Introduction to Music History and Literature – MUL 2014 (Fall 2009) - Warfield

Review Sheet # 1 - Music Terminology

This review sheet covers materials presented in Forney & Machlis, Enjoyment of Music, Units I & II (Chapters 1-10), which will be tested on the first test in MUL 2014 on Friday, 18 September 2009.

The following terms in boldface (as well as a few concepts not specifically listed, but indicated in these review questions) will form your basic vocabulary for discussing and describing music. You should know all of these terms, including their (1) spelling, (2) definition, and (3) be able to use them correctly in speaking and writing about music.

Dictionary definitions may be found in the glossary section of your textbook or in the glossary section of the publisher-sponsored web site (for each chapter) that supports your textbook.

    GENERAL POINTS

  1. Know the definition of music, and know the four parameters of sound (duration/rhythm, pitch/frequency, volume/dynamics and timbre/tone color) and how changes in them are described. Understand the difference between objective and subjective descriptions of sound and music.

    2. Chapter 1

  2. What is a melody (three small parts to the definition) and what are the three basic characteristics of any melody (how do you describe melodies)?
  3. What is a phrase, what is a cadence, and how are they important in describing a melody?

    4. CHAPTER 2

  4. In dealing with rhythm, what is the beat (or pulse) in a piece of music?
  5. What is an accent, and how do accents mark off measures?
  6. What is a meter, and what does it mean when a meter is either duple or triple? What are simple and compound meters, and what is the difference between these two types?
  7. What is polyrhythm, what is syncopation and why might either of these make it difficult to hear the meter?
  8. What does it mean when a piece of music is nonmetrical?

    9. CHAPTER 3

  9. What is harmony, especially in its broadest meaning?
  10. What is an interval (also discussed in Chapter 1), and what is special about the interval of an octave?
  11. What is a chord (my definition), and what is a triad? (Know the difference between these two concepts.)
  12. What are the tonic, dominant, and subdominant triads (or harmonies)?
  13. What is a scale, and what two types of scales are used in most Western music of the past 4 centuries? What is the difference between diatonic and chromatic scales? What is modulation?
  14. What is tonality, and how are the concepts of a tonic and key related to that concept?
  15. What are consonance and dissonance, and how are they related to one another?

    16. CHAPTER 4

  16. In music, what is texture and how might it be described?
  17. What are the differences between a monophonic texture (monophony or unison) and a polyphonic texture (polyphony)?
  18. What is counterpoint, what is homophony (or a homorhythmic texture), and how are they special kinds of polyphony?
  19. What is imitation, what is a canon (or round), and how are these two textures (slightly) different from one another (and other textures, as well)?
  20. What is heterophony and how is it different from either monophony or polyphony?

    21. CHAPTER 5

  21. What is form, and what are the three basic elements or ways for creating form?
  22. What are strophic form, binary form, and ternary form? How might each be described or diagrammed?
  23. What do the terms theme, motive, and sequence mean?
  24. What are call and response and ostinato?

    25. CHAPTER 6

  25. To what aspect of rhythm does tempo refer, and what are some of the basic indications of tempo (know: grave, largo, adagio, andante, moderato, allegro, vivace, and presto)? [textbook, p. 33]
  26. What are the three basic terms used to describe dynamics and what is their relationship to one another? (How are they combined to indicate specific levels of loudness?) What terms refer to increases or decreases in volume?

    27. CHAPTER 7

  27. What is timbre (or tone color)? What are some of the most general types of timbres?
  28. What are the 4 standard vocal ranges and their order from highest to lowest registers?
  29. What are the four basic categories in the Sachs-Hornbostel classification of musical instruments? In general, how does each family make sound, and what are some examples of each family? [know at least 3-4 of each]

    30. CHAPTER 8

  30. What are the four Western families of musical instruments? In general, how does each family make sound, and what are the 4-5 most important examples of each family?
  31. How do the Western categories relate to those of hte Hornbostel-Sachs system?
  32. What are some other instruments that do not fit so easily into the established families?

    33. CHAPTER 9

  33. What are a chorus and a choir, and what difference(s) might exist between these two ensembles?
  34. What are the differences between an orchestra, a band, and chamber ensembles? Which require a conductor, and what does a conductor do?

    35. CHAPTER 10

  35. What is meant by style in the description of music? What factors might affect, determine, or control style?
  36. What do the terms genre and medium describe, and how is that different from form?
  37. What is oral transmission?
  38. How are historical periods determined, and what is the relevance of these divisions to musical style?