Music Appreciation Flashcards (Midterm)

A cadential point brings the musical phrase to a resting point, which may or may not be followed by a pause.

Which of the following excerpts ends with a cadential point that brings the phrase to a resting point?

Excerpt C

Unity alone sustains interest and appeals to our need and enjoyment of the new, different, and unexpected.

False

A music ensemble is:

A group of musicians that perform as a unit.

Handel uses different combinations of dynamics and timbre to achieve unity and variety in See Here the Conqu’ring Hero Comes.

Which of the following two excerpts combines more instruments and louder dynamics?

Excerpt A

Two of the most obvious musical elements that composers use to achieve variety are dynamics and timbre.

True

Dynamic variety refers to the use of different sound sources.

False

Which of the following excerpts from See Here the Conqu’ring Hero Comes uses loud dynamics?

Excerpt A

Listen to the following excerpts of Idea A from G. F. Handel’s See Here the Conqu’ring Hero Comes.

Which one is played by a solo instrument?

Excerpt B

A musical movement is:

A complete, self-contained section within a larger music composition.

The short excerpt below ends with a cadence.

True

Interpretation is one of the composer’s most important tasks.

False

Deep River is a great example of a jazz piece.

False

The performer acts as a bridge between the composer and the listener.

True

The following excerpt features a musical ensemble.

False

Great performers possess outstanding technique but may not have deep musical understanding.

False

The following excerpt features a solo performer.

True

The performer’s messages, emotions, images, memories, and/or thoughts are contained in the music score.

False

According to Booker T. Washington, plantation songs have nothing to do with religious fervor.

False

This excerpt features which of the following?

Vocal Ensemble

The following excerpt features a solo performer.

False

The Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor by Frédéric Chopin is an example of three-part form.

False

Structure is not a crucial aspect of music.

False

Which of the following is an example of a cadential point?

Example A (dun, dun, DUNDUN)

Listen to this excerpt from Section A of Chopin’s Étude in C minor.

What is the function of the left hand in the following excerpt?

Continues playing figurations (melodic patterns)

Listen to these two excerpts.

Which excerpt comes from Section A of Chopin’s Étude Op.10 No. 12 in C minor?

Excerpt 2

The term étude refers to pieces that are used to teach a particular technical skill to performers.

True

An understanding of form enhances and improves one’s appreciation of music.

True

In the Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor by Frédéric Chopin, the chords played by the right hand represent the accompaniment.

False

Form is a way of defining the organization of a piece of music.

True

The Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor by Frédéric Chopin is nicknamed Revolutionary because it started a major upheaval in Paris in 1820.

False

Select the culture whose mythology is filled with references to the healing power of music:

All of these answers

Music only affects our feelings and thoughts.

False

Music’s main power is its ability to symbolize an era of society or culture.

False

Leonard B. Meyer refers to the connection between music and its function as a musical:

Connotation

Musical associations remained fixed in time.

False

Musical connotation is reinforced by the use of certain instruments.

True

Music was clinically approved as a medical treatment in 1924.

True

Absolutists derive pleasure from listening for the way that the different elements of music relate to each other, independently of any extra-musical connotations.

True

Musical connotation happens when music is associated with extra-musical events or experiences.

True

Evidence of the healing power of music has only been collected recently.

False

The perceptive listener combines the characteristics of all types of listeners.

True

Music that is not associated with a particular story, image, object, or event is called _________
music.

Absolute

A referential listener is a person that is mainly concerned with judging the quality of the performance of a piece of music.

False

This is a short excerpt from J.S. Bach’s Air from the Suite No. 3 in D major. Listening to that excerpt, a casual listener would be more inclined to do which of the following?

Enjoy the music as background

Perceptive listeners are mainly concerned with extra-musical connections or associations.

False

The critical listener combines the characteristics of all types of listeners.

False

Referential listeners are the most common type of listeners.

False

Music that follows an explicit story is often called program music.

True

Musical themes cannot represent real or fictional characters.

False

The casual listener regards music mainly as a mood enhancer or as a pleasant part of the environment.

True

Which of the following excerpts is an example of jazz?

