history_test

SCHOOL OF MUSIC



UNDERGRADUATE MUSIC HISTORY PLACEMENT TEST



INFORMATION SHEET



?



The Music History Core Courses are normally taken in the order of MUHST 211 (Winter), 212 (Spring),

and 210 (Fall).



MUHST 211 has both a theory and a history prerequisite:



Theory:

MUSIC 203/206 with a grade of 2.0 or higher. If you have studied theory at another school, you must

place into MUSIC 301/304 or higher in order to enter the Music History core courses.



History:

a. A score of 80% or higher on the Music History Placement Examination. This exam is offered

periodically throughout the school year. Tips on preparing for the examination are given on the

back of this sheet.



OR



b. MUSIC 120 with a grade of 3.0 or higher. MUSIC 120 is offered in Spring, Summer, and Autumn

quarters. MUSIC 120 is an introduction to Western Music history. It is not a Music major course

and does not count toward the Music degree. If you have studied Music History at another

school, you must take the Music History Placement Examination and score 80% or higher to enter

the Music History Core Courses.



REGISTRATION: Please contact the Educational Assessment Office at [phone] or go to Schmitz

Hall, Room 440 to make a testing appointment.



TEST FEE: $15.00 (to be paid at the time of testing at Schmitz Hall).



SCORES: Results from the Music Placement Test will be returned to you within ten minutes after the

test. Scores are also reported to the Music Advising Office for advising purposes. Your scores will be

expressed as a percentage based on the number of questions answered correctly. Any questions left

unanswered will count as an incorrect answer in the scoring process.



RE-TEST: If a satisfactory score is not attained, you may take a re-test covering the same material in a

different version of the test.



ON THE DAY OF THE TEST, please bring #2 pencils, your UW ID number, and photo identification.

No one will be admitted to the test without proper identification.



QUESTIONS? Please consult the Music Advising Office at [phone], or email

[e-mail].

MUSIC HISTORY PLACEMENT EXAMINATION



The examination includes 50-60 multiple-choice questions, some of which concern examples that will be

played from recordings during the test. Although there may be some basic questions concerning

Medieval and Renaissance music, most of the questions address music of the 17th-20th centuries (Baroque,

Classical, Romantic, 20th-Century). You will be asked about composers and other historical figures,

musical forms and genres, and major works of Western music.



Recommended text for preparation: Roger Kamien, Music: An Appreciation (McGraw-Hill). Compact discs

accompanying this book can also be purchased. There is both a full and brief edition; either one is suitable

for studying. Music: An Appreciation is the textbook for MUSIC 120, and the most recent edition is usually

available through the textbook department at the University Bookstore (206-634-0400). It can also be

ordered directly from the publisher.



Sample Questions



1. In the first movement and sometimes the last movement of a Classical concerto there is a special

unaccompanied showpiece for the soloist called the:



a. coda b. cadenza c. fermata d. finale



2. The early 20th-century composer most affected by nationalism and folk music was:



a. Debussy b. Liszt c. Bartok d. Schoenberg



3. The feeling of harmonic tension and forward motion in the exposition of a sonata-allegro form is

created by



a. the conflict of tonalities between the first and second themes

b. the introduction of a new theme in the transition or bridge

c. retaining the same tonality for the first and second themes

d. changing the meter of the second theme



Questions about listening examples do not require you to identify specific pieces. Instead you will be

asked about general matters of style and form. For example, if the opening of a Beethoven symphony

were played, you might be asked the following:



4. The genre of this piece is best described as



a. divertimento b. symphony c. sonata d. arioso



5. The form that you would normally expect to find in the first movement of this piece is



a. scherzo b. rondo c. sonata-allegro d. variation