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test your understanding of melody. which term describes the melody that you hear the strings playing in this excerpt? purcell, dido and aeneas, act iii, lament
mostly descending
Scientifically, a pitch is determined by its frequency.
TRUE
What is the distance between two pitches called?
an interval
Which of the following two melodies is completely conjunct?
Joy to the World
A cadence punctuates music in the same way that commas and periods punctuate sentences.
TRUE
What is the range of this melody?
Bernstein: Tonight
Wide
Test your understanding of melody. Which describe the contour and range of Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries and which do not?
Ride of the Valkyries
1:16
Describes the Contour and Range
wide
disjunct
Does Not Describe the Contour and Range
narrow
conjunct
Which of the following terms describes the movement by interval in this musical excerpt?The Star Spangled Banner
disjunct movement
Which of the following terms describes the movement by interval in this musical excerpt?Joy to the World
conjunct movement
Which of the following describes the excerpted melody heard here, and which one does not?
Britten, Young Person's Guide
0:20
Describes the Excerpt
it starts ascending, followed by descending and wavelike movement
wide range
most of the orchestra seems to be playing the same melody (no obvious countermelody)
Does Not Describe the Excerpt
completely conjunct movement
Which of the following terms describe this musical excerpt and which one does not?
star-spangled banner
Describes the Excerpt
wavelike contour
disjunct movement
wide range
Does Not Describe the Excerpt
moves by small interval
Test your understanding of melody. Which of the descriptions describes what you hear in the excerpt?
Bach, Cantata No. 140, No. 4 "Wachet auf"
0:00
an instrumental melody with a vocal countermelody
Which of the following terms are used to describe a single note and which are not?
Describes a Single Note
duration
tone color
Does Not Describe a Single Note
range
contour
Which term describes the contour of the opening phrase of Joy to the World?
0:04
descending
Which term describes the melodic movement in The Star-Spangled Banner?
0:26
disjunct
Let's try out your understanding of some terms relating to melody by listening to this familiar musical theater song, Tonight from West Side Story.
Here's the text to help you follow along.
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star.Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light.Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night.
Now try out your understanding of terms related to melody in the activity below.
Which words occur at a cadence (i.e., the end of a phrase)? Which do not?
Occurs at a Cadence
night
star
Does Not Occur at a Cadence
slowly
minutes
Here is the text of part of Tonight from West Side Story:Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star.Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light.Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night.Which of these outlines matches the rhyme scheme of this verse? (Hint: Lines that rhyme are indicated by the same letter.)
Bernstein, Tonight
0:54
a-a-b-b
Test your understanding of melody. Which term describes the melody that the female voices are singing in this excerpt?
Beethoven, Symphony No.9. "Ode to Joy"
0:32
conjunct
The high point of a melodic line is called its cadence.
FALSE
Which of the following terms is NOT used to describe the structure of a melody?
timbre
Let's try out your understanding of some terms relating to melody by listening to this familiar musical theater song, Tonight from West Side Story. Here's the text to help you follow along.
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star.
Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.
Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light.
Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night.
Now try out your understanding of terms related to melody in the activity below.
A change occurs in the line beginning with "Today." Which is it?
Bernstein, Tonight
0:54
a countermelody is heard in the violins
Let's try out your understanding of some terms relating to melody by listening to this familiar musical theater song, Tonight from West Side Story.
Here's the text to help you follow along.
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star.Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light.Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night.
Now try out your understanding of terms related to melody in the activity below.How many melodic phrases, each ending with a sustained cadence note, are in this verse?
four
Let's try out your understanding of some terms relating to melody by listening to this familiar musical theater song, Tonight from West Side Story.
Here's the text to help you follow along.
Tonight, tonight, won't be just any night, tonight there will be no morning star.
Tonight, tonight, I'll see my love tonight, and for us, stars will stop where they are.
Today the minutes seem like hours, the hours go so slowly, and still the sky is light.
Oh moon, grow bright, and make this endless day endless night.
Now try out your understanding of terms related to melody in the activity below.Which term describes the range of the melody?
wide
Most children's songs have a(n) range
narrow
The parts that make up a --- are phrases; phrases end in resting places called -----.
melody
cadences.
Which term refers to the overall shape of a melody?
contour
A melodic line that moves by small intervals in a connected manner is
conjunct
Match the musical term with its functional grammatical parallel.
period cadence
sentence phrase
Melody is a concept that occurs only in Western music.
FALSE
A second melody played against the first is called a countermelody.
TRUE
When a melody is accompanied by a second melody, what is that second melody called?
countermelody
The distance between the highest and lowest pitches in a melodic line determines its
range
