MU 3100 Midterm

The earliest synthesizers were monophonic instruments. True False

True

How many modes was Gregorian chant divided into? A. 8 B. 12 C. 6 - WRONG D. 5

A. 8

This discovery in Syria in the early 1950s contains fragments of the oldest written song. A. Plato's paean B. The Sumerian clay tablets C. The Oak Barrel of Antioch D. The epitaph of Seikilos

B. The Sumerian clay tablets

Which of the following instruments would NOT have been considered a solo or melodic instrument in the opera-influenced music of the seventeenth century? A. Trumpet B. Trombone C. Bassoon - WRONG D. Flute

B. Trombone

What is the accompanying bass section that first developed in the late sixteenth century called? A. Passacaglia B. Canon C. Basso continuo D. Ostinato

C. Basso continuo

Madrigal composers began in the late sixteenth century to write works explicitly for a soloist with accompaniment and led to which notational development? A. Lead sheet - WRONG B. Moveable do C. Figured bass D. Guidonian hand

C. Figured bass

Which style of sacred chant influenced the use of the rhythmic modes? A. Fluid organum B. Organic mode C. Florid organum D. Guidonian hand - WRONG

C. Florid organum

Which of the following is NOT a musical advancement that appeared during the Italian Trecento? A. Programmatic composition - WRONG B. Regular use of imitation C. Rejection of accidentals D. Increased use of triads

C. Rejection of accidentals

In 800, Charlemagne decreed the replacement of diverse, local plainchant traditions with Gregorian chant to consolidate his power. True False

True

Monophony is a texture of two or more musical lines played simultaneously. True False

False

Symbols called neumes were used to indicate the exact pitches within each syllable of plainchant. True False

False

The earliest computer-based notation systems had a user-friendly, graphic interface. True False

False

Why was the original printing process for music called a "two-impression process"? A. Two copies were always made so that one could be stored in the archives B. A staff of horizontal lines was printed in a first impression; then, the musical designs (cast in type so that they could be printed at any position on the staff), were printed in a separate impression C. At the time, all compositions had to be approved by both the publisher and the king D. Ink was often too light for music to be seen clearly, requiring a second impression

B. A staff of horizontal lines was printed in a first impression; then, the musical designs (cast in type so that they could be printed at any position on the staff), were printed in a separate impression

Which of the following is NOT an example of early self-playing instruments? A. Panharmonikon B. Autoharp C. Flute clocks D. Componium

B. Autoharp

The first successful opera was L'Orfeo, premiered in 1607 and written by this Italian composer: A. Giuseppe Verdi B. Claudio Monteverdi C. Michael Giacchino D. Gioachino Rossini

B. Claudio Monteverdi

What does the modern piano (developed in the nineteenth century) have that the original piano (developed in the eighteenth century) does not? A. A cast iron frame B. A range of at least 5 octaves C. Cushioned hammers to strike the strings

A. A cast iron frame

What is involved in the basic process of engraving? A. A combination of tools cuts music into a metal plate that is then inked for printing B. A combination of tools cuts music into a wax plate that is then inked for printing C. A combination of chemicals scores a metal plate that is then inked for printing D. A diamond nib pen is used to etch the music into vellum that is then inked for printing

A. A combination of tools cuts music into a metal plate that is then inked for printing

Graphic notation of the twentieth century owes its development to several modern innovations. Which of the following is NOT one of those innovations? A. Cubism B. The player piano paper roll C. Sound spectrograph of 1944 D. Percy Grainger's Free Music Machine of 1948

A. Cubism

How was Gregorian chant transferred between communities before printing machines were used in 1473 to publish complete music pages? A. Hand-drawn manuscripts existed for centuries before printing and worked alongside oral traditions and new teaching systems B. Pope Gregory himself created the entire library of new chants and traveled across Europe to teach them to every community C. Hand-drawn manuscripts were not sufficient for spreading chant across Europe D. The oral tradition and old forms of memorization alone spread Gregorian chant across medieval Europe

