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Quiz about Musical Terminology
Quiz about Musical Terminology

Musical Terminology Trivia Quiz


Let's see how good you are at spelling some musical terms of Italian origin used in English. I give you the definition and four possible answers. And if your musical knowledge is sound as a bell, it will not be difficult to pick the right one!

A multiple-choice quiz by polpetta2. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
polpetta2
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
240,143
Updated
Apr 27 23
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
2946
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. A method of playing an orchestral string instrument. Instead of using the bow, the performer plucks the desired string with a finger. Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. An indication that the tempo of a piece of music should gradually be increased. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Slow. An indication of tempo used as a playing direction in music. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. The notes of a chord played one after another, usually from the bottom upwards. Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. A "little book" that contains the complete text of an opera, oratorio, and so forth. Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. A short 'return' or repetition; a concluding symphony to an air, often consisting of the burden of the song. Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. Literally means "joke." A piece in a lively tempo. Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. In musical notation, it indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened. Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Dynamic marking meaning "very soft". Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. A technically extremely accomplished performer/musician. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. A method of playing an orchestral string instrument. Instead of using the bow, the performer plucks the desired string with a finger.

Answer: Pizzicato

Example: The "Pizzicato" Polka by Johann Strauss.
2. An indication that the tempo of a piece of music should gradually be increased.

Answer: Accelerando

Example: the accelerando at the end of the second movement in Brahms' Second Piano Concerto.
3. Slow. An indication of tempo used as a playing direction in music.

Answer: Adagio

Example: Albinoni's Adagio (used on the soundtrack for the film 'Gallipoli' starring Mel Gibson).
4. The notes of a chord played one after another, usually from the bottom upwards.

Answer: Arpeggio

An arpeggio of a C major chord would consist of: CEGC (an octave up from the starting "C"). More advanced arpeggios, especially in jazz and blues formats, are apt to consist of notes not usually found in traditional chords, eg, sixths, sevenths.
5. A "little book" that contains the complete text of an opera, oratorio, and so forth.

Answer: Libretto

Plural form: libretti.
Libretti are not regularly published any more, now that audio recordings of operas come with complete texts and supertitles are provided in most opera houses.
6. A short 'return' or repetition; a concluding symphony to an air, often consisting of the burden of the song.

Answer: Ritornello

Example: the opening ritornello of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 25.
7. Literally means "joke." A piece in a lively tempo.

Answer: Scherzo

Beethoven and many of the composers who came after him put scherzos in their symphonies instead of minuets; often fast with a variety of style ranging from light and playful to sinister and macabre. Scherzo means "joke," but the character of a scherzo movement is often ironic, turbulent, dark, or fierce.
8. In musical notation, it indicates that notes are sounded in a detached and distinctly separate manner with their lengths shortened.

Answer: Staccato

Notes identified as staccato should be played or sung abruptly and short. They are usually notated by a dot over the head of the note when the stem is downward, or by a dot below the head of the note when the stem is upward.
9. Dynamic marking meaning "very soft".

Answer: Pianissimo

To indicate even more extreme degrees of intensity, more ps are added as required. 'ppp' is found in sheet music quite frequently. No universal standard name for 'ppp' exists, but musicians use a variety of terms for these designations, including pianississimo, pianissimento, piano pianissimo, and simply triple piano.
10. A technically extremely accomplished performer/musician.

Answer: Virtuoso

A virtuoso was, originally, a highly accomplished musician, but by the nineteenth century the term had become restricted to performers, both vocal and instrumental, whose technical accomplishments were so pronounced as to dazzle the public.
Source: Author polpetta2

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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