Composer Lore
This German composer famously continued to write masterpieces, including his Ninth Symphony, even after going completely deaf.
Who is Ludwig van Beethoven?
This term tells you to pluck the string with your finger instead of using the bow.
What is pizzicato?
In a 4/4 time signature, this is the total number of eighth notes that can fit into a single measure.
What is eight?
While violins rule the treble clef, cellos and double basses primarily read this clef.
What is the bass clef?
Characterized by heavy ornamentation, harpsichords, and composers like Bach and Handel, this musical era spanned from 1600 to 1750.
What is the Baroque Era?
This modern composer is responsible for the epic soundtracks of Star Wars, Harry Potter, and Indiana Jones.
What is John Williams?
Literally meaning "sweetly," this term asks for a gentle, lyrical playing style.
What is dolce?
This is the specific number of sharps found in the key signature of D Major.
What is two?
This mid-sized instrument is famous for being the only one in the orchestra to primarily use the Alto clef.
What is the viola?
This musical era was a movement that was defined by intense emotional expression, individualism, and a rebellion against the strict, rational forms of the Classical Era.
What is the Romantic Era?
This Russian composer created famous ballet scores like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.
What is Pytor Ilych Tchaikovsky?
This bow stroke requires the player to bounce the bow lightly off the string.
What is spiccato?
A single dotted half note receives this many beats in standard 3/4 time.
What is three?
When cello music goes exceptionally high, it often switches from bass clef to this specific clef before resorting to treble clef.
What is the tenor clef?
This classical structural form features a recurring main theme that alternates with contrasting themes.
What is Rondo form? (ABACA)
This Austrian prodigy started composing music at age five and wrote The Magic Flute.
Who is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
If the conductor tells you to play sul tasto, you should bow directly over this part of the instrument.
What is the fingerboard?
If you are playing a piece in 6/8 time, this specific note value receives exactly one beat.
What is an eighth note?
In Bass clef, the note located on the middle line (the third line from the bottom) is this pitch.
What is D?
Meaning "to rob" or "stolen time," this stylistic choice involves flexible tempo control, allowing a phrase to speed up and slow down for emotional effect.
What is rubato?
Known as the "Red Priest" because of his red hair, this Italian Baroque composer spent much of his career teaching at a girls' orphanage, where he wrote dozens of concertos.
What is Antonio Vivaldi?
This term instructions musicians to use the wooden stick of the bow to strike the strings instead of the hair.
What is col legno?
This is the distance, or interval, between the open C string and the open G string on a viola or cello.
What is a perfect fifth?
In Alto clef, the note that sits directly on the middle line is this specific pitch, which gives the clef its alternative name.
What is middle C?
This specific orchestral genre features a small group of soloists competing or contrasting against the full orchestra, famously used in Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. It was also used in Allegretto from Palladio.
What is a Concerto Grosso?