A. Hand-drawn manuscripts existed for centuries before printing and worked alongside oral traditions and new teaching systems

Which of the following was NOT a change brought about by the new print culture of the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries? A. Ideas kept secret under lock and key B. Diverse and new forms of cross-cultural interchange C. A new role of the arts in society D. Robust comparisons of ideas

A. Ideas kept secret under lock and key

Which of the following music notation conventions did isorhythm solidify the need for? A. Meter and time signatures B. Canon in augmentation C. Clarity and brevity D. Mode and key signatures

A. Meter and time signatures

This composer's work of the Ars nova made notation of extremely complex rhythmic patterns on multiple hierarchical, metric levels possible. We call this notational style mensural notation. A. Philippe de Vitry B. Léonin C. Guido d'Arezzo D. Franco of Cologne

A. Philippe de Vitry

Overall, the changes made to orchestral instruments during the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries centered on improving which characteristics of performance? A. Power, consistency, and control B. Resonance and warmth C. Size and cost

A. Power, consistency, and control

Which of the following was the traditional way the ancient Greeks structured melody? A. The rise and fall of the melody followed the rise and fall of inflection in normal Greek pronunciation B. The rise and fall of the melody mimicked the emotion of the words' meanings - WRONG

A. The rise and fall of the melody followed the rise and fall of inflection in normal Greek pronunciation

When cheaper forms of musical production were pushing self-playing instruments into oblivion, Conlon Nancarrow started writing his Player Piano Studies for mainly what reason? A. The unreliability of performers to execute the music given to them B. Performance halls could not afford to hire the two pianists necessary to play his pieces C. Nancarrow grew tired of marketing his work to audiences

A. The unreliability of performers to execute the music given to them

The principle that the universe expresses itself in numbers, visual angles, shapes, and sounds, all connected within patterns of proportion is ________________________. A. musica universalis B. homophony C. isorhythm D. tetraktys

A. musica universalis

The four points at which electricity may be used in the operation of electrophones are sound activation, mechanical action, ____________, and memory storage. A. sound generation B. polyphony C. reconceptualization D. reproduction

A. sound generation

This instrument was invented in the third century BCE by Ctesibius of Alexandria; never meant to be an expressive instrument, it was used in theaters, state ceremonials, weddings, and the Roman circus accompanying gladiatorial combats. A. Phorminx B. Hydraulis C. Pipe organ D. Automatic flute

B. Hydraulis

Which of the following would NOT have been an influencing factor in the arrival of florid organum by 1100? A. Guido's advances in teaching the gamut B. Rejection of the rhythmic modes C. The central role of the organ in European communities

B. Rejection of the rhythmic modes

The harmonic series is a sequence of pure tones in which the frequency of each is an integer multiple of the ___________. A. waveform B. fundamental C. timbre D. oscillator

B. fundamental

Which of the following did NOT help generate interest in the player piano during the early twentieth century? A. A concert in July 1927 featured exclusively "original compositions for mechanical instruments" B. Many composers and pianists (including students of Liszt) used piano rolls to share their music with a wider audience, at a time when satisfactory recording to disc was not yet possible C. World War II D. In the 1920s, composers were given the opportunity to draw original compositions on paper rolls

C. World War II

The three subcategories of electrophone are electroacoustic, ___________, and electronic. A. tonewheel B. chordophone C. electromechanical D. monophonic

C. electromechanical

Pythagoras first calculated the mathematical ratios of the intervals within the harmonic series using an instrument called the _____________________ . A. oscillator B. plectrum C. monochord D. monody

C. monochord

Which of the following did NOT appear for the first time during the Renaissance? A. Musical independence for instruments B. Independent bass register C. Homophony D. Music of the goliards

D. Music of the goliards

This discovery in 2008 indicates that humans had a musical, "harmonic" tradition that could have contributed to the maintenance of larger social networks, which may have helped facilitate the territorial expansion of modern humans. A. The calf-skin drum B. The monochord C. Vocaloids D. The cave bone flute

D. The cave bone flute