DipABRSM Violin Guide: First Diploma After Grade 8
How to plan a DipABRSM violin recital, Programme Notes, Viva Voce and Quick Study using the ABRSM performance diploma syllabus.
DipABRSM violin is often the first serious exam after Grade 8. It is also the point where preparation needs to feel less like exam coaching and more like recital craft.
In the ABRSM Performance Diploma Syllabus 2022, DipABRSM Music Performance is built around a recital of about 35 minutes, Programme Notes of about 1,100 words, a Viva Voce and a Quick Study. The usual prerequisite is ABRSM Grade 8 Practical or Performance in the instrument, or an accepted substitution.
For the full violin diploma route, start with the ABRSM violin diploma exam hub.
What DipABRSM violin is testing
| Area | What matters |
|---|---|
| Recital | A balanced 35-minute programme with secure style, tone and stage presence |
| Programme Notes | Clear writing for an informed general audience |
| Viva Voce | The ability to explain repertoire, style and performance choices |
| Quick Study | Calm musical reading, not panic sight-reading |
The recital is the main event. A candidate can play difficult music and still sound unready if the programme has no shape. DipABRSM wants a violinist who can sustain a public-facing recital with enough musical imagination to hold attention.
Repertoire direction
The violin list gives many possible programme anchors. Bach appears through concerto, sonata and partita movements; Beethoven appears through romances and sonata first movements; Mozart concerto movements and sonatas give Classical clarity; Brahms, Bloch, Faure, Grieg, Dvorak, Elgar, Ravel, Saint-Saens, Stravinsky, Szymanowski and Walton can bring different kinds of colour.
A practical DipABRSM violin programme often needs three balances:
| Balance | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Baroque or Classical clarity | Shows pulse, structure and clean articulation |
| Romantic or lyrical depth | Shows tone, phrase and harmonic awareness |
| Character or twentieth-century colour | Shows personality and stylistic flexibility |
Avoid choosing three works simply because they are individually attractive. The examiner hears the whole recital as a single programme. If every work begins with similar energy, sits in the same register, or makes the same technical demand, the performance can feel smaller than the repertoire.
DipABRSM violin repertoire choices
| Composer | Repertoire choice |
|---|---|
| J.S. Bach | Concerto in E, BWV 1042: 1st movt (Barenreiter BA 5190-90) |
| J.S. Bach | Partita for solo violin no.2 in D minor, BWV 1004: 3rd and 4th movts, Sarabanda and Giga, from Bach 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas for solo violin (Barenreiter BA 5116) |
| J.S. Bach | Partita for solo violin no.3 in E, BWV 1006: 2nd and 3rd movts, Loure and Gavotte en Rondeau, from Bach 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas for solo violin (Barenreiter BA 5116) |
| J.S. Bach | Sonata in E minor, BWV 1023: complete, from Bach 2 Sonatas for Violin and Continuo (Wiener Urtext) |
| Barber | Concerto, Op.14: 1st movt (G. Schirmer) |
| Beethoven | Romance in F, Op.50, from Beethoven 2 Romances (Henle 324) |
| Beethoven | 1st movement from one of these sonatas: Op.12 no.2 in A, Op.12 no.3 in E-flat, Op.23 in A minor, Op.24 in F “Spring”, Op.30 no.1 in A, Op.30 no.2 in C minor, Op.30 no.3 in G, from Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin (Henle 7/8) |
| Bloch | Nigun (Improvisation), no.2 from Baal Shem Suite (Carl Fischer) |
| Bloch | Simchas Torah, no.3 from Baal Shem Suite (Carl Fischer) |
| Brahms | Sonata in G, Op.78: 1st movt (Wiener Urtext) |
| Brahms | Sonata in A, Op.100: 1st movt (Wiener Urtext) |
| Brahms | Sonata Movement (Scherzo) in C minor (Breitkopf & Hartel 6049) |
| Bridge | Moto Perpetuo (Stainer & Bell) |
| Delius | Sonata no.3: 3rd movt (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Dvorak | 4 Romantic Pieces, Op.75: complete (Barenreiter BA 9576) |
| Elgar | Sonata in E minor, Op.82: 1st movt (Novello) |
| Falla | Danse Espagnole from La Vida Breve, arr. Kreisler (Schott BSS 31837) |
| Falla | Pantomime from El Amor Brujo, arr. Kochanski, from Manuel de Falla Music for Violin and Piano (Chester) |
| Faure | Romance in B-flat, Op.28 (Hamelle) |
