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MADE FOR 2015 EXAM
Section A: Unprepared Western Repertoire [16 marks]
Extracts from two works which may be instrumental and/or vocal selected from the
Baroque, Classical and Romantic periods and the Twentieth Century. In addition to questions
on the areas listed above, candidates may also be required to identify the period and/or
suggest a possible composer.
Section B: World Music [22 marks]
Extracts from three pieces of music. Two of the pieces (6 marks each) will be selected from
Latin American, Chinese, Indian, Indonesian and Japanese traditions. In addition to questions
on the areas listed above, candidates will also be required to identify the possible
continent/country of origin. The third piece (10 marks) will be taken from the World Focus
prescribed each year from the non-Western music traditions.
World Focus for examination in 2015: Arab Music and the Music of Africa
Candidates are expected to identify the principal instruments of the region, but will not
need to distinguish between similar sounding instruments – the list below makes this clear.
They will be expected to identify the textures and structure of the music, but will not need
to identify specific scales or rhythmic cycles. The recordings used in the examination will be
unprepared, but all questions will be based on the information given in the source text.
Candidates must be able to identify following instruments: mbira (equal credit will be given
for ubo, sansa and likembe), kora, rabab , ‘ud , qanun , nay, drums, talking drums, un-tuned
percussion, xylophone, voice.
Candidates should be aware of the texture and structure of the music – the importance of
rhythm, and the use of song structures such as ‘call-and-response’. Candidates should
understand and be able to use the terms maqam, ajan, ıqa, but will not be expected to
identify specific types of each.
Section C: Skeleton Score [16 marks]
A single extract with skeleton score. In addition to questions on the areas listed above,
candidates will be expected to undertake simple rhythmic and/or melodic dictation. They
will also be required to identify the period of the music and/or to suggest the name of a
likely composer.
Section D: Set Work [16 marks]
Candidates are expected to have prepared one Set Work.For their chosen work, candidates
will hear two extracts (played twice). A skeleton score of the extracts will be provided in the
question paper. Candidates will be expected to answer questions on any aspect of the music
in the extract (whether or not it is shown in the skeleton score); there may also be questions
on the music which comes before or after the extract itself.
Arab Music and Music of Africa –World Focus (2015)
Arabian Music
Tuned Instruments:
Rabāb: Bowed string (lute) Instrument
‘Ūd: Plucked String Instrument with plectrum
Qānūn: Plucked String Instruments. Sounds like a harp. No pitch bending
Nāy: Flute (blown) // Technique: bilabial blowing
Untuned Percussion instruments:
Doumbec (aka darbuka, derbeki or tabla): drum struck by hands or fingers
Finger Cymbals (aka sagat or zills) : sound produced by striking cymbals together
Tar: (aka wooden frame drum or duff) : Struck with fingers or full hand
Tambourine (aka daff or riqq): Wooden with 5 sets of cymbals
Arabian Music Features: microtonal or quarter notes (shown using half flat sign or
half-sharp sign , lack of harmony, short repeating motifs, ornamentation, pitch
bending, heterophony, rhythmic cycles, highly rhythmic, narrow pitch range, callresponse, small range of notes
Keywords
Īqā- rhythmic cycles
maqām- equivalent of western scale (Arab Scale consist of two octaves)
ajān – diwan (each octave), that is divided into half-octaves (ajāns), melodies usually
composed using only one ajān.
Music of Africa
African Instruments:
Mbria: Thumb Piano (Sound produced by Plucking metal pieces and vibrations)
Kora: Plucking strings (type of harp)
Talking Drums: Sounds like a drum that talks (A* right there), pitches change by
changing the tension of strings
Xylophone: Played by striking mallets onto wood
Voice: Usually has solo with ensemble (call and response)
Technique: Ululate (howling /wailing)
Un-tuned Percussion:
Djembe (played with hands- slap/tone/bass. Damp: placing hand on drum
Dundun: played with stick
Gourd (Shekere/Shaker): covered with beads, played by shaking or hitting
Kagan: Played with sticks
African Music Features: Voices sing in harmony (usually A Capella), Above
percussion/drum part, There is a solo voice singing independently, call and response
(a song structure that is repeated many times – for both drum ensembles and
singing) , based on rhythmic cycle (where certain notes are accented), polyrhythm,
cross-rhythm, syncopation, close harmony, use of percussion, master drummer (sets
tempo, cues other drummers, signals new sections, keeps tempo) .Sometimes use
pentatonic scale.
