What is music? What is 'classical' music? Sure, Hip Hop are 'classical.'  And Liszt was a "Pop Star" in Paris. No? Well then, here is a little ear opener quiz for kids and parents alike:

To complete this quiz you will need the quiz sheet. Only if you really get stuck, consult the List of Composers´ page and the Help Line page and follow the links. But don't believe a word they say! Good luck!

1. Etudes - let's warm up
    

   1. Before you read on, please briefly define music in your own words on a piece of paper and place it aside.
       

   2. Take a few bars from a very simple score and draw a 3D graph that reflects progression of time, volume and tonal quality of the tune
       

2. Talent or genius?
    
   1. What general gifts does one need to become a musician?
       
      1. mental ___________________________________________________________
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      2. emotional and/or  __________________________________________________
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      3. physical __________________________________________________________
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   2. Training in Art
       

      1. At what age have most great pianists started to study the piano?
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      2. How many hours do you think they need to practice every day?
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      3. Compare this training with, for instance, that of a cellist, or flautist.
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   1. What particular skills must someone have to become a conductor? Why are some conductors considered to be "great" while other are not?
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   2. What particular skills must someone have to become a composer?
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      1. One out of how many people become famous composers (you will need to research the world population over the course of their respective lives).
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      2. After answering the above, how many people have lived since Beethoven's times - we still listen to his music, so what makes his compositions so unique, why could he stand the test of time?
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3. Bars of Time (please refer to the quiz sheet )
    
   1. Who is considered the greatest composer of all time, and why?
      Do you share this view? Why?
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      1. In the left margin list the composers you rank among the "top ten" (1 = best, 2 second best, etc.)
      2. On this scale, where would you rank The Beetles or Madonna?
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   2. When did these composers live (date of birth and death)
       

   3. Name one major historical event that took place during their respective lives - tip: Why is one of Beethoven's symphonies called the Eroica? (If you don't know what "Eroica" means just sing it out loud.)
       

   4. Eras / Styles
       

      1. If "classical" relates to European music during the latter half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries, please list in historical order:  Contemporary, Baroque, Christian chant, Impressionist, Renaissance, Romantic, Rococo, Twelve-tone.
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      2. What other eras or musical divisions can you think of?
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      3. Romantic music is not necessarily "romantic." What are the musical characteristics of these eras? See example for baroque music below.
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   5. Allocate the composers mentioned on the sheet to the musical eras you have identified.
       

   6. Add the genre the composers are respectively best known for, e.g. Beethoven = Symphony
       

4. The composers mentioned are predominantly European -

   1. - yet their music is being performed all over the world and often over many generations. Why?
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   2. What are the major differences to classical music of non-Western cultures: Arabic, Chinese, Indian and Korean?
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   3. Peking Opera is classical Chinese music. Name at least one genre for Arabic and Indian music.
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   4. What influence do the listed composers have on, or what contribution did which composers primarily make to today's "light" music (Jazz, Blues, Pop, Heavy Metal, etc.)
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   5. Is Jazz "light music"? (Careful, this is a trick question.)
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   6. Do you think that commercialization (recording industry) has had an impact on our perception of music?
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   7. Do you think that the recording industry can determine our musical tastes?
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5. How will music sound in 50, 100, 500 and 1000 years time? (Hint: Take a closer look at harmony, tonality, etc.)
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6. Instruments evolve ...
    

   1. Which instruments of today's symphony orchestra were unknown to Claudio Monteverdi and J.S. Bach?
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   2. Can a Beethoven symphony be played with the historical instruments used in classical Chinese music?
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7. Now define music again and compare your notes.
   
   
   Only afterwards, see what others have to say, for example ...

Licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Baroque music".

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