Question 1: Describe the main characteristics of jazz music that emerged in the early 20th century. Include at least three features in your answer.

Answer: Jazz features include improvisation, syncopation, a swing feel, use of blue notes, and a prominent rhythm section with drums, bass, and piano or horns.

Question 2: Listen to a piece of music from the Baroque period and identify three features that distinguish it from Classical music.

Answer: Features include use of ornamentation, basso continuo, contrapuntal textures, and terraced dynamics.

Question 3: Explain what is meant by the term 'atonality' and identify a composer associated with this style.

Answer: Atonality refers to music that lacks a tonal center or key. Arnold Schoenberg is a composer associated with atonal music.

Question 4: Describe how the development of electronic instruments in the mid-20th century influenced popular music styles.

Answer: Electronic instruments allowed for new sounds and textures, enabling genres like electronic music and synthesizer-based pop to emerge, broadening creative possibilities.

Question 5: Sketch a simple schematic diagram of a basic electronic music setup, including at least three components, and label them.

Answer: A correct sketch would show a synthesizer or computer, an amplifier, and speakers, with connecting lines indicating signal flow.

Question 6: Identify and describe one example of minimalism in 20th-century music, including its main features.

Answer: Minimalism is characterized by repetitive motifs, steady pulse, gradual changes, and limited harmonic development. An example is Steve Reich's 'Clapping Music'.

Question 7: Compare the use of rhythm in traditional folk music and 20th-century experimental music. Provide specific differences.

Answer: Folk music often features regular, danceable rhythms with straightforward patterns, while experimental music may use irregular, unpredictable, or complex rhythmic structures.

Question 8: Discuss the influence of World War II on the development of new musical styles in the post-war period.

Answer: The war led to a break from traditional styles, with composers exploring new techniques such as atonality and serialism, and the spread of jazz and electronic music as cultural responses to the upheaval.

Question 9: Identify the genre and describe one characteristic feature of a piece of music that exemplifies 20th-century avant-garde music.

Answer: Genre: Avant-garde. Characteristic: Use of unconventional sounds or noise, such as in John Cage's '4'33"', which involves silence or ambient sounds.