Music 120 First quiz

A musical sound

has a perceivable pitch and a measurable frequency.

The highness or lowness of sound is called:

pitch

According to your text, the musical element that makes the widest and most direct appeal is:

melody.

The distance between two different pitches is called:

an interval.

Which term describes a melody that moves by small intervals?

conjunct

The resting place at the end of a phrase is called:

a cadence.

One melody added to, or played against, another melody is called:

a countermelody.

Music is propelled forward in time by:

rhythm.

The basic unit of rhythm that divides time into equal segments is called:

the beat

The organizing patterns of rhythmic pulses are called:

meters

Meter is marked off in groupings known as:

measures

The first accented beat of a measure is called a(n)

downbeat

The deliberate shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat is called:

syncopation

The simultaneous use of two or more rhythmic patterns is called:

polyrythm

The depth resulting from simultaneous events in music is described by the term:

texture

The distance and relationship between two tones is referred to as:

Interval

A combination of three or more tones that constitutes a single block of harmony is called:

chord

An interval of eight notes is called:

octave

A triad is:

Three Note Chord Built on Alternate scale steps Most common chord found in western music

The principle of organization around a central tone is called:

tonality

Which tonality would most likely be chosen for a triumphal march?

major

Should a composer write a film score to a horror movie, one might reasonably expect that the harmony would include a great deal of:

dissonance

How many notes in a scale does an octave span?

eight

In Western music, the octave is divided into how many equal intervals?

twelve

A twelve tone scale, including all the semitones of the octave, is called:

chromatic

Tonality means that we hear a piece of music in relation to a central tone, called:

tonic

In a major scale, between which intervals do the half steps occur?

3 and 4, 7 and 8

The number of notes in the pentatonic scale is:

five

The triad built on the first note of the scale is called:

the tonic

The tonic chord is represented by which symbol?

I

The three most important triads used in diatonic harmony are:

I, IV and V

The element that describes the musical fabric or the relationship of musical lines within a work is called:

texture

A texture featuring a single, unaccompanied line is called:

monophonic

A melody combined with an ornamented version of itself, often heard in jazz, produces a texture known as:

heterophony

When two or more independent melodic lines are combined, the resulting texture is called:

polyphonic

A texture in which a single voice takes over the melodic interest while the accompanying voices are subordinate is called:

homophobic

The procedure in which a melodic idea is presented in one voice and then restated in another is called:

imitation

What best describes the texture of Row, Row, Row Your Boat?

round

The quality of a work of art that represents structure or shape refers to its:

form

The basic structural concepts in the element of form are:

repetition and contrast

A vocal work in which each poetic stanza is sung to the same melody is in:

strophic form

The technique through which performers create music on the spot is known as:

improvisation

The form based on a statement and a departure without a return to the complete opening statement is called:

binary

Which of the following best defines binary form?

A-B

The restatement of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch is called:

a sequence

A basic technique in thematic development is the fragmentation of themes into:

motives

The smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-rhythmic unit is called:

a motive

The separate sections of a large musical work are called

movements

The rate of speed at which a piece of music is played is its:

tempo

Music that is despairing and sad usually has a _____ tempo.

slow

Which marking is appropriate for a slow tempo?

adagio

Accelerando is a term indicating that the tempo is:

getting faster

The degree of loudness or softness, or volume, at which music is played is called:

dynamics

Which of the following dynamic markings is the softest?

pianissimo (pp)

The gradual swelling of the volume of music is called:

crescendo

Which is NOT a property of a musical sound?

texture

The quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another is:

timbre

The term timbre refers to:

the color of the tone

A mechanism that generates musical vibrations and launches them into the air is called:

an instrument

The standard ranges of the human voice from highest to lowest are:

soprano, alto, tenor, bass

Which of the following voices has the lowest range?

bass

The human voice:

possess lyric beauty and expressiveness that has served as a model for instrument builders and players

Instruments that produce sound from a vibrating string are called:

chordophones

Instruments that produce sound by using air as the vibrating means are called:

aerophones

Of the following, which is NOT a chordophone?

bagpipes

How do idiophones produce sound?

by shaking, scraping, or striking the instrument itself

Which is the correct order of bowed string instruments from highest to lowest in range?

violin, viola, cello, double bass

The special effect produced on a string instrument by plucking the string with the finger is called:

pizzicato

What is double stopping?

playing on two strings at onces

Harmonics on a string instrument are produced by:

lightly touching the string at certain points while the bow is drawn

The lowest member of the double reed family listed here is:

bassoon

Which of the following is true of all brass instruments?

Made of metal Blown with a metal mouthpiece Sound is created by the vibration of the lips

Which of the following brass instruments is sometimes played with the performers hand plugging the bell?

French Horn

Which brass instrument uses a large, movable U-shaped slide to change notes?

Trombone

A fairly large body of singers who perform together is called:

A Chorus

The term a cappella refers to choral music performed:

without any accompaniment

Approximately two thirds of a symphony orchestra consists of:

strings

Which instruments are traditionally seated in the front of the orchestra?

strings

A jazz band is normally made up of:

Woodwind Brass Percussion

Of the following, which is a universal function of music found in most world cultures?

Accompanies religious and civic ceremonies Provides entertainment Helps workers get their jobs done more efficiently

The preservation of music without the help of written notation is called:

Oral Transmission

The concept of style can be identified with:

Individual Artworks Creators personal manner of expression Music of an entire culture

Which of the following is the proper chronological order of musical periods?

Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, and Twentieth Centuary

Melodies that move principally by small, connected intervals are conjunct.

True

Disjunct motion describes melodies that skip in disjointed intervals.

True

A component unit of a melody is a phrase.

True

The element that organizes movement in time is called harmony.

False

Syncopation is a rhythmic characteristic of American jazz.

True

Syncopation is typical of African-American dance music and spirituals.

True

Melody and harmony function independently of one another.

False

The two scale types commonly found in Western music from about 1650 to 1900 are major and minor.

True

Active chords seek to be resolved to resting chords, imparting a sense of direction or goal.

True

The art of combining two or more simultaneous melodic lines is called counterpoint.

True

The art of counterpoint is most closely associated with monophonic texture.

False

Homophonic describes a single voiced texture without accompaniment.

False

Musical structure generally features a balance between unity and variety.

True

A musical form based on statement, departure, and a restatement of the first idea is called binary form.

False

Call and response music is common in African and Native American cultures.

True

Throughout history, the voice has served as a model to instrumentalists and to instrument builders.

True

A genre is a category or type of music repertory.

True