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Seven days of questions and answers

Music Trivia Answers Archive

Review earlier daily rounds, reveal the correct answer, and use the short explanation to learn the fact behind each question. Page 4 of 12 covers seven completed UTC days.

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Daily round

  1. Which hairpin shape can represent a crescendo?

    Answer: an opening hairpin

    An opening hairpin represents a crescendo.

  2. How many different pitch classes form a basic triad?

    Answer: three

    A basic triad contains three different pitch classes.

  3. What mechanism commonly adjusts a timpano’s head tension?

    Answer: a pedal

    A pedal commonly adjusts timpani head tension.

  4. How does allegro’s typical tempo compare with adagio?

    Answer: faster

    It is faster than adagio in ordinary usage.

  5. What alternate name does the bass clef take from its reference note?

    Answer: F clef

    The bass clef is also called the F clef because its dots surround the staff’s F line.

Daily round

  1. Which interval joins pitches whose frequencies have a two-to-one relationship?

    Answer: Octave

    Octave is the interval between one pitch and another at double its frequency.

  2. What handheld tool may make those gestures easier to see?

    Answer: a baton

    A baton may make hand movements easier to see.

  3. Which practice device produces evenly spaced beats?

    Answer: Metronome

    Metronome is the device that produces evenly spaced beats.

  4. Which broad wooden piano part amplifies the strings’ vibrations?

    Answer: the soundboard

    The piano’s soundboard converts string vibrations into a much larger movement of air.

  5. What do musicians call notes sounded together as a harmonic unit?

    Answer: Chord

    Chord is the group of notes sounded as a harmonic unit.

Daily round

  1. What forms the two vibrating blades of an oboe reed?

    Answer: two bound pieces of cane

    Two bound pieces of cane form an oboe reed.

  2. Which clef normally notates a modern bass choral part?

    Answer: bass clef

    Modern bass choral parts are normally written in bass clef.

  3. What does the Italian phrase a cappella literally mean?

    Answer: in chapel style

    The Italian phrase a cappella literally means in chapel style.

  4. Which dynamic marking means loud?

    Answer: Forte

    Forte is the instruction to play loudly.

  5. What is the violin’s usual tuning from lowest to highest?

    Answer: G, D, A, and E

    Its strings are commonly tuned G, D, A, and E.

Daily round

  1. How many semitones make a whole tone?

    Answer: two

    A whole tone contains two semitones.

  2. Which bowed instrument is held upright between the knees?

    Answer: Cello

    Cello is the large bowed instrument held upright between the knees.

  3. Which two saxophone sizes are especially common?

    Answer: alto and tenor

    Alto and tenor are common sizes.

  4. What does a diminuendo require without fixing a final volume?

    Answer: a decrease from the current dynamic

    A diminuendo requires the sound to diminish from its current level; it need not end in silence.

  5. Which cylindrical woodwind uses a single reed against a mouthpiece?

    Answer: Clarinet

    Clarinet is the cylindrical woodwind with a flared bell.

Daily round

  1. What harmonic role does bass often provide?

    Answer: the harmonic foundation

    The bass voice often supports the harmonic foundation.

  2. How many letter-name notes does an octave span?

    Answer: eight

    An octave spans eight letter-name notes.

  3. What does melody organize in music?

    Answer: A sequence of pitched notes

    A melody is a perceivable sequence of pitched notes heard as a musical line.

  4. Which direction tells a musician to become gradually louder?

    Answer: Crescendo

    Crescendo is the instruction for a gradual increase in volume.

  5. What kind of beaters do timpani players use?

    Answer: specialized mallets

    Players use specialized mallets.

Daily round

  1. Which tempo marking generally asks for a slow pace?

    Answer: Adagio

    Adagio is the marking generally calling for a slow pace.

  2. At which interval does a clarinet naturally overblow?

    Answer: a twelfth

    Because of its cylindrical bore, a clarinet naturally overblows at the interval of a twelfth.

  3. How does notation show different durations?

    Answer: different note values

    Notation shows duration with different note values.

  4. Which hardwood is commonly used for a professional oboe’s body?

    Answer: grenadilla

    Professional oboes are commonly made from dense grenadilla, also called African blackwood.

  5. Which material normally forms a saxophone’s body?

    Answer: brass

    A saxophone is classed as a woodwind because of its reed, although its body is normally brass.

Daily round

  1. Who coordinates an orchestra or choir through visible gestures?

    Answer: Conductor

    Conductor is the musician who coordinates an ensemble’s performance.

  2. What do a conductor’s gestures communicate?

    Answer: beat and expression

    A conductor’s gestures communicate beat and expression.

  3. Does forte prescribe one exact sound-pressure level?

    Answer: No; it is relative to the instrument and context

    Forte is a relative dynamic instruction, so its actual loudness depends on the instrument, ensemble, and passage.

  4. Which letter represents forte in a score?

    Answer: f

    The standard symbol for forte is f.

  5. Where does syncopation often place emphasis?

    Answer: weak beats or offbeats

    Syncopation often stresses weak beats or offbeats.