Music Appreciation Weeks 1-6 Review

68 question-and-answer flashcards summarizing the essential concepts, terms, and facts from Weeks 1–6 of the lecture series.

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

A scale

What is the distance between two pitches called?

An interval

What two characteristics define a musical sound?

A perceivable pitch and a measurable frequency

What is the resting place at the end of a musical phrase called?

A cadence

Do most musical cultures share the concept of melody or musical line?

Yes

What is the basic component (unit) of a melody called?

A phrase

What is a single-voiced musical texture called?

Monophonic

What is the restatement of a theme or motive at a higher or lower pitch level called?

A sequence

What is one melody added to or played against another melody called?

A countermelody

In what language are traditional tempo markings generally given?

Italian

What does the musical term timbre refer to?

The color or quality of a tone

Which instrument normally gives the tuning note in an orchestra?

The oboe

How are string instruments generally played?

By either bowing or plucking the strings

What is indicated if a piano trio is described in Classical practice?

It consists of piano, violin, and cello

Which of the following does NOT characterize Gregorian chant?

Triadic harmonies

What were the small ascending and descending signs in early notation called?

Neumes

Which medieval French poet-musicians were active in southern France?

Troubadours

Fixed patterns of long and short notes in early medieval music are called what?

Rhythmic modes

Does melismatic text setting have roots in Middle Eastern improvisational style?

Yes

The lute is a guitar-like instrument from which region?

The Middle East

What fixed poetic form was frequently set by medieval poet-composers?

The rondeau

What was the name of the new musical style that emerged in the fourteenth century?

The Ars nova

What was the most important secular vocal genre of the sixteenth century?

The madrigal

What term describes unaccompanied vocal music of the Renaissance?

A cappella

Name the five movements of the Ordinary of the Mass.

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

What Renaissance intellectual movement placed value on human reason and the arts?

Humanism

Where was the madrigal first developed?

Italy

Did the sixteenth century witness a blossoming of instrumental dance music?

Yes

Was secular music an integral part of medieval court entertainment?

Yes

Were chorale tunes originally conceived for polyphonic settings?

No

What is the form of the chorale tune “Wachet auf”?

Bar form (A-A-B)

Were chorales intended to be sung only by trained choirs?

No, they were meant for congregational singing

From what source are most oratorio stories drawn?

The Bible

What seventeenth-century English court entertainment combined music, poetry, and dance?

The masque

Which element does NOT characterize the oratorio genre?

Elaborate scenery

Is the da capo aria strictly fixed, allowing no improvisation?

According to the notes, yes

What is a highly emotional solo song in an opera called?

An aria

What kind of recitative is accompanied only by continuo instruments?

Secco recitative

What is the orchestral introduction to an opera called?

An overture

Which statement does NOT describe the Baroque suite?

Each movement is in a contrasting key

Which dance type is NOT standard in a Baroque suite?

The tarantella

What is the typical form of each individual movement in a Baroque suite?

Binary form

What instrumental form is based on the contrast of two dissimilar masses of sound?

The concerto

What do we call a concerto that contrasts a small group with a large group of instruments?

A concerto grosso

Did Vivaldi’s solo concertos typically have four movements?

No, they generally had three

What was the most widely cultivated chamber-music genre in the Baroque?

The sonata

Was the piano the principal keyboard instrument of the Baroque era?

According to the notes, yes

Were the harpsichord, organ, and piano the three main Baroque keyboard instruments?

No (this statement is marked false in the notes)

What are the smaller units into which a theme may be divided?

Motives

How is absolute music best defined?

Instrumental music without story or text

Name the three main sections of sonata-allegro form.

Exposition, development, recapitulation

Is the slow movement of a multimovement cycle usually the third movement?

No, it is most often the second

Did the patronage system fail to support Haydn, forcing him to earn a living by teaching and performing?

No, this statement is false

Did Haydn play a central role in the development of the string quartet?

Yes

Is Mozart known only as a composer of instrumental music?

No

What instruments form a Classical piano trio?

Piano, violin, and cello

What was the most important instrumental genre of the Classical period?

The symphony

Did Beethoven set Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” in his Symphony No. 5?

No, it appears in Symphony No. 9

What special feature distinguishes the first movement of a Classical concerto?

Sonata-allegro form with a double exposition

For whom did Haydn write his Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major?

Court trumpeter Anton Weidinger

What basic idea is implied by the word concerto?

Opposition of two dissimilar elements (soloist vs. orchestra)

Does the second movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto in G major, K. 453, resemble first-movement form?

Yes

The final movement of Mozart’s Sonata in A major, K. 331, is modeled on music from which country?

Turkey

Who subtitled Beethoven’s Piano Sonata in C-sharp minor “Moonlight”?

The poet Ludwig Rellstab, after Beethoven’s death

Is a sonata an instrumental work in only one movement for one or two instruments?

No, that statement is false

What is a musical setting of the Mass for the Dead called?

A Requiem

How did Classical comic opera differ from opera seria?

In several ways, including lighter plots, everyday characters, and spoken dialogue (all of the above)

Do Classical symphonies typically have only three movements?

No, they generally have four