Music Appreciation Study Questions
A combination of three or more tones sounded at the same time is called
a chord
Music can be defined as
an art based on the organization of sounds in time
The distance in pitch between any two tones is called
an interval
When the individual tones of a chord are sounded one after another instead of simultaneously, it is called a broken chord or
arpeggio
A combination of tones that is considered stable and restful is called a
consonance
The technique of combining several melodic lines into a meaningful whole is called
counterpoint
A gradual increase in loudness is known as a
crescendo
The frequency of vibrations is measured in
cycles per second
A combination of tones that is considered unstable and tense is called a
dissonance
Resolution refers to a(n)
dissonant chord moving to a consonant chord
The triad built on the fifth step of the scale is called the
dominant chord
Degrees of loudness and softness in music are called
dynamics
A dynamic accent occurs in music when a performer
emphasizes a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it
The pitch of a sound is decided by the _________ of its vibrations.
frequency
The symbol > indicates to the performer that the music should
gradually decrease in loudness
________ in music adds support, depth, and richness to a melody.
harmony
In general, the smaller the vibrating element, the ______ its pitch.
higher
When there is one main melody accompanied by chords, the texture is
homophonic
An example of homophonic texture could be a
hymn barbershop quartet folksinger accompanied by a guitar
When a melodic idea is presented by one voice or instrument and then restated immediately by another voice or instrument, the technique is called
imitation
Musical texture refers to
many different layers of sound are heard at the same time what kind of layers of sound are heard (melody or harmony) how layers of sound are related to each other
The texture of a single melodic line without accompaniment is
monophonic
When two different tones blend so well when sounded together that they almost seem to merge into one tone, the interval is called a(n)
octave
The Italian dynamic markings traditionally used to indicate very soft, loud, and very loud are (respectively
pianissimo, forte, fortissimo
The relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
pitch
The distance between the lowest and highest tones a voice or instrument can produce is called
pitch range
When two or more melodies of equal interest are performed simultaneously, the texture is
polyphonic
Contrapuntal texture is sometimes used in place of the term
polyphonic texture
A series of chords is called a(n)
progression
A round is an example of
strict imitation
Harmony refers to
the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other
In music, a sound that has a definite pitch is called a
tone
Timbre is synonymous with
tone color
Traditionally, a composition would almost always end on a
tonic chord
Performance of a single melodic line by more than one instrument or voice is described as playing or singing in
unison
