Chapter Six
1._____ is the element of music that pertains to the large-scale dimensions of musical organization.
a. Form
b. Texture
c. Polyphony
d. Polyrhythm
2. _____ is the element of music that pertains to how the different vocal and/or instrumental parts in a piece of music relate to one another.
a. Form
b. Texture
c. Polyphony
d. Polyrhythm
3. The term monophonic refers to
a. single-line textures
b. multiple-melody textures
c. drone textures
4. _______ describes music in which two or more distinct parts are performed simultaneously.
a. Unison
b. Interlocking
c. Polyphony
d. Drone
5. Descriptions of drumming-based music of West Africa as polyrhythmic
a. are universally accepted by ethnomusicologists and West African musicians alike
b. were first developed by West African musicians but are consistently refuted by ethnomusicologists
c. are controversial, since there are both ethnomusicologists and West African musicians who contend that the term does not accurately account for the music’s texture
d. make sense because the music is so resolutely monophonic
6. One of the simplest types of polyphonic textures is
a. a melody accompanied by a drone
b. unison texture
c. the 12-bar blues form
7. Harmonized textures occur when
a. a melody unfolds over a sustained, continuous tone
b. two or more melodic lines are performed simultaneously
c. notes of different pitch occur together to form chords on the successive notes of a melody
8. Javanese gamelan music prominently features _____________ textures.
a. multiple-melody
b. only melody-plus-drone textures
c. harmonized, chordal
9. The many layers of sound in West African drum ensemble music are often described as exhibiting a _________ texture.
a. unison
b. multiple-melody
c. polyrhythmic
10. When a single melodic or rhythmic line is divided note by note between two or more performers this is called
a. ostinato
b. interlocking
c. call-and-response
11. Call-and-response is
a. a back-and-forth alternation between different parts
b. a short figure that is repeated over and over again
c. a 12-bar blues form
12. __________ textures are created when two or more short, repeated figures are “stacked” one atop the other.
a. Drone-based
b. Layered ostinato
c. Interlocking
13. The 12-bar blues is best described as a _________ form.
a. layered ostinato
b. verse-chorus
c. cyclic
14. Verse-chorus form
a. is one of the most popular musical forms in many cultures
b. is a cyclic form used in Balinese gamelan music
c. is especially prominent in BaMbuti elephant hunting songs
d. is rarely used in popular music, since it is almost exclusively identified with classical music styles
15. When several musicians perform the same sequence of pitches in the same rhythm it is called
a. unison
b. heterophony
c. polyphony
d. drone
16. A short figure repeated over and over again is called
a. an ostinato
b. interlocking
c. call-and-response
Listening
1. The texture of “The Cuckoo’s Hornpipe” (disk 3, track 6) would best be described as
a. monophonic
b. polyphonic
c. harmonized
d. multiple-melody
2. The relationship between the panpipes in the opening of “Ratita” (disk 2, track 6) would best be described as
a. unison
b. drone
c. interlocking
d. call and response
3. The texture of disk 1, track 28, “Wave” is best described as
a. monophonic
b. polyphonic
c. melody accompanied by drone
d. none of the above
4. The texture of “Amazing Grace” (1-16) would best be described as
a. monophonic
b. call-and-response
c. melody accompanied by drone
d. none of the above
5. What textural elements are NOT heard in disk 2, track 4, “Elephant Hunting Song”?
a. ostinato
b. repetition
c. interlocking
d. monophony
6. The texture created by the horn section (saxophones, trombones, trumpets) in disk 2, track 9, “Oye Como Va” would best be described as
a. layered ostinatos
b. call-and-response
c. a single melody with chordal accompaniment
d. interlocking parts to create a single melody
7. In this example (disk 1, track 32, “Pan Pipes of Buma”)
a. the structure is based on a 12-bar blues form
b. there is no repetition in any of the parts
c. ostinatos are heard in some parts
d. the form is defined by a series of contrasting formal sections (verses, choruses, etc.)
8. “High Water Everywhere” (disk 1, track 17) would be best described as having a
a. polyphonic texture
b. cyclic form
c. 12-bar blues form
d. all of the above
Essay
1. How can you distinguish different types of multiple-part textures? What are two ways in which a single melodic line can be divided between two parts?
2. How are repetition and patterning used to construct a piece of music? What is the difference between cyclic and ostinato-based forms?
3. Discuss how a piece of music can be constructed by using contrasting sections. What are some musical devices that can be used to highlight these differences?