Download Writing a Good Commentary

Completing Commentaries for GCSE Music Composing
What is the purpose of the commentary?
When you submit your compositions, you also need to complete and submit a commentary and/ or full score along
with the recording for each piece of work. A full score must include all the information needed to perform your piece
exactly as you intend it to be. A commentary is used to guide the examiner/ moderator through your work and the
process you went through, detailing:
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The initial idea for the piece (also known as a ‘brief’)
Contextual information about the styles of music you have studied and are using as stimuli for your
composition (specify which Area of Study your composition is linked with)
Your main musical ideas and how you have developed these to form your composition
Problems that you encountered during the compositional process and how/ if you overcame these (e.g.
finding out that you had intended an instrument to play out of its pitch range)
Imagine you are giving someone else detailed information that could allow them to recreate an accurate performance
of your piece as you intend it to be – include written description, bullet points, graphic representations of any sort,
grids, lead sheets/ chord charts, screen shots of computer software you have used, ‘traditional’ stave notation and
anything else you think might be useful. The more detail included, the better. Many successful students prepare a
combination of commentary and score.
How do I structure my composition commentary?
To ensure you include the details above, your commentary is ideally structured under three headings:
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My initial idea for the piece
How my composition met my expectations
What improvements I made to my work when composing it (this could include any adjustments you made
after performances of it)
What was your initial idea (brief)?
Under this heading, after stating the Area of Study to which you are linking the piece, you tell the examiner any
stimuli that you came into contact with e.g. set works listened to in class, what your initial plans were and anything at
all that inspired you. It might be worth noting: Edexcel guidelines state that a link to Area of Study 1 may show use of
historical devices and techniques developed at various times (e.g. rondo, binary or sonata form), but go on to imply
that links to AOS 2, 3 and 4 are more broadly applied.
How does your composition meet the brief/ your expectations?
This is the main section of the commentary. The first thing to write about is some contextual information:
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Describe the main musical characteristics of the musical genre/style/s you are composing e.g. describe what a
ground bass is, the main musical characteristics of reggae or the texture of Gamelan music (foundations,
main melodies, decoration)
What listening have you done in lessons related to your chosen style/s which has helped you understand/
given you ideas etc?
Can you highlight any specific pieces?
Can you highlight any specific composers?
Make reference to relevant tasks attempted in lesson time leading up to the composition.
Then, after you have put your work into context, you need to provide a detailed analysis of your composition, telling
the examiner what music you have written and the compositional process involved. You should also make
connections between your composition and the contextual information provided e.g. “I began by improvising using
notes of the Raga Bhairav that as this is a popular that used in Indian music. I then developed a repeating
ostinato figure based upon this. Some examples of possible improvised melodies are included in the recording
and notated below”
Edexcel GCSE Music Writing Composition Commentary
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N.B. If you are using improvising as part of your composition, that is effectively handing over all or part of the
composing process to the performer. Edexcel states in their guidelines for centres that a score or commentary
must ‘include sufficient information for other musicians to make an acceptable realisation of the composer’s
intentions – eg melody, chords, rhythm, speed, dynamics’,
The same guidelines also state that teacher/ examiners must make it very clear to moderators how much of the
composing process has been yours and yours alone. Be aware of this if someone else performs a part in your
piece and you haven’t notated a detailed score or set of instructions for them.
When analysing your composition, it is important not to waffle! Use the core criteria [the three compulsory criteria
that the teacher/ examiner uses when marking] as a way of focussing your writing.
A. Development of ideas – discuss how you have taken basic ideas and the processes involved in developing
these into more sophisticated music and a complete composition/ arrangement.
B. Exploitation of medium – discuss what instruments you have written for and why; link this to brief and
contextual information e.g. “the main melody was intended for vibraphone as this has a timbre similar
to metallophones in Gamelan music.”
C. Structural interest – discuss why you have structured your music in the way you have; why have you
included a coda or introduction; why did you decide to vary the return of A in your Ternary (ABA) structure
etc.
The three optional criteria which the examiner uses to mark your composition are chosen from:
D. Melody
G. Tempo/rhythm
E. Harmony
H. Dynamics
F. Texture
I. Use of technology
You may find it useful to focus on these in your commentary as well, although discuss with your teacher/ examiner
which ones they are most likely to pick – they will always choose the three that they feel give you maximum credit in
your overall mark.
It is a very good idea to include notated musical examples if you can, as well as referring to specific timings
during the piece when discussing the above points e.g. “at 1m 24s, the original opening chord sequence is more
spread out in the voicing, with a wider pitch range, to give a more open texture”. [Musical examples will help to
make your intentions and working methods even clearer and you will score more marks if you include them!]
Any form of notation is great if it helps to explain the detail of what you intended when composing – graphic scores;
grids; melodic and dynamic contours, along with traditional stave notation.
What improvements did you make to your work when you were composing it? This could include any
adjustments you made after performances of it.
This is the final section of the commentary and is your chance to share things that did not go according to plan and
that you found difficult during the compositional process. You should say how you got over these problems (if you
did). However, you should also finish by saying what you would change next time and any areas of the composition
you are not entirely satisfied with. Be honest! The examiner/ moderator wants to know all of this and by describing
problems in a musical and objective way, you may actually be given a higher mark.
A few general points
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Typing your commentary using word processing software is best – it looks neater, is easier to read and makes
it easier to keep an ongoing record.
Do not write a novel or a one-paragraph story. The best commentaries combine contextual and analytical
accounts written in a succinct manner (i.e. straight to the point) with relevant annotated screenshots, track
diagrams, lead sheets, graphic representations or other musical notation.
The commentary is partly a diary of the composition process. Students who leave it to the last minute usually
produce work of poor quality. It is much better to keep an ongoing record as you compose – either using
some form of technology or on paper.
Edexcel GCSE Music Writing Composition Commentary
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