Choir Conducting

• Advanced musical ability in the programme subject which must be demonstrated in the audition exam
• Applicants without German university entry permission must provide evidence of their German language skills through:
  • Language certificate B 2.2 (GER) of the Goethe Institute, ÖSD, telc GmbH or TestDaF – Level 4, DSD II, DSH I or UNIcert II.
    Language certificates must be submitted during enrolment at the latest.
  • Technical German language skills in music will be assessed during the music theory examination.

For the pre-selection the platform muvac is used.

On muvac you can link video and audio recordings from YouTube, Soundcloud, Vimeo, Youku and Google Drive on your profile.

Based on the linked audio/video recordings the pre-selection is made subsequent to the application period.

Please check that the recordings are available and accessable via the links provided (without password/no login function).

• One video of a self-directed rehearsal or concert of a maximum length of 15 minutes (ideally two different works are desired)
• The video should show the applicant in front view
• One video of the instrumental or vocal recording

• Conducting: two different works are desired
• Interpretation of a self-chosen solo work on the piano or an orchestra instrument or a vocal work

The audition exam consists of two rounds. After the first round, the Exam Committee will decide who will proceed to the following round.

• fundamental knowledge of conducting technique
• experience with choral work
• artistic relationship to choral singing and relevant literature as well as musical theater

• Choral conducting (realisation on several pianos)
  Compulsory piece: Anton Bruckner - "Christus factus est" WAB 11 (Edition Peters)
• Performance of a demanding solo work for piano or orchestral instrument chosen by the candidate (for solo concerts or works accompanied by piano the accompanists must be provided by the candidates themselves).
  AND:
  Performance of a self-selected (a capella or self-accompanied) vocal piece in German (for candidates whose German is not their mother tongue, a vocal piece in their mother tongue is also required).

• Choral conducting (also as a teaching situation, realisation on several pianos):
  Four compulsory pieces:
  • William Byrd: "Miserere mei, Deus"
  • Wolfgang A. Mozart: from "Vesperae solennes de Confessore" KV 339, No. 3 "Beatus vir" (Bärenreiter)
  • Joseph Haydn: from "The Creation" Hob XXI:2, recitative of Uriel "In vollem Glanze" (Edition Peters, edited by Klaus Burmeister, in German)
  • Hindemith from Twelve Madrigals No. 8 "The Judas Kiss"

(Be prepared to use a tuning fork as well as audition choral parts as needed).

• Correpetition
  • presentation of a self-selected choral scene (opera or choral symphony) on the piano, with singing of the various choral voices (length approx. 8 minutes)
  • sight-reading of light excerpts from oratorios or choral movements
  • sight-reading (choral parts from choral literature)
• Score-reading
  • sight-reading an easy choral score (modern clefs)
  • sight-reading of old clefs (2-part with two different old clefs)
• Core Subject Piano
  • presentation of two self-selected solo works on the piano: one of the works must be a slow movement of a classical sonata or a baroque work in slow tempo.

• Knowledge of treble and bass clef (also C clef, if applicable)
• Knowledge of key signatures in major and minor
• Determining and notating intervals in various octaves
• Knowledge of major and minor scales, including modes
• Determining and notating triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented) and dominant seventh chords, including their inversions
• Recognizing and writing different types of cadences (authentic, plagal, half and deceptive) in various keys
• Realizing a simple figured bass in four parts
• Harmonic analysis (Roman numerals and German functions)
• Formal and compositional analysis of a short musical example (or excerpt)

• Determining intervals (melodic and harmonic)
• Determining triads and dominant seventh chords, including their inversions (simultaneous and arpeggiated)
• Determining major and minor scales as well as modes
• Rhythm dictation (binary and ternary rhythms, tied and/or syncopated)
• Melody dictation (baroque and/or classical style)
• Two-part (polyphonic) dictation
• Harmonic dictation
• Aural analysis of a short musical example

Small colloquium on general music questions in German language with the following issues:

• foundation of music history from Bach to present (problematic nature of era categories: baroque/classical/romantic/modern/postmodern)
• development of orchestral genres
• development of opera
• development of choir singing

• Applicants for undergraduate studies who have already studied at a RKM-recognized German music school and are applying to transfer to HFM are exempt from taking the exams in piano, composition, and ear training if they are able to provide a matriculation certificate/certificate of enrolment.

• For winter semester: 15 April
• For summer semester: 15 November

• For winter semester: May/June
• For summer semester: January/February