Music Unit I II Test

Homophony

1 melody + 1 harmony; a musical texture that involves only one melody of real interest, combined with chords or other subsidiary sounds

Monophony

1 melody alone; a musical texture involving a single melodic line, as in Gregorian chant; as opposed to polyphony

5 characteristics that apply to Classical music

1) abstract sound patterns 2)timeless qualities 3)lengthy and vary in mood 4)emphasizes instrumental music 5)acoustic instuments

Strophic

A A A

Theme and Variation

A A1 A2...(A A' A'')

Binary

A B

Ternary

A B A

Rondo

A B A C A

Chord

A grouping of pitches played and heard simulateneously

Phrase

A section of a melody or a tune

Scale

A selection of ordered pitches that provides the pitch material for music

Motive (motif)

A short fragment of melody or rhythm used in constructing a long section of music

Hymn

A simple religious song in several stanzas, for congregational singing in church

The _____, a secular vocal piece, was extremely popular in Elizabethan England during the late Renaissance. a)madrigal b)chanson c)motet d)pavan

A. madrigal

Counterpoint

Another name for polyphony; strictly speaking the technique of writing polyphonic music

Modulation

Changing key within a piece

A capella

Choral music for voices alone, without instruments

Mode

In music since the Renaissance, one of the two types of tonality-major or minor

Measure (bar)

In music, the unit of meter, consisting of a principal strong beat and one or more weaker ones

Sharp

In musical notation, a sign indicating that the note it precedes is to be played a half step higher

Flat

In musical notation, a sign indicating that the note to which is attached is to be played a semitone lower

Tonic

In tonal music, the central-sounding note

Consonance

Intervals or chords that sound relatively stable and free of tension, as opposed to dissonance

Polyphony

Multiple melodies (of equal musical importance); a musical texture in which two or more melodic lines are played or sung simultaneously; as opposed to monophonic or homophony

Word Painting

Musical illustration of the meaning of a word or a short verbal phrase

Synopation

The accenting of certain beats of the meter that are ordinarily unaccented

Rhythm

The aspect of music having to do with the duration of the notes in time, also applied to any particular duration pattern

Melody

The aspect of music having to do with the succession of pitches

Theme

The basic subject matter of a piece of music; can be a phrase, a short motive, a full tune etc.

Texture

The blend of the various sounds and melodic lines occurring simultaneously in a piece of music

Interval

The difference of distance between two pitches, measured by the number of diatonic scale notes between them

Tonality

The feeling of centrality of the note (and its chord) to a passage of music

Octave

The interval between a pair of "duplicating" notes, eight notes apart in the diatonic scale

Half Step

The interval between any two successive notes of the chromatic scale, also called a semitone

Whole Step

The interval equal to two half steps (semitones)

Mass

The main Roman Catholic service; or music written for it, featuring five large musical sections: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei

Madrigal

The main secular vocal genre of the Renaissance

Cadence

The notes or chords (or the whole short passage) ending a section of music with a feeling of conclusiveness; term can be applied to phrases, sections of works, or complete works or movements

Beat

The regular pulse underlying most music ; the lowest unit of meter

Tone Color/ timbre

The sonorous quality of a particular instrument, voice, or combination of instruments or voices

Tempo

The speed of music, i.e., the rate at which the accepted and unaccepted beats of the meter follow one another

Accent

The stressing of a note - for example, by playing it somewhat louder than the surrounding one

Dynamics

The volume of sound, the loudness or softness of a musical passage

Declamation

The way words are set to music, in terms of rhythm, accent, etc

Resolve

To proceed from dissonant harmony to consonance

Harmonize

To provide each note of a melody with a chord

__________, the greatest English Baroque composer, wrote the first real English opera, Dido and Aeneas. a)Henry Purcell b)Claudio Monteverdi c)Thomas Weelkes d)George Frideric Handel

a. Henry Purcell

The art of the aria can be described as a)a musical elaboration of dramatic vocal virtuosity. b)rapid declamation of dialogue. c)a minimally accompanied song. d)a form between recitative and arioso.

a. a musical elaboration of dramatic vocal virtuosity

Tempo, or the rate of speed of regular beats of the meter, is usually indicated with Italian terms like a)adagio, allegretto, and presto. b)piano, mezzo forte, and forte. c)crescendo and decrescendo. d)legato and staccato

a. adagio, allegretto, and presto

Dissonance a)all of the these. b)creates tension. c)resolves to consonance. d)may also be referred to as "discord."

a. all of these

Functional harmony during the Baroque period makes us feel as if the chords a)are predictable and purposeful. b)are interchangeable. c)are unfocused in direction. d)could shift surprisingly

a. are predictable and purposeful

Dynamics are usually described in what European language? a)Italian b)German c)French d)English

a. italian

The term that refers to highness or lowness of a sound a)pitch b)time c)tone color d)dynamics

a. pitch

The official music of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages is called a)plainchant. b)anthems. c)hymn tunes. d)chorales.

a. plainchant

Displacing accents in metered music to emphasize weak beats is called a)syncopation. b)compound meter. c)rhythm. d)irregular meter.

