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HKDSE Music practice questions

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Question 1Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which Western musical period is generally dated approximately 1600 to 1750?

  1. Renaissance
  2. Baroque Correct answer.
  3. Classical
  4. Romantic

Explanation

The Baroque period spans roughly 1600 to 1750, ending around the death of J.S. Bach in 1750. It is characterised by basso continuo, terraced dynamics, and elaborate ornamentation.

Question 2Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A keyboard or continuo part providing a bass line plus chords improvised from figures is known as which Baroque feature?

  1. Basso continuo Correct answer.
  2. Cantus firmus
  3. Ground bass
  4. Walking bass

Explanation

Basso continuo (figured bass) is a defining Baroque texture: a sustained bass line, usually played by cello/bassoon, over which a harpsichord or organ realises chords indicated by figures. It underpins almost all Baroque ensemble music.

Question 3Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The concerto grosso, a key Baroque genre, contrasts which two performing groups?

  1. Soloist and conductor
  2. Soprano and chorus
  3. Concertino and ripieno Correct answer.
  4. Strings and percussion

Explanation

In a Baroque concerto grosso, the small group of soloists (the concertino) alternates and contrasts with the full ensemble (the ripieno or tutti). This dialogue, often in ritornello form, is central to the genre.

Question 4Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

In a fugue, the opening statement of the main theme in the tonic key is called the:

  1. Answer
  2. Subject Correct answer.
  3. Countersubject
  4. Episode

Explanation

The subject is the principal theme of a fugue, first stated alone in the tonic key. It is then imitated by successive voices, with the response in the dominant called the answer.

Question 5Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which composer, who died in 1750, wrote 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' and the 'Brandenburg Concertos'?

  1. George Frideric Handel
  2. Antonio Vivaldi
  3. Henry Purcell
  4. Johann Sebastian Bach Correct answer.

Explanation

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) composed 'The Well-Tempered Clavier' and the six 'Brandenburg Concertos'. He is regarded as a master of Baroque counterpoint, and his death is conventionally used to mark the end of the Baroque era.

Question 6Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A large-scale sacred vocal work for soloists, chorus and orchestra, telling a religious story but performed without staging, costumes or scenery, is a(n):

  1. Opera
  2. Oratorio Correct answer.
  3. Symphony
  4. Sonata

Explanation

An oratorio (e.g. Handel's 'Messiah') sets a sacred narrative for soloists, chorus and orchestra but is performed in concert, without acting, costumes or scenery. This distinguishes it from opera.

Question 7Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which composer (1756-1791) wrote the operas 'The Marriage of Figaro' and 'Don Giovanni' and 41 symphonies?

  1. Joseph Haydn
  2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Correct answer.
  3. Ludwig van Beethoven
  4. Franz Schubert

Explanation

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) was a leading Classical composer who wrote 'The Marriage of Figaro', 'Don Giovanni', 'The Magic Flute', and 41 numbered symphonies. He is a central figure of the Classical period.

Question 8Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Sonata form, central to the Classical period, is built on which three main sections?

  1. Exposition, development, recapitulation Correct answer.
  2. Introduction, verse, chorus
  3. Ritornello, episode, coda
  4. Antecedent, consequent, bridge

Explanation

Sonata form consists of an exposition (presenting first and second subjects in contrasting keys), a development (working out the material), and a recapitulation (restating the themes, now in the tonic). An optional coda may follow.

Question 9Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A standard Classical string quartet consists of which combination of instruments?

  1. Two violins, viola and cello Correct answer.
  2. Violin, viola, cello and double bass
  3. Two violins and two cellos
  4. Violin, flute, oboe and cello

Explanation

The Classical string quartet, developed especially by Haydn, comprises two violins, one viola and one cello. This homogeneous string ensemble became one of the most important chamber genres.

Question 10Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which Beethoven symphony famously incorporates a chorus and vocal soloists in its finale, setting Schiller's 'Ode to Joy'?

  1. Symphony No. 3 'Eroica'
  2. Symphony No. 5
  3. Symphony No. 6 'Pastoral'
  4. Symphony No. 9 'Choral' Correct answer.

