Q.5 General Listening
Question 5 is called Chosen songs and Works but the majority of questions here involve un-prepared listening, i.e. answering questions about a piece of music heard for the first time in the exam, and it calls on all the listening experiences gained in the previous 3 years. Familiarity with the following is needed. Below is a list of features or characteristics of music. These are the "ingredients" of music. Often a student needs to find similarities and differences between 2 pieces of music. To do this. listen for the features below.
Tempo means speed. Is the music fast, moderate, or slow? If it changes, does it get faster or slower? Musical terms include Allegro (fast), Andante (Walking pace) adagio (slow). Ritardando (rit) means gradually slower. Accelerando (accel) means gradually faster.
Mood is easy as you can make up your own answer. Choose from Exciting, Happy, Calm, Peaceful, Angry, Sad and others
Dynamics is the term used for loud and soft. Forte (f) means loud. Piano (p) means soft. Mezzo (m) means medium. ff, f. mf, mp, p, pp.
Crescendo (cresc) means gradually louder. Diminuendo (dim) means gradually softer.
Crescendo (cresc) means gradually louder. Diminuendo (dim) means gradually softer.
Instruments Naming instruments that you hear playing is the most frequently asked question. Know the instruments of the orchestra. Woodwind (Flute, Oboe Clarinet, and Bassoon), Brass (Trumpet, Horn, Trombone, and Tuba) Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello and Double Bass)
A percussion instrument is any instrument that is struck. i.e. Timpani, Cymbal, Snare drum, Triangle, Tambourine etc.
Pop/Rock instruments include Drums, Guitar, Bass and Keyboards.
Remember, the smaller the instrument, the higher the sound.
Voices include Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
There are many examples of instruments elsewhere on this site, especially on 1st and 2nd year pages. It is very important to listen to them as recognising the sound of instruments is the most common question.
A percussion instrument is any instrument that is struck. i.e. Timpani, Cymbal, Snare drum, Triangle, Tambourine etc.
Pop/Rock instruments include Drums, Guitar, Bass and Keyboards.
Remember, the smaller the instrument, the higher the sound.
Voices include Soprano Alto Tenor Bass
There are many examples of instruments elsewhere on this site, especially on 1st and 2nd year pages. It is very important to listen to them as recognising the sound of instruments is the most common question.
Terms frequently associated with instruments
Performing medium means the type of group that is playing or singing.
Orchestra
Chamber orchestra (small orchestra)
Choir (S,.A.,T.B.) Soprano (high, female) Alto (low female), Tenor (high male) Bass (Low male)
Marching band (Military band or Brass Band) features Brass and Percussion.
Rock band
Trad group
Orchestra
Chamber orchestra (small orchestra)
Choir (S,.A.,T.B.) Soprano (high, female) Alto (low female), Tenor (high male) Bass (Low male)
Marching band (Military band or Brass Band) features Brass and Percussion.
Rock band
Trad group
Texture (always asked on J.C.paper) is concerned with the thickness of the music.
Monophonic means one line of music
Homophonic means melody with accompaniment. Sometimes you can hear lots going on but still there is only one MELODY. This is homophonic.
Polyphonic means more than one melody at the same time.
Imitation means copying like “Row your boat”. There needs to be an overlap of the 2 melodies to be considered as imitation. Otherwise it’s just a repeat.
Monophonic (single line of melody - unaccompanied), Homophonic (melody and
accompaniment) Polyphonic (2 or more independent melodies)
Monophonic means one line of music
Homophonic means melody with accompaniment. Sometimes you can hear lots going on but still there is only one MELODY. This is homophonic.
Polyphonic means more than one melody at the same time.
Imitation means copying like “Row your boat”. There needs to be an overlap of the 2 melodies to be considered as imitation. Otherwise it’s just a repeat.
Monophonic (single line of melody - unaccompanied), Homophonic (melody and
accompaniment) Polyphonic (2 or more independent melodies)
The following 7 clips are all very different but are still good examples of Homophonic texture.
The following clips are examples of polyphonic texture.
These 3 examples are a mixture of homophonic and polyphonic.
Rhythm The following are useful desdcriptions of rhythm. "Even" where there is a smooth rhythm with most notes the same. If you're confident here you could also name the notes, i.e. "mostly crotchets with some quavers"
A "Dotted" rhythm is long-short-long etc like in a hornpipe.
Triplets are 3 notes in one beat. Syncopation is a more compilicated off-beat rhythm. Most of our drum beats, all popular music and all Jazz feature syncopation
Pitch High or low? Rising or falling? Step movement or leap? A Sequence is a very common melodic device. It is a pattern of notes repeated at a different pitch.
Articulation means legato (smooth or joined) or staccato (detached).
