La Salle University
MUS 150-A Art of Listening
Midterm Exam
Name ______________________________
I. Listening Answer the following questions about the various works we have listened to in the course so far.
Excerpt One: Santana with Dave Matthews: “Love Of My Life”
1. The guitar playing the melody is likely at which frequency (pitch) level?
a. 20 Hz
b. 50 Hz
c. 400 Hz
d. 12000 Hz
e. 18000 Hz
2. If the meter is four, how many "bars" or "measures" is the drum solo at the beginning?
a. one
b. four
c. three
d. seven
e. five
3. Which of the following refers to the PITCH of this example?
a. melody goes up and then down
b. beat is steady
d. meter is four
e. no "ball"
4. Who has the "ball" in this example?
a. drums
b. bass guitar
c. guitar
c. volume level is consistent
d. voice
e. it changes
5. Which of the following is true regarding the element of duration from this example?
a. contains soft and loud sounds
c. contains phrases, cadences, melody and harmony
b. contains beat, rhythms and tempo
d. contains a combination of different instprument types
6. “Three notes up, followed by three notes down” describes the:
a. beat
b. timbre
c. duration
d. melody e. dynamics
7. Which of the following describes the timbre of this example?
a. voice only
b. drums only c. voice and rock / jazz band
d. choir
e. choir and orchestra
8. Which of the following is playing the beat in this example?
a. bass guitar
b. guitar
c. drums
d. conductor
e. no one
9. Which of the following instrumental families is missing from “Love of My Life”?
a. string
b. percussion
c. keyboard
d. electronic
e. woodwind
10. The melody and harmonies of “Love of My Life” were taken from which well-known composer?
a. Bach
b. Beethoven
c. Brahms
d. Berlioz
Excerpt Two: Andrew York: “Pine Cove”
11. Which rendition of this piece would have the greatest dynamic range?
a. an mp3 recording
b. a radio broadcast
c. a compressed WAV file
12. Is there "a ball" in this selection?
a. yes, it is in different instruments
d. yes, it is implied
b. yes, it is always on the guitar
e. no, the composer did not like sports
13. Which of the following is NOT HEARD in this example?
a. melody
b. harmony
c. rhythm
d. beat
d. a live performance
c. no, there is no sound
e. timbre
14. Which of the following refers to the element of DURATION in this example?
a. moderate volume b. different rhythms
c. melodic shape d. high and low
e. light and dark
15. Which of the following describes the timbre of this example?
a. voice
b. drums
c. voice and rock band
d. acoustic guitar
e. church choir
16. Regarding the element of duration, which of the following DOES NOT apply to this excerpt?
a. contains harmony
b. meter is 4
c. steady beat
d. medium tempo
17. Which of the following is absent from this example?
a. pitch
b. duration
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. none of the above
18. Which of the following describes the beat in this example?
a. there is no beat
b. guitar plays the beat c. drums play the beat
d. the beat is implied
Excerpt Three: Miles Davis (performed by Don Reese): “All Blues”
