Music Appreciation Test

What music element has the most direct appeal to the audience?

The melody

Define ‘melody’

a succession of single tones or pitches perceived as a unit

Define ‘range’

the distance between the highest and lowest tones of a melody

What is the distance between two pitches called?

an interval

Define ‘conjunct’

a melody that moves in small, connected intervals

What type of symbol are musical sounds represented by?

a note

A term referring to loudness or volume is:

amplitude

How is a melody characterized?

by range, contour, and movement

Why is Beethoven’s Ode to Joy easy to sing?

It is conjunct

A unit of meaning within a larger structure of a melody is called:

a phrase

Define ‘cadence’

the resting place at the end of a phrase, like a period or comma in a sentence

Define ‘climax’

the striking emotional effect created by the high point in a melodic line

Define ‘countermelody’

one melody over the other (added to or played against)

T or F: Most musical cultures share the concept of melody or musical line

True

T or F: A musical note is the symbolic representation of a sound with pitch and duration

True

T or F: The length or size of a vibrating object has no effect on pitch

False

T or F: Melodies that move principally by small, connected intervals are conjunct

True

T or F: The phrases in the tune Amazing Grace are of unequal length

False

How is the melody, The Star-Spangled Banner, best described as?

Disjunct

Music is propelled forward in time by:

Rhythm

Whats the element in music that organizes movement in time?

Rhythm

Define ‘beat’

the basic unit of rhythm that divides time into equal segments

What are accented beats?

beats that are more strongly emphasized than others

Organizing patterns of rhythmic pulses are called:

meters

A meter is marked off in groupings known as:

measures

Define ‘downbeat’

the first accented beat of a measure

What is the metric pattern in which a strong beat alternates with a weak one?

duple meter

Which meter would most likely be associated with a march?

duple

In a triple meter, the strongest pulse occurs on:

the first beat

Meters in which each beat is subdivided into three rather than two are known as:

compound meters

In sextuple meter, the principal accents usually fall on:

beats 1 and 4

What is America ("My country ’tis of thee") is an example of?

triple meter

Greensleeves is a _______________ meter

compound

When a song begins on the last beat of a measure, it is said to begin with:

an upbeat

Define ‘syncopation’

the deliberate shifting of the accent to a weak beat or an offbeat

Define ‘polyrhythm’

the simultaneous use of two or more rhythmic patterns

Music that moves without a strong sense of beat or meter is called:

nonmetric

T or F: The element that organizes movement in time is called harmony

False

T or F: Measures mark off groupings of beats, each with a fixed number that coincides with the meter

True

T or F: Meter is the measurement of musical time

True

T or F: Meter us an organizing principal shared by music and poetry

True

________ is typical of African-American dance music and spirituals

Syncopation

Does all world music feature a strong regular pulse or beat?

No

Define ‘harmony’

the combination of different musical notes played or sung at the same time to produce a pleasing sound

Harmony is to music as __________ is to painting

perspective

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

an interval

Define ‘chord’

a combination of three or more tones that make a single block of harmony

What is a collection of pitches arranged in ascending or descending order called?

a scale

What is an interval of 8 notes called?

an octave

Define ‘triad’

most common chord type found in Western music, a three-note chord, built on alternate scale steps

Define ‘tonic’

the first note of the scale

The principle of organization around a central tone is called:

tonality

T or F: Dissonance sustains a sense of stability

False

Define ‘dissonance’

a combination of tones that sounds discordant, unstable, or in need of resolution

What term describes a concordant or agreeable combination of tones?

Consonant

T or F: Harmony is important to most non-western musical cultures

False

T or F: A triad is a chord made up of three tones

True

T or F: Three alternate notes of a scale, sounded simultaneously, form a triad

True

T or F: Melody and harmony function independently of each other

False

T or F: The two scale types commonly found in Western music from about 1650 to 1900 are major and minor

True

Has music grown more consonant through the ages?

