Composition and Music Theory Flashcards
7 cards from real CMP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Composition and Music Theory flashcards as text
What characterizes a 'through-composed' song form?
Answer: New music is written for each section with no repeated sections
Through-composed form (often labeled ABCD…) avoids the repetition of large sections, making it common in art songs and narrative-driven compositions.
What is 'modal interchange' (also called 'modal mixture')?
Answer: Borrowing chords from the parallel major or minor key to create color
Modal interchange involves borrowing chords from the parallel mode (e.g., using bVII or bIII from C minor in a C major piece) to add harmonic color.
What is the function of a 'coda' in a musical composition?
Answer: A concluding section that brings a piece to a definitive close, often after the main form is complete
A coda (Italian for 'tail') is an added closing section that provides a sense of finality beyond the main structural form of a piece.
In music theory, what is the 'circle of fifths' primarily used for?
Answer: Showing the relationship between all 12 major and minor keys organized by intervals of a perfect fifth
The circle of fifths arranges keys so that each adjacent key is a perfect fifth away, making it easy to identify key signatures, related keys, and common chord progressions.
What is 'compound meter' and how does it differ from 'simple meter'?
Answer: In compound meter, beats divide naturally into three equal parts; in simple meter, beats divide into two
Compound meters like 6/8 and 9/8 have beats that naturally subdivide into three equal parts, whereas simple meters like 4/4 and 3/4 subdivide into two.
What is 'voice crossing' in four-part harmony and why is it typically avoided?
Answer: When a lower voice sounds higher than an adjacent upper voice, creating confusion about voice identity
Voice crossing disrupts the expected registral order of voices (soprano above alto above tenor above bass), making the harmonic texture harder to perceive clearly.
What is an 'ostinato' and what role does it serve in composition?
Answer: A persistently repeated rhythmic or melodic pattern that provides a structural foundation for a piece
An ostinato is a repeating musical pattern (rhythmic, melodic, or harmonic) that creates momentum, hypnotic drive, or structural grounding in a composition.