MUS 293 Study Guide: Exam 1 PDF

MUS 293: Study Guide for Exam #1 FORMAT: The exam consists of c. 50 multiple-choice questions. Please bring to class a (fully charged!) laptop, tablet, or some other device since you’ll take the exam through Canvas. While taking the exam, you’re NOT allowed to access any other tabs/windows, notes, o...

MUS 293: Study Guide for Exam #1 FORMAT: The exam consists of c. 50 multiple-choice questions. Please bring to class a (fully charged!) laptop, tablet, or some other device since you’ll take the exam through Canvas. While taking the exam, you’re NOT allowed to access any other tabs/windows, notes, or other resources. The exam is based on the content of Unit I. Please review the following terms, genres, composers, etc. Fundamentals of Music review information relating to the realm of pitch; sharp/flat; half step/whole step; interval; octave; conjunct/disjunct, diatonic scale, tonal system, mode, major/minor; review pattern of whole/half steps for the major scale; how many total major scales are possible in the diatonic/tonal system? Total number of minor scales? Thus, total number of diatonic scales or keys? Modulation, chromatic note dynamics; review the dynamic markings from softest to loudest (pianissimo, piano, mezzo piano, mezzo forte, forte, fortissimo); crescendo, decrescendo; language used for these markings? review information related to the realm of rhythm/duration: beats, meter, bar lines, measures, tempo (also know the main tempo markings from slowest to fastest: adagio, andante, moderato, allegretto, allegro, presto)—language used for tempo markings? timbre/tone color: review the 4 main “families” or categories of instruments, also review the specific instruments covered in class and know which family they belong tos; what does pizzicato refer to? review different types of woodwind instruments (single-reeded, double-reeded, non-reeded); review the 2 different categories of percussion instruments and representative examples; which family of instruments dominates in an orchestra and why? melody/tune/theme; phrase, cadence, motive; musical form—and review how formal sections are labelled on both a small scale (for instance: a b a') and large scale (for example: A B A'); harmony, chord, triad, I chord, II chord, III chord, etc.; tonic, dominant; consonant/dissonant; cadences defined in light of harmony (e.g. if a cadence sounds open-ended, like a comma—what harmony has it ended on? If a cadence sounds closed off, like a period, what harmony has it ended on?) texture, monophony/monophonic, homophony/homophonic, polyphony/polyphonic, imitative versus non- imitative polyphony. Medieval Music approximately when did the Medieval period end? Musical traits of chant/plainchant as discussed in class? When did the first notated examples of polyphony appear and what was it called? Were these examples based on pre-existing chant melodies, or did they use only newly composed melodies? How did organum/polyphony evolve by c. 1200 (the time of Perotin)?—review the 3 developments discussed in class; in what specific context did Perotin work and have his music performed? Renaissance Music general time frame of Renaissance Period? Was this a period when only church music dominated, or had secular music also become prominent? What is a “musical mass”? What is a “movement” and how many movements constitute a musical mass? (Remember that it was the largest genre of music yet cultivated.) What musical texture is especially featured in a Josquin musical mass? (He was considered particularly adept at composing this texture.) What explains why Josquin called the musical mass discussed in class the “Pange lingua Mass”? Review important traits of the madrigal—the most important genre of secular music of the mid- to late-1500s. Will a madrigal adhere to only one musical texture? If not, why not? Baroque Music Know the general time frame for the Baroque period. Approximately when was opera invented? Contexts in which first performed? Approximately when did opera “go public” (i.e. performed in public theaters) and in what city? How did theaters try to attract audiences? (we discussed 2 main ways); what is a libretto? librettist? What does recitative sound like? Its function in opera? Typically accompanied by what? What is an aria? Its function of in opera? Typically accompanied by what? What is a basso continuo? Original nationality of Handel? Where did he spend most his life and why did he originally go to that other country? What kind of voice sang the heroic male role of Julius Caesar in his opera of that name? What famous female star singer did Handel recruit to his opera company and pay so well? (know her last name). Why did the English public eventually get tired of Italian opera?— reasons discussed in class? Title of the famous 1728 English play that satirized Italian opera? In what ways is an English oratorio like an opera? In what ways is it different? (and these differences also explain why it was more accessible to English audiences—please review); example of an oratorio discussed in class? What was the response of the British public on Handel's death—was he famous? ignored? Rise of instrumental genres in Baroque period (remember that this period represents the first time in the history of W. music that instrumental music became emphasized as much as vocal music). What is the difference between a solo concerto and a concerto grosso? What nationality was Vivaldi? City where he lived most of his life? How many movements did Vivaldi generally write for his concertos? Tempos? Did he favor the solo concerto or the concerto grosso? Remember that Vivaldi emphasized virtuosity in his concertos, especially in the solo parts (not necessarily the case in concertos by other Baroque composers). What was the original function of the institutions known as ospedale? And how did this function change in the Baroque? (four of these institutions changed function; Vivaldi worked at one of these). And why were these four institutions significant in the history of Western music?