Tonality Major, (bright) Minor (dark) or Modal (all Irish music.....)
Metre How many beats are in each bar, usually 2,3 or 4.
A "Dotted" rhythm is long-short-long etc like in a hornpipe.
Triplets are 3 notes in one beat. Syncopation is a more compilicated off-beat rhythm. Most of our drum beats, all popular music and all Jazz feature syncopation
Pitch High or low? Rising or falling? Step movement or leap? A Sequence is a very common melodic device. It is a pattern of notes repeated at a different pitch.
Articulation means legato (smooth or joined) or staccato (detached).
Tonality Major, (bright) Minor (dark) or Modal (all Irish music.....)
Metre How many beats are in each bar, usually 2,3 or 4.
Style
In "Classical" music, the 4 main periods or eras are Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary? Use your knowledge of your set works and choice works to determine the style of an un prepared exam piece.
Jazz?
Pop/Rock?
Traditional?
Fusion?
Electronic?
In "Classical" music, the 4 main periods or eras are Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Contemporary? Use your knowledge of your set works and choice works to determine the style of an un prepared exam piece.
Jazz?
Pop/Rock?
Traditional?
Fusion?
Electronic?
Cadence. A cadence comes at the end of a phrase (sentence). It is musical punctuation, like a full stop or comma. A cadence is made up of 2 chords. The following are the 2 most common cadences. Chord 5 followed by chord 1 is a "perfect cadence". It sounds finished like a full stop. Any chord followed by chord 5 is an "imperfect cadence". It sounds like a comma, i.e it doesnt sound finished.
Other cadences include the interupted cadence, (chords 5-6,) while the plagal cadence uses chords 4 and 1.
Other cadences include the interupted cadence, (chords 5-6,) while the plagal cadence uses chords 4 and 1.
Ostinato. An Ostinato is a repeated musical idea. It might be a rhythm or a melodic pattern or a chord progression etc. Examples include basslines in several Michael Jackson songs like "Billy Jean", and many modern songs which use the same chord progression over and over. E.G. "Pricetag"
Find the Ostinato in each of these 7 clips. some are really obvious. 1 or 2 are more tricky
The following are the most typical questions in Q. 5 from Junior Cert' past papers.
The singer is a bass an alto a treble a tenor??
The texture of the music is polyphonic monophonic homophonic??
The instrument in the introduction is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _??
It plays tremolo notes broken chords rising scales trills??
There is word-painting in (words given...Never walk alone)??
Identify two musical features that add dramatic effect to line 14.??
The opening instrumental section contains: long held notes, ascending scales, descending scales, repeated notes??
The choir consists of: male voices only, female voices only,male and female voices??
Name the brass instruments heard for the first time as the choir starts singing??.
Name the percussion instruments…??
Compare the two extracts under three of the following: mood, speed, time signature and rhythm.
Circle two instruments that play the melody
The mood is angry mysterious excited dramatic??
List three musical features used to create this mood.
Explain the following signs; accent, trill, staccato, pizziczto
The accompaniment is played on a guitar a harpsichord a piano an organ??
In line 1, the melody features; triplets, a descending scale, changing time signature, an ascending scale??
In lines 2, 3 and 4, the melody in the accompaniment plays with the voice in unison, harmony, octaves, imitation??
Outline any one point of interest in the accompaniment from line 7 to the end.
The first and second phrases are sung as a sequence. Explain
Identify two similarities and two differences between excerpt one and excerpt two.?
The singer is a bass an alto a treble a tenor??
The texture of the music is polyphonic monophonic homophonic??
The instrument in the introduction is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _??
It plays tremolo notes broken chords rising scales trills??
There is word-painting in (words given...Never walk alone)??
Identify two musical features that add dramatic effect to line 14.??
The opening instrumental section contains: long held notes, ascending scales, descending scales, repeated notes??
The choir consists of: male voices only, female voices only,male and female voices??
Name the brass instruments heard for the first time as the choir starts singing??.
Name the percussion instruments…??
Compare the two extracts under three of the following: mood, speed, time signature and rhythm.
Circle two instruments that play the melody
The mood is angry mysterious excited dramatic??
List three musical features used to create this mood.
Explain the following signs; accent, trill, staccato, pizziczto
The accompaniment is played on a guitar a harpsichord a piano an organ??
In line 1, the melody features; triplets, a descending scale, changing time signature, an ascending scale??
In lines 2, 3 and 4, the melody in the accompaniment plays with the voice in unison, harmony, octaves, imitation??
Outline any one point of interest in the accompaniment from line 7 to the end.
The first and second phrases are sung as a sequence. Explain
Identify two similarities and two differences between excerpt one and excerpt two.?