| Francaix | Sonatine: complete (Schott ED 2451) |
| Geminiani | Sonata in C minor: complete, from 18th Century Violin Sonatas, Book 2 (ABRSM) |
| Grieg | Sonata no.3 in C minor, Op.45: 1st movt (Peters EP 2414) |
| Haydn | Concerto in C, Hob.VIIa/1: 1st movt (Henle 446) |
| Hindemith | Sonata in E-flat, Op.11 no.1: any movt or movts (Schott ED 1918) |
| Kabalevsky | Concerto in C, Op.48: 1st movt (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Khachaturian | Chant-Poeme (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Kreisler | Variations on a theme of Corelli in the style of Tartini (Schott BSS 29027) |
| R. Kreutzer | 42 Etudes or Caprices: no.35 in E-flat and/or no.42 in D minor (Peters EP 284) |
| Lalo | Symphonie Espagnole, Op.21: 2nd movt (Peters EP 3797a) |
| Leclair | Sonata in D, Op.9 no.3: complete (Schott VLB 15) |
| Kenneth Leighton | Metamorphoses, Op.48 (Novello) |
| Messiaen | Theme et Variations (Leduc) |
| Mozart | Concerto no.3 in G, K.216: 1st movt (Barenreiter BA 4865-90) |
| Mozart | Concerto no.4 in D, K.218: 1st movt (Barenreiter BA 4866-90) |
| Mozart | 1st movement from one of these sonatas: K.296 in C, K.376 in F, K.378 in B-flat, from Mozart Sonatas for Piano and Violin, Vol.2 (Henle 78 or Wiener Urtext) |
| Paul Patterson | Luslawice Variations for solo violin (Universal UE21005) |
| Ravel | Piece en Forme de Habanera, trans. Catherine (Leduc) |
| Saint-Saens | Concerto no.3 in B minor, Op.61: 1st movt (Durand) |
| Schumann | 3 Fantasiestucke, Op.73: complete (Henle 421) |
| Schumann | Sonata no.3 in A minor WoO 27: 1st movt (Schott ED 10505) |
| Smetana | From My Native Country: nos.1 and 2 (Peters EP 2634) |
| Stravinsky | Chanson Russe from Mavra, arr. Dushkin (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Stravinsky | Suite Italienne: any two movts (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Szymanowski | Chant de Roxanne from King Roger, arr. Kochanski (Universal UE8694) |
| Tartini | Sonata in G minor “Didone abbandonata”, Op.1 no.10: 1st and 2nd movts (Schott VLB 31) |
| Telemann | Any one Fantasia complete from 12 Fantasias for Violin without Bass (Barenreiter BA 2972) |
| Walton | 2 Pieces: Canzonetta and Scherzetto (OUP) |
Programme Notes
At DipABRSM level, the Programme Notes should read like intelligent concert notes. They should help a listener understand the pieces, the composers, the style and the programme order. They do not need to become a musicology essay, but they should be specific enough to show real knowledge.
For violinists, useful topics include sonata form, dance style, concerto rhetoric, bowing and articulation, the role of the piano, and why a particular edition or cadenza affects the performance. The best notes connect information to listening. They explain what the audience might hear.
Viva Voce preparation
Expect to discuss your programme choices. A DipABRSM violin candidate should be ready to answer:
| Question area | Example preparation |
|---|---|
| Repertoire choice | Why these works belong together |
| Style | What changes between Bach, Mozart, Brahms or Ravel |
| Instrumental decisions | Fingering, bowing, vibrato, articulation and tone colour |
| Context | Where the work sits in the composer’s output |
| Performance reflection | What was technically and musically difficult |
Do not memorise speeches. Prepare flexible understanding. The Viva Voce should feel like a conversation with evidence behind it.
Preparation timeline
Give the project enough time. A realistic DipABRSM violin preparation plan often needs six to twelve months, depending on the candidate’s level after Grade 8 and the difficulty of the chosen programme.
First, shortlist more repertoire than you need. Then test actual timings, including pauses. Once the shape is clear, commit to fingering, bowing and accompanist rehearsal plans. Record full runs early enough that you can still change pacing and order.
Quick Study should begin from the first month. Ten minutes a day of unfamiliar reading, with strict pulse and simple musical decisions, is better than ignoring it until the recital feels ready.
Next step
If DipABRSM is already comfortable territory, compare it with LRSM violin. LRSM asks for a longer recital, more detailed Programme Notes and a stronger sense of independent artistic judgement.
