Music theory - Exam
  • 1. Music theory is the study of principles and concepts that govern the structure, harmony, and expression of music. It includes an exploration of elements such as melody, rhythm, harmony, form, and texture, as well as an analysis of how these components work together to create emotional and intellectual impact. Music theory provides a framework for understanding the language of music and helps musicians communicate with each other through notation, improvisation, and composition. By delving into music theory, musicians gain deeper insights into the mechanics behind music creation and performance, enabling them to interpret and express music more effectively.

    What is the term for the distance between two pitches?
A) Chord
B) Interval
C) Scale
D) Key
  • 2. What term describes a group of three notes played together?
A) Interval
B) Harmony
C) Octave
D) Triad
  • 3. What is the symbol that indicates to raise the pitch of a note by a semitone?
A) Flat
B) Sharp
C) Double Sharp
D) Natural
  • 4. What is the main purpose of a key signature in sheet music?
A) Specify time signature
B) Denote dynamics
C) Show tempo changes
D) Indicate key of the piece
  • 5. What is the first note of a major scale called?
A) Dominant
B) Tonic
C) Mediant
D) Subdominant
  • 6. What term refers to playing or singing in tune?
A) Intonation
B) Orchestration
C) Syncopation
D) Transposition
  • 7. What symbol is used to indicate a half step lower in pitch?
A) Sharp
B) Flat
C) Natural
D) Double Flat
  • 8. What is the term for the speed at which music is played?
A) Rhythm
B) Pitch
C) Dynamics
D) Tempo
  • 9. What is the term for a sudden increase in volume?
A) Diminuendo
B) Decrescendo
C) Ritardando
D) Crescendo
  • 10. Which three interrelated uses of 'music theory' are described by the Oxford Companion to Music?
A) Examining tuning systems, composition methods, and practical aspects of performance.
B) Analyzing individual works, comparing musical performances, and studying historical instruments.
C) Understanding music notation, studying scholars' views on music from antiquity to present, and defining processes in musicology.
D) Exploring electronic sound production, improvisation techniques, and orchestration methods.
  • 11. How does the musicological approach to theory differ from musical analysis?
A) It studies only modern music, ignoring historical perspectives.
B) It focuses on electronic sound production instead of traditional instruments.
C) It emphasizes improvisation over composition methods.
D) It starts with fundamental materials rather than individual works or performances.
  • 12. What does the development, preservation, and transmission of music theory encompass?
A) Only written treatises about music notation.
B) Methods and concepts used by composers and musicians in creating and performing music.
C) The study of electronic sound production exclusively.
D) Comparative analysis of different musical cultures.
  • 13. What is required to teach as a tenure-track music theorist in a US or Canadian university?
A) Experience with electronic sound production.
B) A degree in musical acoustics exclusively.
C) University study, typically to the MA or PhD level.
D) Only practical experience in performing music.
  • 14. Which methods are used for analysis in music theory?
A) Exclusively comparative analysis.
B) Mathematics, graphic analysis, and western music notation.
C) Primarily improvisation techniques.
D) Only descriptive and statistical methods.
  • 15. What is a music theorist?
A) A composer specializing in electronic sound production.
B) Someone who only performs music.
C) An individual focused solely on musical acoustics.
D) A person who researches or teaches music theory.
  • 16. Which ancient civilization's clay tablets include musical information such as lists of intervals and tunings?
A) Rome
B) Mesopotamia
C) Egypt
D) Greece
  • 17. What type of materials contain the earliest surviving Sumerian and Akkadian musical information?
A) Stone carvings
B) Papyrus scrolls
C) Metal plates
D) Clay tablets
  • 18. What is the approximate date of the earliest Mesopotamian texts about music?
A) Before 1500 BCE
B) Before 200 CE
C) Before 1000 BCE
D) Before 500 BCE
  • 19. Who reports on the earliest Mesopotamian texts about music?
A) Plato
B) Sam Mirelman
C) Aristotle
D) Herodotus
  • 20. What does the number five refer to in Chinese music theory?
A) The number of notes in a scale
B) The Pentatonic Scale, which primarily uses a 5-note scale
C) The number of musical instruments
D) The number of musical modes
  • 21. What did Ling Lun name the agreeable sound produced by blowing on bamboo?
