CLEP Humanities : Medieval Music (476-1400)
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for CLEP Humanities
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Understanding Terminology That Describes Medieval Music
How many notes are in a traditional Western octave?
Ten
Eight
Five
Twelve
Seven
Eight
The octave is the interval between a musical note and that of half or double its frequency. The octave is one of the natural elements of music, with two different notes producing the exact same pitch. In the Western tradition, while there are twelve chromatic, or precise half-interval, steps, the actual notation of each scale is on eight notes of differing spaces.
Example Question #1 : Answering Other Questions About Medieval Music
Gregorian chant was most utilized in what venue during the Middle Ages?
Governmental functions
Courtly settings
Liturgy
Weddings
Funerals
Liturgy
Gregorian chant is the style of music that developed throughout the Middle Ages, having various sources and styles. It was an ecclesiastical form of music, meaning that it was a "church" music. In particular, it was a kind of liturgical music, used in the various forms of public worship undertaken by the Latin Roman Catholic Church. Its melodies were based on the texts of the Mass, the Divine Office, and other liturgical ceremonies. Many of these texts were biblical, though adaptations from other sources are also found in many hymns and antiphons throughout the Middle Ages.
Example Question #1 : Medieval Music (476 1400)
Which of the following was the primary language of Gregorian Chant in the Middle Ages?
Aramaic
Hebrew
Greek
Latin
Arabic
Latin
Strictly speaking, Gregorian Chant is a phenomenon of the Christian West. It was the liturgical music of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, which dominated much (though not all) of Western Europe throughout the Middle Ages. While there were other forms of liturgical worship throughout this period, the Latin Rite was the "location" for the development of the Gregorian Chant repertoire. Its texts were taken from various parts of the liturgy, drawing on biblical sources as well as more original compositions by hymn and antiphon writers.
Example Question #4 : Music
Which musical instrument was common in Medieval music and was associated with the god Apollo in Ancient Greece?
Pipes
Harpsichord
Lyre
Lute
Trumpet
Lyre
The pipes, trumpet, and harpsichord are not common Medieval instruments. Though is was an ancient stringed instrument also common in Medieval times, the lute was not associated with Apollo.
Example Question #61 : Performing Arts
Gregorian chants were developed by clerics of which religious tradition?
Sunni Islam
Roman Catholic Christianity
Protestant Christianity
Rabbinic Judaism
Orthodox Christianity
Roman Catholic Christianity
Developed in the ninth and tenth centuries in Western Europe, Gregorian chants are a simple, monophonic form of music used as sacred music by monks in the Catholic tradition. Gregorian chants helped spread the Latin Rite of Roman Christianity by having a common, uniform musical style for worship. Among certain monastic orders, the Gregorian chant is still a common form of worship.
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