experiencing music exam 1

Gregorian chant was originally passed down by

Oral tradition

The speed of music is called

Tempo

The way music unfolds in time, or the arrangement of long and short durations in a particular musical passage, is called

Rhythm

The texture in which two or more melodic lines are played or sung simultaneously is

Polyphonic

In the Medieval Era, which class of people was most likely to be educated and literate?

Clergy

The scales that made up chant melodies are called

Church modes

The volume of a sound is called

Dynamics

Church music was sung a cappella (voices only, no instruments) until about 1100 because

Instruments were associated with pagan rituals

In the Medieval Era, which class of people comprised the vast majority of the population?

Peasants

The relative “highness” or “lowness” of a sound is called

Pitch

The texture of a single unaccompanied melody is

Monophonic

Harmony that sounds relatively tense and unstable (ugly) is

Dissonant

Most medieval music was

Vocal

The rhythm of Gregorian chant is

free-flowing

The background of stressed and unstressed beats in a simple, regular, repeating pattern is called

Meter

Pope Gregory I (the Great) is known for

Reorganizing chant

Harmony that sounds relatively stable and free of tension (pretty) is

Consonant

The dates of the Medieval Era are

c. 450-c. 1450

Machaut's song "Puis qu'en oubli"

Was written to the woman he loved, Peronelle d'Armentiere.

Courtly love was

The love for an unattainable noblewoman

Although it was not specified in the manuscripts, the music of troubadours and trouvères was

Probably accompanied by instruments

The rondeau consisted of

A specific pattern of two musical/poetic phrases, labeled a and b.

The rondeau was

One of the main poetic and musical forms of 14th- and 15th-century France

Machaut’s Notre Dame Mass is important because

It is the first polyphonic treatment of a mass ordinary by a known composer

The Countess of Dia, traditionally known as "Beatriz, Comtessa de Dia," was a

Trobairitz

Guillaume de Machaut wrote

Both love songs and church masses

Hildegard of Bingen was

A visionary and mystic, composer, and abbess

Troubadours were

Composers of secular songs who lived in southern France

Minstrels

Told stories, sang songs, and performed acrobatics

A Gregorian chant that is used as the basis for a composition is called a

Cantus firmus

While troubadours were often upper class, __________ were usually lower class.

Minstrels

Under ars nova,

Syncopation became more prevalent, notes could be divided into two, not just three, and almost any rhythm could be notated

Which composer presented beautifully decorated copies of his music and poetry to noble patrons?

Guillaume de Machaut

Hildegard of Bingen is significant because

She was the first woman composer from whom a large number of works has survived

Most music in the Renaissance was

polyphonic

What plucked string instrument was used to accompany Renaissance secular music?

Lute

In addition to the spread of renaissance humanism, what led to more amateur music making?

Music printing by moveable type

What were two main types of sacred music composed during the Renaissance?

The motet and the mass 

Renaissance humanism was typified by

A return to classical (Greek and Roman) studies

A polyphonic choral work in Latin that was not based on the Ordinary and could be used in church or at home was the

Motet

Which of these is true of John Dowland?

He was a master of the lute. 

One effect of Renaissance humanism on music was

An emphasis on the relationship between words and text. 

A secular song for several solo voices set to a short poem was a

Madrigal

During the renaissance, renaissance humanism led directly to

Greater education of nobles, especially in reading music

A lot of instrumental music was used during the Renaissance primarily for what purpose?

Dancing

For what reason was Palestrina’s music so highly regarded by church authorities?

His music had a clarity and a calmness that many considered a model of sacred music. 

Based on their studies of ancient Greek and Roman philosophy, scholars during the Renaissance thought music could

produce and express emotion

Which of these is true about Josquin des Prez?

He traveled to different courts, writing music for them. 

What was new about the nobility’s attitude towards music education in the Renaissance?

It was an expected part of their education. 

At which institution did Vivaldi most famously work?

At a school for orphaned girls 

Similarly to the concerto grosso, the solo concerto often contains

Movements in ritornello form. 

Antonio Vivaldi was highly regarded as a virtuoso

Violinist

Early opera plots were based on

Greek mythology and history 

A solo concerto features a ________, while a concerto grosso features a _________.

Single soloist; group of soloists 

A repeated bass line over which there are changing melodies is called a

Ground bass

The ritornello is always played by the

Tutti

What term describes a vocal line that imitates the rhythm and pitch fluctuations of speech?

Recitative

A(n) ________ is an expressive song sung by one person with orchestral accompaniment.

aria

Monteverdi's first great opera, Orfeo, is based on

Greek myth

During the late baroque period, what type of dynamics was commonly used?

Terraced dynamics

In which city did the first public opera house opened in 1637?

Venice

Which is true about the cantata?

It is a work for one or more voices with instruments. 

The movements of a Baroque suite usually have

Two sections which repeat (AABB) 

Which of these elements that appeared in opera in the early Baroque period also appears in oratorios?

Singing

Besides being a great organist and composer, Bach was a renowned __________.

improviser

What type of music is Barbara Strozzi best known for?

vocal

A cantata differs from an opera in that

Operas are staged and cantatas are not, and cantatas are shorter than operas

Besides being a successful composer and performer, Handel was also a(n) ______ who produced his own operas.

Impresario

George Frideric Handel was born in Germany but later became a citizen of

England

Oratorios were often

Dramatizations of Bible stories 

Which of these elements that appeared in opera in the early Baroque period also appears in oratorios?

singing

The organ and harpsichord were types of _________ commonly used in the Baroque era.

keyboards

Which is true about Barbara Strozzi?

She composed cantatas for solo soprano and continuo.

Handel is known for his English oratorios, his most famous one being ______.

Messiah

What does a suite composition feature?

Several movements based on dances