La Salle University MUS 150 Art of Listening Final Exam Name I. Listening Skill For each excerpt, answer the following questions. Excerpt One: - Vivaldi "Spring" First Movement 1. Regarding the element of timbre, which of the following applies to this excerpt? a. happy b. orchestra with violin solo c. steady beat d. medium fast e. medium loud 2. Regarding the tempo, which of the following applies to this excerpt? a. happy b. orchestra with violin solo c. high sounds d. medium fast e. medium loud 3. Regarding the element of dynamics, which of the following applies to this excerpt? a. happy b. orchestra with violin solo c. dark d. medium fast e. medium loud 4. This work has an extra-musical idea, as given in the title. This story is called music. a. groove b. happy c. program d. absolute e. infinite 5. This song sounds complete in itself, but is part of a larger composition. This song is considered a(n): fragment b. motive c. annex d. movement e. subito 6. How can this work be thought of from the perspective of absolute music? a. happy b. orchestra with violin solo c. nature illustrated d. progression of seasons e. drama and story 7. Which of the following is NOT illustrated in the music for this example? a. the breeze b. a thunderstorm c. birds d. a brook e. snow 8. This type of work (which features an instrumental soloist with an orchestra) is called a(n): a. song b. symphony c. concerto d. opera e. text painting 9. The performing ensemble consists primarily of which instrumental type: a. woodwinds b. brass c. vocal d. keyboard e. string 10. The person playing the solo sections along with the soloist is called the: a. conductor b. concierge c. conduit d. concertmaster e. constant Excerpt Two: - Handel "Hallelujah Chrorus" from Messiah 11. The texture in the section, "For The Lord God omnipotent reigneth" is: A. Monophonic. B. Homophonic. C. Polyphonic. D. Arhythmic. E. Subito 12. Another word for the answer to No. 1 is: A. Classic. B. Dynamic. C. Unison. D. Romantic. E. Subito 13. The language being sung is: A. Italian. B. German. C. French. D. English. E. Latin 14. Four beats in the measure" is a description of the element of : 15. Forte" is a description of the element of: 16. SATB chorus and orchestra" is a description of the element of: 17. Since the notes being used in this selection all sound good together, we can assume this song is in a: A. Rhythm. B. Groove. C. Movement. D. Key. E. Singer 18. We listened to this selection as an example of how the can change in a song. A. Pitch. B. Rhythm. C. Key. D. Texture. E. Lyrics Excerpt Three: University of Valley Forge Guitar Ensemble: Crazy Train 19. The instrument used at the beginning of the performance is called a: A. Shotput. B. Macarena. C. Chupacabra. D. Vibra-slap. E. Weeping willow 20. This is a recording of an ensemble of: A. Violins. B. Guitars. C. Clarinets. D. Brass. E. Percussion
21. Since the notes being used in this selection all sound good together, we can assume this song is in a: A. Rhythm. B. Groove. C. Movement. D. Key. E. Singer 22. The texture at the very beginning of this excerpt is: A. Monophonic. B. Homophonic. C. Polyphonic. D. Arhythmic. E. Subito Excerpt Four: Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin, First Movement 23. Regarding the element of duration, which of the following applies to this excerpt? a. happy b. orchestra with violin solo c. steady beat d. conductor e. medium loud 24. This type of work (which features an instrumental soloist with an orchestra) is called a(n): a. song b. symphony c. concerto d. opera e. text painting 25. This composition has a total of movements: a. one b. two c. three d. four e. five 26. This type of work features which instrument as the soloist? a. saxophone b. trumpet c. pianoforte d. bassoon e. mandolin 27. Since this composition doesn t have a story associated with it, it is considered music. a. groove b. happy c. program d. absolute e. infinite II. Multiple Choice 28. Which of the following is the most common scenario for the elements in a piece of music? a. meter in 4, homophonic texture, built around a central key b. meter in 3, homophonic texture, not built around a central key c. meter in 4, monophonic texture, built around a central key d. meter in 3, monophonic texture, built around a central key e. meter in 4, polyphonic texture, not built around a central key 29. When listening to music, the home sound with a common center of stability is called the: a. meter b. key c. measure d. tempo e. dynamic 30. Tempo is a term which refers to the a. melody b. dynamic level c. speed of the beats d. sound of the instruments e. composer 31. What is the "crowning achievement" of Western music? a. timbre b. polyphonic texture c. video production d. rhythm e. scales 32. The terms "consonance" and "dissonance" refer to: a. stability and instability of a harmony b. dynamic level of a chord c. the speed of the beats d. how many pitches are being played simultaneously e. music that is written down 33. The structure of a musical work is said to be its: a. pianissimo b. dynamics c. form d. melody e. beat 34. A is a resting place in music, and may be either temporary (incomplete) or permanent (complete). a. pitch b. cadence c. rhythm d. dynamic e. mezzo soprano 35. Which of the following textures refers to "one melody with some type of accompaniment"? a. monophonic b. heterophonic c. homophonic d. polyphonic e. hooked-on-phonic 36. The of a musical work is usually grouped in 2s, 3s OR 4s. a. interval b. pitch c. meter d. dynamics e. cadence 37. The term forte means: a. strong or loud b. silent c. fast d. high pitch