Excerpt B

A piece of folk music typically remains unchanged throughout the years

False

The excerpt you just heard belongs to a type of music that is:

…

According to the text, the folk song Dark Eyes reflects the Romanian national character.

False

The excerpt you just heard belongs to a type of music that is:

Not notated (at least, not in the traditional sense), and includes many improvised sections and solos.

In jazz, performers have wide, creative freedom, even when they are playing from a score.

True

Listen to the piano playing in this excerpt.

What are the short segments played by the piano alone?

Riffs

Which of the following excerpts is an example of folk music?

Excerpt A

Jazz incorporates elements of folk music.

True

It is common to think of art music as superior to other kinds of music.

True

In the Western music tradition, sound is represented in written form through musical __________.

Notation

In the Western music tradition, a note symbol (i.e., its shape) indicates both duration and pitch.

False

Music notation can be thought of as a:

Forms of communicaation mong musicians

A notes duration is indicated by

Whether the note head is filled or not and the number of flags in the stem

A rest symbol indicates

A period of silence

In the Western music tradition, understanding regarding the duration of sounds has been transmitted via oral means.

False

Music notation is:

A graphical system that strives to represent duration, pitch, and other music elements.

The text states that __________ is the essential element in music.

rhythm

Just as there are quarter notes, there are quarter rests.

True

In the Western music tradition, a note symbol (i.e., its shape) indicates pitch.

False

The precise pitch of a sound is determined by how many _______ happen every second.

vibrations

The frequency of the lowest sound that the normal human ear can perceive ranges between 16 and 20 Hertz.

True

Vibration may be represented in terms of frequency. The basic unit of frequency is called the Hertz. What does one Hertz represent?

One cycle per second

The pitch of a sound is a person’s absolute perception of how high or low that sound is.

false

It is very important to recognize that pitch is a relative concept.

True

The following excerpt from Pictures at an Exhibition features low pitches.

True

A long string, if plucked really hard, will vibrate faster and thereby produce a higher pitch than a shorter string.

False

The basic unit of frequency is the:

Hertz

Which of the following excerpts suggests increasing tension in the music?

Excerpt B

The audible frequency spectrum in humans ranges between:

16 and 20,000 Hertz

The letter name for white keys on the keyboard can change depending on the musical context of a given composition.

False

The pitch letter names correspond to:

the white keys on a piano keyboard

The key indicated by the arrow above is correctly labeled.

(F flat or G sharp)

False

If you take any pitch on the keyboard, the next occurrence of the same letter name going towards the left (down) will vibrate:

Twice as slow

The "sandwich" key on the piano keyboard is always D.

True

The black key to the right of the A on this keyboard can be called A sharp or B ____.

flat

The black key to the right of the F on this keyboard can be called F sharp or G

flat

The name of the white key in between the group of two black keys on the keyboard is:

D

If the frequency of the C in the middle is 256 Hz, the corresponding frequencies on either side of that C are:

512 Hz on the one to the right, and 128 Hz on the one to the left

We refer to specific pitches or tones with letter names using the letters A through G.

True

The system of parallel lines and spaces used to write music is called notation.

False

Each line and space on the staff represents a different what?

Pitch

In musical notation, pitch is indicated exclusively by:

The position of ntoes on the lines and spaces of the staff

Certain noteheads can only be place on staff lines

False

Staff notation was so perfectly conceived from the beginning, that the standard in most Western music traditions has always been staff notation.

False

Noteheads are placed on either lines or spaces on the staff to represent different pitches.

True

Successive lines and spaces from top to bottom of the staff represent successively lower pitches.

True

The staff is a system of:

Five lines and four spaces

A note at the bottom of the staff has a higher pitch than a note at the top of the staff.

False

In the Western music tradition, a note symbol (i.e., its shape) indicates duration.

True

Descending intervals are calculated differently from ascending ones.

False

The descending interval between A and F is a:

Third

When calculating intervals, both the start and end notes should be included in the count

True

The distance between D and A (above that D) is a:

Fifth

The two notes of an octave sound exactly the same due to the simple relationship of their frequencies.

