a prima vista refers to what musical skill?

• A. Sight-read
• B. Compose from memory
• C. Play by ear
• D. Count aloud

Answer: (A)

Prima vista means “at first sight,” and in music it refers to sight-reading—the ability to read a score and perform it immediately without prior rehearsal. This skill hinges on quickly decoding pitches, rhythms, time signatures, and articulation and turning that notation into accurate, musical sound right away. It's about translating written music into performance on the fly, keeping the tempo and expression intact on the first pass.

This is different from playing by ear, which starts from listening and reproducing what you’ve heard; counting aloud, which centers on maintaining rhythm verbally rather than reading notation; and composing from memory, which involves creating or recalling music without reading a score.