No

How many notes in a scale does an octave span?

8

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

12

What is the smallest interval in our Western musical system called?

a half-step

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

chromatic

The musical symbol # represents a:

sharp

On the piano, what is the black key between the white keys C and D called?

C-sharp or D-flat

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

the tonic

Define ‘tonality’

the principle of organization whereby we hear a piece of music in relation to a central tone

Define ‘key’

a group of related tones with a common center

In a major scale, between what pairs of tones do half steps occur?

3, 4 .. 7,8

What characterizes the minor scale?

it has a lowered third degree

Define ‘diatonic’

music based on the seven tones of a major or minor scale

The _________ era is where chromatic music is most frequently associated

Romantic

Pentatonic scale = how many notes?

5

Western art music does not frequently use the what scale?

Pentatonic scales

What is an interval smaller than our semitone, or half step, called?

microtone

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

the tonic

What is the tonic chord represented by?

(the roman numeral for 1)

The dominated chord is represented by what symbol?

V (roman numeral) (roman numeral for 5)

In harmony, a place of rest and return is:

the tonic

What are the three basic triads in our musical system?

Tonic, dominant, and subdominant

What remains the same when a melody is transposed to another key?

the shape of the melodic line

T or F: In western music, the octave is divided into seven equal parts, which makes up the chromatic scale

False

T or F: All musical cultures of the world divide the octave into twelve equal half steps

False

T or F: A sharp lowers the tone by a half step

False

T or F: A key refers to a group of related tones with a common center, a tonic, toward which the tone graviate

True

T or F: A major or minor scale can begin on any of the twelve semitones of the octave

True

Define ‘texture’

thickness in music. for example, the more instruments you use, the thicker the texture. also use in range or width

A texture featuring a single, unaccompanied line is called:

monophony

What was the predominant texture used in music up to about one thousand years ago?

Monophonic

What is traditional music of the Far East largely?

monophonic

Define ‘heterophony’

A melody combined with an ornamented version of itself (often heard in jazz) – is a texture

What is the resulting texture called when two or more independent melodic lines are combined?

polyphony

What is the texture that combines two or more simultaneous melodic lines

polyphony

Define ‘homophony’

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

Define ‘homorythm’

the texture in which all the voices move in the same rhythm

Define ‘imitation’

when a melodic idea is presented in one voice and then restated in another

Define ‘canon’

a strict composition with imitation throughout

What is a simple/familiar type of canon called?

a round

T or F: A single-voiced texture is called monophony

True

T or F: Traditional music of the Middle and Far East is typically polyphonic

False

Define ‘counterpoint’

the art of combining two or more simultaneous melodic lines

T or F: The art of counterpoint is most closely associate with monophonic texture

False

T or F: A heterphonic texture frequently occurs in music involving improvisation, such as jazz.

True

T or F: Most compositions use one type of texture exclusively.

False

Define ‘tempo’

the rate of speed at which a piece of music is played

What emotional response would most likely be associated with an accelerating tempo?

agitation

Music that is despairing and sad usually has a ___________ tempo

slow

In what language are tempo markings generally given?

Italian

What is the marking for a slow tempo?

adagio

Accelerando is a term indicating that the tempo is:

getting faster

Define ‘dynamics’

the degree of loudness and softness, or volume, at which music is played

What is the symbol of growing louder

<

Define ‘crescendo’

the gradual swelling of the volume of music

T or F: The tempo indicates the loudness of music

False

T or F: The tempo of a piece affects its mood and character

True

T or F: Allegro is an Italian term for a fast, cheerful tempo

True

T or F: The degree of loudness and softness in music is called dynamics

True

Is texture a property of a musical sound?

no

Define ‘timbre’

the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another

What does the term, timbre, refer to?

the color of a tone

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

an instrument

Define ‘register’

a specific area within the range of a voice or instrument, such as high, middle, or low

What are the standard ranges of the human voice from highest to lowest?

