Download Musical excerpt #1 - Music 124: The Art of Listening

SPRING 2015 MUSIC 124: MIDTERM
Thursday, March 5, 2015
ABOUT THE EXAM
This exam will cover:
Part I: Materials of Music
Part 2: Medieval and Renaissance Music
Part 3: The Baroque Era
There will be 2 components to the exam: a written section and a listening section. I will
play the listening examples only once.
LISTENING SECTION
Listen and study the following listening examples in order to answer test questions. The
questions below are actual test questions from exams I have given in the past.
 Britten: The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
-listen for the 4 main instrument families and some individual
instrument sections
 Hildegard of Bingen: Alleluia, O virga mediatrix
-what characteristics of Medieval music are displayed?
- what kind of music is this? And how do you know that?
-In what language is this sung?
-secular or sacred music?
-can you tell me anything about the composer?
 Machaut: Puis qu’en oubli
-what characteristics of Medieval music are displayed?
- what kind of music is this? And how do you know that?
-In what language is this sung? What is the meaning of the text?
-secular or sacred music?
-can you tell me anything about the composer?
-harmony: using intervals of 4ths and 5ths instead of 3rds (organum)
-the new blossoming of secular music (language, subject matter of text)
 Palestrina: Pope Marcellus Mass, Gloria
-what characteristics of Renaissance music are displayed?
- what kind of music is this? And how do you know that?
-In what language is this sung?
-secular or sacred music?
-can you tell me anything about the composer?
 Farmer: Fair Phyllis
-what characteristics of Renaissance music are displayed?
-what kind of music is this? And how do you know that?
-In what language is this sung?
-secular or sacred music?
-can you tell me anything about the composer?
-talk about the WORD PAINTING in this piece of music
 Purcell: Dido and Aeneas
1. Prelude and Chorus
2. Recitative: “Thy hand, Belinda”
3. Dido’s Lament
-can you distinguish between the 3 sections?
-these 3 selections are from an opera. One is a chorus, one is a recitative, one is an
aria. Do you know what those three components of an opera are??
 Bach: “Little” Fugue in g minor (not found in textbook—use
youtube)
-characteristics of Baroque mu sic
-fugue: what is it? Parts of? How do you listen to it?
-biography of J.S. Bach
-can you follow the subject throughout the entire fugue
-the keyboard instruments of the Baroque Era
Sample Listening questions:
Musical excerpt #1
1) Title and composer:
2) Era:
3) Sacred or Secular:
4) List 3 musical details in this excerpt that are indicative of this particular era.
5) What is this type of music called?
Musical excerpt #2
Is this sacred or secular music?
What musical clues helped you to determine whether this was sacred or secular?
What instrument did this composer play?
What instrument do you hear in this example?
Musical excerpt #3
For what voice type is this written?
Circle the 3 words that match this excerpt:
Mass
Aria
Madrigal
Latin
Cantata
Fugue
Oratorio
Sacred
WRITTEN SECTION
Below are sample questions from past exams.
List the 8 Elements of Music
List the 4 families of instruments
List the instrumentation of a string quartet:
Define the term word painting: Please use complete sentences.
List the dates of the Middle Ages
List the dates of the Renaissance
List the dates of the Baroque Era
Name 2 significant composers from each Era
Which European country plays the most important role in the Renaissance
Answer the following questions in essay form:
What is a da capo aria? Describe its overall form.
List the 3 parts of a fugue.
Dates of the Baroque Era
_____________ - _____________
2. Name a keyboard instrument of the Baroque Era:
_______________________________
3. What are some musical characteristics of Baroque Music?
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. What is the main melody of a fugue called? the __________________
5. Tell me a little bit about the great composer, J.S. Bach. (What was his nationality?
What instrument did he play? What was his personal life like? What was his job? What
kind of music did he specialize in writing? ) This question is worth 2 points. It must be
answered in a formal style: proper grammar, complete sentences, and with clearly stated
facts.
Midterm Vocabulary & Concepts
Chapter 1:
Melody
Range
Conjuct vs Disjunct
Phrases
Chapter 2:
Rhythm
Meter (duple, triple)
Syncopation
Nonmetric
Polyrhythms
Chapter 3:
Harmony
Major vs Minor
Chords
Dissonance vs Consonance
Chapter 4:
SKIP
Chapter 5:
Texture
Monophonic vs polyphonic
Imitations, rounds (canon)
Chapter 6:
Form
Binary (AB)
Ternary (ABA)
Theme, Improvisations
Chapter 7:
Tempo
Allegro / Moderato / Adagio
Dynamics
Forte vs piano
Chapter 8:
Timbre/Tone Color
Voice Types: soprano, alto, tenor, bass
Chapter 9:
Name the 4 Instrument Families
Woodwinds, Brass, Strings, Percussion
List specific instruments & to which family do they belong?
Chapter 10:
Chapter 11:
Chamber Music
Standard Chamber Ensemble Instrumentation
String quartet
Piano quintet
Brass Quintet
Orchestra Seating Chart (p.56)
Sacred music vs. Secular music
The musical styles in history and their dates
Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque
Prelude 2:
Patronage
Dates of the Middle Ages
Characterstics of the Era (both general and musical)
Chapter 12:
Gregorian chant
Melismas
Hildegard of Bingen
Polyphony
Chapter 13:
Minstrels, troubadours, minnesingers
Secular music of the middle ages
Chanson
The use of the VERNACULAR
Instruments of the Middle Ages: bas vs. haut (soft vs. loud)
Chapter 14:
a cappella singing
Imitation
The Renaissance Mass
Giovanni Palestrina
Chapter 15:
Life and music in secular Renaissance
Italian Madrigals
English Madrigals
Word painting!
Prelude 3:
Baroque Era characteristics (general and musical and dates)
Rise of virtuosity, ornamentation, the highly ornate, motoric rhythm
Chapter 16:
The components of opera
Libretto/librettist
Purcell and “Dido and Aeneas”
Chapter 17:
SKIP
Chapter 18:
SKIP
Chapter 19:
SKIP
Chapter 20:
Baroque Keyboard Instruments: organ, harpsichord
FUGUE! What is a fugue? What are the components?(subject, answer,
countersubject)
J.S. Bach biography