How Well Do You Know These Words From Orchestra Class?

Which of the following words is a tempo instruction?

Largo

When it comes to musical tempos, largo is one of the slowest. Things marked with the word largo should be played slowly and with dignity. The opposite tempo of largo is presto.

Pianissimo

Forte

Glissando

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Which of the following instruments is not a woodwind instrument?

Oboe

Bassoon

Euphonium

Although you would find the oboe, the clarinet, and the bassoon in the woodwind section, the euphonium is a member of the brass section. It is popular in military bands and resembles a small version of the tuba.

Clarinet

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What kind of instrument is like a heckelphone?

Drum

Violin

Oboe

The heckelphone might sound like it belongs in the brass section, but it is, in fact, similar to a bass oboe. The only difference between a heckelphone and an oboe is that the heckelphone is pitched one octave lower.

Trumpet

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What is the orchestral music at the beginning of an opera called?

Introduction

Overture

Before an opera really kicks into action, it begins with an overture. One of the world's most famous overtures, the William Tell Overture, was composed by Rossini in 1829.

Coda

Tenuto

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What is the first note conducted by the leader called?

Downbeat

Once the conductor or leader is ready to begin, they use an upbeat to signal the orchestra or ensemble. The downbeat is the very first note of any orchestral piece.

Crescendo

Glissando

Forte

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Which symbol tells a performer they may hold a note as long as they like?

Flat

Motif

Fermata

When a performer sees a small arch with a dot underneath, they are granted the expressive moment to hold a note as long as they would like. The fermata symbol slightly resembles an eye.

Accent

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What does crescendo mean?

It means to gradually grow louder.

The crescendo might look like an enlarged mathematical symbol, but in musical terms, it means to grow louder in volume. If the volume were supposed to decrease, musicians would see the decrescendo symbol.

It's a type of pastry.

It means to shorten a note.

It means to decrease the tempo.

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Which word indicates something should be performed sweetly and delicately?

Pizzicato

Staccato

Andante

Dolce

The musical term dolce means that something should be played sweetly and delicately. Extra care should be taken to ensure that portions denoted with the dolce mark are played expressively.

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What kind of instrument is a marimba?

Brass

Woodwind

Percussion

Although the marimba's wooden keys are laid out like a piano, it is a member of the percussion family. The marimba is played with mallets that strike the keys causing vibration in metal tubes underneath.

Strings

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Which word means to be played at a walking tempo?

Largo

Lento

Adagio

When a piece should be played at a brisk walking tempo, it is marked with the term adagio. If a piece were played in a lento or a largo fashion, it would be slow.

Cadenza

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What is it called when the notes of a chord are played individually rather than together?

Aldente

Blue notes

Baroque

Arpeggio

When three or more notes are played together, they form a chord. When each note of the chord is played individually and in succession, it is called an arpeggio.

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Which punctuation mark does a breath mark resemble?

Comma

As orchestra members read along the score, they might see a large comma at the top of the staff. This symbol is called the breath mark, and it tells those playing brass or wind instruments when to take a breath between notes or phrases.

Question mark

Exclamation point

Semicolon

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What is another name for 4/4 time?

Marching time

Quarter time

Common time

At the beginning of a piece of music, you will see the time signature indicated. In this instance, 4/4 time, also called common time, would indicate that there are four beats per measure.

Whole time

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At which volume level does fortissimo tell players to play?

Quiet

Very loud

Indicated by the marking of ff, fortissimo tells performers to play very loud. Fortissimo is the next to loudest of all dynamic musical instructions.

Moderately soft

Moderately loud

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What sort of instrument is a guiro?

Percussion

When you hear the guiro in songs, it really stands out. It is a percussion instrument popular in Latin music. Made from a gourd and played by scraping a stick along the grooved outer sides, the guiro adds great texture to a beat.

Woodwind

Brass

Strings

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What is the name of the second-lowest brass instrument?

Trombone

Baritone

A little larger than the heckelphone but smaller than the tuba, the baritone is the second-lowest brass instrument. Baritone is also a term used to describe the second-lowest male singing voice.

Tuba

Coronet

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What musical term means to decrease both tempo and volume?

