Music Theory
What is pitch?
the highness or lowness of a sound
In the US, which river has been featured in multiple musical works?
Mississippi River
What was the earliest notated music?
monophonic
What style was "Despite Repeated Warnings" composed in?
symphonic rock/progressive rock
What was Louis Armstrong known as?
“Satchmo,” short for “Satchel Mouth”
What is a semitone? What is a whole step?
semitone - two adjacent keys on the keyboard (half step)
whole step - distance between every other key
What did Tōru Takemitsu create? What is its translation to English?
Ame no ki (Rain Tree)
What did Louis Armstrong become during the Cold War due to his music?
cultural ambassador to unite diverse people through music
Extra: US wanted to utilize the popularity of his music (and him) to relieve Cold War tensions in the world
What did Rachel Carson write in 1962? What was its main subject/purpose?
Silent Spring
-raise awareness about DDT (pesticide at the time) and its negative effects on the environment
When does Gvidon transform into a bumblebee?
end of Act 3
What is the distance between any TWO pitches?
an interval
How was Ferde Grofé first introduced to the Grand Canyon?
During WWI, Grofé joined a US cavalry band (as a baritone player) and went to Douglas, Arizona. A sheriff friend took him to visit the Grand Canyon
Extra: Grofé became intrigued by its beauty and significance to the Native Amerians
What inspired Global Warming (Michael Abels)?
the fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of communism
What is Donald Glover's alias?
Childish Gambino
What did Ralph Waldo Emerson write in 1835? How did this affect others?
Nature: proposed limitations on how much humanity should expand into nature
-inspired Henry David Thoreau to write Walden: or Life in the Woods (1854)
What is the difference between rhythm, beat, and meter in music? (AKA define each)
rhythm: collection of varying durations (audible)
beat: underlying pulse (felt/imagined)
meter: the grouping of beats
What are the FIVE movements of Beethoven's 6th Symphony?
1. Awakening of Cheerful Feelings on Arrival in the Countryside
2. Scene by the Brook
3. Merry Gathering of Country Folk
4. Thunderstorm
5. Shepherd’s Song. Cheerful and Thankful Feelings After the Storm
Which FORM is "What a Wonderful World" composed in?
32-bar song form (A-A-B-A)
Extra: became popular in 1988 when featured in Good Morning, Vietnam
What did Jonny Greenwood use in “Idioteque”?
self-built drum machine ostinato
What did Kenzaburō Ōé write when inspired by the Samanea saman (rain tree)?
“Atama no ii, Ame no ki” (“An Intelligent Rain Tree”)
Name FOUR Common Forms
1. strophic 2. theme and variations
3. twelve-bar blues 4. ternary (ABA)
5. rondo 6. thirty-two-bar form
7. verse-chorus 8. fugue 9. sonata form
What did Hermit Thrush have? Define it and describe how it affected her (in terms of her musical career)
perfect pitch (AKA absolute pitch): the ability to identify specific pitches without using a piano or other instrument for reference
-Thrush used this to transcribe birdsong accurately
When did the Catholic Church begin devising musical notation (manuscripts)?
Middle Ages (around 9th century) to standardize worship rituals
What 2016 campaign did Greenpeace commission help from Ludovico Einaudi?
The campaign to persuade the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR Commission) to create a marine sanctuary in the Arctic Ocean.
Extra: Einaudi wrote Elegy for the Arctic
What were the SEVEN different versions of "Big Yellow Taxi"?
1. Radio Mix
2. “Friends” Album Version [“Traffic Jam Mix”]
3. Late Night Club Mix 4. N.Y. Cab to Club Mix
5. Double Espresso NRG Mix 6. Tribal Dub
7. Original A Cappella with Guitar