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Music Quiz | Rhythm, Harmony, Voice and Traditional Music, Set 2

1 / 100.0s

Problem 1

A piece is in 6/8, grouping the six eighth notes of a bar as "three plus three", and the conductor counts two large beats.

How is this meter classified?

View explanation

In 6/8, three eighth notes make one main beat and there are two main beats to the bar, making it compound duple. The 6 in the numerator does not mean six main beats, and the division of the beat differs from simple triple meters such as 3/4.

Problem 2

Keeping the steady beat of 4/4, an arrangement moves the melody's attacks half a beat earlier, so that strongly felt notes fall between the beats.

Which term describes this rhythmic effect?

View explanation

Shifting attacks off the beat while the pulse continues, so that normally weak positions stand out, is syncopation. An ostinato is a repeated figure and unison is the doubling of the same line at the same pitch, so neither describes a displacement of accent.

Problem 3

At the end of a phrase in C major, you want to move from the dominant chord on G to the tonic chord on C for a clear sense of closure.

Which cadence is this V–I progression?

View explanation

Closing a phrase by moving from the dominant V to the tonic I is an authentic cadence. A half cadence ends on V and tends to leave a sense of incompleteness. Calling it a perfect authentic cadence carries further conditions on the inversion of the chords and the note in the top voice.

Problem 4

In an opera you are writing a scene in which two characters exchange brief lines, conveying news to the audience and moving the story forward.

Which manner of writing sets such a scene to inflections close to speech?

View explanation

Recitative follows inflections close to natural speech and suits scenes that carry information through dialogue and advance the plot. An aria is generally a solo that pauses the action to explore a character's feelings musically, which is a different purpose.

Problem 5

An orchestra came apart at a change of tempo and the change of dynamics was not together either. At the next rehearsal you want the changes to follow the score.

Which is the most appropriate improvement on the conductor's part?

View explanation

A conductor holds the ensemble together through the gestures that show the beat, conveying changes of tempo, dynamics and direction of expression. Showing preparation before a change makes it easier for players to respond at the same moment. Letting each part choose its own tempo does not resolve the problem.

Problem 6

Two examples place a note on the same line of the staff, one in treble clef and one in bass clef, with the same note shape and duration.

What does the difference in clef change?

View explanation

A clef determines which pitches are assigned to the lines and spaces of the staff. With the same note in the same position, a different clef can mean a different pitch. Duration, by contrast, is read from the shape of the note and is not determined by the clef.

Problem 7

The key signature at the head of a piece has a flat marking B♭. The same phrase contains two Bs at different pitches, with no accidental or change of key signature in between.

How should the two Bs be played?

View explanation

A flat in the key signature applies to notes of that name across octaves, unless an accidental or a change of key signature intervenes. Both Bs are therefore played as B♭. It does not act only on notes written at the same pitch as the signature.

Problem 8

Sectioning a piece gives A–B–A–C–A: the same main section A returns repeatedly, with two contrasting sections between.

Which form takes this return as its basic principle?

View explanation

In rondo form the main section A returns repeatedly, with contrasting episodes such as B and C placed between. ABACA is one of its representative layouts. Theme and variations sets out transformations of the same theme in sequence, which is a different principle from the return of a main section between contrasting ones.

Problem 9

A recording of Ainu singing has one group beginning the same melody slightly after the previous group has finished it, with a further group following behind.

Which describes how ukouk upopo is sung?

View explanation

Ukouk upopo is a round in which several groups enter the same melody at intervals and follow one another. That differs from unison singing in which everyone starts together, in how the voices enter and overlap. There are, however, regional differences in how upopo is sung.

Problem 10

A single angklung can sound only one predetermined note or chord. You want an ensemble to play a melody made of four different notes.

Which way of practicing makes use of the instrument's characteristics?

View explanation

Because each angklung is responsible for one note or chord, a melody requires the players holding different notes to sound them in the right order and at the right moment. That structure is what makes the playing an exercise in cooperation and mutual attention, and it differs from producing several melody notes on a single instrument.