Chapter 9 Flashcards
another word for timbre
tone color
Mechanism that generates musical vibrations and transmits them into the air.
instrument
Specific area in the range of an instrument or voice.
register
Highest-ranged voice, normally possessed by women and boys.
soprano
Female voice of middle range.
mezzo-soprano
Lowest of the female voices. Also contralto
alto
Male voice of high range. Also a part, often structural, in polyphony.
tenor
Male voice of moderately low range.
baritone
Lowest of the male voices.
bass
Small fluctuation of pitch used as an expressive device to intensify a sound.
vibrato
Instruments such as a flute, whistle, or horn that produce sound by using air as the primary vibrating means.
aerophone
Wind instrument popular in Eastern and Western Europe that has several tubes, one of which plays the melody while the others sound the drones, or sustained notes; a windbag is filled by either a mouth pipe or a set of bellows.
bagpipe
Instrument that produces sound from a vibrating string stretched between two points; the string may be set in motion by bowing, striking, or plucking
chordophone
Instrument that produces sound from the substance of the instrument itself by being struck, blown, shaken, scraped, or rubbed. Examples include bells, rattles, xylophones, and cymbals.
idiophone
Any instrument that produces sound from tightly stretched membranes that can be struck.
membranophone
The quality of a sound that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another. Also tone color
timbre
An instrument that produces sound from a vibrating string is called a(n)
chordophone
Flutes, whistles, and bagpipes fall into what instrument classification?
aerophones
T/F: In earlier eras, young boys and occasionally men with voices in the soprano or alto range sang female parts in church music and on the stage.
True
In the sixteenth century, which musicians became more prominent performers of secular music?
women singers
T/F: Instrument builders have often sought to emulate the human voice.
True
Instrument builders have sought to replicate the sound of the voice, including its characteristic throbbing called
vibrato
The property of sound that gives instruments and voices their unique tone color is
timbre
The Indian sitar is considered a(n)
chordophone.
Which of the following shows the correct order of vocal ranges from highest to lowest?
soprano, alto, tenor, bass
How do specialists classify instruments?
by the way they generate their sound
T/F: The category “chordophones” applies only to Western instruments.
False
The word _________ describes a specific area in the range of an instrument or voice, such as low, middle, or high.
register
Which describes instruments classified as aerophones?
sound produced by using air
Which describes instruments classified as idiophones?
sound produced from the substance itself
Which instrument is NOT an example of a chordophone? guitar xylophone violin Chinese pipa
xylophone
Which of the following factors influence timbre?
instrument shape
the material from which the instrument is made
instrument size
All possible answers.
all possible answers
Which of the following is an example of a chordophone?
accordion
harp
bells
harp
Which of the following shows the correct order of vocal ranges from highest to lowest for female voices? alto, soprano, mezzo-soprano alto, mezzo-soprano, soprano soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto tenor, baritone, bass
soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto
Which of the following shows the correct order of vocal ranges from highest to lowest for male voices? tenor, baritone, bass bass, baritone, tenor alto, tenor, baritone soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto
tenor, baritone, bass
Which of the following terms describes instruments made with stretched skins?
membranoophone
