What piece should I play?: Music
Want to take part in our Musical Performance category, but feeling stuck for inspiration? Here’s a list of some pieces that we think would work excellently as an entry to the King Lear Prizes.
Why not try the following?
Singing
A song from a musical - Luck Be A Lady or Somewhere?
A jazz standard like Summertime or Moon River?
A classical piece (one of Schubert’s Lieder, or your favourite aria from an opera)
Your favourite rock or pop song - if you play another instrument, why not accompany yourself? If you’re a piano player, Elton John’s songs are a great bet - or if you’re a guitarist, why not try something by Joni Mitchell?
Violin
A traditional solo Baroque piece - a J.S. Bach violin Sonata or Partita for solo violin?
A country fiddle song (The Devil Went Down to Georgia?)
A contemporary classical piece - perhaps Philip Glass’ Partita for solo violin
Piano
A dreamy solo piece by Debussy, or something more stormy by Rachmaninov?
A pop song - why not Billy Joel’s Piano Man?
An etude by Chopin or Liszt?
Your favourite boogie-woogie tune
Saxophone
Your version of a jazz classic - something tricky like Ornithology by Charlie Parker, or more straightforward like Watermelon Man by Herbie Hancock?
Why not do a saxophone cover of a piece that is usually done by a singer - slow ballads like Celine Dion’s It’s All Coming Back To Me Now work really well in this style.
You could even follow in the footsteps of classical saxophonist Jess Gillam and try your hand at a classical piece - almost all pieces for solo clarinet work just as well on sax!
Guitar
If you’re a classical guitarist, there’s loads of great repertoire; why not perform Rodrigo’s famous Concierto de Aranjuez?
If you’re an acoustic guitarist, why not try something like Blackbird by The Beatles, or Landslide by Fleetwood Mac?
If you’re an electric guitarist, why not surprise the judges by picking a piece that’s not rock or blues; perhaps a transcription of a classical violin piece?
Can I just play my own composition?
Absolutely! This list is just a suggestion of pieces - we are open to submissions on any instrument, in any genre, and you are very welcome to perform an original piece.
Where do I get sheet music from?
The best place to start is your local independent music shop - although many are shut due to current lockdown restrictions, most will have an online presence where you can buy sheet music directly from them. Alternatively, Amazon has a wide selection, and the International Music Score Library has a huge library of sheet music for out-of-copyright classical pieces.
What next?
If you’re ready to enter your musical performance into the King Lear Prizes you can do so here.
If you want to read more posts about music, check out our Hints & Tips blog here!
If you want to know more about the King Lear Prizes generally, please go here.
If you have any feedback on this post, or any other ideas of what hints & tips could be useful to you in your musical performance, please email Hints &Tips Editor Matilda on matilda@kinglearprizes.org. She’d be delighted to hear from you.