38. The steady underlying pulse that occurs in a piece of music is called the: a. beat b. pitch c. timbre d. dynamic e. conjunct interval 39. The proper name for the piano is the: a. tempo piano b. sonata piano c. piano forte d. pianissimo e. mezzo piano 40. When you see an orchestra perform, you will see synchronized movements of each the bowed string sections. The decision for which direction the bow should move for every note of a composition is made by: a. conductor b. composer c. individual violinist d. concertmaster e. rock, paper, scissors 41. The words "long" and "short" refer to which of the following terms? 42. The words "loud" and "soft" refer to which of the following terms? 43. The words "high" and "low" refer to which of the following terms? 44. What is another name for monophonic texture? a. harmony b. chord c. unison d. contrast e. disjunct 45. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Concertmaster? a. tuning up the orchestra b. deciding on the bowings for the violin section c. playing any passages written for solo violin d. assuming the responsibility of conducting the performance if the conductor is unable e. changing the notes in the orchestra's parts to suit his or her taste 46. Which of the following is not specifically an element or property of music? a. duration b. soprano c. pitch d. dynamics e. timbre 47. Which of the following terms is a series of pitches played one at a time to form a logical idea? a. melody b. sound quality/tone color c. tempo d. chord e. harmony 48. In any piece of music, the beat will always be played by the: a. drums b. bass c. cymbals d. violins e. it might not be played at all 49. Which of the following is not required to fit our definition of music? a. time b. organization c. singing d. sound 50 The term "crescendo" means to gradually get: a. louder b. faster c. higher in pitch d. softer e. slower
III. Matching 51. Beat A. To gradually get softer 52. concertmaster B. How the beats are grouped (usually 2, 3, or 4) 53. Harmony C. A pattern of shorts and longs 54. polyphonic D. Speed of the beats 55. key E. Resting place; temporary or permanent 56. decrescendo F. Soft 57. Piano G. Steady pulse occurring in a musical work 58. Cadence H. Central or "home" sound 59. forte I. two or more simultaneous melodies 60. tempo J. Strong or Loud 61. Rhythm K. One unaccompanied melody / Unison 62. monophonic L. the first chair first violin in an orchestra 63. meter M. Two or more pitches (not melodies) played at once IV. Classic or Romantic Place a C or an R in the blank to indicate which category is described for each statement. 64. Phrases are balanced and symmetrical. 65. Form is present, but modifications are made if the work requires. 66. Harmonies can be jarring, abrupt, or dissonant for dramatic purposes. 67. Harmony is clear, crisp, and often basic. 68. Emotions are less evident, the work progresses in a detached manner. 69. It is the hope of the artist to emotionally engage the audience. 70. Phrase lengths may be uneven if the work calls for it. 71. Form is clearly outlined, and the work carefully follows it. 71. The artwork is more generic, and not as much a statement from the artist. 73. The artwork is a direct communication from the artist, and reaches out to you. BONUS: On the answer sheet, choose one of the following topics and write an essay-style answer. 1. The life of Richard Wagner 2. The story being told in Vivaldi s Spring concerto 3. The significance of John Cage s 4 33 to you 4. The greatest piece of music ever written
Answer Sheet and Part V Name 1. 21. 41. 61. 2. 22. 42. 62. 3. 23. 43. 63. 4. 24. 44. 64. 5. 25. 45. 65. 6. 26. 46. 66. 7. 27. 47. 67. 8. 28. 48. 68. 9. 29. 49. 69. 10. 30. 50. 70. 11. 31. 51. 71. 12. 32. 52. 72. 13. 33. 53. 73. 14. 34. 54. 15. 35. 55. 16. 36. 56. 17. 37. 57. 18. 38. 58. 19. 39. 59. 20. 40. 60. V. True or False. Indicate if each statement is true or false. *BONUS - change each false statement to make it read true. 74. "Repetition, Variation, and Contrast" are terms used when studying the TIMBRE of a work. 75. A "romantic" sensibility stresses an awareness of form and balance. 76. The texture of a musical work will always remain constant all the way through. 77. The proper name of the instrument in front of the classroom is the piano. 78. Monophonic texture contains harmony. 79. When you hear a piece of music, timbre might not necessarily be present. 80. A shorter string length will produce a lower pitch than a longer string length. 81. The most common meter you will encounter in music is five. 82. Beethoven composed the melody for the Ride of the Valkyries. 83. The timbre of a work may be described as loud or soft, fast or slow. 84. Art music of the masters like Mozart and Beethoven does not center around a key. 85. The concertmaster is expected to improvise during a performance. 86. An orchestra contains mostly electronic instruments. 87. A symphony is a work for an instrumental soloist with an orchestra. 88. The Seasons is a set of operas that contains a total of one movement. 89. Music that is composed as program music cannot be interpreted as absolute music. 90. The synchronized bowings in the violin section are predetermined by the conductor. 91. The individual parts of a concerto (the chapters ) are called concertmasters.