertoire of the correct difficulty. When the story starts, she is just 16, entering Junior Year. She hasn't gone to any music camps, because of a lack of funding. </p>
<p>She wants to play Chopin's Ballade#3, Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C#major, I haven't chosen a Beethoven Sonata yet... My question is, are these pieces believable, or too hard? too easy?</p>
<p>I also have a scene where a young conservatory student of about 19 or 20 is playing the Kreutzer. is this believable? Or also too hard?</p>
<p>Is it also believable that she practices obsessively (3-4 hours a day) and has practically no life?</p>
<p>I'm also wondering where to find some references to some piano competitions for young people in California that I could look at.</p>
<p>I'd truly appreciate some input from some of the very knowledgeable people here. </p>
<p>Not knowing what type of training this fictitious student has had, the question is a little hard to answer for her. But I can say without question that students applying to top conservatories play the Chopin Ballades, Bach’s Preludes and Fugues and a number of Beethoven’s sonatas (a few aren’t allowed). This is standard repertoire, and appropriate difficulty, IMO.</p>
<p>The 3-4 hours of practice is also believable. Don’t make her too one-dimensional though; many pianists have a life outside of practicing!</p>
<p>Specify which Book the C# major Prelude and Fugue is from: Book 1 would probably be acceptable, but the Book 2 C# major is quite easy. </p>
<p>As Allmusic mentioned, some of the Beethoven sonatas are far too easy to use in auditions at good schools (e.g. op. 49, op. 79, most of op. 10 & 14 etc.). </p>
<p>Three to four hours daily practice is well within the average to low-average range for pianists applying to top conservatories. That amount of time in itself would definitely not constitute practicing “obsessively” (perhaps there are other aspects of her practicing which make it obsessive). Many pianists and violinists applying to top conservatories practice considerably more than three or four hours per day. </p>
<p>I would venture that most of those who practice only three or four hours per day have very full lives, unless one considers three or four daily hours in front of a TV or computer screen to be a requisite part of a full life (i.e. most serious young musicians don’t waste a lot of time on activities which make life empty rather than full the way most teenagers do!). </p>
<p>For the young conservatory student of 19 or 20, there is no Beethoven rep which would be too difficult to be believable.</p>
<p>Bach P&F in C minor from Book 1 is generally considered the easiest of the 48 P&F; it is the only P&F listed in the grade 9 syllabus by the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto; the other 47 are all either grade 10 or associate’s level. It is probably not a common choice amongst applicants to top conservatories (but a very common choice amongst applicants to lesser schools).</p>
<p>Personally, I think that the level should not be that much of a matter between this and that. I’ve played chopin ballade and few famous beethoven sonatas and those are not easy easy. It is at best to play what she loves the most and try to fulfill it which much tech and details as possible.
It just depends on how WELL you play those pieces.</p>
<p>jp0701: The level of the repertoire is important. I agree that the repertoire choice often does boil down to “how you play is more important than what you play.” Harder is not necessarily better, and is worse if played poorly. However, no one is going to get into top conservatories playing Beethoven op. 49 or op. 79 Sonatas no matter how well they play them. Nor are Bach’s two-part inventions going to get you in (and therefore most conservatories insist that students play a Bach Prelude and Fugue).</p>
<p>Thanks! you guys are super helpful. I wish I could get my hands on the piano syllabus at Toronto. Looks like I’ll have to skip the CMinor all together. Currently focusing on having her learn Chopin Ballade no.1, gminor. It’s a pretty big piece… but that is part of the point, that she wants to bite off a bit more than she can chew… she loves it that much.
also considering Beethoven’s tempest sonata for the book as well.</p>