Calando

Performers begin to decrease both the tempo and the volume when they see the calando marking. While a decrescendo only indicates a decrease in volume, calando also includes the speed at which the music is played.

Coda

Crescendo

Stanza

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What is the name of the scale with 12 semitones?

Pneumatic

Major

Chromatic

A standard major or minor scale is comprised of eight notes. The chromatic scale includes the semitones found between the eight notes of any other scale.

Accidental

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Which instrument works like an accordion?

Chimes

Bassoon

Piccolo

Concertina

Like the accordion, the concertina is played by squeezing two ends together. The push of air is turned into musical notes by pushing buttons or covering holes on the instrument.

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Who leads the orchestra?

Ringmaster

Conductor

The person you see instructing the orchestra through a series of timed arm movements is the conductor. The conductor controls the flow and the volume of the musical piece.

Emcee

1st Violin

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When sounds are not harmonious, what are they?

Dramatic

Accidental

Dissonant

To add flair and drama to a piece, composers will often add dissonant parts to the score. Dissonant notes are notes that are not harmonious with the others. It can also happen when a performer hits the wrong note.

Diminished

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Which musical form has a repeated theme?

Fugue

During the performance of fugues, performers can expect to repeat passages throughout the piece. The repeated part is usually the most memorable, or as we call it today - catchy.

Coda

Cadenza

Medley

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Which note of a scale is known as the leading tone?

Seventh

The leading tone is the note that leads the key in which a piece is composed. In a diatonic scale, the leading tone is the seventh note.

Third

First

Fifth

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What is it called when a passage switches to another key?

Glissando

Modulation

When a musical passage gently switches to another key, it is called modulation. Modulating during a piece adds to the drama and interesting sound of a musical composition.

Lento

Atonal

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Which term tells string players to pluck the strings?

Piano

Accent

Calando

Pizzicato

Pizzicato is the term that tells string players to lightly pluck the strings in a quick, staccato fashion. Instead of using a bow for pizzicato sections, string players use their fingers.

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Which composer composed "Moonlight Sonata"?

Bach

Wagner

Beethoven

Beethoven (1770 - 1827) was a composer who defined the era between romantic and classical. Beethoven composed many beautiful pieces, including the Moonlight Sonata, all while losing his hearing,

Chopin

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How many performers are in a quintet?

Four

Three

Six

Five

A group with four performers is called a quartet. When you add another performer, it becomes a quintet.

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Which of these is a reed instrument?

Bugle

Clarinet

Reed instruments are played by passing air over a bamboo or wooden reed. In addition to the clarinet, other reed instruments include the oboe and the bassoon.

French horn

Tuba

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When an earlier part of a song repeats, what is it called?

Reprise

Composers will often repeat the early part of a composition later in the work. The repeated part of the song when performed later in a piece is call the reprise.

Coda

Concerto

Allegro

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What is the last movement of a sonata called?

Reprise

Theme

Finale

Rondo

As a sonata comes to a close, you will notice a specific movement called the rondo. Rondos are a movement within a piece of music that set the tone for the ending.

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Which drum has wires on the bottom head?

Timpani

Snare

The rat-a-tat sound you hear coming from a snare drum is caused by the wires fastened across the bottom drum skin. Drummers can flip a switch on the snare drum, making the wires tighter or loser, depending on the desired sound.

Tom

Bass

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What is another name for the timpani?

Saxophone

Djembe

Kettledrum

The large, free-standing drum you see in the percussion section is known as the timpani. However, some folks prefer to call it the kettledrum because of its appearance.

Viola

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What are the five lines containing musical notes called?

Clef

Staff

The five lines upon which musical notations are written are called the staff. The treble and the bass clef have their own staff.

Treble

Ocarina

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What is the first note of a diatonic scale called?

Initial

Tablature

Score

Tonic

Of the eight notes on a diatonic scale, the first note is called the tonic note. The tonic note is also known as the root note of chords.

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Which note has the longest time value?

Half note

Sixteenth note

Quarter note

Whole note

The note with the longest time value is called a whole note. A whole note takes up all the beats within a measure. All of the other notes are held to a length a fraction of the whole note.

FINISH QUIZ

How Well Do You Know These Words From Orchestra Class?

About This Quiz

About This Quiz