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At grade-five and above, questions are more in depth. At the higher grades, the questions are put differently and you may be expected to talk about the piece you’ve just heard in some detail without being prompted. The content on this page is an outline of what you can expect to comment on.

1. Dynamics
2. Articulation
3. Tempo
4. Tonality
5. Character
6. Form
7. Period
8. Texture

Dynamics

Dynamics are volumes.  After listening to a piece of music, typical questions could be;

What was the dynamic at the beginning? …  At the end?

Alternatively, Comment on the dynamics in this piece.  This is a more in depth question and asks you to list in detail every change.

Articulation

This is whether a piece is played legato or staccato or a combination of both. Questions could be put forward in the same manner as for dynamics.

Tempo

This is change in speed for example rallentando and accelerando.

Tonality

Tonality is whether a piece of music is major or minor. It can change several times in one piece.

Character

The mood of a piece of music gives it character. This can be as simple as whether it is happy or sad. You can go into as much detail as you wish by describing why it makes you feel this way.

Form

In it’s simplest term, this is how many sections there are in a piece of music. Although it is useful to know what binary and ternary are it is possible to get through by commenting on what you have just heard. For example, there was an opening section, an answering section followed by the opening section. This example could also be described as ABA.

Period

This is when a piece was written and who might have written it. There are four main periods;

Baroque.

Up to approximately 1750. This music is normally highly decorated (I call it “twiddley music”) with musical ornaments. The form Fugue was particularly popular at this time and might have been written by Bach, Handel, William Byrd…

Classical.

From approximately 1750-1800. Mozart and Haydn are probably the most famous composers of this period. Mozart’s use of scales and quaver chords in music was quite new at this time and gave his music a quite distinctive feel.

Romantic.

From approximately 1800-1900. I love this period because the music is so moody and descriptive. Some very famous overtures were written at this time and Beethoven changed the length of a symphony to something considerably longer. Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky and Schubert are a few examples of the many prolific composers of this time.

Modern.

From approximately 1900-today. From a classical point of view, the music can be quite boisterous and aggressive. Shostakovich and Hindemith are good examples of composers who wrote in this way. Gershwin fused classical music and Jazz together to create a new style. The popular music of today can also be included. Generally, the harmony is more adventurous and can even be “Atonal” which means without key.

Texture

This is how a piece of music sounds. If a piece of music sounds chordal like a hymn, it is Homophonic. If a melody is played while another is already playing, like a round, it is Contrapuntal. Three blind mice is an example of this.

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