Explanation

Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 (1824), the 'Choral', adds a chorus and four vocal soloists in its final movement, setting Friedrich Schiller's poem 'Ode to Joy'. It was groundbreaking in bringing voices into the symphony.

Question 11Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A German Romantic art song for solo voice and piano, such as those by Schubert, is called a:

  1. Madrigal
  2. Aria
  3. Lied Correct answer.
  4. Chorale

Explanation

A Lied (plural Lieder) is a German art song for solo voice and piano, in which the piano is an equal partner conveying the poem's mood. Schubert, Schumann and others were masters of the genre.

Question 12Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A single-movement orchestral work that depicts a story, idea, poem or scene is best described as a:

  1. Symphonic poem Correct answer.
  2. Concerto
  3. Fugue
  4. Suite

Explanation

A symphonic (tone) poem is a single-movement programmatic orchestral work that evokes an extra-musical subject such as a poem or landscape. Liszt pioneered the genre and Richard Strauss extended it.

Question 13Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Impressionist composers such as Debussy are particularly associated with which scale that divides the octave into six equal steps?

  1. Chromatic scale
  2. Harmonic minor scale
  3. Whole-tone scale Correct answer.
  4. Pentatonic scale

Explanation

The whole-tone scale divides the octave into six whole steps, producing a blurred, ambiguous quality with no leading note. Debussy used it to create the floating, atmospheric textures typical of Impressionism.

Question 14Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The 12-tone (serial) technique, in which all twelve chromatic pitches are ordered into a 'tone row', was developed by which composer?

  1. Igor Stravinsky
  2. Bela Bartok
  3. Sergei Prokofiev
  4. Arnold Schoenberg Correct answer.

Explanation

Arnold Schoenberg developed the 12-tone (dodecaphonic) method in the early 1920s, arranging all twelve pitches into a tone row used in original, retrograde, inversion and retrograde-inversion forms. He led the Second Viennese School.

Question 15Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The Second Viennese School, associated with 12-tone serialism, consisted of Schoenberg and which two of his pupils?

  1. Berg and Webern Correct answer.
  2. Mahler and Bruckner
  3. Brahms and Wagner
  4. Ravel and Satie

Explanation

The Second Viennese School comprised Arnold Schoenberg and his two principal pupils, Alban Berg and Anton Webern. Together they pioneered atonality and the 12-tone method in the early 20th century.

Question 16Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Neo-classicism, an important 20th-century style, is best described as:

  1. A return to clarity, balance and forms of earlier 18th-century music Correct answer.
  2. Music based entirely on electronic synthesis
  3. The use of microtones smaller than a semitone
  4. Improvised music with no fixed score

Explanation

Neo-classicism revived the clarity, restraint and forms (concerto grosso, suite, sonata) of the Baroque and Classical eras, reinterpreted with 20th-century harmony. Stravinsky's 'Pulcinella' is a classic example.

Question 17Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A short, slow lyrical piano piece evoking a 'night-time' mood, cultivated by Field and Chopin, is called a:

  1. Etude
  2. Nocturne Correct answer.
  3. Waltz
  4. Mazurka

Explanation

A nocturne is a Romantic character piece for piano with a singing, expressive melody over flowing accompaniment, evoking the night. John Field originated it and Chopin perfected it.

Question 18Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

In music, 'timbre' refers to:

  1. The speed of the music
  2. The tone colour or quality that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another Correct answer.
  3. The loudness of the music
  4. The highness or lowness of a note

Explanation

Timbre (tone colour) is the characteristic quality of sound that lets us tell a flute from a violin even when they play the same pitch and dynamic. It results from the instrument's harmonic spectrum and envelope.

Question 19Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A single melodic line with no accompaniment or harmony is described as which texture?

  1. Homophonic
  2. Polyphonic
  3. Monophonic Correct answer.
  4. Heterophonic

Explanation

Monophonic texture consists of a single unaccompanied melodic line (e.g. plainchant, or one voice singing alone). There is no harmony or counterpoint.