19. This work was performed in class using a _____________ pedal
a. Loop
b. Volume
c. Beat
d. Gas
20. The main form of the tune unfolds in ______________ measures.
a. two
b. six
c. twelve
d. twenty four
e. Harmony
e. one-half
21. The timbre of this selection is _________________
a. electric guitar
b. pop band
c. orchestra d. choir
22. The composer of this song was:
a. unknown
b. unrecognized
c. poor
e. piano
d. very influential e. Prof. Reese
23. Regarding the element of duration, which of the following is NOT CONTAINED in “All Blues”?
a. a downbeat b. a meter
c. an implied beat
d. an irregular tempo
e. a groove
24. The main melody of this example is played on the third “pass” of the form. This main melody is called the:
a. tail
b. foot
c. gut
d. torso
e. head
II. Multiple Choice
25. In any piece of music, which timbre is always present?
a. drums
b. bass c. cymbals
d. violin
e. there is no requirement for a specific timbre
26 The term "decrescendo" means to gradually get:
a. louder
b. faster
c. lower in pitch
d. softer
e. slower
27. Which of the following is NOT considered a "family" of instruments?
a. Woodwind
b. String
c. Brass
d. Clarinet
e. Percussion
28. The _______ of a musical work is usually grouped in 2s, 3s OR 4s.
a. interval
b. pitch
c. meter
d. dynamics
e. cadence
29. The steady underlying pulse that occurs in a piece of music is called the:
a. beat
b. pitch
c. timbre
d. dynamic
e. conjunct interval
30. In a rock or pop band, the snare drum plays on beats 2 and 4, which is called the?
a. beat
b. down beat
c. up beat
d. front beat
e. back beat
31. Which of the following elements is most affected by compression?
a. pitch
b. duration
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. tempo
32. Which of the following is not specifically an element or property of music?
a. duration
b. harmony
c. pitch
d. dynamics
e. timbre
33. In any piece of music, the beat will always be played by the:
a. drums
b. bass c. cymbals
d. violins
e. it might not be played at all
34. What would be the Sound Pressure Level (decibel range) of an acoustic classical guitar?
a. 0-5 dB
b. 10-11 dB
c. 20-60 dB
d. 100-200 dB
e. 220-260 dB
35. Which of the following is NOT required to fit our definition of music?
a. time
b. organization
c. singing
d. sound
36. Which frequency range is a guitar typically in?
a. 10-20 Hz
b. 20-30 Hz
c. 30-35 Hz
d. 200-900 Hz
e. 10,000-20,000 Hz
37. Which of the following is applied to reduce the dynamic range of a musical selection?
a. compression
b. mixing
c. production d. reverberation
e. interference
38. The file size of an mp3 version of a song is ________________ that of the original.
a. the same as
b. the same length as
c. smaller than
d. more muffled than
e. softer than
39. Which of the following abbreviations would you expect to find regarding timbre of a choral work?
a. AABA
b. EBGDF
c. SATB
d. forte
e. form
40. What must be present in order for an ensemble to be considered an orchestra?
a. brass
b. each of the instrument families
c. woodwinds
41. A sudden dynamic change is called a ____________?
a. subito
b. prospero
c. tempo
d. bowed strings
d. soprano
e. over 25 people
e. burrito
42. In any piece of music, the beat will always be played by the:
a. drums
b. bass c. cymbals
d. violins
e. it might not be played at all
43. The energy present in a piece of music is called the?
a. time
b. groove
c. center
d. sound
e. space
44. Which of the following is the MOST COMMON voice type for a male?
a. tenor
b. baritone c. bass
d. falsetto e. alto
45. Which of the following is NOT a responsibility of the Concertmaster?
a. tuning up the orchestra
b. deciding on the bowings for the violin section
c. playing any passages written for solo violin
d. assuming the responsibility of conducting the performance if the conductor is unable
e. changing the notes in the orchestra's parts to suit his or her taste
46. Which of the following is the highest voice type for a female?
a. soprano
b. contralto
c. mezzo-piano
d. mezzo-soprano
e. alto
47. A shorter string length will produce a ____________ pitch than a longer string length.
a. louder
b. softer
c. bigger
d. higher
e. closer
48. When you see an orchestra perform, you will see synchronized movements of each the bowed string
sections. The decision for which direction the bow should move for every note of a composition is made by:
