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Subjects · Leaving Cert Music

Leaving Cert Music: Melody & rhythm features

How often Melody & rhythm features comes up on the Music papers, every year it was asked, and questions to try.

HL Asked on 3 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2021.

OL Asked on 5 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2023.

Melody & rhythm features, Higher Level(7 marks)

Quick ones on Melody & rhythm features.

(a)What is an ostinato?
  1. A long note held on in the bass
  2. A short pattern repeated persistently
  3. A melody played backwards in full
(b)What is a pedal note?
  1. An ornament of three quick notes around one note
  2. The loudest and highest note reached in a melody
  3. A note held or repeated under changing harmonies
(c)A scale that moves entirely in semitones is called what?
  1. Chromatic
  2. Modal
  3. Pentatonic
Show the answers

(a) A short pattern repeated persistently

(b) A note held or repeated under changing harmonies

(c) Chromatic

Your turn: Higher Level questions on Melody & rhythm features.

Higher Level

Asked on 3 of the last 9 Higher Level papers, most recently in 2021.

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Not asked
2024Not asked
2023Not asked
2022Not asked
2021Q6
2019Q6
2018Q6
2017Not asked
2016Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

Ordinary Level

Asked on 5 of the last 9 Ordinary Level papers, most recently in 2023.

Every paper, year by year

YearWhere it came up
2025Not asked
2024Not asked
2023Q6
2022Q6
2021Q6
2019Q6
2018Q6
2017Not asked
2016Not asked

Links open the State Examinations Commission’s paper for that year.

More Melody & rhythm features questions

Melody & rhythm features, 2 marks

A melody moves mostly to neighbouring notes. What is this called?

  1. Leaping movement
  2. Arpeggio movement
  3. Stepwise movement
Show the answer

Stepwise movement

Stepwise movement goes up or down to the next note of the scale. A leap jumps over notes.

Melody & rhythm features, 2 marks

What is an arpeggio?

  1. A scale moving up and down in semitones
  2. The notes of a chord played one after another
  3. All the notes of a chord played at once
Show the answer

The notes of a chord played one after another

An arpeggio, or broken chord, spreads a chord out note by note, such as C-E-G-C. A chord played all at once is a block chord.

Melody & rhythm features, 2 marks

What is imitation?

  1. One part copies a phrase just played by another
  2. Two parts play the same notes together
  3. A melody played upside down
Show the answer

One part copies a phrase just played by another

In imitation a second part repeats a phrase that another part has just played, often at a different pitch. If the copying continues strictly, it becomes a canon.

Other Music topics

All of Leaving Cert Music