Last updated on
ABRSM Viola Grade 4 Syllabus 2026: Repertoire, Pieces and Scales
The 2026 ABRSM Viola Grade 4 syllabus: repertoire list and scale requirements, with More Time Pieces for Viola Vol. 2 options and practical exam notes.
ABRSM Viola Grade 4 is where the syllabus begins to ask for stronger structure, warmer tone, and more mature control of phrase direction. The candidate still chooses one piece from each list, but the programme now needs to sound less like three small studies and more like three distinct musical statements.
The 2026 guide below follows the official ABRSM Viola Practical Grades syllabus from 2024, which remains the current syllabus for this repertoire.
For the broader exam pathway, read this with ABRSM viola repertoire by grade and ABRSM viola exams in Hong Kong: online or live. For scales, use the companion guide to ABRSM viola scales: how to practise them musically.
Other grades: Grade 1 | Grade 2 | Grade 3 | Grade 4 | Grade 5 | Grade 6 | Grade 7 | Grade 8
Cost-saving recommendation: before buying several separate song books, check whether your chosen pieces are available in More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 1 (ABRSM) or More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM). These ABRSM collections are often the most cost-effective options because one book can cover several useful syllabus choices. I have marked those rows below as cost-effective ABRSM collection picks.
Grade 4 difficulty summary
Grade 4 begins to ask for musical structure, not only short-piece confidence. Students need warmer tone, stronger phrase planning, and enough bow control to make each list choice sound like a distinct musical statement.
Grade 4 is also a good time to check whether exam preparation is still developing the student’s ear, phrase, and sound. I discuss that bigger question in what ABRSM exams can and cannot teach.
Most cost-effective Grade 4 picks
These pieces all appear in More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM), so they are especially useful if you want to avoid buying too many separate books for one exam.
| No. | Composer | Piece | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| A6 | Mouret | Rondeau, from Premier suite de fanfares, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
| B2 | Handel | How beautiful are the feet, from Messiah, HWV 56, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
| B3 | Verdi | Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, from Nabucco, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
| C5 | Gardel | Por una cabeza, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
Grade 4 repertoire: List A
| No. | Composer | Piece | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anon. | Chanson favorite d’Henri IV, arr. Bass & Harris | Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
| 2 | Dittersdorf | German Dance, arr. Doktor | Solos for the Viola Player (G. Schirmer) |
| 3 | Flackton | Siciliana, 3rd movt from Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 2 No. 8 | Flackton: Sonata No. 4 in C minor, Op. 2 No. 8 (Schott) |
| 4 | B. Marcello | Allegretto, 4th movt from Sonata in E minor, trans. Marchet | B. Marcello: Sonata in E minor for Viola (Stainer & Bell) |
| 5 | B. Marcello | Allegretto, arr. Slokar & Luy | B. Marcello: Adagio-Largo-Allegretto (Editions Marc Reift) |
| 6 | Mouret | Rondeau, from Premier suite de fanfares, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) - cost-effective ABRSM collection pick |
| 7 | Purcell | Rondeau, from Abdelazar, arr. Arkell | Purcell: Rondeau from Abdelazar for Viola (Fentone) |
| 8 | Rameau | Riguadon, trans. Applebaum | String Festival Solos for Viola, Vol. 2 (Alfred) |
| 9 | Rieding | Allegro moderato, 1st movt from Concerto in E minor, Op. 35, trans. Sassmannshaus | Rieding: Concerto in B minor, Op. 35 (Bärenreiter) |
| 10 | Tchaikovsky | March, from The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a, arr. Nelson | Piece by Piece 2 for Viola (Boosey & Hawkes) |
Grade 4 repertoire: List B
| No. | Composer | Piece | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timothy Baxter | Idyll | New Pieces for Viola, Book 2 (ABRSM) |
