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GCSE music vocabulary revision

Total questions: 42

Worksheet time: 21mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

What does A cappella mean

a)

In unison

b)

unaccompanied singing

c)

with accompaniment

d)

In chords

2.

What is an acciaccatura?

a)

A scalic passage

b)

A sustained note

c)

An ornamental 'crushed note'

d)

An acompaniment

3.

What is Aeolian mode?

a)

All white notes A-A

b)

All white notes B-B

c)

All white notes C-C

d)

All white notes D-D

4.

What does Alla Breve mean?

a)

4/4 time

b)

3/4 time

c)

12/8 time

d)

2/2

5.

What type of voice is an alto?

a)

high female

b)

low female

c)

high male

d)

low male

6.

What is an anacrusis?

a)

A small repeated pattern

b)

A melody in A minor

c)

An 'up beat'

d)

Italian term for 'slow'

7.

What is an antiphonal exchange?

a)

Texture where two groups perform alternatively

b)

A musical note worth 8 beats

c)

A large ensemble

d)

A small group of recorders

8.

What is an appoggiatura?

a)

A decorated bass line

b)

A small group of guitars

c)

A dissonant ornament meaning 'to lean'

d)

A song for solo voice

9.

What is an Aria?

a)

A small flute

b)

A religious piece

c)

A song for solo voice and accompaniment

d)

An ornament meaning 'crushed note'

10.

What is an arpeggio?

a)

Notes of chord played one at a time

b)

Baroque piano

c)

A instrument operated by bellows

d)

An up beat

11.

What does augmented mean?

a)

To make something smaller

b)

To make something larger

c)

To make something dissonant

d)

To make something consonant

12.

What is a back beat?

a)

Pop term meaning 'on the beat'

b)

Small drum kit

c)

Playing drums on your back

d)

Pop term meaning 'off the beat'

13.

What are backing vocals?

a)

Vocals in the back of the throat

b)

Vocals that accompany the lead vocals

c)

Vocals for the end of a piece

d)

Vocals to begin the piece

14.

What is a ballad?

a)

A French dance style

b)

An up-beat song about love

c)

A slow romantic song

d)

A piece of music to dance to

15.

When was the Baroque era?

a)

1750 - 1800

b)

1400 - 1900

c)

1600 - 1750

d)

1800 - present day

16.

What type of voice is a bass?

a)

High female voice

b)

Low female voice

c)

High male voice

d)

Low male voice

17.

What is basso continuo?

a)

A continuous bass line

b)

A bass part for all

c)

A Baroque bass part by one or more bass instruments

d)

A decorated bass line

18.

What is a bass viol?

a)

Old type of cello

b)

Old type of bass guitar

c)

Old type of violin

d)

Amplified bass

19.

What is a bell chord?

a)

Chords made from bells

b)

A chord where the notes are played upwards on a guitar

c)

A chord where the notes are left to ring

d)

A chord where the notes are played downwards on a guitar

20.

What is a 'bend'?

a)

A note which has a change in pitch as it sounds

b)

A note which goes around a corner

c)

A chord that has four notes

d)

A chord that is played backwards

21.

What does the term 'bitonal' mean?

a)

Music that has no key

b)

Music that has two keys simultaneously

c)

Music that has more than two keys

d)

Music that is of the key

22.

What is a bodhran?

a)

A small hand held shaker

b)

A large triangle

c)

An Irish lute

d)

An Irish double headed drum

23.

What is a Bossa nova?

a)

A song on the keyboard

b)

A love dance

c)

A syncopated dance style

d)

A jazzy interlude

24.

What is a bouzouki?

a)

A Greek lute

b)

An African whistle

c)

An Irish pipe

d)

A old fashioned organ

25.

What is a break?

a)

A break in the music

b)

A part for break dancers to dance to

c)

A small section for drums only

d)

An instrumental solo (usually improvised)

26.

What is a break beat?

a)

A beat that stops

b)

A section in a dance track just for drums

c)

A short bridging section

d)

A drum accompaniment

27.

What is a break down?

a)

Section of music where the vocals enter

b)

Section of dance music where all sounds drop out

c)

A broken chord passage

d)

A monophonic texture

28.

What are broken octaves?

a)

Notes played in octaves

b)

All octaves taken out

c)

Rapidly alternating notes and octave apart

d)

Rapidly alternating notes

29.

What does legato mean?

a)

loudly

b)

softly

c)

smoothly

d)

detached

30.

What does crescendo mean?

a)

Gradually getting faster

b)

Gradually getting louder

c)

Gradually getting slower

d)

Gradually getting quieter

31.

What does the word tonic mean?

a)

first note of the scale

b)

fifth note of the scale

c)

fourth note of the scale

d)

last note of the scale

32.

What does staccato mean?

a)

smoothly

b)

upwards

c)

downwards

d)

detached

33.

What does the word 'pizzicato' mean?

a)

backwards

b)

slower

c)

forwards

d)

plucked

34.

What does the word dominant mean?

a)

1st degree of the scale

b)

5th degree of the scale

c)

strong degree of the scale

d)

same note in the scale

35.

What does diminuendo mean?

a)

Gradually slowing down

b)

Gradually speeding up

c)

Gradually getting louder

d)

Gradually getting quieter

36.

What does arco. mean?

a)

smooth

b)

rough

c)

bowed

d)

plucked

37.

What does Adagio mean?

a)

Slow

b)

really slow

c)

moderate

d)

walking pace

38.

What does moderato mean?

a)

walking pace

b)

moderate pace

c)

fast pace

d)

stopped

39.

What does the abbreviation rit. mean?

a)

Fading away

b)

Getting louder

c)

Slowing down

d)

Speeding up

40.

How many notes has a pentatonic scale?

a)

1

b)

3

c)

4

d)

5

41.

What does Andante mean?

a)

walking pace

b)

moderate pace

c)

fast pace

d)

slow pace

42.

What is an ostinato?

a)

A small scale

b)

A repeated pattern

c)

A drum solo

d)

A long sustained note