Music Semester Exam

Setting aside all distractions and letting the music be the foreground activity

Active Listening

In determining pitch, what is meant by frequency?

number of vibrations per second

Musical sounds are represented by symbols called

notes

By definition, a musical sound has

(All of the above) A perceivable pitch and measurable frequency, a certain volume, and a distinct timbre

The distance between the highest and lowest tones of a melody is called the

range

The distance between two pitches is called

interval

A note designates frequency and

duration

The distinct quality of a pitch is called

timbre

Music is propelled forward in time by

rhythm

The basic unit of rhythm that divides time into equal segments is called the

beat

Organizing patterns of rhythmic pulses are called

meters

A combination of three or more tones that constitutes a single block of harmony is called a

chord

The depth resulting from simultaneous events in music is described by the term

harmony

The first note of the scale is called the

tonic

The principle of organization around a central tone is called

tonality

A combination of tones that sounds discordant, unstable, or in need of resolution is called

dissonance

Which of the following terms describes a concordant, or agreeable, combination of tones?

consonant

When did harmony first appear in Western music?

around 900

In Western music, the octave is divided into ________ equal intervals.

twelve

The smallest interval in the Western musical system is the

half step

A twelve-tone scale, including all the semitones of the octave, is called

chromatic

On a piano, the black key between the white keys C and D is called

C sharp of D flat

How many notes make up a pentatonic scale?

five

A texture featuring a single, unaccompanied line is called

monophonic

When a melody is combined with an ornamented version of itself, often heard in New Orleans jazz, the resulting texture is known as

heterophony

The texture that combines two or more simultaneous melodic lines is called

polyphony

When a single voice takes over the melodic interest while the accompanying voices are subordinate.

Homophony

The technique through which performers create music on the spot

improvisation

Ternary form is represented by the pattern

A-B-A

The rate of speed at which a piece of music is played

tempo

In what language are temp markings generally given?

Italian

The degree of loudness or softness, or volume, at which music is played is called

dynamics

The depiction of the meaning of a text in music is called

word painting

The common language spoken by the people is called

the vernacular

The setting of one note per syllable is called

syllabic

What are the four properties of sound?

pitch, volume, duration and timbre

A mechanism that generates musical vibrations and launches them into the air is called a

instrument

The standard ranges of the human voice, from highest to lowest

soprano, alto, tenor and bass.

The instruments of the Western orchestra are categorized in four groups: strings, brass, percussion, and

woodwinds

_________________ is traditionally associated with collecting and organizing the chants of the church.

Pope Gregory the Great

Which of the following does NOT characterize plainchant?

triadic harmonies

In addition to composing music, Hildegard of Bingen is known for:

(all of the answers shown here) visions that foretold the future, writing religious poetry, and founding her own convent.

On which liturgical occasion was Hildegard's Alleluia, O virga mediatrix sung?

a feast day for the Virgin Mary

A text setting with many notes set to a syllable is called

melismatic

The prayers that make up the Mass that vary from day to day throughout the church year, depending on the feast being celebrated

Proper

The texts that remain the same in every Mass

The Ordinary

Polyphony required the development of

Music notation

The earliest type of polyphony

organum

The first major center of polyphony

Notre Dame

Composers of organum based their pieces on

preexisting Gregorian chants

Who is credited with compiling the Great Book of Organum (Magnus liber organi)?

Leonin

Which composer expanded the dimensions of organum by increasing the number of voice parts?

Perotin

During the fourteenth century, a style of music developed that became known as the…

Ars nova

The outstanding composer poet of the Ars nova was

Machaut

French courtly love song of the Middle Ages

chanson

The expressive device that Renaissance composers used to pictorialize words musically is called

word painting

Which of the following was the MOST important secular genre of the sixteenth century?

the madrigal

Where was the madrigal first developed?

Italy

Which of the following best describes the character of Farmer's Fair Phyllis?

pastoral and light

References to death in madrigal poetry were usually understood as

erotic

Which of the following characterizes humanism?

(all of the above) thinking centered on human issues and individuality, inspiration from the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, independence from tradition and religion

The fixed melody used as a basis for elaborate polyphonic writing in the Renaissance was called

A Cantus firmus

Which early Renaissance composer exerted a powerful influence on generations of composers who followed?

Josquin des Prez

A sacred work with a Latin text that was used in the Mass and other religious services is the

Motet

Renaissance painters

(all of the above) discovered the landscape, created the illusion of distance, focused on the physical loveless of the world

The sixteenth century has come to be regarded as the golden age of

the a cappella style

Which portion of the Mass remains the same in every celebration of the service?

The ordinary

What was the primary language of the Mass?

Latin

Which of the following are the movements of the Ordinary of the Mass?

Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei

Which of the following was a leader in the Protestant Reformation?

Martin Luther

After the Protestant Reformation of the early sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church responded with a movement to recapture the loyalty of its people. This was known as

the Counter-Reformation

The Council of Trent made all of the following recommendations EXCEPT

using more musical instruments to enhance church music

Which composer responded to the reforms of the Council of Trent in an exemplary fashion?

Giovanni Pierluigui de Palestrina

The Kyrie is sung in what language?

Greek

The text "Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world" is heard in which part of the Mass Ordinary?

Agnus Dei

Martin Luther and John Calvin both believed that the congregational singing should be in

The Vernacular

Medieval instruments can be classified as bas or haut, meaning

soft or loud

Early Instruments used for outdoor performances, such as the shawm and the sackbut, were categorized

loud

Which well-known painter and musician published one of the most popular dance collections of the sixteenth century?

Tielman Susato

The history of Western music begins

when Europeans developed musical notation.

Why is Renaissance painting considered to be more realistic than medieval painting?

Renaissance painters explored perspective, which made it possible to depict visual depth.

Another term for language of the people is

vernacular

Which of the following does NOT represent the thinking of the Renaissance?

an exclusively religious orientation

The Frankish emperor who encouraged education and the concept of a centralized government was

Charlemagne

The approximate dates of the Baroque period are

1600-1750

Which of the following best describes Bernini's sculpture The Ecstasy of Saint Theresa?

dramatic

Which of the following best describes Bernini's sculpture of David?

dramatic and active

The group of early Baroque writers, artists, and musicians whose aim was to resurrect the musical drama of ancient Greece was known as the

Florentine Camarata

The ideas and music of the Florentine Camerata led directly to the development of

opera

Male soprano or alto voices that retained their upper register from boyhood and dominated Baroque opera was known as the

castrati

Which Baroque era composer was also a priest?

Antonio Vivaldi

The Canticle of Mary is generally known as the

Magnificat

During which service does the Magnificat occur?

Vespers

Barbara Strozzi's secular arias focus on the theme of

love

The orchestral introduction at the beginning of an opera is called the

overture

The text of an opera is called the

libretto

Which of the following composers was regarded in his own time for having developed opera into a mature and powerful new genre?

Monteverdi

Which epic poem was the basis for Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas?

Virgil's Aeneid

Dido sings her famous lament in Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas just prior to

killing herself

In the Lutheran Church, the weekly hymns sung by the congregation were called

chorales