Q&A Hero

Q: What are the various ways that early musicians could make a living?

Q: Describe the influence of printing on Renaissance society and culture. Cite specific examples from the textbook.

Q: Discuss the influence of non-Western cultures and music practices on Western society during the Middle Ages.

Q: Notre Dame in Paris became one of the first centers in which polyphony was notated and integrated into musical worship.

Q: Musical notation has defined the development of Western music.

Q: The Renaissance saw the rise of amateur musicians and home music-making.

Q: Songs written in the vernacular use Latin for the text.

Q: The medieval era saw an increased Western awareness of the cultures of distant civilizations.

Q: Although feudal society was male-dominated, the status of women was raised by prevailing attitudes of chivalry and devotion to the cult of the Virgin Mary.

Q: The two centers of power in the Middle Ages were the feudal lord and the state.

Q: Most of the surviving music from the early Middle Ages is secular.

Q: Music notation was invented to further the goals of Islamic worship.

Q: Some scholars argue that song was one of the earliest forms of speech.

Q: Who left the first extensive notated tradition of love songs? a. troubadours c. troubadours and trouvres b. trouvres d. Charlemagne

Q: In the later Middle Ages, many instruments and song styles were adapted from the highly sophisticated ________ traditions of the time. a. Eastern European c. French b. North American d. Middle Eastern

Q: What cathedral became one of the first centers in which polyphony was notated and integrated into musical worship? a. Chanson de Roland c. Notre Dame in Paris b. St. Marks in Venice d. Westminster Abbey in London

Q: Musical notation was invented to further the goals of: a. the king. c. the nobility. b. Christian worship. d. the serfs.

Q: Which institution(s) supported music in Renaissance society? a. the church c. the aristocratic courts b. the city and state d. all of the answers shown here

Q: During the Middle Ages, the status of women: a. remained unchanged for nearly one thousand years. b. steadily declined until late in the era, just before the Renaissance. c. was raised through the concept of chivalry held by knights and idealized in music. d. was much like it is today.

Q: Which of the following constituted a source of wealth outside of feudal society? a. music-making c. manufacturing b. farming d. trade and commerce

Q: The late Middle Ages witnessed: a. the building of great cathedrals. b. the founding of universities. c. the emergence of cities as the center of the arts. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: The Frankish emperor who encouraged education and the concept of a centralized government was: a. Charlemagne. c. Hildegard of Bingen. b. Pope Gregory. d. Chaucer.

Q: The two centers of power during the early Middle Ages were the church and: a. centralized governments led by kings. b. diffuse courts headed by dukes. c. barbarian tribes. d. Arabian tribes.

Q: Which of the following is a role for secular music? a. assisting in religious services c. spiritual expression b. inspiring worship d. being sold as a commodity

Q: The core of music-making today is largely based on the traditions from: a. China. c. Europe. b. Africa. d. Mesopotamia.

Q: Discuss why doing some reading before you attend a concert of music new to you is a good idea.

Q: Discuss the differences between listening to recorded music at home and live music at a concert.

Q: The audience generally claps after complete works such as a symphony, a concerto, a sonata, or a song cycle.

Q: The concertmaster is the first-chair cellist.

Q: Before attending a concert of music that is new to you, you should prepare by doing some reading.

Q: Its best to sit near the performers during a chamber music concert.

Q: All tickets to concerts of symphonic music are very expensive.

Q: It is traditional for ensemble players to wear blacklong dresses or black pants and tops for women and tuxedos or tails for the mento minimize visual distractions.

Q: The concert program an usher hands you often has helpful notes about the pieces you will hear.

Q: In general, you should plan to arrive at a concert at least twenty minutes before it is scheduled to begin.

Q: For a concert featuring a large ensemble, front-row orchestra seats are the best location from which to hear a balanced performance.

Q: Listening to recorded music at home is just about the same experience as hearing it live.

Q: The act of partial listening is normal and appealing.

Q: The French word encore means: a. again. c. played twice. b. more. d. repeat.

Q: The different sections of a symphony are called: a. works. c. movements. b. pieces. d. songs.

Q: All of the following are established concert traditions except: a. performers wearing dark clothing. b. question-and-answer sessions with the audience during the concert. c. pianists performing from memory. d. orchestras standing when the conductor enters.