Question 20Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

When several voices or instruments perform variants of the same basic melody simultaneously, the texture is called:

  1. Heterophony Correct answer.
  2. Homophony
  3. Monophony
  4. Antiphony

Explanation

Heterophony occurs when performers play slightly different, simultaneously ornamented versions of one melody. It is a characteristic texture of much traditional Chinese instrumental ensemble music, such as Jiangnan sizhu.

Question 21Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The Italian term 'allegro' indicates that the music should be played:

  1. Very slowly
  2. At a walking pace
  3. Fast and lively Correct answer.
  4. Gradually getting louder

Explanation

'Allegro' is a tempo marking meaning fast and lively (literally 'cheerful'). It is faster than andante (walking pace) and moderato but generally slower than presto.

Question 22Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The dynamic marking 'pp' (pianissimo) instructs the performer to play:

  1. Very loud
  2. Very soft Correct answer.
  3. Moderately loud
  4. Getting softer

Explanation

Pianissimo (pp) means very soft, softer than piano (p). The opposite extreme is fortissimo (ff), meaning very loud.

Question 23Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

How many semitones are there in a perfect fifth?

  1. Five
  2. Six
  3. Seven Correct answer.
  4. Eight

Explanation

A perfect fifth spans seven semitones (e.g. from C up to G). It is one of the most consonant intervals and forms the foundation of tonal harmony.

Question 24Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A major triad is built from which intervals above its root?

  1. A major third and a perfect fifth Correct answer.
  2. A minor third and a perfect fifth
  3. A major third and an augmented fifth
  4. A minor third and a diminished fifth

Explanation

A major triad consists of the root, a major third above it, and a perfect fifth above the root (e.g. C-E-G). The major third gives the chord its bright quality.

Question 25Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A perfect cadence (authentic cadence) is formed by which chord progression?

  1. IV to I
  2. V to I Correct answer.
  3. I to V
  4. V to vi

Explanation

A perfect (authentic) cadence moves from the dominant chord (V) to the tonic (I), giving a strong sense of finality. It is the most conclusive type of cadence in tonal music.

Question 26Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The key signature of one sharp (F sharp) indicates which major key?

  1. F major
  2. D major
  3. G major Correct answer.
  4. A major

Explanation

A key signature of one sharp (F sharp) denotes G major (or its relative minor, E minor). The order of sharps begins with F sharp.

Question 27Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A time signature of 6/8 is normally felt as:

  1. Simple duple, with two beats divided into two
  2. Compound duple, with two beats each divided into three Correct answer.
  3. Simple triple, with three beats
  4. Compound triple, with three dotted beats

Explanation

6/8 is compound duple time: there are two main beats per bar, each a dotted crotchet that divides into three quavers. This lilting feel distinguishes it from simple metres.

Question 28Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The relative minor of C major is:

  1. A minor Correct answer.
  2. E minor
  3. G minor
  4. F minor

Explanation

The relative minor shares the same key signature as its major. C major has no sharps or flats, and so does A minor, making A minor its relative minor. The relative minor is found a minor third below the major tonic.

Question 29Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A musical form in which a recurring main theme alternates with contrasting episodes (ABACA) is called:

  1. Binary form
  2. Ternary form
  3. Rondo form Correct answer.
  4. Strophic form

Explanation

Rondo form features a recurring refrain (A) alternating with contrasting episodes (B, C, etc.), commonly ABACA. It was popular as a finale movement in the Classical period.

Question 30Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

In 'theme and variations' form, the composer:

  1. Presents a theme then transforms it in successive sections while retaining its identity Correct answer.
  2. Writes two contrasting themes that never return
  3. Avoids any repetition of melodic material
  4. Uses only a single unchanging melody throughout

Explanation

Theme and variations begins with a clear theme, then presents successive variations that alter elements such as rhythm, harmony, mode, texture or tempo while keeping the theme recognisable. It is a common HKDSE Creating brief structure too.

