Glossary Quiz

Test your knowledge of musical terms! Click the link at the end of the quiz to see the answers.

1) A permutation fugue' is one in which, after the initial exposition,
a. The order of entries can be altered, and the music even transposed to another key.
b. Each entry gets progressively shorter and quicker.
c. The subject never reappears.

2)"Ripieno" is another word for
a. soloists.
b. everyone.
c. a low-sounding member of the Renaissance viol family.

3) A "da capo aria" is
a. based on permutations of a chorale tune.
b. in ABA form.
c. a polyphonic texture woven around a simple chorale tune.

4) Obbligato means
a. You have to play this part.
b. optional.
c. an older, higher-pitched version of the oboe.

5) A ritornello is
a. A repeat sign.
b. Another word for "tutti".
c. A repeating orchestral melody.

6) "Idiomatic" is
a. not a nice word to call someone.
b. an indication that a part was written specifically for one particular instrument.
c. a synonym for obbligato.

7) A cadenza is
a. A big fancy piece of furniture.
b. An elaborate solo passage, either improvised or written out, which usually occurs at a cadence.
c. Hard.

8) A rondeau is a
a. French type of movement in which a lengthy theme, usually 16 measures, repeats without alteration throughout the movement.
b. French bread dough.
c. A repeating orchestral theme, commonly used by Vivaldi, which recurs throughout a concerto, often in shortened form.

9) A concerto grosso is
a. one which doesn't sound very good.
b. a really big concerto.
c. a concerto featuring a group of soloists and a full orchestra.

10) The subject is
a. Bach, of course!
b. a recurring orchestral themed.
c. the theme in a fugue.

See the answers.

© 2002 Carol Traupman-Carr