Music Appreciation Test Essay Example

Music Appreciation Test Paper 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 Beethovens 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, womens 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? 1450-1600s The classical period was followed by what period and then preceded by what period? Baroque, Romantic