Question 31Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The term 'syncopation' refers to:

  1. Playing notes smoothly and connected
  2. Placing accents or stresses on normally weak beats or off-beats Correct answer.
  3. Gradually slowing the tempo
  4. Repeating a short rhythmic pattern

Explanation

Syncopation displaces the expected accent, stressing weak beats or off-beats to create rhythmic tension and drive. It is fundamental to jazz, rock, and many popular styles.

Question 32Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A short melodic or rhythmic pattern repeated persistently at the same pitch is known as a(n):

  1. Sequence
  2. Cadenza
  3. Modulation
  4. Ostinato Correct answer.

Explanation

An ostinato is a short musical pattern repeated insistently at the same pitch level throughout a passage. A repeated bass version is a basso ostinato or ground bass.

Question 33Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

When a melodic phrase is immediately repeated at a higher or lower pitch, this device is called a:

  1. Sequence Correct answer.
  2. Inversion
  3. Augmentation
  4. Pedal point

Explanation

A sequence repeats a melodic (or harmonic) pattern at a different pitch level, usually a step higher or lower. It is a common way of developing and extending musical ideas.

Question 34Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A sustained note, usually in the bass, held while harmonies change above it, is called a:

  1. Glissando
  2. Pedal point Correct answer.
  3. Tremolo
  4. Trill

Explanation

A pedal point (or pedal note) is a held or repeated note, typically in the bass, that continues while the harmonies above it change, creating tension. A tonic or dominant pedal is common near the end of a fugue.

Question 35Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The Italian articulation term 'staccato' instructs the performer to play notes:

  1. Smoothly and connected
  2. Short and detached Correct answer.
  3. Strongly accented
  4. Very softly

Explanation

Staccato means each note is played short and detached, separated by silence. It contrasts with legato, where notes are smoothly connected.

Question 36Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

A scale consisting of five notes per octave, common in both Chinese music and many popular styles, is the:

  1. Chromatic scale
  2. Pentatonic scale Correct answer.
  3. Whole-tone scale
  4. Diatonic scale

Explanation

A pentatonic scale has five notes per octave. The Chinese system gong-shang-jue-zhi-yu is a major pentatonic scale, and the same scale appears widely in folk and popular music.

Question 37Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which note value lasts half as long as a crotchet (quarter note)?

  1. Minim
  2. Quaver Correct answer.
  3. Semibreve
  4. Dotted crotchet

Explanation

A quaver (eighth note) lasts half the duration of a crotchet (quarter note). A minim lasts twice as long as a crotchet, and a semibreve four times as long.

Question 38Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The interval from C up to E is a:

  1. Minor third
  2. Major third Correct answer.
  3. Perfect fourth
  4. Major second

Explanation

C to E spans four semitones (C-C sharp-D-D sharp-E), which is a major third. The major third is the characteristic interval at the bottom of a major triad.

Question 39Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The treble (G) clef indicates that which line of the staff is the note G above middle C?

  1. The bottom line
  2. The second line from the bottom Correct answer.
  3. The middle line
  4. The top line

Explanation

The treble clef curls around the second line from the bottom, fixing it as G above middle C. This is why it is also called the G clef.

Question 40Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

When a piece changes from one key to another during its course, this process is called:

  1. Transposition
  2. Modulation Correct answer.
  3. Improvisation
  4. Ornamentation

Explanation

Modulation is the process of changing from one key to another within a piece, typically via a pivot chord or dominant of the new key. It creates harmonic variety and structural articulation.

Question 41Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which Chinese instrument is a two-stringed bowed fiddle, often called the 'Chinese violin'?

  1. Pipa
  2. Guzheng
  3. Erhu Correct answer.
  4. Dizi

Explanation

The erhu is a two-stringed bowed fiddle with the bow hair passing between the two strings, and a sound box covered with python skin. Its expressive, vocal tone has made it the most prominent Chinese bowed instrument.

Question 42Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The pipa is best described as a:

  1. Plucked four-stringed lute held vertically Correct answer.
  2. Bowed two-stringed fiddle
  3. Transverse bamboo flute
  4. Mouth organ with vertical pipes

Explanation

The pipa is a pear-shaped, four-stringed plucked lute held upright on the lap and played with the fingers (often with attached plectra). It is capable of rapid tremolo and dramatic effects, as in 'Ambush from Ten Sides'.