Q: The audience claps: a. during the piece. b. after complete works such as a symphony, a concerto, or a song cycle. c. after well-performed solos. d. between movements or songs.

Q: At a symphony concert, the first individual to make a separate entrance is: a. the conductor. c. the music director. b. the soloist. d. the concertmaster.

Q: Which of the following is considered rude behavior at a concert? a. turning your cell phone off c. talking to your companion b. applauding after complete works d. jotting down notes on your program

Q: During a concert, it is appropriate to leave your seat: a. whenever you are bored. b. during breaks in the works. c. only at the end of the program. d. only during intermission and at the end.

Q: If you arrive at a concert after the performance has begun, you should: a. enter and crawl over people to find your seat. b. enter and stand in the aisle until there is a break. c. wait until there is a break in the music and then enter and quickly find your seat. d. give up and go home.

Q: What is the best way to prepare in advance to attend an opera? a. practice speaking the language in which it will be performed b. read an overview of the plot c. buy a new outfit to wear d. read biographies of the singers

Q: A good source to find out more about works to be performed at a concert is: a. your music textbook. c. the Internet. b. StudySpace. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: Which of the following is NOT a good source of concert information? a. city and college newspapers b. websites of nearby venues c. college music or fine arts departments d. recently issued CDs

Q: Which of the following is NOT true about live concerts? a. The events have an element of unpredictability. b. They encourage partial listening. c. The performance is aurally stimulating. d. The performance is visually stimulating.

Q: Describe the four categories of musical instruments around the world and how they each produce sound. Cite an example of each.

Q: Describe the variety of musical sounds possible from the human voice. Consider issues such as range, social function, historical period, and regional styles.

Q: Aerophones produce sound from a vibrating string stretched between two points.

Q: Bass is the lowest male vocal range.

Q: Alto is the highest female vocal range.

Q: One of the most common membranophones around the world is the bagpipe.

Q: A guitar is an example of a chordophone.

Q: Flutes and whistles are classified as idiophones.

Q: Throughout history, the voice has been a model for instrumentalists and to instrument builders.

Q: In some cultures, womens voices are preferred for certain styles of music.

Q: Throughout history, womens voices have held a central role in the performance of church music.

Q: The human voice and instruments can produce a throbbing effect, which is called: a. vibrato. c. register. b. timbre. d. melody.

Q: Drum-type instruments fall into the category of: a. aerophones. c. idiophones. b. chordophones. d. membranophones.

Q: How do idiophones produce sound? a. from a vibrating string b. from a vibrating column of air c. from the shaking, scraping, or striking of the instrument itself d. from a tightly stretched membrane

Q: Of the following, which is a chordophone? a. flutes c. bagpipes b. whistles d. yangquin

Q: Instruments that produce sound by using air as the vibrating means are called: a. aerophones. c. idiophones. b. chordophones. d. membranophones.

Q: Instruments that produce sound from a vibrating string are called: a. aerophones. c. idiophones. b. chordophones. d. membranophones.

Q: The human voice: a. is an unnatural musical instrument. b. is limited in character and range. c. possesses lyric beauty and expressiveness that have been a model for instrument builders and players. d. can be made to sound like any instrument.

Q: The generally accepted term for the high male vocal range is: a. bass. c. alto. b. tenor. d. soprano.

Q: Which of the following voice types has the lowest range? a. baritone c. tenor b. bass d. alto

Q: The standard ranges of the human voice from highest to lowest are: a. soprano, alto, tenor, bass. c. tenor, soprano, alto, bass. b. bass, tenor, soprano, alto. d. soprano, tenor, alto, bass.

Q: A specific area within the range of a voice or instrument, such as high, middle, or low, is called: a. timbre. c. register. b. volume. d. form.

Q: A mechanism that generates musical vibrations and launches them into the air is called: a. a mute. c. a baton. b. a podium. d. an instrument.

Q: The quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another is: a. timbre. c. tempo. b. pitch. d. volume.

Q: Which of the following is NOT a property of a musical sound? a. pitch c. duration b. texture d. timbre

Q: Find a contemporary use of word-painting and discuss how the composer captures the meaning of the word through music.

Q: Explain how the text-setting style influences the meaning of a song.

Q: When a single syllable is elongated by many notes, it is called melismatic.

Q: Word-painting not only emphasizes the word but also captures the joyful meaning through music.

Q: Happy Birthday is an example of a syllabic text setting.