This exam is out of a total of 158 points.

This exam assesses your knowledge of

the arts, from music, to visual arts, to
theatre, how they relate to each other
and other disciplines.

Name __________________________

General Music
Final Exam

Date ________________

I.

True or False (1 pt. each)

Directions: Read each statement carefully. Write True (T) or False (F) in the blank provided.

1.

______________

Music is sound organized through time.

2.

______________

The Medieval Period of music spanned from 450-1450 B.C.

3.

______________

A whole note gets two beats.

4.

______________

Stephen Sondheim wrote the music and lyrics to West Side Story.

5.

______________

The harpsichord was the main keyboard instrument in the Baroque Period.

6.

______________

Mozart composed music during the Romantic Period.

7.

______________

Space is the area between, around, above, below, or within objects.

8.

______________

A whole rest gets four beats of silence.

9.

______________

The 5/4 time signature has 6 beats in each measure.

10.

______________

Most musical terms are written in Italian.

11.

______________

Pizzicato means to pluck the strings.

12.

______________

Beethoven was born deaf, but still continued to compose music in spite of
his hearing loss.

13.

______________

Haydns Symphony No. 94 is nicknamed the Surprise Symphony.

14.

______________

An increase of tempo means an increase in volume as well.

15.

______________

The orchestra emerged during the Baroque Period.

16.

______________

Beethovens Symphony No. 5 is an example of theme and variation.

17.

______________

Program symphonies include voices and lyrics.

18.

______________

The music in the Romantic Period is all about love and romance.

19.

______________

The lightness and darkness of a color is the value.

20.

______________

Dialogue is a dramatic speech or song delivered by one character in a play.

II.

Definitions (1 pt. each)

Directions: Match the correct definition with the appropriate term listed below.

____ 1.

Written for two violins, a viola, and a cello.

____ 2.

A note that gets three beats.

____ 3.

A gradual decrease in dynamics.

____ 4.

A fixed melodic idea that recurs throughout all movements of a symphony.

____ 5.

The rate of speed in music.

____ 6.

Music created with a specific national identity, folk songs, dances, and history of homelands.

____ 7.

A shape having three dimensions height, width, and depth.

____ 8.

Music that is sung, without instrumental accompaniment.

____ 9.

Ordered flow of music through time; the pattern of durations of notes and silences of music.

____ 10.

The actual roughness or smoothness of a surface or the illusion thereof.

____ 11.

The spoken lines of a play or musical show.

____ 12.

Assigning syllabic name to a specific note of the scale; an early version of solfege.

____ 13.

Religious music, mostly sung in the church.

____ 14.

Simple instruments that make a sound by being struck, scraped, or shaken.

____ 15.

Instruments that produce a sound through a vibrating column of air.

____ 16.

A basic musical idea that is repeated over and over and is changed each time.

____ 17.

Tells how many beats are in each measure and which note gets the beat.

____ 18.

The distinct tonal quality of an instrument or voice, which is clearly identifiable by the ear;
also known as tone color.

____ 19.

An inventory of compositions mastered and performed by a musician.

____ 20.

Tells how loud or soft music should be played.

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

sacred
dialogue
a cappella
aerophones
time signature
timbre
string quartet
tempo
decrescendo
repertoire

k.
l.
m.
n.
o.
p.
q.
r.
s.
t.

form
dynamics
solmization
dotted half note
ide fixe
rhythm
texture
nationalism
idiophones
theme and variation

III. Short Answer (2 pts. each)

Directions: Read the question or statement carefully and write the answer in the blank provided.
1.

Write the Italian words to describe the following piece of music:

Tempo:
Starts fast and gradually gets very slow.
Dynamics:
Starts very soft and gradually gets very loud.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2.

What is the Classical Period also known as? _______________________________________

3.

What period of music spanned one thousand years? _________________________________

4.

Describe how this piece of art fits with Schuberts art song The Erlking:
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

5.

Draw a crescendo: _____________________ Draw a decrescendo: ____________________

6.

Explain the difference between an opera and a musical. ______________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

7.

In what period of music did the orchestra evolve? ___________________________________

8.

In an orchestra typically consisting of 60-80 players, what instrument family will you see most
of? __________________ Why? ________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

9.

How does this picture of an English garden resemble the music and art in the Classical
Period?

_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________

10.

Describe the difference between monophonic and monologue. _________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

11.

What period of music was the printing press invented? _______________________________

Explain why the printing press was of importance to composers? _______________________
___________________________________________________________________________

12.

Composers were treated like servants up until the Classical Period. Explain why. __________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

13.

Describe the difference between an anthropologist and an ethnomusicologist. _____________

___________________________________________________________________________

14.

Name the five instrument classification categories: __________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

15.

Define jazz and list at least three specific styles, describing what each is. _________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
IV.

Composers (2 pts. each)

Directions: Answer the following questions or statements based off composers and their
compositions.

1.

He developed the symphony and string quartet. ___________________________________

2.

He was the first known composer to write music with two or more voices. _________________

3.

This composer was a child prodigy, among the most versatile of all composers, known for his
ground breaking operas such as Don Giovanni and The Magic Flute. ____________________

4.

How many symphonies did Haydn compose in total? ________________

5.

This composer wrote many fugues for the organ and harpsichord in the Baroque Period.
__________________________

6.

He started experiencing signs of deafness at age 29 but still continued to compose music in
spite of his hearing loss. ___________________________________

7.

Why is Frederic Chopin known today as the poet of the piano? ________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

8.

Describe the important significance of the fourth movement in Beethovens Symphony No. 9.
___________________________________________________________________________

9.

What symphonic masterpiece in five movements by Hector Berlioz is a program symphony?

____________________________________________

10.

Explain why Haydns Symphony No. 94 is nicknamed the Surprise Symphony. ___________
___________________________________________________________________________

11.

What type of songs, passed down from generation to generation, did Copland incorporate
into his music? _______________________

12.

What jazz clarinet player is known today as the King of Swing? _______________________

13.

Why is Rhapsody in Blue considered to be one of George Gershwins most famous pieces?
___________________________________________________________________________

14.

What composers most famous scores include Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods, and Company?
______________________________________

15.

What piano work by Claude Debussy means moonlight? _____________________________

V.

Musicals (2 pts. each)

Directions: Answer the following questions based on the musicals West Side Story and Into the
Woods.

In West Side Story:

1.

Romeo is ____________________________.

2.

Juliet is ______________________________.

3.

The Montagues and Capulets are the ______________ and the _______________.

4.

The music was written by ___________________________________.

5.

The lyrics were written by ___________________________________.

In Les Miserables:
6.

The music was written by ___________________________________.

7.

The lyrics were written by ___________________________________.

8.

It was based on the book by ___________________________________.

9.

Two of the characters in the musical are ______________________________

and ____________________________________.

20 points
10.

Describe how musicals include every aspect of the arts (visual art, theatre/acting, music
instrumental and vocal, and dance). Make references to West Side Story and Les Miserables
when appropriate. ____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

VI.

Perceptive Listening (2 pts. each)

Directions: Listen to the piece and determine the stylistic period and composer.

Period:
Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
20th Century

1.

Composers:
Bach
Beethoven
Berlioz
Copland
Haydn

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

2.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

3.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

4.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

5.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

6.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

7.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

8.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

9.

Period: _______________________
Composer: ____________________

10.

Period: _______________________

Mozart
Orff
Schoenberg
Schubert
Weelkes

Composer: ____________________