Question 43Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The guzheng (zheng) is a Chinese:

  1. Plucked zither with movable bridges and many strings Correct answer.
  2. Hammered dulcimer
  3. Bowed string instrument
  4. Reed wind instrument

Explanation

The guzheng is a long plucked zither with movable bridges supporting numerous strings (commonly 21 on modern instruments). Players pluck with the right hand and press strings on the left of the bridges to bend pitches.

Question 44Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The dizi is a Chinese transverse bamboo flute that is notable for having:

  1. A python-skin sound box
  2. An extra hole covered by a thin membrane that produces a buzzing timbre Correct answer.
  3. Movable bridges under each string
  4. A double reed

Explanation

The dizi has a special membrane hole (mokong) covered with a thin reed/bamboo membrane (dimo) that vibrates to give its characteristic bright, buzzing tone. This membrane distinguishes it from Western flutes.

Question 45Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Jiangnan sizhu ('silk and bamboo' music of the Jiangnan region) is an ensemble tradition characterised by:

  1. Loud percussion and brass for outdoor processions
  2. Refined indoor chamber music for strings and winds with heterophonic texture Correct answer.
  3. Solo guqin meditation pieces
  4. Cantonese operatic singing

Explanation

Jiangnan sizhu is a refined small chamber-ensemble tradition from the lower Yangtze region using silk (strings such as erhu, pipa) and bamboo (dizi, xiao) instruments. Players elaborate a shared melody heterophonically.

Question 46Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The guqin is a Chinese seven-stringed instrument best described as a:

  1. Plucked zither associated with scholarly and meditative music Correct answer.
  2. Loud ceremonial gong
  3. Bowed bass instrument
  4. Wind instrument used in opera

Explanation

The guqin is an ancient seven-stringed plucked zither without bridges, long associated with the scholar-literati class and a refined, meditative solo repertoire. Its subtle timbres and harmonics are highly prized.

Question 47Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

The five notes of the basic Chinese pentatonic scale are traditionally named:

  1. Do, re, mi, fa, sol
  2. Sa, re, ga, ma, pa
  3. Yin, yang, qi, li, he
  4. Gong, shang, jue, zhi, yu Correct answer.

Explanation

Gong, shang, jue, zhi and yu name the five degrees in the basic anhemitonic pentatonic model described here. Different modal centers can be discussed without renaming every center gong. The existence of this useful model does not mean every Chinese work uses only these five pitches or follows Western major-key functions.

Question 48Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Which of the following is a plucked Chinese hammered dulcimer played with two flexible beaters?

  1. Yangqin Correct answer.
  2. Sheng
  3. Suona
  4. Xiao

Explanation

The yangqin is a Chinese hammered dulcimer with metal strings struck by two flexible bamboo beaters. It is widely used in Chinese ensembles and as accompaniment in Cantonese music.

Question 49Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

In a modern large-scale Chinese orchestra, instruments are typically grouped into which four sections?

  1. Strings, woodwind, brass, percussion
  2. Bowed strings, plucked strings, wind, percussion Correct answer.
  3. Voices, keyboards, strings, drums
  4. Soloists, chorus, continuo, percussion

Explanation

The modern Chinese orchestra is generally organised into four sections: bowed strings (erhu, gaohu, zhonghu, gehu), plucked strings (pipa, ruan, yangqin, zheng), winds (dizi, sheng, suona), and percussion. This structure was modelled partly on the Western orchestra in the 20th century.

Question 50Music analysis with Chinese instrumental and Cantonese operatic context

Guangdong music (Cantonese music) is a regional instrumental tradition from which area of China?

  1. The northeast plains
  2. The Pearl River Delta and Guangzhou region Correct answer.
  3. Tibet
  4. Xinjiang

Explanation

Guangdong (Cantonese) music developed in the Pearl River Delta around Guangzhou and Hong Kong in the early 20th century. It features instruments such as the gaohu and yangqin and lively, ornamented melodies.