Q&A Hero

Q: Fortissimo is the Italian phrase for moderately soft.

Q: The degree of loudness and softness in music is called dynamics.

Q: Allegro is an Italian term for a fast, cheerful tempo.

Q: The tempo of a piece affects its mood and character.

Q: Tempo indicates the loudness of music.

Q: The markings for tempo and dynamics contribute most directly to: a. the expressive content of a piece of music. b. the form of a piece of music. c. the thematic development of a piece of music. d. the tonality of a piece of music.

Q: The gradual swelling of the volume of music is called: a. piano. c. accelerando. b. adagio. d. crescendo.

Q: Which of the following symbols indicates growing louder? a. > c. mp b. < d. mf

Q: Which of the following dynamic markings is the softest? a. pianissimo (pp) c. mezzo piano (mp) b. piano (p) d. mezzo forte (mf )

Q: The degree of loudness or softness, or volume, at which music is played is called: a. texture. c. timbre. b. tempo. d. dynamics.

Q: Accelerando is a term indicating that the tempo is: a. getting slower. c. getting faster. b. staying the same. d. returning to the original tempo.

Q: Which of the following modifiers should be added to an allegro marking to indicate a very fast tempo? a. meno c. non troppo b. molto d. a tempo

Q: Which of the following tempo markings is the fastest? a. presto c. moderato b. vivace d. allegro

Q: Which of the following tempo markings indicates a slow tempo? a. moderato c. presto b. largo d. vivace

Q: Which marking is appropriate for a slow tempo? a. andante c. piano b. adagio d. allegro

Q: In what language are tempo markings generally given? a. Italian c. German b. French d. Dutch

Q: Music that sounds despairing and sad usually has a _____ tempo. a. fast c. slow b. moderate d. vigorous

Q: Which emotional response would most likely be associated with a brisk tempo? a. peacefulness c. sadness b. vigor d. exhaustion

Q: The word _____ describes the rate of speed at which a piece of music is played. a. meter c. movement b. tempo d. mood

Q: Describe the building blocks of form.

Q: Discuss how repetition and contrast create structure in music. Include descriptions of several fundamental musical forms.

Q: The direct opposite of strophic form in a song would be through-composed form.

Q: A movement is a complete, comparatively independent division of a large-scale work.

Q: A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern repeated throughout a musical work is called an ostinato.

Q: An ostinato is the smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-rhythmic unit.

Q: Call-and-response music is common in African and Native American cultures.

Q: The restatement of a theme or motive at a higher or lower pitch level is known as a sequence.

Q: Ternary form is best outlined as A-B-A.

Q: The musical form based on a statement, a departure, and a restatement of the first idea is called binary form.

Q: Improvisation is common in Western music, but not in non-Western music.

Q: Musical structure generally features a balance between unity and variety.

Q: Forms are fixed structures into which composers organize their material.

Q: When a melodic idea is used as a building block in the construction of a larger work, it is called: a. a melody. c. a theme. b. improvisation. d. theme and variation.

Q: The term_______ describes a piece where no main section of the music or text is repeated. a. strophic form c. variation b. through-composed d. melody

Q: The separate sections of a large musical work are called: a. songs. c. movements. b. symphonies. d. chapters.

Q: Ostinato, or the repetition of a short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern, is common in: a. rock. c. jazz. b. blues. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: A singing style that features a leader who is imitated by a group is called: a. call and response. c. crossover. b. ostinato. d. thematic development.

Q: The smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-rhythmic unit is called: a. a motive. c. a canon. b. a sequence. d. a cadence.

Q: The restatement of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch is called a(n): a. motive. c. theme. b. sequence. d. ostinato.

Q: The compositional technique whereby a composer searches out a themes capacity for growth and expansion is known as: a. augmentation. c. thematic development. b. diminution. d. ternary form.

Q: Ternary form is represented by the diagram: a. A-B. c. A-B-A. b. A-A-A. d. A-B-C.

Q: Which of the following best describes binary form? a. A-B-A c. A-A b. A-B d. B-B

Q: The form based on a statement and a departure without a return to the complete opening statement is called: a. binary. c. variation. b. ternary. d. repetition.

Q: The technique by which performers create music on the spot is known as: a. ostinato. c. inversion. b. improvisation. d. canon.

Q: The term __________ describes the technique whereby some aspects of the music are changed, yet the whole remains recognizable. a. variation c. form b. contrast d. repetition

Q: A vocal work in which each poetic stanza is sung to the same melody is in __________ form. a. refrain c. through-composed b. strophic d. variation

Q: The basic structural concepts in the element of form are: a. repetition and contrast. c. polyphonic and homophonic. b. major and minor. d. duple and triple.

Q: What quality of a work of art describes its structure or shape? a. theme c. form b. melody d. harmony

Q: Explain why monophony cannot include counterpoint.

Q: What are the differences among monophony, polyphony, and homophony? Provide examples of each.

Q: Homophony occurs when one melodic voice is prominent over the accompanying lines or voices.

Q: Homophony occurs when a melodic idea is presented in one voice and then restated in another.

Q: A strictly imitative work is known as a canon.

Q: Texture is the various threads that make up the musical fabric.

Q: Homophony is perhaps the most commonly heard texture.

Q: Polyphony is the simplest texture.

Q: Most compositions exclusively use one type of texture.

Q: In homorhythmic texture, the melody and harmony move with the same rhythm.

Q: The term homophonic describes a single-voiced texture without accompaniment.

Q: Counterpoint is most closely associated with monophonic texture.

Q: The combining two or more simultaneous melodic lines is called counterpoint.

Q: A single-voiced texture is called homophony.

Q: When all the voices or musical lines move together in the same rhythm it is called: a. homophony. c. polyphony. b. homorhythm. d. monophony.

Q: Row, Row, Row Your Boat is an example of a: a. fugue. c. monophony. b. homorhythm. d. round.

Q: A simple and familiar type of canon is called a: a. theme. c. round. b. motive. d. scale.

Q: A composition with strict imitation throughout is called a(n): a. canon. c. augmentation. b. retrograde. d. sequence.

Q: The method in which a melodic idea is presented in one voice and then restated in another is called: a. inversion. c. retrograde. b. diminution. d. imitation.

Q: The texture in which all the voices move in the same rhythm is called: a. homorhythm. c. homometer. b. polyrhythm. d. polymeter.

Q: A texture in which a single voice takes over the melodic interest while the accompanying voices are subordinate is called: a. homophony. c. polyphony. b. counterpoint. d. monophony.

Q: When two or more independent melodic lines are combined, the resulting texture is called: a. polyphony. c. homophony. b. monophony. d. heterophony.

Q: The predominant texture used in Western music until about 1,000 years ago was: a. polyphony. c. monophony. b. homophony. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: A texture consisting of a single, unaccompanied line is called: a. monophony. c. polyphony. b. homophony. d. counterpoint.

Q: The interweaving of the melodic lines, or the relationship of musical lines, within a work is called: a. harmony. c. texture. b. meter. d. timbre.

Q: Why are active chords considered the dynamic force in Western music?

Q: Describe the differences between diatonic and chromatic.

Q: What is the difference between a major and minor scale?

Q: How do melody and harmony function together to construct a musical system?

Q: Shifting all the tones of a musical composition to a new key is called transposition.

Q: The process of passing from one key to another is known as modulation.

Q: The dominant is an example of an active chord, which can cause tension in music until resolved.