A) Phoenix tone
B) Huangzhong, the 'Yellow Bell'
C) Shierlü
D) Lülü
  • 22. Who authored the work 'Harmonic Elements'?
A) Ptolemaios
B) Nicomachus of Gerasa
C) Cleonides
D) Aristoxenus
  • 23. Who wrote 'Harmonics' in Greek?
A) Ptolemaios (Πτολεμαίος), Claudius
B) Porphyrius
C) Nicomachus of Gerasa
D) Aristoxenus
  • 24. In which century was 'Introduction to Harmonics' by Cleonides written?
A) 100–150 CE
B) 2nd century CE
C) 4th century CE or later
D) 3rd or 4th century CE
  • 25. Which work is associated with Gaudentius?
A) Άρμονικά στοιχεία [Harmonic Elements]
B) Είσαγωγή άρμονική [Introduction to Harmonics]
C) Άρμονική είσαγωγή [Harmonic Introduction]
D) Είσαγωγή τέχνης μουσικής [Introduction to the Art of Music]
  • 26. Who authored 'On Ptolemy's Harmonics'?
A) Nicomachus of Gerasa
B) Bacchius Geron
C) Aristoxenus
D) Porphyrius
  • 27. During which centuries did Alypius of Alexandria write 'Introduction to Music'?
A) 2nd century CE
B) 100–150 CE
C) 3rd or 4th century CE
D) 4th–5th century CE
  • 28. What is the time period during which Ptolemaios (Πτολεμαίος), Claudius lived?
A) 127–148 CE
B) c. 232~233 – c. 305 CE
C) 100–150 CE
D) 428–347 BCE
  • 29. Which Chinese instrument theory contributed to the development of 84 musical modes?
A) The erhu
B) The dizi
C) The guzheng
D) The pipa
  • 30. Who used the first twelve letters of the alphabet to describe the twelve frets on five strings of the oud?
A) Boethius
B) Abū Yūsuf Ya'qūb al-Kindi
C) al-Fārābi
D) Safi al-Din al-Urmawi
  • 31. What is the title of Bāqiyā Nāyinῑ's work?
A) Zamzama e wahdat-i-mῡsῑqῑ
B) Ta'rῑkh al-mῡsῑqᾱ al-arabiyya wa-usῡluha wa-tatawwurᾱtuha
C) La musique arabe
D) Singing by Note
  • 32. Which French musicologist wrote about Arabian music?
A) Bāqiyā Nāyinῑ
B) None of the above
C) Baron Francois Rodolphe d'Erlanger
D) Reverend Thomas Symmes
  • 33. What does Sacred Harp music focus on in its solfege system?
A) The solfege 'ti, do, re'
B) The solfege 'do, re, mi'
C) The solfege 'fa, sol, la'
D) None of the above
  • 34. Who developed the system for 'singing by note' in Sacred Harp music?
A) Baron Francois Rodolphe d'Erlanger
B) Reverend Thomas Symmes
C) None of the above
D) Bāqiyā Nāyinῑ
  • 35. In what year did Reverend Thomas Symmes develop his system for Sacred Harp music?
A) 1800
B) 1750
C) 1720
D) 1900
  • 36. Which period saw Western musical influence spread globally, leading to the adoption of Western theory?
A) 1750–1900
B) The Renaissance
C) The 1800s
D) The Baroque period
  • 37. Which culture's music is primarily oral with specific forms, genres, and performance practices?
A) Central Asian cultures
B) Middle Eastern cultures
C) African cultures
D) European cultures
  • 38. What is the most basic interval in music?
A) Octave
B) Fifth
C) Third
D) Unison
  • 39. Which frequency was historically assigned to concert A in France in 1859?
A) 440 Hz
B) 450 Hz
C) 435 Hz
D) 432 Hz
  • 40. How many pitches does the Western chromatic scale divide an octave into?
A) Seven
B) Fifteen
C) Eight
D) Twelve
  • 41. What is a semitone also known as in music theory?
A) An octave
B) A minor third
C) A half step
D) A whole tone
  • 42. Which composer's concept of 'emancipated' dissonance became more widely accepted in the early 20th century?
A) Ludwig van Beethoven
B) Johann Sebastian Bach
C) Arnold Schoenberg
D) Claude Debussy
  • 43. What term describes accenting unexpected parts of the beat?
