Mixed Deck — All Music and Performing Arts Topics Flashcards
100 cards from real Music and Performing Arts practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 20 Mixed Deck — All Music and Performing Arts Topics flashcards as text
In film production, a 'temp track' is best defined as:
Answer: Pre-existing music placed in a film during editing before the original score is recorded
A temp track consists of music (often from other films) that editors use as a placeholder to establish emotional tone before the original score is composed.
Martha Graham is best known for her contributions to which dance form?
Answer: Modern dance
Martha Graham pioneered modern dance technique and founded the oldest American dance company still in existence.
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s significantly elevated which music genre?
Answer: Blues and Jazz
The Harlem Renaissance elevated blues and jazz as serious art forms through artists like Duke Ellington and Bessie Smith.
What is the standard number of strings on a classical guitar?
Answer: 6
A classical guitar has six strings tuned to E-A-D-G-B-E from lowest to highest.
Which composer created the iconic orchestral score for the original 'Star Wars' (1977)?
Answer: John Williams
John Williams composed the celebrated score for 'Star Wars,' earning him an Academy Award for Best Original Score.
Modern dance emerged as a reaction against which dance form?
Answer: Classical ballet
Modern dance developed in the early 20th century as a rebellion against the rigid formalism of classical ballet.
Which instrument was Antonio Stradivari famous for crafting?
Answer: Violins and cellos
Antonio Stradivari (c. 1644–1737) of Cremona, Italy crafted violins, violas, and cellos prized above all others.
Which 20th-century movement used randomness or chance in musical composition?
Answer: Aleatoric music
Aleatoric music incorporates elements of chance or randomness, pioneered by composers like John Cage.
Howard Shore is best recognized for composing the sweeping orchestral score for which epic film trilogy?
Answer: The Lord of the Rings
Howard Shore composed the massive, interconnected score for Peter Jackson's 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, winning multiple Academy Awards for the music.
What does 'a cappella' mean in choral music?
Answer: Without any instrumental accompaniment
A cappella refers to singing without any instrumental accompaniment, using voices alone.
What is the relative minor of C major?
Answer: A minor
A minor shares the same key signature (no sharps or flats) as C major, making it the relative minor.
Which theater form uses masks, stock characters, and improvisation?
Answer: Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is an Italian Renaissance form featuring stock masked characters and improvised scenarios.
In a string quartet, which instruments are included?
Answer: Two violins, one viola, one cello
A string quartet consists of two violins, one viola, and one cello — a standard chamber music ensemble.
What term describes the main character in a play or story?
Answer: Protagonist
The protagonist is the central character whose journey drives the plot of a play or narrative.
What is the lowest female voice type in classical music?
Answer: Contralto
Contralto (or alto) is the lowest female voice classification, with a darker, richer timbre than soprano or mezzo.
Which playwright wrote 'A Streetcar Named Desire'?
Answer: Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams wrote 'A Streetcar Named Desire,' which premiered on Broadway in 1947.
What does 'col legno' mean as an instruction for string players?
Answer: Strike or bow with the wooden part of the bow stick
Col legno instructs string players to strike or bow the strings with the wooden stick of the bow rather than the hair.
What is 'upstage' in theatrical blocking terminology?
Answer: Away from the audience, toward the back of the stage
Upstage refers to the area of the stage furthest from the audience, originally elevated on raked stages.
Composer Ennio Morricone became internationally famous for his scores in which film genre?
Answer: Spaghetti Westerns
Ennio Morricone scored Sergio Leone's iconic Spaghetti Western trilogy, including 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,' defining the genre's sonic identity.
What is 'belting' in musical theater vocal technique?
Answer: Projecting chest voice into higher notes with powerful, bright tone
Belting is a technique where chest voice is extended into higher registers with a powerful, bright, brassy sound.