Chapter 6: Musical Form
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What quality of a work of art describes its structure or shape?
a. theme c. form
b. melody d. harmony
2. The basic structural concepts in the element of form are:
a. repetition and contrast. c. polyphonic and homophonic.
b. major and minor. d. duple and triple.
3. A vocal work in which each poetic stanza is sung to the same melody is in __________ form.
a. refrain c. through-composed
b. strophic d. variation
4. The term __________ describes the technique whereby some aspects of the music are changed, yet
the whole remains recognizable.
a. variation c. form
b. contrast d. repetition
5. The technique by which performers create music on the spot is known as:
a. ostinato. c. inversion.
b. improvisation. d. canon.
6. The form based on a statement and a departure without a return to the complete opening statement
is called:
a. binary. c. variation.
b. ternary. d. repetition.
7. Which of the following best describes binary form?
a. A-B-A c. A-A
b. A-B d. B-B
8. Ternary form is represented by the diagram:
a. A-B. c. A-B-A.
b. A-A-A. d. A-B-C.
9. The compositional technique whereby a composer searches out a theme’s capacity for growth and
expansion is known as:
a. augmentation. c. thematic development.
b. diminution. d. ternary form.
10. The restatement of a musical idea at a higher or lower pitch is called a(n):
a. motive. c. theme.
b. sequence. d. ostinato.
11. The smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-rhythmic unit is called:
a. a motive. c. a canon.
b. a sequence. d. a cadence.
12. A singing style that features a leader who is imitated by a group is called:
a. call and response. c. crossover.
b. ostinato. d. thematic development.
13. Ostinato, or the repetition of a short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern, is common in:
a. rock. c. jazz.
b. blues. d. all of the answers shown here
14. The separate sections of a large musical work are called:
a. songs. c. movements.
b. symphonies. d. chapters.
15. The term_______ describes a piece where no main section of the music or text is repeated.
a. strophic form c. variation
b. through-composed d. melody
16. When a melodic idea is used as a building block in the construction of a larger work, it is called:
a. a melody. c. a theme.
b. improvisation. d. theme and variation.
1. Forms are fixed structures into which composers organize their material.
2. Musical structure generally features a balance between unity and variety.
3. Improvisation is common in Western music, but not in non-Western music.
4. The musical form based on a statement, a departure, and a restatement of the first idea is called
binary form.
5. Ternary form is best outlined as A-B-A.
6. The restatement of a theme or motive at a higher or lower pitch level is known as a sequence.
7. Call-and-response music is common in African and Native American cultures.
8. An ostinato is the smallest fragment of a theme that forms a melodic-rhythmic unit.
9. A short melodic, rhythmic, or harmonic pattern repeated throughout a musical work is called an
ostinato.
10. A movement is a complete, comparatively independent division of a large-scale work.
11. The direct opposite of strophic form in a song would be through-composed form.
ESSAY
1. Discuss how repetition and contrast create structure in music. Include descriptions of several
fundamental musical forms.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 26–27
TOP: Form MSC: Conceptual
2. Describe the building blocks of form.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 27–29
TOP: Form MSC: Conceptual