**Call and Response: Often improvised and spontaneous
Unprepared Listening
Rudiments
Standard European staff notation including:
Dynamic: Volume of Sound
From Loudest to softest: Fortissimo (ff) Forte(f) , Mezzo Forte (mf), Mezzo Piano
(mp), Piano (p), Pianissimo (pp)
Tempo: Speed of piece
From Quickest to Slowest: Presto, Vivace, Allegro, Allegreto, Moderato, Andante,
Largo
Expression markings:
Rallentando, Ritando, Accelerando, Rubato, Crescendo, Diminuendo
Simple ornaments:
Trills: Playing note and note above alternatively
Mordent: Note Written  Note Above(Upper),
Below(Lower)  Note Written (CDC/ CBC) //
With Line = Lower Mordent
Turn: Note above, Note Written, Note Below,
Note Written DCBC/BCDC
Acciaccatura: Crush note, played as fast as
possible (Grace Notes)
Appoggiatura: leans on main note (takes part of
value) (Grace Notes)
Articulation signs : Staccato, Tenuto, Tie, Slur, Marcato , Fermata
Clefs: Treble, Bass and Alto
**Alto Clef – Middle C is in third line
Key Signature: up to 4 sharps and 4 flats in major and minor keys
Time Signature: to indicate metre (e.g. 3/4 , 4/4, 6/8)
Intervals: major, minor and perfect intervals (Perfect 4th or 5th)
Melody and Rhythm
Scales: Major, Minor –flattened third (natural/harmonic/melodic), Chromatic (12
note scale including all semitones),Whole Tone (Intervals separated by a whole tone)
Pentatonic (5 notes)
Melodic movement :ascending or descending by step (notes next to each other) or
leap(notes that have and interval of a third or more)
Phrasing: grouping of music notes
Call and Response: usually used in African music where there are two distinct
phrases played by different groups- the secondary phrase is usually a response or an
echo. In African Music: it could be seen as the master drummer (solo) playing the
first phrase and the other people playing the second.
Metre:
Duple: 2/4 (Simple), 6/8 (Compound)
Triple: 3/4 (Simple), 9/8 (Compound)
Irregular: 5/8 , 5/4, 7/8 , 7/4
Rhythmic Devices:
Syncopation: notes played off beat
Swing (rhythm): Style of Jazz usually for dance bands. (Long Short, Long
Short) See left for image
Polyrhythm: two or more rhythms with differences pulses are heard together
(2 against 3)
Harmony
Primary chords: I, IV, and V(7)
In key of C
I: C,E,G
IV:F,A,C
V(7) :G,B,D,F
Secondary chords: II and VI.
Cadences:
Perfect: V to I
Imperfect: Anything to V (Unfinished)
Plagal: IV to I (A-men/Hymns)
Interrupted cadences: V to VI
Modulations to related keys:
Modulation: Changing Key
dominant (5th e.g. from C to G)
subdominant (4th e.g. from C to F)
relative minor (e.g. C major to A minor)
major (e.g. A minor to C major)
Difference between relative minor and relative major: 4 semitones apart (counting
both original note and ending note e.g. A, A♯, B, C – and vice versa
Ensembles and instruments/voices
Western ensembles and Instruments
Orchestras: Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion (** you need to know nearly ALL
common orchestra instruments)
Strings: Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, Harp
Woodwinds: Piccolo, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Saxophone, Saxophone
Brass: Cornet, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, Tuba
Percussion: Timpani (aka Kettle Drums) , Xylophone (or Marimba), Glockenspiel,
Triangle, Cymbals, Suspended Cymbals, Snare Drum, Triangle, Tambourine, Maracas,
Chimes, Gongs, Tubular Bells, Wood Block etcetc.
** When reading orchestral scores – each section is separated with { and its
arranged from highest to lowest.
