ThatQuiz Test Library Take this test now
Musical composition
Contributed by: Skelton
  • 1. A musical composition is a piece of music that has been created through the art of composing. It involves the arrangement of different musical elements such as melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture to create a cohesive and expressive work of art. Composers use their creativity and skill to craft compositions that evoke emotions, tell stories, or convey messages to the audience. From classical symphonies to modern pop songs, musical compositions form the backbone of the music industry and have the power to inspire, entertain, and move listeners in profound ways.

    What is a 'chord' in music composition?
A) A type of musical scale
B) A percussion instrument
C) A group of notes played together
D) A type of musical form
  • 2. What does a 'rest' indicate in musical notation?
A) A high-pitched note
B) A fast tempo
C) A note to be played very loud
D) A period of silence
  • 3. What is a 'motif' in music composition?
A) A type of musical scale
B) A long musical composition
C) A short musical idea or melodic theme
D) A type of percussion instrument
  • 4. What is a 'theme' in music composition?
A) A very short musical phrase
B) The speed at which music is played
C) A central idea or subject that is developed in a musical composition
D) A type of musical form
  • 5. What is 'polyphony' in music composition?
A) A very slow tempo
B) A type of musical form
C) A single-line texture
D) Music with two or more independent melody lines
  • 6. What does 'tonality' refer to in music composition?
A) The dynamics of a piece
B) The key or tonic center of a piece of music
C) The tempo of a piece
D) The melody of a piece
  • 7. What is a 'crescendo' in music composition?
A) A type of musical form
B) Playing all notes with a staccato articulation
C) A gradual increase in volume
D) A fast tempo
  • 8. What is a 'diminuendo' in music composition?
A) A slow tempo
B) A type of musical scale
C) A gradual decrease in volume
D) A very short musical phrase
  • 9. What is 'rubato' in music composition?
A) A type of musical scale
B) Playing very loudly
C) Tempo flexibility within a musical piece
D) A type of musical form
  • 10. Who is considered the 'Father of Symphony'?
A) Joseph Haydn
B) Antonio Vivaldi
C) Ludwig van Beethoven
D) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • 11. What is the highest voice type in a four-part choir?
A) Alto
B) Soprano
C) Bass
D) Tenor
  • 12. Which composer is known for his 'Moonlight Sonata'?
A) Franz Schubert
B) Johann Sebastian Bach
C) Ludwig van Beethoven
D) Claude Debussy
  • 13. The organization of musical ideas in time is known as what?
A) Tempo
B) Tone color
C) Texture
D) Form
  • 14. What term describes the loudness or softness of a musical passage?
A) Texture
B) Timbre
C) Pitch
D) Dynamics
  • 15. How many movements are typically found in a classical symphony?
A) Three
B) Four
C) Five
D) Two
  • 16. Which Italian term directs a musician to play the music sweetly, softly, or tenderly?
A) Allegro
B) Largo
C) Presto
D) Dolce
  • 17. Who composed 'The Four Seasons'?
A) Antonio Vivaldi
B) Johann Sebastian Bach
C) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
D) Franz Joseph Haydn
  • 18. Which composer is often referred to as the 'Waltz King'?
A) Igor Stravinsky
B) Johann Strauss II
C) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
D) Frederic Chopin
  • 19. In musical composition, what does 'coda' refer to?
A) A gradual increase in volume
B) A sustained note
C) A concluding section
D) A fast tempo
  • 20. What is the term for a group of musicians playing together?
A) Ensemble
B) Choir
C) Soloist
D) Orchestra
  • 21. Which composer is known for his 'Canon in D Major'?
A) Henry Purcell
B) George Frideric Handel
C) Domenico Scarlatti
D) Johann Pachelbel
  • 22. Who composed the famous opera 'The Magic Flute'?
A) Georges Bizet
B) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C) Giuseppe Verdi
D) Richard Wagner
  • 23. What is the term for a repeated musical phrase or theme, typically in the bass line?
A) Arpeggio
B) Intermezzo
C) Ostinato
D) Adagio
  • 24. Who composed the 'Brandenburg Concertos'?
A) Antonio Vivaldi
B) Johann Sebastian Bach
C) Franz Joseph Haydn
D) George Frideric Handel
  • 25. In music notation, which symbol indicates a gradual increase in loudness?
A) Legato
B) Decrescendo
C) Fermata
D) Crescendo
  • 26. Which composer is known for his 'Ride of the Valkyries'?
A) Gustav Mahler
B) Richard Wagner
C) Giuseppe Verdi
D) Claude Debussy
  • 27. What is the term for music that is sung without instrumental accompaniment?
A) Adagio
B) Arco
C) Accompaniment
D) A cappella
  • 28. Which term describes the quality of sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another?
A) Tempo
B) Rhythm
C) Timbre
D) Dynamics
  • 29. Who composed the ballet 'Swan Lake'?
A) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
B) Claude Debussy
C) Igor Stravinsky
D) Sergei Prokofiev
  • 30. What is a musical composition for solo instrument or instruments accompanied by an orchestra?
A) Sonata
B) Symphony
C) Concerto
D) Etude
  • 31. Who is known for composing the opera 'Carmen'?
A) Giacomo Puccini
B) Engelbert Humperdinck
C) Richard Strauss
D) Georges Bizet
  • 32. What is the name for a short musical idea that is repeated and developed in a composition?
A) Canon
B) Symphony
C) Motif
D) Cadence
  • 33. What term describes the way chords are constructed and how they follow each other?
A) Counterpoint
B) Harmony
C) Timbre
D) Syncopation
  • 34. Which term refers to the relative highness or lowness of a sound?
A) Pitch
B) Timbre
C) Rhythm
D) Cadence
  • 35. What is the name for a repeated musical phrase played between verses of a song?
A) Chorus
B) Verse
C) Refrain
D) Bridge
  • 36. What is the typical structure of a sonata-allegro form?
A) Aria, Recitative, Aria
B) Exposition, Development, Recapitulation
C) Theme and variations
D) Binary form
  • 37. Who is known for their 'Carnival of the Animals' composition?
A) Claude Debussy
B) Erik Satie
C) Camille Saint-Saëns
D) Maurice Ravel
  • 38. Who is known for their 'Peer Gynt' suite?
A) Jean Sibelius
B) Alexander Borodin
C) Modest Mussorgsky
D) Edvard Grieg
  • 39. Who is known for their 'Adagio for Strings' composition?
A) Philip Glass
B) Aaron Copland
C) Samuel Barber
D) John Cage
  • 40. What does 'forte' mean in music notation?
A) Soft
B) Slow
C) Loud
D) Fast
  • 41. Who composed 'The Firebird' ballet?
A) Dmitri Shostakovich
B) Igor Stravinsky
C) Sergei Prokofiev
D) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  • 42. Who is known for their 'Symphonie fantastique' composition?
A) Hector Berlioz
B) Georges Bizet
C) Claude Debussy
D) Camille Saint-Saëns
Created with That Quiz — where test making and test taking are made easy for math and other subject areas.