WorksheetsNorth American Music
Total questions: 12
Worksheet time: 6mins
What exactly is The Sacred Harp? It is...
It is a type of North American singing.
It is a songbook
It is another name for music notation, known as shape note
It is a very loud form of singing for four voices: SATB.
What is the role of the conductor in shape note singing? (more that one answer is acceptable)
To teach and lead the songs
To rehearse and lead the performances
To beat time
To develop a sense of community
Which of the following statement about SHAPE NOTE SINGING is INCORRECT?
Foot-stamping often accompanies the singing.
The singers sing everything at the top volume
Their sound is as raw and direct as the spiritual feelings they express
Their aim is to emulate the sounds of classical choirs.
Which of these answers is correct as to why the European ancestors immigrated to North America? (more than one answer is possible)
to escape religious persecution
to seek their fortunes
to find new beginnings
to abandon social restrictions as well as cultural institutions
Which one of these statements is FALSE?
Large orchestra, opera houses, and music education traditions were slow to develop in America and Canada.
The new continent was actually a blank slate for these immigrants.
The immigrants had the opportunity to to develop entirely new styles and genres.
Despite their willingness to instigate change, many of these new immigrants were actually professional artists.
These new sounds developed as folk and popular music.
Why did the indigeous cultures not have the same influence on the European settlers as the African Americans did?
The African slaves lived in constant contact with them.
Indigeous music was not as advanced as European music.
Indigeous music made little sense outside of their communities.
The African American communities were isolated from the European communities.
Which were the MOST prominent influx of immigrants that moved to America in the 19th century?
Irish, Jewish, Italians and Eastern European
Scandinavia, Germany and Russia
The French
Chinese, Japanese and South East Asians
What are the most identifiable characteristics distinctive to European American Music (more than one answer is possible)?
Rhythmic vitality
Blues notes
Alternating improvisations in ensemble playing
Harmony
12-tone tuning system
Which of these statements is true?
No instruments used in the folk traditions of European Americans and African Americans originated entirely in North America.
By the 1940s, white minstrel performers popularised the banjo and standardised its construction.
A broken off neck of a glass bottle was used on mountain dulcimers to allow players to slide smoothly, creating a continuous change in pitch.
The autoharp was an instrument that had its origins in Scandinavia.
Which of these statements about the pedal steel guitar is FALSE?
It involves a technical called "slack key" tuning
The instrument is a variation on the Hawaiian guitar.
Players can alter the pitch by the use of a foot pedal.
The instrument is more like a lute than a zither.
The pedal steel guitar is found in many forms of country music in the USA.
Which of these statements is TRUE about the autoharp (more than one answer is possible).
It was invented in Germany towards the end of the 18th century.
Players press buttons in order to release dampers so that when strummed chords will sound.
The autoharp became widely popular in Germany as well as the USA.
The autoharp really only allows the player to strum.
Which of these statements is true about COUNTRY MUSIC (more than one answer is possible)?
Before the 1940s, this type of music was known as 'hillbilly'.
One of the sub-genres was called 'string bands', which consisted of banjo, guitar, fiddle, vocalists and later bass.
One further sub-genre was called singing cowboys and featured small vocal ensembles and were popular in movies.
Yet another sub-genre was western swing, which was a fusion of big band and country originating in Texas.
One final sub-genre was called Honky-tonk, labelled most likely because of out of tune pianos that were first used. Also, originating in Texas.