| 2 | Handel | How beautiful are the feet, from Messiah, HWV 56, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) - cost-effective ABRSM collection pick |
| 3 | Verdi | Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves, from Nabucco, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) - cost-effective ABRSM collection pick |
| 4 | Haydn | Poco adagio, from String Quartet, Emperor, Op. 76 No. 3, arr. Wilkinson & Hart | First Repertoire for Viola, Book 3 (Faber) |
| 5 | MacDowell | To a Wild Rose, No. 1 from Woodland Sketches, Op. 51, arr. Birtel | MacDowell: To a Wild Rose, Op. 51/1 (Schott) or Classical Highlights for Viola (Schott) |
| 6 | J. P. E Martini | Plaisir d’amour, arr. Maganini | Concert Album for Viola (Edition Musicus) |
| 7 | Schubert | The Trout, Op. 32, D. 550, arr. Bass & Harris | Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) |
| 8 | Schumann | Träumerei, No. 7 from Kinderscenen, Op. 15, arr. Loy | Viola Music for Beginners (EMB Zeneműkiadó) |
| 9 | Tartini | Sarabanda, arr. Loy | Viola Music for Beginners (EMB Zeneműkiadó) |
| 10 | Shostakovich | Romance, from The Gadfly, Op. 97, arr. Otty | Shostakovich: Romance from The Gadfly, Op. 97 (SJ Music) |
| 11 | Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton | Introspection, No. 7 from So Here We Are Again | Wendy Edwards Beardall-Norton: So Here We Are Again for Viola (80 Days Publishing) |
| 12 | Chaminade | Canzonetta, No. 3 from Album des enfants, Op. 123, arr. Spence | Chaminade: Six Pieces from Opus 123 (Piper) |
Grade 4 repertoire: List C
| No. | Composer | Piece | Publication |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baratto | Paprika, Csárdás | Baratto: Paprika (Csárdás) for Viola (Editions Marc Reift) |
| 2 | Timothy Baxter | Alla greco | New Pieces for Viola, Book 2 (ABRSM) |
| 3 | Farrés | Quizás, quizás, quizás, arr. Huws Jones | The Fiddler Playalong Viola Collection (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| 4 | G. M. Rodríguez | La cumparsita, arr. Huws Jones | The Fiddler Playalong Viola Collection (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| 5 | Gardel | Por una cabeza, arr. Lamb & Meredith | More Time Pieces for Viola, Vol. 2 (ABRSM) - cost-effective ABRSM collection pick |
| 6 | Patsy Gritton | Drama Queen, No. 3 from Character Pieces, Book 2 | Patsy Gritton: Character Pieces, Book 2 (SJ Music) |
| 7 | Leonardi | Capriccio Polka | Viola Recital Album, Vol. 4 (Bärenreiter) |
| 8 | Prokofiev | March, from Musiques d’enfants, Op. 65, arr. Wilkinson & Hart | First Repertoire for Viola, Book 3 (Faber) |
| 9 | Philip Sparke | March of the Toy Soldiers, No. 3 from Super Solos | Philip Sparke: Super Solos for Viola (Anglo Music) |
| 10 | John Williams | Cantina Band, from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, arr. Galliford, Neuburg & Edmondson | Classic Movie Instrumental Solos for Viola (Alfred) |
| 11 | Trad. Shaanxi | Driving the Mule Team, arr. Long | A Set of Chinese Folk Songs for Solo Viola (OUP) |
| 12 | Trott | The Puppet Show | I Love My Alto (Leduc) |
Grade 4 scales and arpeggios
All scales and arpeggios are played from memory.
| Keys | Range | Bowing and rhythm |
|---|---|---|
| Scales | ||
| D-flat, E, F, and A majors; C, E, and F minors, harmonic or melodic at the candidate's choice | 2 octaves | Separate bows or slurred, 2 beats to a bow, at the examiner's choice. Even notes or long tonic at the candidate's choice. |
| Arpeggios | ||
| D-flat, E, F, and A majors; C, E, and F minors | 2 octaves | Separate bows or slurred, 3 notes to a bow, at the examiner's choice. Even notes. |
| Dominant sevenths | ||
| In the key of F, starting on open string C | 1 octave | Separate bows, even notes. |
| In the key of G, starting on bottom D | 1 octave | Separate bows, even notes. |
| Chromatic scales | ||
| Starting on bottom D | 1 octave | Separate bows or slurred, 4 notes to a bow, at the examiner's choice. Even notes. |
| Starting on bottom A | 1 octave | Separate bows or slurred, 4 notes to a bow, at the examiner's choice. Even notes. |
For the broader level-by-level view, return to the ABRSM viola repertoire by grade guide.
