Musical Acoustics MCQs
Musical Acoustics MCQs
These X multiple-choice questions and their answers will help you strengthen your grip on the subject of Musical Acoustics. You can prepare for an upcoming exam or job interview with these Musical Acoustics MCQs.
So scroll down and start answering.
1: What does the term 'accelerando' mean in Italian?
A. To play a note shorter than written
B. To play two notes at the same time
C. Gradually speed up
D. To play a note at a lower pitch
2: What does the Italian tempo marking accelerando mean?
A. To gradually slow down
B. To gradually speed up or accelerate
C. To stop
D. To repeat
3: Which of the following is NOT a definition of the word "accent?"
A. A distinctive way of pronouncing a language
B. Stress, emphasis, force, or loudness given to a sound or tone
C. A device used to produce sound
D. A musical symbol used to indicate pitch
4: What does the word "accent" mean?
A. A distinctive style or manner
B. Stress, emphasis, force, or loudness given to a sound or tone.
C. A manner of pronunciation peculiar to a particular individual, locality, or nation
D. To say or pronounce with an accent
5: What does accidental refer to in music?
A. A note that is sharpened or flattened according to the key signature
B. The sharpening or flattening of a particular note not indicated in the key signature of a piece
C. A particular note not indicated in the key signature of a piece
D. The naturalizing of a note that is sharpened or flattened according to the key signature
6: What is the definition of "accompaniment?"
A. The subordinate music that doesn't support the principle voice or instrument in a piece of music
B. The main melody in a piece of music
C. The subordinate music that supports the principal voice or instrument in a piece of music
D. A piece of music played on its own
7: What does accompaniment mean?
A. The subordinate music that supports the principal voice or instrument in a piece of music.
B. A type of musical composition
C. The act of accompanying someone
D. The main melody of a piece of music
8: What is the science of sound and how it's produced called?
A. Astrology
B. Chemistry
C. Acoustics
D. Geology
9: What is the definition of acoustics?
A. The study of human hearing
B. The study of musical sounds
C. The science of sound and how it's produced.
D. The study of musical instruments
10: What does allegro mean in Italian?
A. Fast and furious
B. Slow and majestic
C. Vivacious, rapid, fairly fast.
D. Gradually increasing speed
11: What is the range of pitch of an instrument within a particular family of instruments?
A. Soprano
B. Alto
C. Tenor
D. Bass
12: What does balance refer to in music?
A. The state of equilibrium in which all the component parts of the music are in harmony with each other.
B. The state of equilibrium in which all the component parts of the music are separate and distinct.
C. The state of equilibrium in which all the component parts of the music create a unified whole.
D. The state of equilibrium in which all the component parts of the music are in conflict with each other.
13: What are ballads?
A. Songs that tell stories, many dating back hundreds of years
B. Songs that are only sung on special occasions
C. A type of poetry
D. Slow, romantic songs
14: What is ballet?
A. Sport where you score points by throwing a ball into a basket
B. Art of performing set moves in unison
C. Form of theatrical dance; combination of music and dancing.
D. A style of music
15: What is the definition of "band"?
A. A group of people who play a variety ofwind and percussion instruments
B. Any large body of instrumental players
C. Vocalists who sing without instrumental accompaniment
D. A group of instrumentalists who play only string instruments
16: What is the banjo?
A. A bowed instrument with a long guitar-like neck and circular soundtable.
B. A plucked instrument with a long guitar-like neck and circular soundtable.
C. A plucked instrument with a long guitar-like neck and oval soundtable.
D. A plucked instrument with a short guitar-like neck and circular soundtable.
17: What is a cadenza?
A. A section of a concerto movement that is reserved for a soloist.
B. A piece of sheet music
C. A type of musical instrument
D. The conductor of an orchestra
18: What is call and response?
A. A song style in which the singer leads and the instrument responds
B. A song style in which the singer and the audience take turns singing
C. A song style that follows a complex question/answer pattern in which multiple singers take turns leading and responding
D. A song style that follows a simple question/answer pattern in which one singer leads and a group responds.
19: What is a canon?
A. A medieval weapon
B. A type of round in which each part enters in a specific sequence with the same melody.
C. A law set by the Church
D. A type of poetry
20: What is a chord?
A. Two or more notes of the same pitch sounding together
B. Two or more notes of different pitch sounding together
C. A note that is repeated
D. A group of people singing together
21: What is chromatic modulation?
A. The process of changing from one key to an unrelated key in a composition.
B. The process of playing only chromatic notes.
C. The process of playing in more than one key at the same time.
D. The process of changing from one key to a related key in a composition.
22: What is a chromatic scale?
A. A scale consisting of successive half-steps.
B. A scale consisting of only black keys on a piano
C. A scale consisting of only white keys on a piano
D. A scale consisting of only whole steps.
23: What does "da capo" mean?
