Day 3: General Musical Terms, part I (Assessment)

Question 1: Which dynamic marking is most likely written in the music? (excerpt)

A. mf
B. fp
C.
D. dim.

Question 2: Put the following terms in order from quietest to loudest.

ff

mp

pp

mf

fff

p

Questions 3-5: Explain what the following terms stand for and what they mean: fp, rfz, cresc.

Question 6: Which tempo marking is most likely written in the music? (excerpt)

A. Moderato
B. Presto
C. Andante
D. Allegro

Question 7: Put the following terms in order from slowest to fastest.

Allegro

Adagio

Vivace

Allegretto

Largo

Questions 8-9: Define the terms stringendo and rubato.


Explanations are included in some answers.

Answer 1: C. A is wrong because the music is not at a constant volume; it changes. B is wrong because the music never is loud then suddenly becomes quiet. D is wrong because it is the opposite of C. The music, as you should have heard, slowly gets louder and louder, not quieter and quieter.
Answer 2: pp, p, mp, mf, ff, fff
Answer 3: fp stands for forte piano, which means forte then suddenly piano, or loud then suddenly soft.
Answer 4: rfz stands for rinforzando, which means a sudden increase in loudness.
Answer 5: cresc. stands for crescendo, which means to gradually increase in loudness.
Answer 6: D. A and C are wrong because they are too long, and B is wrong because it's too fast. Another way to tell is because the piece is a march, and march tempo generally is around 120 BPM (which this piece happens to be in).
Answer 7: Largo, Adagio, Allegretto, Allegro, Vivace
Answer 8: Stringendo means "to press forward," or to speed up.
Answer 9: Rubato means "to take out of the stated tempo," or play freely.

Day 2: Note naming (Assessment)

Questions 1-3: Which note is the tonic, mediant, and submediant?

Question 4: Circle every "do," box every "sol," and underline every "mi." (I suggest copying the image into MS Paint or something to do this. Or you could do it in your head).

Question 5: In the key of Bb Major, F is which scale degree number?

Question 6: In the key of D Major, F# is which scale degree number?

Question 7: In the key of E Major, D# is which scale degree number?

Questions 8: Fill in the blanks in this table. The key is A flat major.

Question 9: Listen to the audio file. On which scale degree number does the clarinet solo begin? (excerpt)

A. 1
B. 5
C. 4
D. 3

Question 10: Listen to the audio file. On which scale degree number does the melody begin?

A. 2
B. 5
C. 1
D. 4


Explanations are included in some answers.

Answer 1: A is the tonic (both the bottom and top A's).
Answer 2: C# is the mediant. The mediant ("middle") is right between the tonic and the dominant (E).
Answer 3: F# is the submediant. The submediant ("middle") is right between the subdominant (D), which is right below the dominant, and the tonic.
Answer 4:

Answer 5: 5
Answer 6: 3
Answer 7: 7
Answer 8:

Answer 9: B
Answer 10: A

Day 1: Introductory test (Assessment)

For the first lesson day of AP Music Theory, take this test:

Questions 1-4: Below are the openings of the first four movements of Bach's Fifth English Suite. Name the meter as well as the note value that receives one beat for each movement

Question 5: Listen to the audio file and and match it to the correct notation.

Questions 6-14: Match each key signature to its respective name.

A. G Major B. d minor C. c# minor D. c minor E. D Major F. Ab Major G. f# minor H. a minor I. Bb Major

Question 15: Which of the following demonstrates a Major Sixth?

Question 16: What is the interval played?

Question 17: Which of the following demonstrates an f diminished triad?

Question 18: What is the quality of the triad?

Question 19: Sing and identify the scale below. An E is given for reference.

Questions 20-21: First, identify the solfege syllables (assume G is Do). Afterwards, sing the melody using these syllables. You may transpose to any pitch.

Question 22: Define anacrusis. How does it affect the ending of the musical work?

Questions 23-25: The questions below contain new material. Try to make an educated guess on which term matches to each definition.

A. Dynamic (stress) accent

B. Tonic accent

C. Agogic accent

23. An emphasis on notes by virtue of being higher in pitch, as opposed to higher in volume

24. An emphasis by virtue of being longer in duration

25. An amphasis using louder sound or a stronger articulation, typically most pronounced on the attack of the sound


Explanations are included in some answers.

Answer 1: Meter: compound duple. It's compound because the top number is 6, a multiple of 3, making each beat a group of 3. It's duple because each measure is split up into 2 beats (6/3=2). Note duration that receives the beat: dotted quarter note. There are 6 eighth notes in a measure and 2 beats, meaning that each beat gets 3 eighth notes. This equates to a dotted quarter.
Answer 2: Meter: simple quadruple. Common time (or 4/4) has a 4 on top, which is divisible by 2 (but not by 3). It's quadruple because each measure is split up into 4 beats. Note duration that receives the beat: quarter note. There are 4 quarter notes in a measure and 4 beats, meaning that each beat gets 1 quarter note.
Answer 3: Meter: simple triple. Anything with a 3 or multiple of 2 on top (excluding multiples of both 3 and 2 like 6 or 12) is simple. It's triple because each measure is split up into 3 beats. Note duration that receives the beat: half note. There are 3 half notes in a measure and 3 beats, meaning that each beat gets 1 half note.
Answer 4: Meter: simple triple. Anything with a 3 or multiple of 2 on top (excluding multiples of both 3 and 2 like 6 or 12) is simple. It's triple because each measure is split up into 3 beats. Note duration that receives the beat: quarter note. There are 3 quarter notes in a measure and 3 beats, meaning that each beat gets 1 quarter note.
Answer 5: C
Answer 6: D
Answer 7: F
Answer 8: G
Answer 9: A
Answer 10: I
Answer 11: B
Answer 12: H
Answer 13: C
Answer 14: D
Answer 15: C
Answer 16: A perfect fourth
Answer 17: B. A is enharmonically correct (it sounds the same), but any F triad must contain a C, so it is incorrect. C is an F Major triad, and D is an f minor triad.
Answer 18: An augmented triad
Answer 19: It is an e harmonic minor scale, as the 7th is sharped.
Answer 20:

Answer 21: Below is a correct recording of the melody.
Answer 22: An anacrusis (aka pickup note) is a note(s) which comes before the first downbeat. The last measure of the piece is shortened by the duration of the anacrusis.
Answer 23: B; tonic implies tone or pitch, so the highest pitch gets the accent.
Answer 24: C; this is one you just need to memorize.
Answer 25: A; dynamic refers to volume, so naturally it should follow that volume is increased with these accents. These are the most common type of accent.