A) Homophony
B) Polyrhythm
C) Monophony
D) Syncopation
  • 44. Which aspect can affect apparent dissonance and consonance in music?
A) Volume
B) Instrumentation
C) Tempo
D) Context
  • 45. What is the term for playing simultaneous rhythms in more than one time signature?
A) Homophony
B) Syncopation
C) Monophony
D) Polyrhythm
  • 46. Which of the following is a harmonic set of three or more notes?
A) A scale
B) A chord
C) A rhythm
D) A melody
  • 47. What term describes chords that consist of three distinct notes?
A) Inversions
B) Progressions
C) Triads
D) Sequences
  • 48. What is a series of chords called?
A) A scale pattern
B) A chord progression
C) A melody line
D) An arpeggio sequence
  • 49. In harmony, what term refers to the 'vertical' aspect of music?
A) Harmony
B) Counterpoint
C) Melody
D) Polyphony
  • 50. What term describes the interweaving of melodic lines?
A) Polyphony
B) Harmony
C) Counterpoint
D) Melody
  • 51. Which type of music often augments chords with tensions?
A) Classical common practice period
B) Baroque music
C) All of the above
D) Jazz harmony
  • 52. What is a chord called when it includes additional notes beyond the basic triad?
A) An extended chord
B) A simple chord
C) A primary chord
D) A basic chord
  • 53. What is a common way of representing chords in Western music other than staff notation?
A) Harmonic progressions
B) Roman numerals
C) Melodic lines
D) Rhythmic patterns
  • 54. What is the relationship of separate independent voices called?
A) Homophony
B) Monophony
C) Polyphony
D) Counterpoint
  • 55. Which element of music refers to the 'horizontal' aspect?
A) Melody
B) Harmony
C) Texture
D) Chords
  • 56. What is another term commonly used for 'timbre'?
A) Pitch
B) Rhythm
C) Volume
D) Color
  • 57. What is timbre often described in terms of?
A) Fast, slow, loud, soft
B) Bright, dull, shrill, etc.
C) High, low, sharp, flat
D) Major, minor, major seventh
  • 58. Which term indicates a non-specific, but commonly understood soft and 'sweet' timbre?
A) Marcato
B) Sul tasto
C) Dolce
D) Cuivre
  • 59. Which symbol can indicate a change in timbre by suggesting a marked or accented note?
A) Marcato (^)
B) Decrescendo (>)
C) Crescendo (<)
D) Staccato (.)
  • 60. Which Italian term is used to indicate a moderately soft dynamic?
A) piano (p)
B) forte (f)
C) mezzo piano (mp)
D) sforzando (sfz)
  • 61. What term is used for the shortest articulation in music?
A) tenuto
B) marcato
C) legato
D) staccatissimo
  • 62. Which dynamic marking indicates a nearly inaudible volume?
A) pianissississimo (pppp)
B) forte (f)
C) mezzo forte (mf)
D) sforzando (sfz)
  • 63. Which articulation involves the bow bouncing off the string on bowed instruments?
A) tenuto
B) legato
C) staccato
D) spiccato
  • 64. Which term describes an articulation that is between tenuto and staccato?
A) legato
B) staccatissimo
C) portato
D) marcato
  • 65. What does 'mf' stand for in music dynamics?
A) mezzo forte, meaning moderately loud
B) forte followed by piano
C) piano followed by forte
D) sforzando
  • 66. Which dynamic marking indicates the loudest possible volume?
A) fortississimo (ffff)
B) sforzando (sfz)
C) mezzo piano (mp)
D) pianissimo (pp)
  • 67. Which dynamic marking is used for a soft volume?
A) forte (f)
B) piano (p)
C) sforzando (sfz)
D) mezzo forte (mf)
  • 68. What does 'crescendo' indicate in music dynamics?
A) progressively increasing volume
B) a sudden decrease to a soft level
C) a loud attack with a sudden decrease
D) a moderately loud dynamic
  • 69. Which articulation is described as 'separated' or 'detached'?
A) legato
B) marcato
C) tenuto
D) staccato
  • 70. What is polyphonic texture?
A) A single melodic voice with rhythmic accompaniment.
B) Chords accompanying a melody.
C) Two voices, one playing a drone note and the other a melody.