A. From the beginning
B. For the first time
C. To repeat
D. At the end
24: Decrescendo is an Italian dynamic marking that means...?
A. To gradually get softer.
B. To gradually get louder.
C. To play rapidly.
D. To stop playing.
25: What is the decrescendo?
A. Staying at the same volume
B. To gradually get louder.
C. Gradually get softer.
D. Crescendo
26: What is the definition of descant?
A. A melodic part pitched higher than and concurrent with the melody.
B. A recitative from the 16th and early 17th centuries
C. The highest natural adult male singing voice
D. The main melody of a composition
27: What is the English translation for the Italian musical term "diminuendo"?
A. To gradually get softer
B. To gradually get louder
C. To suddenly get softer
D. To gradually get slower
28: What is the definition of dissonance?
A. A combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable but not in need of resolution.
B. A combination of tones that sounds concordant and stable
C. A combination of tones that sounds discordant and unstable, in need of resolution.
D. A combination of tones that sounds discordant but not unstable
29: What are the elements of music?
A. Music theory, history, ear training, composition
B. Art, literature, dance, theater
C. Singing, playing an instrument, songwriting
D. Dynamics, form, harmony, melody, texture, timbre, rhythm, tempo.
30: What is the element of music that has to do with the overall loudness or softness of a piece of music?
A. Dynamics
B. Melody
C. Harmony
D. Form
31: What does the word "encore" mean?
A. "Applause"
B. "again"
C. "Bowing"
D. "Clapping"
32: What does "encore" mean?
A. When performers perform another piece at audience request after the end of a performance.
B. The final song of a performance
C. An intermission
D. A group of singers
33: What is the word for several performers playing together?
A. Ensemble
B. Orchestra
C. Solo
D. Band
34: What does the word "ensemble" mean?
A. A long, loose-fitting dress
B. Several performers playing together.
C. A small group of musicians
D. A group of similar things
35: What does the French term "etude" mean?
A. "study"
B. "piece"
C. "composition"
D. "performance"
36: What does the expression "the meaning, effects, and emotion that make the music come alive" mean?
A. Expression refers to the ability of music to convey emotions and ideas.
B. Expression refers to the ability of music to evoke emotions and images.
C. Expression refers to the interpretive and emotional aspects of music.
D. Expression refers to the emotional and interpretive aspects of music.
37: What does expression in music mean?
A. The sound quality of the music.
B. The rhythm of the music.
C. The pitch of the music.
D. The meaning, effects, and emotion that make the music come alive.
38: What is a fermata?
A. A note that is played for half its value.
B. A rest that is equal to a half note.
C. A note that is played for twice its value.
D. A pause or hold of variable length determined by the performer or conductor.
39: What does the term "flat" indicate in music?
A. A note should be raised in pitch by one half-step.
B. A note should be lowered in pitch by one half-step.
C. A note should be lowered in pitch by one whole step.
D. A note should be raised in pitch by one whole step.
40: What does the term "flat" mean in music?
A. A sign indicating that a note should be lowered in pitch by one whole step.
B. A sign indicating that a note should be raised in pitch by one whole step.
C. A sign indicating that a note should be raised in pitch by one half-step.
D. A sign indicating that a note should be lowered in pitch by one half-step.
41: What is the definition of a folk song?
A. A song without an author.
B. A song that is only sung in a particular place.
C. A song that is handed down from generation to generation.
D. A song that is popular at the moment.
42: What is the term for the overall structural organization of a musical composition?
A. Timbre
B. Motif
C. Meter
D. Form
43: What is the meaning of "form" in music?
A. The tempo of a piece of music
B. The overall structural organization of a musical composition
C. The dynamics of a piece of music
D. The relationship between the melody and harmony in a piece of music
44: What does the Italian dynamic term "forte" mean?
A. "very soft"
B. "medium"
C. "soft"
D. "loud"
45: What is the Italian dynamic term for "loud?"
A. Decrescendo
B. Mezzo-piano
C. Crescendo
D. Forte
46: What is the origin of the gavotte?
A. Italian peasant
B. French peasant
C. French noble
D. Spanish flamenco
47: Which of the following is NOT a music genre?
A. Gospel
B. Lullaby
C. Art song
D. Work song
48: What is the definition of genre?
A. The word used to refer to the basic structure of a piece of music
B. A group of related pieces of music
C. A type or category of music
D. A type of music associated with a particular culture, form, or style
49: What is gospel music?
A. Music sung in a church
B. Religious style of music
C. Dance music
D. Music with a strong beat
50: What are the four strings attached to the long stick of a gourd banjo?
A. Skins
B. Strings
C. Gourds
D. Sticks
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