Jazz bands: consist of melody section(trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone) and
rhythm section (piano, banjo, (double) bass or tuba and drums)
Other Jazz Instruments: Cornet, Guitar, Conga
Choirs: group of singers. Voices: highest to lowest - Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
Chamber ensembles: classical music composed for small group of instruments
(usually only strings)
Keyboard Instruments: Piano (strings are struck- classical on wards), harpsichord
(strings are plucked -baroque), organ (wind keyboard instrument – Baroque)
Gamelan (ensemble) from Indonesia: ** note you don’t need to know these
instruments
Saron (metallaphone), Gender (bronze key xylophone), Gambang (xylophone), Rebab
(Fiddle), Kendang (Drum), Suling (bamboo flute)
Sounds really metallic, Lots of repetition, Variations in tempo, 4 beats a bar,
heterophony texture
Arabic and African:
Features and Instruments: See Above
Indian Music: bansuri (bamboo flute) sitar (Indian guitar), sārangī (bowed string
instrument), tablā (Indian drums)
Features: Lots of ornaments, Drone, Meend = Sliding/Bending, Bhangra
Chinese Music: Chi’in (sounds relatively low), dizi (bamboo flute) erh-hu (bowed
violin)
Japanese Music: Shakuhachi (bamboo flute), Koto (Chinese Chi’in –sounds
higher),Shō (reed instrument with bamboo pipe, sound produced by vibrations and
air blown into mouthpiece)
Features: Through Composed (no repetition of sections), small number of
instruments, no percussion, melody plus flowing accompaniment, pentatonic scale
often used
Latin America:
Bandoneon (Accordian), Panpipes (sliding - Pentatonic), Charango (Higher and
smaller than guitar- sounds like ukulele), Guitar
Features: Guitars, Melody Doubled(in thirds) , Repeated Phrases, Lively Tempo,
Mariachi Music, use of staccato, melody gets quicker
Syncopation, Ostinato, Polyrhythm
Un-tuned percussion instruments ** just for reference (don’t need to know)
Latin America: Guiro, Congas, Bongos, Cabasa, Maracas, Claves, Timbales, Agogo
Bells
Africa: Gourd (Shaker), Djembe
Gamelan: Kendang
Japanese: Taiko/Kakko
Chinese: Luo (gongs), Bo (Cymbals), Dagu (Big Drum), Muyu (Temple Block), Bangzi
(Woodblock), Yun Luo (Cloud Gongs) ** Just for reference – you don’t need to know
them
Instrumental Effects and/or vocal effects:
Arco: played on stringed instrument using bow
Pizzicato: plucking of strings with finger
Glissando: a continuous slide (upward or downward) between two notes.
Tremolo: quick repetition of a note
Harmonics: an overtone accompanying a fundamental tone at a fixed interval
Double stopping: the sounding of two strings at once on a violin or similar bowed
instrument
Strumming: playing notes sweeping across strings
Pitch bending: aka Portamento, Pitch Sliding
Mute: muffling the sound
Roll: sustained, rapid alternation of single or double strokes of each stick.
Melisma: a group of notes sung to one syllable of text (pic on left)
Structure:
Binary: AB, usually contrasting, in relative modulations
Ternary: ABA1 (Second A section has variation). Minuet and Trio is both in ternary
form.
Rondo: Theme – Contrasting episode- theme contrasting episode….theme. Baroque
composers wrote in Ritornellos
Theme and Variations: Theme with variations following. Possible Variations: Adding
Notes to melody, Changing rhythm etc.
Ground Bass: Repeated bass part with variations built on top. Passacaglia (Baroque)
/ Chaconne: repeated chord patterned bass.
Compositional Devices
Repetition: repeating passage/note/sequence
Imitation: imitation of a phrase/melody usually in another part at different pitch
Sequence: repetition of phrase/melody at higher or lower pitch
Canon: piece where same melody starts at different points, imitations will overlap
Inversion: triad inversion: root, first, second or inversion of a phrase (upside down)
Ostinato: continuous repeated phrase or rhythm
Drone: continuous sustained music note of a low pitch
Alberti bass: Broken Chord Accompaniment Figure used in mainly Classical Music
Pedal: Sustained note usually by a bass part. Either tonic or dominant.