False

The interval between D and the next above that D, is called a:

Fourth

The two tones of an octave vibrate at the same frequency rate

False

Ascending and descending intervals are calculated:

Exactly the same

The distance between two pitches id called a/an

interval

Which of the following is a true statement

Octave is the name of a particular interval size

Which of the following two excerpts uses soft dynamics?

Excerpt B

The volume of this excerpt is an example of crescendo

False

Composers started marking their scores with instructions about dynamics:

Well unto the 17th century

A pianist’s skill in manipulating volume is usually referred to as the performer’s

touch

Composers started marking their scores with volume indications as soon as music notation was invented.

False

Aside from Carmina Burana (1937), Carl Orff is widely known for:

His work in music education

The volume of this excerpt is loud

False

This musical excerpt is an example of forte

True

As a musical concept, dynamics covers only the overall loudness or softness of a piece of music.

False

This musical excerpt is an example of piano volume

False

The instrument in this example is a/an

Membranophone

If someone said that instruments that produce sounds via vibrating columns of air are called aerophones, would that be a true or false statement?

True

The instrument featured in this example can be classified as:

Chordophone

The acoustic can be classified as a:

Chordophone

When a piece has been composed one instrument, but is actually played using another, the resulting work is called:

An arrangement

What instrument category does the horn belong to?

Aerophone

Would it be true of false if someone said that the following excerpt is played by chordophones?

False

Listen to this excerpt from Midsummer Night’s Dream. Which instrument classification is represented?

Aerophone

Timbre is often referred to as _____ color.

tone

The electric guitar can be considered as both a chordophone and a/an:

Electrophone

Listen to the following excerpt:

Which vocal range does it represent?

Bass

The soprano register lies between the alto and tenor vocal ranges.

False

The aria Lucevan le Stelle is from the opera Gianni Schicci by Giacomo Puccini.

False

The song Dark Eyes is sung by a choir without instrumental accompaniment. This type of vocal group is called:

A cappella choir

In this section of the song Dark Eyes the a cappella choir accompanies a:

Baritone

The aria Lucevan le Stelle is composed for a/an:

Tenor

The baritone range lies between the bass and tenor

True

The Entry Chorus from Nabucco by Giuseppe Verdi is sung by a chamber choir.

False

Some famous female roles in the history of opera have only possible because 19th-century composers started giving important roles to:

…

The following excerpt is sung by a baritone.

False

According to the text, traditional symphony orchestra musicians are permitted to improvise their parts

False

Which of the following is not a decision about interpretation that a conductor makes?

Whether to use a modern or old-fashioned baton

What is NOT the role of the conductor in a traditional symphony orchestra?

Makes sure that, when appropriate, players improvise their parts correctly

Listen to the following excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

In this 20-second excerpt, the brass family plays throughout.

False

Listen to the following excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

In this excerpt, the percussion family plays throughout

False

Listen to the following excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

Which orchestral family performs the main theme in this selection?

String family

Listen to the following excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

Which brass instruments are featured prominently in this selection?

French horns

Listen to the following excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

In this 20-second excerpt:

…

The sole function of the conductor is to beat time

False

A traditional symphony orchestra can sometime have more than 100 players

True

The violins are played pizzicato in this nine-second example.

True

Which string instrument is featured in this excerpt from Paganini’s 2 Caprices?

Violin

The sound of string instruments is produced by a ______ stretched between two points.

vibrating string

In the following 10-second excerpt, the strings use:

A combination of bowing and pizzicato throughout

Listen to this excerpt from Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

Which string instrument is featured in the excerpt?

Harp

How does a violinist control dynamics?

By applying more or less bow pressure and speed on the strings

In the traditional symphony orchestra, the violins usually play as one undivided group.

False

The violins are played pizzicato in this 12-second example.

False

The harp may be a part-time fifth member of the orchestral strings

True

Which of the following is NOT a way to produce sound in string instruments?

Blowing

Listen to the following excerpt:

What woodwind instrument plays along with the orchestra?

Flute

Identify the woodwind instrument in this excerpt by the contemporary composer Aulis Sallinen.

