ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
Musical composition
Contributed by: Skelton
  • 1. A musical composition is a piece of music that has been created through the art of composing. It involves the arrangement of different musical elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture to create a cohesive and expressive work of art. Composers use their creativity and skill to craft compositions that evoke emotions, tell stories, or convey messages to the audience. From classical symphonies to modern pop songs, musical compositions form the backbone of the music industry and have the power to inspire, entertain, and move listeners in profound ways.

    What is a 'chord' in music composition?
A) A percussion instrument
B) A group of notes played together
C) A type of musical form
D) A type of musical scale
  • 2. What does a 'rest' indicate in musical notation?
A) A fast tempo
B) A period of silence
C) A note to be played very loud
D) A high-pitched note
  • 3. What is a 'motif' in music composition?
A) A type of percussion instrument
B) A long musical composition
C) A short musical idea or melodic theme
D) A type of musical scale
  • 4. What is a 'theme' in music composition?
A) A very short musical phrase
B) A type of musical form
C) A central idea or subject that is developed in a musical composition
D) The speed at which music is played
  • 5. What is 'polyphony' in music composition?
A) A single-line texture
B) Music with two or more independent melody lines
C) A type of musical form
D) A very slow tempo
  • 6. What does 'tonality' refer to in music composition?
A) The key or tonic center of a piece of music
B) The melody of a piece
C) The tempo of a piece
D) The dynamics of a piece
  • 7. What is a 'crescendo' in music composition?
A) A type of musical form
B) A fast tempo
C) A gradual increase in volume
D) Playing all notes with a staccato articulation
  • 8. What is a 'diminuendo' in music composition?
A) A gradual decrease in volume
B) A very short musical phrase
C) A type of musical scale
D) A slow tempo
  • 9. What is 'rubato' in music composition?
A) Tempo flexibility within a musical piece
B) A type of musical form
C) A type of musical scale
D) Playing very loudly
  • 10. Who is considered the 'Father of Symphony'?
A) Ludwig van Beethoven
B) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C) Antonio Vivaldi
D) Joseph Haydn
  • 11. What is the highest voice type in a four-part choir?
A) Alto
B) Soprano
C) Tenor
D) Bass
  • 12. Which composer is known for his 'Moonlight Sonata'?
A) Ludwig van Beethoven
B) Claude Debussy
C) Johann Sebastian Bach
D) Franz Schubert
  • 13. The organization of musical ideas in time is known as what?
A) Tempo
B) Form
C) Texture
D) Tone color
  • 14. What term describes the loudness or softness of a musical passage?
A) Texture
B) Timbre
C) Dynamics
D) Pitch
  • 15. How many movements are typically found in a classical symphony?
A) Three
B) Two
C) Four
D) Five
  • 16. Which Italian term directs a musician to play the music sweetly, softly, or tenderly?
A) Presto
B) Largo
C) Allegro
D) Dolce
  • 17. Who is known for their 'Carnival of the Animals' composition?
A) Erik Satie
B) Claude Debussy
C) Camille Saint-Saëns
D) Maurice Ravel
  • 18. Who is known for their 'Symphonie fantastique' composition?
A) Claude Debussy
B) Camille Saint-Saëns
C) Hector Berlioz
D) Georges Bizet
  • 19. Which term refers to the relative highness or lowness of a sound?
A) Timbre
B) Rhythm
C) Pitch
D) Cadence
  • 20. Who composed the 'Brandenburg Concertos'?
A) George Frideric Handel
B) Franz Joseph Haydn
C) Antonio Vivaldi
D) Johann Sebastian Bach
  • 21. Who composed 'The Firebird' ballet?
A) Sergei Prokofiev
B) Igor Stravinsky
C) Dmitri Shostakovich
D) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • 22. What is the name for a short musical idea that is repeated and developed in a composition?
A) Canon
B) Motif
C) Symphony
D) Cadence
  • 23. Who composed the ballet 'Swan Lake'?
A) Igor Stravinsky
B) Sergei Prokofiev
C) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
D) Claude Debussy
  • 24. Who composed the famous opera 'The Magic Flute'?
A) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B) Richard Wagner
C) Georges Bizet
D) Giuseppe Verdi
  • 25. Who is known for their 'Peer Gynt' suite?
A) Jean Sibelius
B) Alexander Borodin
C) Edvard Grieg
D) Modest Mussorgsky
  • 26. Which composer is known for his 'Canon in D Major'?
A) George Frideric Handel
B) Johann Pachelbel
C) Domenico Scarlatti
D) Henry Purcell
  • 27. What is the typical structure of a sonata-allegro form?
A) Aria, Recitative, Aria
B) Exposition, Development, Recapitulation
C) Binary form
D) Theme and variations
  • 28. Which term describes the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another?
A) Dynamics
B) Tempo
C) Timbre
D) Rhythm
  • 29. What is the name for a repeated musical phrase played between verses of a song?
A) Refrain
B) Bridge
C) Chorus
D) Verse
  • 30. Who is known for their 'Adagio for Strings' composition?
A) Philip Glass
B) Samuel Barber
C) John Cage
D) Aaron Copland
  • 31. What is a musical composition for solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra?
A) Symphony
B) Etude
C) Sonata
D) Concerto
  • 32. What is the term for a group of musicians playing together?
A) Choir
B) Soloist
C) Ensemble
D) Orchestra
  • 33. What term describes the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other?
A) Harmony
B) Counterpoint
C) Syncopation
D) Timbre
  • 34. Which composer is often referred to as the 'Waltz King'?
A) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
B) Igor Stravinsky
C) Johann Strauss II
D) Frederic Chopin
  • 35. What is the term for a repeated musical phrase or theme, typically in the bass line?
A) Adagio
B) Arpeggio
C) Intermezzo
D) Ostinato
  • 36. In musical composition, what does 'coda' refer to?
A) A fast tempo
B) A gradual increase in volume
C) A sustained note
D) A concluding section
  • 37. Which composer is known for his 'Ride of the Valkyries'?
A) Gustav Mahler
B) Claude Debussy
C) Giuseppe Verdi
D) Richard Wagner
  • 38. What is the term for music that is sung without instrumental accompaniment?
A) Accompaniment
B) Arco
C) A cappella
D) Adagio
  • 39. What does 'forte' mean in music notation?
A) Fast
B) Soft
C) Slow
D) Loud
  • 40. Who is known for composing the opera 'Carmen'?
A) Georges Bizet
B) Engelbert Humperdinck
C) Giacomo Puccini
D) Richard Strauss
  • 41. In music notation, which symbol indicates a gradual increase in loudness?
A) Decrescendo
B) Legato
C) Fermata
D) Crescendo
  • 42. Who composed 'The Four Seasons'?
A) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B) Antonio Vivaldi
C) Johann Sebastian Bach
D) Franz Joseph Haydn
Created with That Quiz — where test making and test taking are made easy for math and other subject areas.