Music Honor - Intermediate

Arts & Crafts

Requirements

1. Have the Music Honor - Basic.
2. Play or sing a scale and name all the notes of its composition.
3. What is a whole note? A half note? An eighth note? Draw each of the symbols.

   Answer: They are musical figures that indicate the duration of the notes: • Whole note: the longest figure in common use (worth 4 beats); drawing: an 'empty' oval head, without a stem. • Half note: worth half of the whole note (2 beats); empty oval head WITH a stem. • Eighth note: worth 1/2 beat; filled oval head, with a stem and a flag (hook). (The symbols should be drawn according to the description.) — Each figure is worth a duration: the whole note is the longest; the eighth note, much shorter — the basis of rhythm in sheet music.

4. Know the difference between sacred and secular music and name a great musical composer of each type of music.

   Answer: Sacred music is religious music, aimed at worship and adoration of God (e.g.: hymns, oratorios); a great composer is Johann Sebastian Bach. Secular (profane) music is that which has no religious purpose, dealing with everyday themes, love, etc.; a great composer is Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (in his secular works). — Sacred music is for worship; secular music deals with common themes — knowing how to distinguish them guides the use of music in the club and in the church.

5. Know what the time signature of a piece of music is. Be able to tell a march from a waltz and give the time signature of each one.

   Answer: Time signature is the division of music into parts of equal duration, marked by strong and weak beats, organizing the rhythm (indicated by a fraction at the beginning of the sheet music, e.g.: 2/4, 3/4, 4/4). The march has a binary time signature (2/4) — a 'one-two' rhythm, suited for marching. The waltz has a ternary time signature (3/4) — a 'one-two-three' rhythm, which carries the dance in turns. — The time signature is the 'beat' of the music: 2/4 marks the step of the march; 3/4 carries the turn of the waltz.

6. Name 5 great composers of classical music and at least one composition by each of them, including an oratorio, a piece for piano, and a song.

   Answer: Five classical composers and one work of each: • J. S. Bach — 'Christmas Oratorio' (oratorio). • Ludwig van Beethoven — 'Für Elise' (piece for piano). • Wolfgang A. Mozart — 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik'. • Frédéric Chopin — 'Nocturnes' (pieces for piano). • Franz Schubert — 'Ave Maria' (song). (Also G. F. Handel, with the oratorio 'Messiah'.) — Knowing great composers and their works broadens musical culture and the appreciation of good music.

7. Play, with or without the aid of a sheet music book, or sing from memory 15 hymns or choruses of your church, at least one verse or stanza, and list the composer of each one.
8. Play or sing from memory a quality piece of music, different from those presented in requirement 7, and present it to a group of people.
9. Know the role of the conductor of an orchestra and understand the meaning of the main gestures they make, either with a baton or with their hands.

   Answer: The conductor directs the orchestra or the choir: marks the tempo/time signature, keeps everyone together, indicates the dynamics (loud/soft), the entrances of each instrument, and the expression of the music. Their gestures: the baton (or the right hand) marks the time signature; the left hand indicates expression, dynamics, and entrances; broad gestures call for loud sound, small gestures call for soft sound; and the start and stop signals coordinate the ensemble. — The conductor is the 'brain' of the group: through gestures, they keep everyone at the same tempo and give life and expression to the music.

10. Be able to teach a small group of people to play or sing a hymn or chorus of your church, with or without the aid of sheet music, and present it satisfactorily to a group of people.