D) Multiple independent melodies played simultaneously.
  • 71. Who is credited with establishing musical analysis as a pursuit in its own right?
A) David Lewin
B) Ian Bent
C) Heinrich Schenker
D) Adolf Bernhard Marx
  • 72. What is the most fundamental concept of Schenker's theory?
A) Tonal space.
B) Chord progressions.
C) Dominant operation.
D) Musical intervals.
  • 73. What does rhythmic notation in Schenkerian analysis represent?
A) Chord progressions.
B) Hierarchical relationships between pitch-events.
C) Actual rhythm of the music.
D) Musical intervals.
  • 74. What is transformational theory primarily concerned with?
A) Tonal spaces in music.
B) The makeup of musical objects.
C) Schenkerian analysis techniques.
D) Relations between musical objects.
  • 75. Who developed transformational theory?
A) Heinrich Schenker
B) Adolf Bernhard Marx
C) David Lewin
D) Ian Bent
  • 76. What is the primary characteristic of musical technique according to Heinrich Schenker?
A) Repetition
B) Harmony
C) Improvisation
D) Rhythm
  • 77. Which of the following is NOT a fundamental pattern of notes mentioned for improving musical technique?
A) Arpeggios
B) Rhythm
C) Natural scales
D) Minor triads
  • 78. What secondary characteristic can differentiate between genres according to Allan F. Moore?
A) Musical form
B) Instrumentation
C) Subject matter
D) Tempo
  • 79. Which mathematical concept can describe just intonation?
A) A vector space
B) A finite field
C) A ring
D) A free abelian group
  • 80. What is the role of nature in the relationship between music and mathematics?
A) Nature only influences biology, not music
B) Nature has no connection to mathematics
C) Nature itself is amazingly mathematical
D) Nature's influence on music is purely aesthetic
  • 81. What type of algebra is used to expand on the methods of musical set theory?
A) Abstract algebra
B) Boolean algebra
C) Linear algebra
D) Differential algebra
  • 82. What is integral serialism also known as?
A) Twelve-tone technique
B) Total serialism
C) Multiple serialism
D) General serialism
  • 83. Which theorist first elaborated many notions of musical set theory in connection with tonal music?
A) Milton Babbitt
B) Allen Forte
C) Arnold Schoenberg
D) Howard Hanson
  • 84. Which subset describes major chords in musical set theory?
A) {1 4 8}
B) {0 4 7}
C) {0 3 7}
D) {2 5 9}
  • 85. What is the term used to describe serial music that extends beyond twelve-tone technique?
A) Integral serialism
B) Post-tonal thinking
C) General serialism
D) Twelve-tone technique
  • 86. Which musical operation is not typically associated with pitch-class set theory?
A) Inversion
B) Rhythm analysis
C) Complementation
D) Transposition
  • 87. Who adopted the idea of musical semiosis being introversive or extroversive?
A) Kofi Agawu
B) Philip Tagg
C) Raymond Monelle
D) Roland Barthes
  • 88. Which writer on music semiology focused on narrativity?
A) Jean-Jacques Nattiez
B) Anthony Newcomb
C) Heinrich Schenker
D) Eero Tarasti
  • 89. Which semiotician wrote about music in 'Image Music Text'?
A) Roland Barthes
B) Philip Tagg
C) Raymond Monelle
D) Kofi Agawu
  • 90. Who provided a systematic analysis of the relation between musical structures and connotations in popular music?
A) Philip Tagg
B) Kofi Agawu
C) Leonard B. Meyer
D) Anthony Newcomb
  • 91. What is the average number of tenure-track positions advertised per year in music theory?
A) 100
B) 10
C) 50
D) Around 25
  • 92. What does 'ABD' stand for in the context of hiring for academic positions?
A) Advanced Bachelor's Degree
B) Academic Board Delegate
C) Associate Board Director
D) All But Dissertation
  • 93. Which society was founded in 1999?
A) Gesellschaft für Musiktheorie
B) Vereniging voor Muziektheorie
C) Society for Music Theory
D) Société d'Analyse musicale
  • 94. Which writer on music semiology is known for work on topic and gesture?
A) Robert Hatten
B) Raymond Monelle
C) Kofi Agawu
D) Jean-Jacques Nattiez
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