music 300-350

Question 1

What is syncopation?

Answer 1

Syncopation occurs when beats are stressed at unexpected or unusual times.

Question 2

What does a 5/8 time signature indicate?

Answer 2

A 5/8 time signature means that there are five (5) beats per measure and that the eighth (8) note receives one beat.

Question 3

How does a note change if a dot is added next to it?

Answer 3

A dot next to a note indicates that the duration of the note equals the length of the original note plus half its length. For example, a dotted eighth note has the length of an eighth note plus a sixteenth note.

Question 4

In what unit is tempo usually measured?

Answer 4

Tempo is usually measured in beats per minute.

Question 5

What is the difference between the terms adagio and allegro?

Answer 5

both adagio and allegro are terms that indicate; however, adagio means “slow” while allegro means “fast.”

Question 6

What does the tempo marking “maestoso” mean?

Answer 6

“majestically”

Question 7

What is melody?

Answer 7

Melody refers to a series of pitches that form a cohesive tune.

Question 8

How are notes on the staff named?

Answer 8

Notes on the staff are named using the letters A through g.

Question 9

What is another name for the treble clef?

Answer 9

G clef

Question 10

What is another name for the bass clef?

Answer 10

F Clef

Question 11

The second line from the bottom of a treble-clef staff is a

Answer 11

G

Question 12

What is the grand staff?

Answer 12

The grand staff includes both the treble and bass clef staffs so that a wide range of pitches can be seen at once.

Question 13

What is a scale?

Answer 13

A scale is a sequence

Question 14

what textural and melodic similarities exist between a fugue and a motet

Answer 14

both feature extensive polyphony and melodic repetition

Question 15

how many sections does a piece of binary from contain

Answer 15

two

Question 16

what is the typical chord progression within sections in binary form

Answer 16

the first section moves from the tonic to the dominant; the second section moves from the dominant back to the tonic

Question 17

how is rounded binary form different from simple binary form

Answer 17

in rounded binary form, the first section returns to the tonic in a slightly modified way after the second section, thus creating the a section, in simple binary the b section contains the return to the tonic

Question 18

what is the differenve between ternary form and rounded binary form

Answer 18

ternary form has three sections. the third section is identical to the first whereas rounded binary form includes a return if the A section in a modified form

Question 19

what is the structure of a rondo

Answer 19

a rondo contains one section that alternates with at least two other sections, creating the structure abacada

Question 20

what is the name of the binary form most common in american popular music

Answer 20

verse/chorus or verse/ refrain

Question 21

what is a bridge

Answer 21

a bridge is a unique section added to a binary form song, typically before the last refrain

Question 22

how does the inclusion of a bridge add to the musical complexity of binary form

Answer 22

the bridge is typically written in the dominant, which increases the musical tension of the work before returning to the tonic in the final chorus

Question 23

what is the term for the form of a song that contains several unique sections without repetition

Answer 23

through composed

Question 24

mozarts” ah, vous dirais-je maman” takes the well known tune of “Twinkle twinkle little star” and repeats it again and again in many different forms, so its form is that of

Answer 24

theme and variations

Question 25

what are the three sections of a work written in sonata form

Answer 25

exposition, development, and recapitulation

Question 26

what is the purpose of the exposition in sonata form

Answer 26

the exposition serves to introduce the main theme or themes of the piece in the tonic key

Question 27

in what key does the development of a piece in sonata form typically end

Answer 27

the dominant

Question 28

what is the purpose of the recapitulation in sonata form

Answer 28

the recapitulation restates the main theme of the piece, often with variation

Question 29

what is a coda

Answer 29

a coda is a final section in a piece that gives it a formal sense of closure by emphasizing dominant harmonies and their resolution to the tonic one last time

Question 30

what chords or keys are typically accentuated in the coda

Answer 30

the coda typically focuses on the subdominant or dominant harmonies and then resolves to the tonic key

Question 31

during what two musical eras was the sonata form most popular

Answer 31

classical and romantic

Question 32

a piece that begins with an opening themes, modulates through a number of different keys and ends with a restatement of the opening theme is in what form

Answer 32

sonata form

Question 33

along with binary form, what other form has had a significant influence upon most american popular music

Answer 33

12 bar blues

Question 34

what is the alphabetic structure of 12 bar blues

Answer 34

aab:the first four bars (A) are repeated (A) and then resolved by a contrasting four-bar section (B)

Question 35

in typical 12 bar blues, how many measures long is each phrase

Answer 35

each of the three phrases in the 12 bar blues progression is four measures or bars long

Question 36

what is the typical chord progression of the third phrase of 12 bar blues

Answer 36

1,4,5,1

Question 37

what combination of instruments is usually responsible for creating the timbre we associate with country music

Answer 37

fiddle, acoustic guitar, steel guitar, and banjo

Question 38

What is a diatonic scale?

Answer 38

A diatonic

Question 39

What is the sequence of whole and half steps of a major scale?

Answer 39

Major scales all follow the following sequence: whole, whole, half, whole whole, whole, half. Thus the half steps fall between the third and fourth notes of the scale and between the seventh and eighth.

Question 40

What is the name of the first note in a scale?

Answer 40

The first note in a scale is called the tonic.

Question 41

The dominant represents what scale degree?

Answer 41

The dominant is the fifth note in a major or minor scale.

Question 42

What is the significance of the seventh note in a scale?

Answer 42

The seventh note is known as the leading tone because it creates a musical tension that seems to “lead” the ear to the tonic note.

Question 43

In a D major scale, what are the letter names of the dominant and leading tones?

Answer 43

In a D major scale, A is the dominant and C# is the leading tone.

Question 44

what word is used two notes that are notated differently according to the key in which they occur but that are, in fact, the same note

Answer 44

enharmonic

Question 45

how and why is the circle of fifths constructed

Answer 45

the circles of fifths is constructed by starting with C and ascending by fifths until C is again reached. they key C has no sharps or flats in it. Each subsequent key in the circle of fifths has one more sharp than the previous key

Question 46

how does the ascending melodic minor scale differ from the descending melodic minor scale

Answer 46

in the ascending scale the sixth and seventh notes are raised a half step in comparison to the natural minor scale. in the descending scale, the sicth and seventh notes re not raised, making it identical to the natual minor scale

Question 47

in order form highest to lowest pitch, what are the three ranges of the female voice

Answer 47

soprano, mezzo soprano, and alto

Question 48

in order form lowest to highest pitch, what are the three ranges of the male voice

Answer 48

bass, baritone, and tenor

Question 49

what is the another name for the alto voice range

Answer 49

contralto

Question 50

although the alto and tenor voice ranges overlap greatly in pitch, how do they differ

Answer 50

though overlapping in pitch range alto and tenor parts are distinct from each other because the physiology of the female and male voices give each one a unique timbre