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Music Quiz - The Overture 01 (Questions)

Many genres of music are studied in KS3, from jazz to classical. One variety that students will look at is the overture. This particular quiz focuses on the Musical Overtures unit of the KS3 Music Year 8 curriculum.

An overture is literally an introduction. The word 'overture' come from the French 'ouverture' which means 'opening'. An overture was originally the instrumental introduction to an opera. Then composers like Mendelssohn and Beethoven started to write independent instrumentals, intended to be the first pieces in a programme, and the modern overture was born.

According to Leonard Bernstein, 'Music can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable'. Let's find out whether you can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable in this quiz. Take your time and be sure to read each question carefully before you choose which answer is correct. Good luck!

1. What is the literal meaning of 'overture'?
[ ] Closing
[ ] Middle-section
[ ] Opening
[ ] Pause section
2. In that case, what is an overture?
[ ] An instrumental introduction to a large piece of music
[ ] A type of solo tenor aria
[ ] A 4-part chorale
[ ] None of the above
3. When was the overture particularly prominent?
[ ] From the early 'Romantic' era
[ ] In 21st century compositions
[ ] In early music of the 1500s
[ ] It was never that popular amongst composers
4. Which of these are 'Romantic' composers?
[ ] Ludwig Van Beethoven
[ ] Carl Maria Von Weber
[ ] Franz Schubert
[ ] All of the above
5. What different types of music feature overtures?
[ ] Operas
[ ] Musicals
[ ] 20th century films
[ ] All of the above
6. What is a particular characteristic of overtures?
[ ] They are often very quiet
[ ] They are played at the end of a concert
[ ] They aren't very long
[ ] They show a series of different and representative themes
7. What is a transition?
[ ] A quiet 4-bar section between themes
[ ] A fast movement played in a large piece
[ ] A dividing musical section between main themes
[ ] None of the above
8. A 'pivot' chord is best described as .......
[ ] a loud chord
[ ] a quiet chord
[ ] a slow chord often played as an arpeggio
[ ] a transition chord between one key signature to the next
9. What best describes a fanfare?
[ ] A type of crowd chant at rock concerts
[ ] A short piece of ceremonial music often played by brass
[ ] A type of guitar solo usually played by fans' request
[ ] None of the above
10. Which of the following wrote overtures?
[ ] Shostakovich
[ ] Brahms
[ ] R. Schumann
[ ] All of the above

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Music

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Music Quiz - The Overture 01 (Answers)
1. What is the literal meaning of 'overture'?
[ ] Closing
[ ] Middle-section
[x] Opening
[ ] Pause section
From the French word 'ouverture'
2. In that case, what is an overture?
[x] An instrumental introduction to a large piece of music
[ ] A type of solo tenor aria
[ ] A 4-part chorale
[ ] None of the above
Strictly speaking, the instrumental introduction to large-scale dramatic, choral or sometimes instrumental compositions
3. When was the overture particularly prominent?
[x] From the early 'Romantic' era
[ ] In 21st century compositions
[ ] In early music of the 1500s
[ ] It was never that popular amongst composers
Although symptoms of the overture are noticeable in music by C. Monteverdi (17th century)
4. Which of these are 'Romantic' composers?
[ ] Ludwig Van Beethoven
[ ] Carl Maria Von Weber
[ ] Franz Schubert
[x] All of the above
The romantic era lasted from the late 18th to the early 20th Century
5. What different types of music feature overtures?
[ ] Operas
[ ] Musicals
[ ] 20th century films
[x] All of the above
The overture was particularly common in mid-20th century films and is often still used today
6. What is a particular characteristic of overtures?
[ ] They are often very quiet
[ ] They are played at the end of a concert
[ ] They aren't very long
[x] They show a series of different and representative themes
For example in a musical or opera, those themes may represent characters or highlight a particular song
7. What is a transition?
[ ] A quiet 4-bar section between themes
[ ] A fast movement played in a large piece
[x] A dividing musical section between main themes
[ ] None of the above
Often used in pieces with a sonta form structure
8. A 'pivot' chord is best described as .......
[ ] a loud chord
[ ] a quiet chord
[ ] a slow chord often played as an arpeggio
[x] a transition chord between one key signature to the next
A pivot is a central point joining two parts (think of the centre of a seesaw) so a pivot chord joins two signatures
9. What best describes a fanfare?
[ ] A type of crowd chant at rock concerts
[x] A short piece of ceremonial music often played by brass
[ ] A type of guitar solo usually played by fans' request
[ ] None of the above
Often accompanied by percussion
10. Which of the following wrote overtures?
[ ] Shostakovich
[ ] Brahms
[ ] R. Schumann
[x] All of the above
Beethoven, Berlioz, Elgar, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, Wagner and many other composers also dabbled with overtures