a. conductor
b. composer
c. individual violinist
d. concertmaster e. rock, paper, scissors
49. If you arrive late to a “classical” concert, you:
a. can walk right in and find your seat while the music is playing
b. will not be admitted into the hall until there is applause
c. will be admitted into the hall while the music is playing, but must pay extra
d. will not be admitted into the hall at all, and you must forfeit the concert
e. don’t need to worry – the concert won’t start until you have arrived
50. What is the primary consideration for placing a musical instrument into a family?
a. how it produces sound
b. what it is made of
c. how it sounds
d. what it looks like
51. Tempo is a term which refers to the ______________
a. melody
b. dynamic level c. speed of the beats
d. sound of the instruments
e. composer
52. The words "long" and "short" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. rhythm
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. motive
53 The range of human hearing generally extends from _______________ Herz.
a. 10 to 100
b. 20 to 200
c. 50 to 5,000
d. 100 to 10,000
54. Which of the following is the low voice type for a male?
a. tenor
b. baritone
c. bass
d. falsetto
e. 20 to 20,000
e. alto
55. The voice classification for a low female is: _______.
a. soprano
b. mezzo soprano
c. contralto/alto
d. baritone
e. tenor
56. A ______ is a resting place in music, and may be either temporary (incomplete) or permanent (complete).
a. pitch
b. cadence
c. rhythm
d. dynamic
e. mezzo soprano
57. When the beat is not evident in a musical work, it is said to be:
a. nonmetric
b. fast
c. inconclusive
d. cadence
e. accented
58. What is the instrument (in a rock or pop band) that usually plays on beats 2 and 4?
a. snare drum
b. hi hat
c. conga drum
d. crash cymbal
e. keyboard
59. Which of the following terms is “I’m lovin’ it” in the McDonald’s song in their commercials?
a. meter
b. timbre
c. tempo
d. motive
e. beat
60. When you answer your phone without resorting to Caller ID, your can tell who you are talking to by which
of the elements of music/sound?
a. duration
b. pitch c. dynamics d. timbre
e. wouldn’t answer without Caller ID
61. Which of the following is NOT associated with the Duration element of music?
a. downbeat
b. syncopation
c. tempo
d. meter
e. voice
62. The words "loud" and "soft" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. rhythm
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. tempo
63. The words "fast" and "slow" refer to which of the following terms?
a. pitch
b. motive
c. dynamics
d. timbre
e. tempo
64. Which of the following families may be bowed or plucked?
a. Woodwind
b. String
c. Percussion
d. Keyboard
65. The voice classification for a high male is: _______.
a. soprano b. mezzo soprano
c. contralto/alto
e. Brass
d. baritone
e. tenor
III. Matching
66. _______
equalizer
A. Hearing in the background
67. _______
beat
B. Required in an orchestra
68. _______
active listening
C. An emphasis placed on an unaccented beat
69. _______
violin
D. Director of the orchestra
70. _______
downbeat
E. Unaccompanied voices “as in the chapel”
71. _______
dissonant
F. A fragment of a melody that triggers your ear
72. _______
meter
G. Gradually get louder
73. _______
MIDI
H. Piece of music that contains singing
74. _______
a cappella
I.
75. _______
song
J. A portion of a melody ending with a cadence
76. _______
conductor
K. How the beats are grouped (usually 2, 3, or 4)
77. _______
syncopation
L. Steady pulse occurring in a musical work
78. _______
groove
M. First chair first violinist; tunes the orchestra
79. _______
crescendo
N. A device to alter the TIMBRE of a recording
80. _______
phrase
O. Beat one of a meter; the start of a pattern
81. _______
motive
P. Language used for electronic instruments
82. _______
rhythm
Q. Energy present in a piece of music
83. _______
concertmaster
R. Concentrating on what you hear
Pattern of shorts and longs
84. _______
passive listening
S. Unstable; requiring resolution
MUS 150 Midterm Exam Answer Sheet and Part IV
Name _________________________
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IV. True or False. For each statement, indicate if it is true or false. *BONUS - change each false statement to
make it read true.
85. ____ A crescendo is an arrival point or climax.
86. ____
The material from which an instrument is made effects the timbre of it.
87. ____
If your voice type is a soprano, you can work very hard and become an alto.
88. ____
In any selection of music, once an instrument has “the Ball”, they will have it until the end.
89. ___
The Piano is the correct, full name of the large white instrument in our classroom.
90 ____
The softest instruments are all placed at the front of the orchestra.
91. ____
When you hear a piece of music, timbre might not necessarily be present.
92. ____
The Loudness Wars is a term that refers to live concerts becoming louder and louder.
93. ____
The longer the vibrating element in an instrument, the lower the pitch.
94. ___
There are no differences between a group called a band and one called an orchestra.
95. ____
Beethoven composed the melody for the Santana song “Love of My Life”.
96. ____
The timbre of a work may be described as fast or slow.
97. ____
An instrument may belong to more than one family.
**BONUS** Choose no more than TWO essays from the following:
For every question you answer, provide as much detail as you are able. Each correct “point” you make in
your discussion will result in an extra credit “point” being applied to your final grade. Feel free to make your
answers in essay or list form.
1. Describe how a proper orchestral concert begins (up until the first note is played by the orchestra).
You may go on to describe more of the concert if you wish.
2.
Describe the typical seating plan of an orchestra.
3.
List the voice types, including the most common for male and female.
4.
Describe how The Loudness War is incorporated in producing audio.
5.
List the specific timbre of Santana’s “Love of My Life”?