NotePlayMusicMusic in Context Practice
Answer questions about a short written melody — the same passage is used across all 5 questions, ported from ABRSM Grade 1 style practice questions.
Read one melody for several kinds of evidence
A short score can answer several different questions. First check the clef, key and metre, then scan the bars for pitch names, note durations and dynamic markings. A question about loudness needs dynamic evidence; a question about a tonic triad needs pitch evidence.
When asked about the highest note, compare pitches across the whole melody rather than looking only at the last bar. When asked whether the passage gets louder, track every dynamic in order instead of relying on its beginning and ending alone.
How to work it out
- Read the exact claim and locate the relevant bars or signs before choosing an answer.
- For pitch claims, name the notes; for rhythmic claims, count durations; for dynamics, read the markings in sequence.
Worked example
A melody marked p, then f, then mp: does it keep growing louder to the end?
No. It grows from quiet to loud, but mp at the end is moderately quiet, so the final change is softer.
Watch for this mistake
A melody can change direction, rhythm and volume independently. Evidence for one feature does not prove a claim about another.
Für Elise probably wasn't for Elise
Beethoven never published Für Elise, the manuscript is lost, and the name may be a misreading. Was it for Therese Malfatti, or a singer called Elise?
Learning objectives
- Read a short melody and answer questions about its notes and shape.
Worksheet
Look at this melody and then answer the question that follows. Select TRUE or FALSE for the statement: The melody gets gradually louder towards the end.
Answer: ______________________
Look at this melody and then answer the question that follows. Select the bar that contains all the notes of the tonic triad of C major.
Answer: ______________________
Look at this melody and then answer the question that follows. Select the correct answer: The longest note in the melody is a ...
Answer: ______________________
Look at this melody and then answer the question that follows. Select the correct answer: Bar 1 has the same pitches as ...
Answer: ______________________
Look at this melody and then answer the question that follows. Select the correct answer: The highest note in the melody is ...
Answer: ______________________
Answer Key
- FALSE — The melody gets louder by bars 3 to 5, but then it gets quieter again before ending at mf, so it does not get gradually louder towards the end.
- bar 2 — The tonic triad of C major uses the notes C, E, and G. Bar 2 contains those notes.
- semibreve — The last bar contains a semibreve.
- bar 7 — Bar 1 and bar 7 both use the pitches C and B.
- G — The highest note used in the melody is G.