Music Theory & Sight-Reading Flashcards

What interval relationship defines a tritone?

Answer: An augmented fourth or diminished fifth (6 half steps)

A tritone spans exactly three whole tones (6 half steps) and can be notated as an augmented fourth or diminished fifth.

In a fugue, what is the 'answer' called when it transposes the subject to the dominant without modification?

Answer: Real answer

A real answer transposes the subject exactly to the dominant level, preserving all intervals.

Which symbol in figured bass indicates that the interval above the bass should be raised by a half step?

Answer: A sharp or plus sign (#/+)

A sharp or plus sign in figured bass notation raises the corresponding interval a chromatic half step.

What is 'harmonic rhythm'?

Answer: The rate at which chords change within a passage

Harmonic rhythm refers to how frequently the underlying harmony changes, independent of melodic or surface rhythm.

A sight-reading candidate encounters a hemiola in a Baroque piece in 3/4. How is a hemiola best described?

Answer: A rhythmic shift that creates a temporary feeling of 2/2 grouping across three 3/4 measures

Hemiola regroups two measures of triple meter into three groups of two beats, temporarily implying duple meter.

Which of the following best describes 'parallel octaves' and why they are avoided in common-practice voice leading?

Answer: Two voices moving in the same direction by an octave, reducing independence between voices

Parallel octaves cause two voices to fuse acoustically, destroying their independence in four-part writing.

On the AGO certification sight-reading tests, which clef is most commonly required for the alto voice in choral score reading at the keyboard?

Answer: Alto clef (C clef on the middle line)

The alto clef positions middle C on the third line of the staff and is the standard clef used for the alto voice in C-clef score notation.