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Trivia: Musical Terms

Subject : trivia
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
  • If you are not ready to take this test, you can study here.
  • Match each statement with the correct term.
  • Don't refresh. All questions and answers are randomly picked and ordered every time you load a test.

This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. An extended solo - often accompanying the vocal part of an aria.






2. Arranging a piece of music for an orchestra. Also - the study of music.






3. Music that is written and performed without regard to any specific key.






4. Music written to be sung or played in unison.






5. Atonal and violent style used as a means of evoking heightened emotions and states of mind.






6. A mild glissando between two notes for an expressive effect.






7. Repetition of a single tone.






8. A lighthearted piece - written in several movements - usually as background music for a social function.






9. Word to indicate that the movement or entire composition is to be played grandly.






10. Groups of tones that are harmonious when sounded together as in a chord.






11. A quick 20th century dance written in double time.






12. A short light musical drama.






13. Two or more voices or instruments playing the same note simultaneously.






14. To shift to another key.






15. A numeric symbol in sheet music determining the number of beats to a measure.






16. A composition written for three to six voices. Beginning with the exposition - each voice enters at different times - creating counterpoint with one another.






17. Pertains to tone or tones.






18. A symbol indicating that the note is to be diminished by one semitone.






19. A symbol in sheet music a direction to play energetically.






20. Written for 2 to 10 solo parts featuring one instrument to a part. Each part bears the same importance.






21. Lowest female singing voice.






22. Harsh - discordant - and lack of harmony. Also a chord that sounds incomplete until it resolves itself on a harmonious chord.






23. Pertaining to the sonata form - a fast movement in triple time.






24. Often used in overtures - a composition that uses passages from other movements of the composition in its entirety.






25. A style of singing which is characterized by the easy and flowing tone of the composition.






26. To hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer.






27. Pertains to tone or tones.






28. The unit of musical rhythm.






29. A composition whose style is simple and idyllic; suggestive of rural scenes.






30. Tone color - quality of sound that distinguishes one verse or instrument to another. It is determined by the harmonies of sound.






31. A piece of music written for two vocalists or instrumentalists.






32. An extended cantata on a sacred subject.






33. A sequence of chords that brings an end to a phrase - either in the middle or the end of a composition.






34. Three to four movement orchestral piece - generally in sonata form.






35. Male singers who were castrated to preserve their alto and soprano vocal range.






36. Singing or chanting in unison without strict rhythm. Collected during the Reign of Pope Gregory VIII for psalms and other other parts of the church service.






37. Pertaining to the sonata form - a fast movement in triple time.






38. Singing or chanting in unison without strict rhythm. Collected during the Reign of Pope Gregory VIII for psalms and other other parts of the church service.






39. Refers to any great composer - conductor - or teacher of music.






40. 3 or 4 notes played simultaneously in harmony.






41. A symbol indicating the note is to be raised by one semitone.






42. A scale consisting of only whole-tone notes. Such a scale consists of only 6 notes.






43. A set of four musicians who perform a composition written for four parts.






44. To hold a tone or rest held beyond the written value at the discretion of the performer.






45. A contrapuntal song written for at least three voices - usually without accompaniment.






46. The retuning of a stringed instrument in order to play notes below the ordinary range of the instrument or to produce an usual tone color.






47. Slow and stately dance music written in triple time.






48. A composition written for eight instruments.






49. The unit of measure where the beats on the lines of the staff are divided up into two - three - four beats to a measure.






50. The interval between two notes. Three whole tones and one semitone make up the distance between the two notes.