Tonic (Note of Key : e.g. in C major: C)
Dominant (5th note: e.g. in C major: G)
Contrary motion: Movement of two melody lines in opposite direction
Texture
Melody and Accompaniment: Homophonic
Homophonic: Clear Melodic line with accompaniment
Polyphonic: aka Contrapuntal, Polyphony, Counterpoint…More than one melody at
the same time.
Monophonic: Single melody line no harmony. Can only have rhythmic
accompaniment (unturned)
Heterphonic: Different versions of same melody that is decorated
Parallel Motion: two parts move in same direction with the same interval.
Style:
Baroque (1600-1700)
Features: Harpsichord, basso continuo, cello, organ, polyphonic texture, balanced
phrases, clear rhythm and constant tempo and metre
Compositional Devices: repetition, sequence, imitation
Composers: Bach, Handel, Purcell, Vivaldi
Classical (1750-1830)
Features: Regular Phrases, Simple Harmony, Scalic Passages, Relatively small
orchestra, usually homophonic texture, string-based orchestra, small woodwind
section, use of only timpani (in percussion section), diatonic harmony (clear
cadences)
Composers: Mozart, Haydn, Clementi
Romantic (1815-1910)
Features: Large/symphony orchestra with varied percussion, long
sweeping/expressive melodies, use of chromaticism, rubato/fluctuations in the
tempo, use of brass, melodic material shared around the orchestra, lots of
modulation and tempo changes
Composers: Tchaikovsky ,Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Brahms
20th Century (1900-2000)
Impressionism: (SOUNDS NICER! )
Features: Whole-tone scale, chromaticism, pentatonic scales, modes, abrupt
modulations, unclear melodies (creating sense and atmosphere), blurred harmonies
Composers: Debussy, Ravel
Neo-Classism: (Neo: New)
Features: Basic forms and ideals of Classical Period, Ostinato, Tonal Progressions,
Traditional Harmonic, Dissonant Chords, Polyrhythms, Step-wise and angular
melodies, older forms and dance styles
Composers: Stravinsky, Hindemith, Ravel, Prokofiev
Jazz:
Features: Sad mood, slow tempo, AAB Structure, 12 bar blue chord sequence, 7th
chords, blue notes, sliding/bending
Syncopation, Use of blue notes/scales, Triplets
Composers: Gershwin/Louis Armstrong/Duke Ellington
Minimalism: Repetitive Patterns that change gradually
Features: Layers of ostinato, Diatonic Harmony (notes belonging to key), steady
beat, single rhythm (use same rhythm throughout), polyrhythm, static
instrumentation and harmony, phasing (two instruments playing same part at
different tempos), additive process, looping (where sound is repeated throughout
the song, broken chords
Genre:
Opera: a dramatic work in one or more acts set to music for singers and
instrumentalists.
Oratorio: a large-scale, usually narrative musical work for orchestra and voices,
typically on a sacred theme, performed without costume, scenery, or action
Recitative: sung in the rhythm of ordinary speech with many words on the same
note (speech like)
Aria: a long accompanied song for a solo voice, typically one in an opera or oratorio.
Chorus: large group of singers performs with an orchestra or opera company.
Musical: a play or film in which singing and dancing play an essential part. Musicals
developed from light opera in the early 20th century. Dialogue
Symphony: an elaborate musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four
movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata form. Typically in Classical
or Romantic Period
Concerto: a musical composition for a solo instrument or instruments accompanied
by an orchestra, especially one conceived on a relatively large scale.
String Quartet: a chamber music ensemble consisting of first and second violins,
viola, and cello.
Sonata a composition for an instrumental soloist, often with a piano
accompaniment, typically in several movements with one or more in sonata form.
March: 4/4 time signature, clear/strong beat, lively tempo, regular phrase length,
repetition of themes, use of brass, fan-fare like
Waltz: 3/4 time signature, strong first beat, fast tempo, 1 in a bar, strong lyrical
melody, oom cha cha style accompaniment, regular phrases, strong first beat,
distinct sections with new melodies.
Minuet and Trio: 3/4 time signature, moderate tempo, ternary (ABA) structure, final
Da Capo section, contrasting trio section