a. syncopation

The word baroque was originally a jeweler's term for large pearls of irregular shape. a) True b) False

a. true

In a recitative, the composer tries to have the singing voice a)rhythmically chant the dialogue. b)follow the rhythm of highly emotional speech. c)soar above an elaborate orchestral accompaniment. d)meditate on the situation at hand.

b. follow the rhythm of highly emotional speech

___ is an important general concept referring to the arrangement, organization, and relationship of various elements in music. a)Texture b)Form c)Pitch d)Genre

b. form

While the chromatic scale is made up exclusively of half steps, the diatonic scale is made up of both a)half steps and semitones. b)half steps and whole steps. c)intervals and octaves. d)sharps and flats.

b. half steps and whole steps

Composers of the Renaissance used _____ as an expressive resource and as a contrast to the use of imitative polyphony. a)non-imitative polyphony b)homophony c)counterpoint d)monophony

b. homophony

One person singing the tune while playing chords on a guitar is demonstrating the texture called a)monophony. b)homophony. c)heterophony. d)polyphony.

b. homophony

Low pitches come from: a)complex, unfocused vibrations b)long vibrating elements c)short vibrating elements d)high frequencies

b. long vibrating elements

A pattern of strong beats and weak beats is called a a)decibel. B)meter. c)tempo. d)durational unit.

b. meter

Which of the following lists shows a progression from softer to louder? a)forte, mezzo forte, mezzo piano b)mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo c)fortissimo, mezzo piano, piano d)mezzo piano, mezzo forte, pianissimo

b. mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo

Because plainchant lacks a distinctive beat, it is referred to as a)asymmetrical. b)nonmetrical. c)unmelodic. d)irregular.

b. nonmetrical

The Middle Ages spans a time period of nearly _____ years of European history. a)500 b)800 c)1,000 d)1,500

c. 1000

The Notre Dame School of composers, led by Leonin and Perotin, developed the first well-understood system of rhythmic notation around the year a)600 b)900 c)1200 d)1500

c. 1200

What the symphony was to 19th-century composers and their audiences, the _______ was to their 15th-century counterparts: a brilliant, monumental test of artistic prowess. a)motet b)chanson c)Mass d)paraphrased chant

c. Mass

If rhythm refers to the time aspect of music, then a rhythm concerns the a)emphasis of strong beats and weak beats. b)lack of emphasis of strong and weak beats. c)actual arrangement of long and short durations in a tune. s)a simple durational pattern surrounding the music's beat.

c. actual arrangement of long and short duration's in a tune

The chromatic scale is represented by a)all the white piano keys from C to C. b)all the black piano keys from C to one octave higher. c)all the white and black piano keys. d)the diatonic scale plus three black piano keys.

c. all the white and black piano keys

What dynamic indication is the loudest? a)pianissimo b)mezzo piano c)fortissimo d)mezzo forte

c. fortissimo

When the same or fairly similar melodies sound together, one coming in shortly after another, the result is a)sequences. b)textures. c)imitative polyphony. d)non-imitative homophony.

c. imitative polyphony

Music that suggests no underlying pattern of strong/weak beats is called a)duple meter. b)irregular meter. c)nonmetrical. d)accented.

c. nonmetrical

In songs, _____ usually coincide with the poetic lines. a)half steps b)octaves c)phrases d)intervals

c. phrases

High pitches come from a)complex, unfocused vibrations. B)long vibrating elements. c)short vibrating elements. d)low frequencies.

c. short vibrating elements

The art of music, while containing many elements, can basically be characterized by a)tone color and pitch B)melody and harmony c)sound in time d)vibrations in scale patterns

c. sound in time

Plainchant may have arisen from the early Christian practice of singing a)psalms. b)hymns. c)spiritual songs. d)choruses.

c. spiritual songs

Each occurrence of the strong beat/weak beat pattern is called a)a meter. b)a tempo. c)a rhythm. d)a measure.

d. a measure

Troubadours and trouvrès a)were poet-composers of court songs b)celebrated chivalry c)composed during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries d)all of the these

d. all of these

The Baroque music feature that is the forerunner of the modern jazz rhythm section is a)gigue (jig). b)functional harmony. c)viola da gamba. d)basso continuo.

d. basso continuo

Melodies in major keys tend to sound _______, while melodies in minor keys tend to sound ________. a)darker, brighter b)sadder, happier c)higher, lower d)brighter, darker

d. brighter, darker

When one sings the series do re mi fa sol la ti do, one is also singing the a)beat. b)chord. c)octaves. d)diatonic scale.

d. diatonic scale

In musical terms, the level of strength of sound vibrations is called a)pitch. b)overtone. c)duration. d)dynamics.

d. dynamics

Which of the following statements about plainchant is false? a)Plainchant is sacred music. b)Plainchant is sung unaccompanied. c)Plainchant is monophonic. d)Plainchant is based on the major/minor system.

d. plainchant is based on the major/minor system

Troubadour songs, like hymns and most folk songs, set all stanzas of the poem to the same melody, resulting in a form known as a)sequence. b)recitation. c)antiphon. d)strophic.

d. strophic

In acoustics, the term frequency means a)how fast a sound can be played. B)how often a sound can be played. c)the relative volume of the sound. d)the speed or rate of the sound vibrations.

d. the speed or rate of the sound vibrations

Crescendo

getting louder

Decrescendo

getting softer