Music Class Listening Exercise Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You
Listen to Whitney Houston’s recording of “I Will Always Love You” (1992) posted below. Pay attention to the three characteristics of sound that we have discussed in class: volume, timbre, and texture. Then answer the questions that follow.
QUESTION 1
- At the start of the recording, the volume of the music is soft (not loud).
True
False
QUESTION 2
- Because the music has a similar volume at the beginning and the end of the recording, we can say that the music has a narrow dynamic range.
True
False
QUESTION 3
- Which of the timbres listed below do you hear in the recording? Choose all that apply.
- Female Voice
- Male Voice
- Bagpipes
- Drums
- Saxophone
QUESTION 4
- The beginning of the song has a monophonic texture because the only sound is the singer’s voice. Several instruments enter at 0:45, but the texture remains monophonic because only the singer provides the melody.
True
False
Listen to this recording of Julie Andrews singing “My Favorite Things” from The Sound of Music (1965), composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Pay attention to the characteristics of rhythm that we have discussed in class: rhythm, tempo, and meter. Then answer the questions that follow.
QUESTION 1
- The tempo of “My Favorite Things” is relatively fast, which seems to reflect the singer’s enthusiasm.
True
False
QUESTION 2
- The tempo slows significantly at the end of the song, when Julie Andrews sings, “…and then I don’t feel so bad” (2:07–2:17).
True
False
QUESTION 3
- The meter of “My Favorite Things” is duple because the tempo is organized into groups of two beats.
True
False
Listen to this recording of music composed by Antonio Vivaldi for solo guitar and orchestra. Pay attention to two of the characteristics of harmony that we recently discussed in class: consonance/dissonance and mode. Then answer the questions that follow
QUESTION 1
- In general, the harmonies heard in the recording sound consonant.
True
False
QUESTION 2
- In the recording, the harmony features the ______mode at 2:25 but then shifts to the ______mode at 2:45.