Music 101 - Hinckley Exam Questions
with Complete Solutions
Middle Ages - Answer-450 - 1450. Mostly sacred music (pg. 43)
Texture - Answer-Means by which melody, harmony, and rhythm are combined in a
composition (pg. 12)
Monophony - Answer-The most basic texture. Found in music where there is a single
melody line with no harmony (pg. 12)
Example: whistling a tune or singing in the shower.
Homophony - Answer-A texture found in music in which a melody line is enhanced or
supported by other musical material, usually chords (pg. 13)
Example: hymns and most pop songs.
`Polyphony - Answer-A texture found in music where there are two or more melodic
lines that are equal (or almost equal) in importance (pg. 13)
Imitative Polyphony - Answer-A type of polyphony in which one melody line begins and
then another melody begins shortly thereafter, imitating the first melody line. The
pitches may vary or be the same, but since they're staggered, they are identifiable as
separate melodies (pg. 13)
Example: rounds like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
Non-imitative Polyphony - Answer-A type of polyphony where there are two or more
contrasting melody lines going on simultaneously (pg. 13)
Example: "One Day More" from 'Les Miserables' (overlapping voices with different
melodies)
a cappella - Answer-Singing that is not accompanied by musical instruments (pg. 45)
Mode - Answer-A scale somewhat similar to our modern-day major/minor scale system,
but the order of half steps and whole steps is different. Church modes were used in the
Middle Ages and somewhat in the Renaissance (pg. 45-46)
Drone - Answer-A sustained, continuous pitch (pg. 46)
Plainchant occasionally featured drones, creating a shift from monophony to
homophony.
Mass (Middle Ages) - Answer-One of the Catholic Church's church services (pg. 49)
Proper - Answer-Texts within Mass that changed from day to day (pg. 49)
, Ordinary - Answer-The five sections of the Mass in which the texts stay the same. They
are as follows:
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Agnus Dei
Generally more time and effort were spent on these sections of Mass (pg. 49)
Plainchant - Answer-Main type of music heard in the Catholic Church for the first half of
the Middle Ages.
Characteristics:
- Monophonic
- Non-metrical (no regular sense of pulse)
- Modal (composed using church modes)
- Latin Text (Except for the Kyrie which was in Greek)
- Performed a cappella
(pg. 51)
Syllabic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained one note per syllable (pg. 51)
Neumatic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained a few notes per syllable (pg.
51)
Melismatic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained a lot of notes per syllable
(pg.51)
Recitation - Answer-A type of plainchant in which one pitch is dominant throughout a
piece with only small deviations from the pitch (pg. 52)
Suggested Listening: Anonymous - Vos estis sal terrae
Responsory - Answer-A type of plainchant in which there is ia call and response effect;
one singer sings a phrase of music, then a group of singers sings a phrase of music
back to the soloist, back and forth (pg. 52)
Suggested Listening: Anonymous - Vos estis sal terrae
Non-responsory - Answer-A type of plainchant in which there is no call and response
effect (pg. 52)
Organa/Organum - Answer-A composition of church music with the addition of a
polyphonic texture. To compose an organum, composers took a preexisting chant and
write a new melodic line to be sung at the same time (pg. 54).
Suggested Listening: Leonin - Viderunt Omnes (2 part organum) and
with Complete Solutions
Middle Ages - Answer-450 - 1450. Mostly sacred music (pg. 43)
Texture - Answer-Means by which melody, harmony, and rhythm are combined in a
composition (pg. 12)
Monophony - Answer-The most basic texture. Found in music where there is a single
melody line with no harmony (pg. 12)
Example: whistling a tune or singing in the shower.
Homophony - Answer-A texture found in music in which a melody line is enhanced or
supported by other musical material, usually chords (pg. 13)
Example: hymns and most pop songs.
`Polyphony - Answer-A texture found in music where there are two or more melodic
lines that are equal (or almost equal) in importance (pg. 13)
Imitative Polyphony - Answer-A type of polyphony in which one melody line begins and
then another melody begins shortly thereafter, imitating the first melody line. The
pitches may vary or be the same, but since they're staggered, they are identifiable as
separate melodies (pg. 13)
Example: rounds like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"
Non-imitative Polyphony - Answer-A type of polyphony where there are two or more
contrasting melody lines going on simultaneously (pg. 13)
Example: "One Day More" from 'Les Miserables' (overlapping voices with different
melodies)
a cappella - Answer-Singing that is not accompanied by musical instruments (pg. 45)
Mode - Answer-A scale somewhat similar to our modern-day major/minor scale system,
but the order of half steps and whole steps is different. Church modes were used in the
Middle Ages and somewhat in the Renaissance (pg. 45-46)
Drone - Answer-A sustained, continuous pitch (pg. 46)
Plainchant occasionally featured drones, creating a shift from monophony to
homophony.
Mass (Middle Ages) - Answer-One of the Catholic Church's church services (pg. 49)
Proper - Answer-Texts within Mass that changed from day to day (pg. 49)
, Ordinary - Answer-The five sections of the Mass in which the texts stay the same. They
are as follows:
1. Kyrie
2. Gloria
3. Credo
4. Sanctus
5. Agnus Dei
Generally more time and effort were spent on these sections of Mass (pg. 49)
Plainchant - Answer-Main type of music heard in the Catholic Church for the first half of
the Middle Ages.
Characteristics:
- Monophonic
- Non-metrical (no regular sense of pulse)
- Modal (composed using church modes)
- Latin Text (Except for the Kyrie which was in Greek)
- Performed a cappella
(pg. 51)
Syllabic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained one note per syllable (pg. 51)
Neumatic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained a few notes per syllable (pg.
51)
Melismatic - Answer-Text setting of plainchant. Contained a lot of notes per syllable
(pg.51)
Recitation - Answer-A type of plainchant in which one pitch is dominant throughout a
piece with only small deviations from the pitch (pg. 52)
Suggested Listening: Anonymous - Vos estis sal terrae
Responsory - Answer-A type of plainchant in which there is ia call and response effect;
one singer sings a phrase of music, then a group of singers sings a phrase of music
back to the soloist, back and forth (pg. 52)
Suggested Listening: Anonymous - Vos estis sal terrae
Non-responsory - Answer-A type of plainchant in which there is no call and response
effect (pg. 52)
Organa/Organum - Answer-A composition of church music with the addition of a
polyphonic texture. To compose an organum, composers took a preexisting chant and
write a new melodic line to be sung at the same time (pg. 54).
Suggested Listening: Leonin - Viderunt Omnes (2 part organum) and
