Chapter 1

Question 1

Lyre

Answer 1

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, two arms, crossbar, and strings that run parallel to the soundboard and attach to the crossbar.

Question 2

Bull Lyre

Answer 2

Sumerian LYRE with a bull’s head at one end of the soundbox.

Question 3

Harp

Answer 3

Plucked string instrument with a resonating soundbox, neck, and strings in roughly triangular shape. The strings rise perpendicular from the soundboard to the neck.

Question 4

Kithara

Answer 4

Ancient Greek instrument, a large LYRE.

Question 5

Genre

Answer 5

Type or category of musical COMPOSITION, such as SONATA or SYMPHONY.

Question 6

Hymn

Answer 6

Song to or in honor of a god. In the Christian tradition, song of praise sung to God.

Question 7

Monophonic

Answer 7

Consisting of a single unaccompanied MELODIC line.

Question 8

Heterophony

Answer 8

Music or musical TEXTURE in which a MELODY is performed by two or more parts simultaneously in more than one way, for example, one voice performing it simply, and the other with embellishments.

Question 9

Harmonia

Answer 9

Ancient Greek term with multiple meanings:

(1) the union of parts in an orderly whole;
(2) interval;
(3) scale type;
(4) style of melody

Question 10

Ethos

Answer 10

(Greek, ‘custom’)

(1) Moral and ethical character or way of being or behaving.
(2) Character, mood, or emotional effect of a certain TONOS, MODE, METER, or MELODY.

Question 11

Tetrachord

Answer 11

(from Greek, ‘four strings’)

(1) In Greek and medieval theory, a SCALE of four NOTES spanning a perfect fourth.
(2) In modern theory, a SET of four pitches or PITCH-CLASSES.
(3) In TWELVE-TONE theory, the first four, middle four, or last four notes in the ROW.

Question 12

Diatonic

Answer 12

(1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD with two WHOLE TONES and one SEMITONE.
(2) Name for a SCALE that includes five whole tones and two semitones, where the semitones are separated by two or three whole tones.
(3) Adjective describing a MELODY, CHORD, or passage based exclusively on a single diatonic scale.

Question 13

Enharmonic

Answer 13

Adjective describing the relationship between two pitches that are notated differently but sound alike when played, such as G# and A.

Question 14

Chromatic

Answer 14

(from Greek chroma, ‘color’) (1) In ancient Greek music, adjective describing a TETRACHORD comprising a minor third and two SEMITONES, or a MELODY that uses such tetrachords. (2) Adjective describing a melody that uses two or more successive semitones in the same direction, a SCALE consisting exclusively of semitones, an INTERVAL or CHORD that draws NOTES from more than one DIATONIC scale, or music that uses many such melodies or chords.