Western Art Music: Aural Recognition

Listening Example ONE: Listen to the following extract and select the style period you believe it belongs to.

• Baroque

• Classical

• Romantic

• 20th Century

Which of the following features tells you that the piece is from the _______ period?

• freedom from strict time

• predictable harmony

• atonality and dissonance

• homophonic texture

• uncoventional use of instruments

Answer explanation

Atonality = the absence of a home key, i.e. there is no fixed "doh" or tonic.

Tonality = the use of a home key that establishes a tonic and follows the usual rules of harmony

Listening Example TWO: Listen to the following extract and select the style period you believe it belongs to.

• Baroque

• Classical

• Romantic

• 20th Century

Which of the following features tells you that the piece is from the _______ period?

• lots of dissonance

• regular, balanced phrases

• a simple melody + accompaniment

• dramatic expression

• simple, predictable harmonies

Listening Example THREE: Listen to the following extract and select the style period you believe it belongs to.

• Baroque

• Classical

• Romantic

• 20th Century

Which of the following features tells you that the piece is from the _______ period?

• rich harmony

• use of rubato

• dissonance

• expressiveness and emotion

• strict time

Listening Example FOUR: Listen to the following extract and select the style period you believe it belongs to.

• Baroque

• Classical

• Romantic

• 20th Century

Which features make the piece you just heard fit the style period?

• long phrases with few rest points

• complexity

• polyphonic texture (2 or more melody lines)

• simplicity

• wide-ranging dynamics