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University of Melbourne Symphonic Ensembles

2023 Auditions: Percussion

1st year percussionists have the option of either:

a) participating in a competitive live audition (with optional timpani); or
b) requesting that the panel use their entrance audition report (and/or
video) in place of a formal audition.

All other years have to participate in a live audition.

Please prepare all excerpts as instructed. Timpani excerpts are optional for
first years but if you are auditioning on Timpani all excerpts must be
prepared.

Need help preparing for your audition? Here are some suggestions:
• Listening to the pieces in their entirety, with full scores. Recordings of some of these
excerpts are available online. Listen to the orchestras that you’ve heard of (Berlin,
Chicago, New York, Vienna etc). Scores are available in the music library, or through web
resources such as:
o http://imslp.org/
o http://archives.nyphil.org/
• Do the detailed work of sorting out tempos, all of the notes, intervals and rhythms first.
• Once you’ve got the tempo, notes, intervals, rhythms sorted, record yourself playing ONE
phrase of an excerpt. Listen to the professional version, and then listen back to your
version. Name something specific that is better about the professional recording. Learn
to do that specific thing. Repeat process until they are the same.
• Once you have the excerpts to a solid level of performance, record three of them in a
row. Take a break, then come back and listen. Write down several specific things you
know you need to fix, then spend 10 minutes working fix ONE of those specific things.
• Take several excerpts (random order) and perform as a pretend audition. Always record
these mock auditions. Sometimes play them in front of your parents, or sibling, or even
your dog! No comments needed, just an audience.
• Repeat every day (after a nice warm‐up). Use the recording to decide what basics you’ll
work on tonight or tomorrow morning before your next mock audition.
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EXCERPT OVERVIEW
*Any rest longer than 2 bars should be observed as a brief pause.

SNARE DRUM
1. PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet, Suite 1 Masks
2. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances Mvt III

XYLOPHONE
3. PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet, Suite 1 Death of Tybalt

GLOCKENSPIEL
4. DEBUSSY La Mer No. 2 & No. 3

CYMBALS
5. RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 Mvt II

TAMBOURINE
6. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances Mvt I

TRIANGLE
7. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances Mvt I

TIMPANI
*Timpani excerpts are optional for first years but if you are auditioning on
Timpani, all excerpts must be prepared.

8. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances Mvt I

9. RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2 Mvt II

10. MAHLER Symphony No. 1 Mvt III

11. STRAUSS Der Rosenkavalier Suite Grand Waltz

 SNARE DRUM 1. PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet, Suite 1

[
Masks, Excerpt 1 of 1: Opening – Fig. 49

]
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SNARE DRUM

2. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances

Mvt III

Excerpt 1 of 1: Fig. 96 – 3 bars after Fig. 97

]
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XYLOPHONE

3. PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet, Suite 1 Death of Tybalt

Excerpt 1 of 2: Fig. 65 for three bars

65

Excerpt 2 of 2: 4 bars before Fig. 67 - 6 bars before Fig. 70 (Xylophone only)

[
]
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GLOCKENSPIEL

4. DEBUSSY La Mer

Excerpt 1 of 2: Mvt 2 Jeux de vagues

Excerpt 2 of 2: Mvt 3 Dialogue du vent et de la mer

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CYMBALS

5. RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2

Mvt II

Excerpt 1 of 1 (Cymbals only).

]
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TAMBOURINE

6. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances

Mvt I, Fig. 20 - 6 bars after Fig. 21

Excerpt 1 of 1: Tambourine (bottom line) only

]
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TRIANGLE

7. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances

Mvt I

Excerpt 1 of 1: 6 bars after Fig. 5 - 4 bars after Fig. 7.

Triangle (top line) only.

]
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TIMPANI

8. RACHMANINOV Symphonic Dances

Mvt I, 2nd bar of Fig. 1 - Fig. 3

]
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TIMPANI

9. RACHMANINOV Symphony No. 2

Mvt II, 8 bars after Fig. 44 - End

[
]
10. MAHLER Symphony No. 1
Mvt III, beginning - 5 bars after Fig. 2

[
]
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TIMPANI

11. STRAUSS
Der Rosenkavalier Suite
Grand Waltz, bars 534 - 637

(continued over page)

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- END –

Excerpts for educational purpose only