Flute

In wind instruments, sound is produced by setting a column of air in motion inside the body of the instrument.

True

The energy with which a player produces the air stream determines __________.

volume

The French technical term for "mouthpiece" is la bouche.

False

The name of this instrument is ________.

bassoon

The four main orchestral woodwind instruments are:

Flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon

The name of this instrument is ____.

oboe

What instrument plays the melody in this excerpt from Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf?

Oboe

Which character from Prokofiev’s "Peter and the Wolf" is represented in the following excerpt?

…

This instrument is called a

French horn

This instrument is called a

Tuba

The trumpet and the French horn use valves to change pitch

True

Which brass instrument plays the melody in this example?

Trombone

Listen to the following excerpt from Sergei Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 6. There is a dialogue between a high-sounding part and a low one.

Which brass instrument plays the low part

Tuba

Which of the following is a member of the brass family?

Bass trombone

This instrument is called a

Trumpet

The following excerpt from Modest Mussorgsky’s symphonic poem Night on the Bald Mountain features two instruments playing in:

Unison

This example comes from a concerto for __________ and orchestra.

horn

This example comes from a concerto for ______ and orchestra.

Trumpet

Identify the solo percussion instrument in this excerpt.

Xylophone

This instrument is called:

Xylophone

Listen to this excerpt from Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss.

Which percussion instrument plays in this excerpt?

Timpani

Castanets are traditionally played by shaking them

False

Percussion instruments where two similar objects are clapped together to produce a sound can be further classified under the _____.

Idiophone

The following example is played by the:

Snare drum

Percussion instruments are an essential part of marches.

Which instrument do you hear in this excerpt?

Snare drum

Timpani are capable of producing an actual pitch.

True

Which percussion instrument is featured in the example?

Castanets

Kettledrum is another name for timpani.

True

Keyboard instruments are sometimes part o the orchestra.

True

The type of music event where a soloist plays by her/himself is called a __________.

recital

What instrument plays this example?

Piano

Chopin’s First Piano Concerto was inspired by a young singer named Constantia Gladkowska.

False

The term controller refers to:

The device used to select pitch in an electronic instrument

Handel continued to play organ concertos even after he had lost his sight.

True

What instrument plays this example?

Harpsichord

What instrument plays this example?

Synthesizer

The term concerto refers to a performer playing by her/himself.

False

Handel’s Eight Suites for Keyboard remained largely unknown in the 18th century, except among his friends.

False

Upon its invention, the fortepiano eclipsed the popularity of the harpsichord:

For the next 200 years

All harpsichords use one string per key to produce sound.

False

The first known instance of a harpsichord dates from:

Around 1397

Please select the word pair that best completes the following sentence.

When a harpsichordist depresses a key, a simple mechanism causes a __________ to __________ a string.

quill; pluck

The harpsichord was used as an accompanying instrument in opera only in the 16th century.

False

The one-piece cast-iron frame, a crucial development in the history of the piano, was invented by:

B. Alpheus Babcock of Boston, USA in 1825

The one-piece cast-iron frame, a crucial development in the history of the piano, was invented by:

Alpheus Babcock of Boston, USA in 1825

The pedals are a crucial component of the piano. The function of the soft pedal is to reduce the amount and quality of the sound. On an upright piano, the soft pedal:

Moves the hammers closer to the strings

The upright piano was first developed in:

Philadelphia, USA

When performing, pianists are in direct contact with the source of the sound.

False

The first organ used water to control wind pressure.

True

Please select the word pair that best completes the following sentence. The organ is a ____________instrument, whose tone is produced by wind flowing through ____________.

Keyboard, pipes

The function of the organ’s stops is to:

Control the flow of air to the pipes

In the organ, pipe length determines:

Pitch

In the organ, volume is determined by:

Wind pressure

Identify the false statement:

Synthesizers have always had a well-established presence in standard ensembles.

The sound source of the synthesizer is an oscillator.

True

The synthesizer has virtually no standard repertoire.

True

Since the synthesizer is an electronic instrument, oscillation is not a factor in sound generation.

False

What is the function of the amplifier?

It amplifies loudness.