SATB (soprano, alto, tenor, bass)

What is the (generally accepted) term for the high male vocal range?

Tenor

Define ‘chordophones’

instruments that produce sound from a vibrating string

Define ‘aerophones’

instruments that produce sound by using air as the vibrating means

How do idiophones produce sound?

by shaking, scraping, or striking the instrument itself

Drum-type instruments fall into the category of:

membranophones

T or F: In some cultures, women’s voices are preferred for certain styles of music

True

T or F: Flutes and whistles are classified as idiophones

False

T or F: A guitar is an example of a chordophone

True

The instruments of the Western orchestra are categorized in four groups. What are those four groups?

SBPW (strings, brass, percussion, and woodwinds)

Of bowed string instruments, what is the highest to lowest in range?

violin, viola, cello, double bass

Define ‘pizzicato’

the special effect produced on a string instrument by plucking the string with the finger

In string play, the rapid movement of the wrist creates a throbbing effect called:

vibrato

What is double stopping?

playing on two strings at once

What is the device placed on the bridge of string instruments to muffle the sound?

a mute

Harmonics on a string instrument are produced by:

lightly touching the string at certain points while the box is being drawn

Chords whose notes are played in succession, as on the harp, are called:

arpeggios

T or F: Woodwind instruments all have a pipe with holes

True

What is the highest sounding member of the woodwind family?

the piccolo

Is a clarinet a double-reed instrument?

no

Describe all brass instruments

they are made of metal, are blown with a metal mouthpiece, their sound is created by the vibration of the lips

T or F: The trumpet is a soprano brass instrument sometimes described as possessing a brilliant timbre

True

T or F: The English horn is the member of the brass family

False

What is the bass instrument in the brass family?

the double bass

Timpani are members of the _________ family of instruments

percussion

What is an example of a pinched percussion instrument?

xylophone

What is an example of an unpinched percussion instrument?

bass drum

T or F: the piano has a wide dynamic range

True

T or F: String instruments are generally played by either bowing or plucking

True

T or F: The violin was developed by Italian instrument makers around 1600 and 1750

True

T or F: The viola is somewhat smaller and higher pitched than a violin

False

T or F: All woodwind instruments are made of wood

False

T or F: The term pizzicato means to play in a throbbing manner

False

T or F: The pipe organ is a wind instrument, sounded by air

True

T or F: The piano is limited by a narrow range of pitches and dynamics

False

T or F: The two categories of percussion instruments are pitched and unpitched

True

T or F: The trumpet is the lowest pitched instrument of the brass family

False

What is the most recently invented member of the woodwind family?

saxophone

What distinguishes chamber music from orchestral music?

the number of players on each part

What is the name for a Balinese of Javanese orchestra made up largely of gongs, drums, and xylophone-like instruments?

Gamelan

What is the 2/3 of a symphony orchestra?

strings

Which instruments are traditionally seated in front of the orchestra?

strings

Define ‘band’

a rock, jazz, and march ensemble group

John Phillip Sousa was a famous composer of?

marches

What is a jazz band normally made up of?

woodwind instruments, brass instruments, and percussion instruments

T or F: Specialized choirs that perform with organ are called a cappella ensembles

False

T or F: Chamber music is intended for a small group of performers, with one player to a part

True

What is the standard instrument for a string quartet?

two violins, viola and a cello

T or F: A piano trio is an ensemble of three pianos

False

T or F: The modern orchestra is typically made up of thirty or forty players

False

T or F: The upbeat is the strongest in any meter

True

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

oral transmission

Define ‘musical style’

the characteristic manner of presentation of a work

The style of a historical period is defined by:

the total language of all its artists

What is the chronological order of music periods?

Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Twentieth Century

What are the approximate dates for the Renaissance period?

1450-1600’s

The classical period was followed by what period and then preceded by what period?

Baroque, Romantic