Classical Symphony

What is a cadenza?

An unaccompanied solo that appears in the first movement of a concerto.

Select all the musical elements that are used to set the scene for the aria La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni.

The tempo is andante (moderate speed). The phrases are legato and flowing. The female voice repeats the same melody as the male voice.

What is the texture of the opening passage of Dies irae from the Requiem in D Minor?

The voices enter in unison, giving a homophonic texture to the music.

How does Mozart change the texture of Dies irae to heighten the tension in this passage?

The voices shift to a call-and-response pattern.

In which form is the second movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?

Theme and variations

What is a distinguishing feature of Haydn's most popular symphonies?

They have nicknames.

Select all the instruments that are featured in Mozart's Requiem in D Minor.

Organs Trumpets Strings

Select all the musical elements heard in the opening passage of the fourth movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5.

The mood is powerful and energetic. The brass instruments, especially trumpets, are heard prominently. The music is suddenly loud and triumphant.

Select all the techniques Mozart uses to convey mood in this selection from Don Giovanni.

The strings play quick, sweeping runs that mirror the tension in the scene. The strings play tremolo, conveying a suspenseful mood. The key shifts from major to minor.

How many movements do classical symphonies usually have?

4

Select all the elements that are heard in this selection from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

A bridge following the third movement connects to the fourth movement. Woodwinds and strings play the short-short-short-long rhythmic idea that unifies the symphony. The trumpets proclaim the main theme of the final movement.

Select all the elements that are heard in this selection from the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

A descending violin melody introduces a new, rising theme that repeats. It is a part of the coda.

What effect is created when the first movement of a classical symphony begins with a slow introduction leading into the opening fast movement?

A feeling of anticipation.

Which of the following is heard and developed throughout the entire first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?

A four note, (short-short-short-long) theme

How does Haydn signal the start of the variation on theme B in the third movement of his Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major?

A held trumpet tone

What is heard in this selection from the third movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony?

A hushed, mysterious theme is followed by the famous short-short-short-long rhythm introduced in the first movement.

Listen to the audio clip. How does the music emphasize Don Giovanni's fatal sword thrust at the end of his duel with the Commandant?

A long, dissonant chord creates suspense.

Select all the elements heard in this selection from the second movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony.

A lyrical theme in the woodwinds becomes a loud theme in the brass instruments. A short-short-short-long motive is played by the clarinets and then echoed in the trumpets.

What does requiem mean?

A mass for the dead.

Select all the descriptions that summarize or typify the music of Mozart.

Balance, restraint, and proportion Ease, grace, and spontaneity Innovative harmonies contrasting with song-like lyricism

Select all the statements about Beethoven's musical style.

Beethoven's music has strong tension and dissonances, wide ranges of pitch and dynamics, and titanic climaxes. Beethoven composed long movements, yet used various means of unity to give his works cohesion. Using the classical forms and techniques of Mozart and Haydn, Beethoven added innovations that bridged the classic and romantic eras.

How does Beethoven connect the third and fourth movements of his Fifth Symphony?

By connecting them with a bridge that starts with the timpani under the melody in the violins

Select all the ways in which the second movement in Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor is unique from the other three movements.

By repeating the two-note rhythmic figure within phrases

How does Beethoven build tension in the coda of the fourth movement of Symphony No. 5?

By tricking the listener into thinking the music is ending over and over

The part in a concerto where the soloist plays without the orchestra and shows the performer's virtuosity is known as the ______.

Cadenza

Some of Mozart's greatest works are his ______, which he wrote to feature many different instruments such as the piano, violin, oboe, and bassoon.

Concertos

Select all the instruments that had not previously been used in symphonies that Beethoven used to add power and brilliance in his symphonies.

Contrabassoon Trombone Piccolo

What about this passage is surprising to audiences?

It repeats the theme of the previous scherzo movement.

Select all the statements that apply to how characters are portrayed in Mozart's operas.

Even in ensemble settings, their individual personalities shine through. Their emotions evolve and change through shifts in the tenor and tone of the music.

Select all the statements about Haydn's childhood and youth.

Haydn was born in an Austrian village. Haydn served as a choirboy in Vienna. For a time, Haydn made a living playing violin on the streets.

Listen to the audio clip. Identify the composer and title of the work heard here.

Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E Flat Major, third movement

Select all the statements about Mozart's childhood and youth.

He learned the operatic style practiced in Italy at that time when he traveled there. He was a child prodigy who toured throughout Europe, performing before the public and before Louis XV of France and other royalty. He could improvise fugues at age 6, compose symphonies by age 8, and wrote his first opera at age 12.

Select all the statements about Beethoven's childhood and youth.

He was born in Bonn, Germany, into a musical family. By the age of eleven he was the assistant to the court organist. Before he was a teenager, he had several piano pieces published.

Select all the statements about Haydn in his later career.

His music became popular all over Europe. He composed twelve symphonies for performance in London in the 1790s. He was very well received in London and even presented with an honorary doctorate from Oxford.

Select all the assessments of Haydn's musical style.

It was robust, direct, and with a sense of optimism. It often had a sense of humor. It was influenced by folk music and his love of nature.

In a concerto, the _________ opens the first movement with the introductory exposition.

Orchestra

Select all the characteristics of the first movement of a classical symphony.

It has a fast tempo and dramatic mood. A slow introduction may precede the fast first movement. It is usually in sonata form.

Select all the statements describing the return of theme A at the end of the second movement of Beethoven's FIfth Symphony.

It is a different variation from the preceding two variations on theme A. It is played by the full orchestra.

Select all the musical characteristics of the development theme in the first movement of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major.

It is a legato melody. A clarinet solo follows the piano solo. After the strings introduce the theme, the solo piano further develops it.

Select all the statements that apply to the third movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor.

It is in A B A form. It is a minuet, a dance in triple meter. Syncopations are used to give the A section a fierce sound.

Select all the ways in which the second movement in Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor is unique from the other three movements.

It is in a major key. It is played at a slow tempo.

Select all the statements that describe classical chamber music.

It is intended for performance in a room (chamber) in a home or palace. It has one player to a part, with usually two to nine players. It performed without a conductor.

Identify the composer and title of the work heard here.

Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13, first movement, by Beethoven

What form does the finale of a concerto usually take?

Rondo

Which description best captures the initial mood of the minuet in Mozart's Symphony No. 40 in G Minor?

Serious and intense

Chamber music of the classical era has the same pattern of movements as a symphony, but it differs in what way?

Sometimes the minuet and trio is the second movement, and the slow movement is the third.

The first movement of a classical symphony is almost always in which form?

Sonata form

Select all the genres of instrumental music at which Mozart excelled.

Symphonies String quartets Piano concertos

What is considered Mozart's finest opera in German?

The Magic Flute

Which of the following statements about Mozart's final years and premature death is accurate?

The failure of the opera Don Giovanni in Vienna led to a decline in Mozart's popularity.

Select all the statements that describe the closing passage of the aria La ci darem la mano from Don Giovanni.

The meter changes to 6/8, conveying more of a waltz dance character. The mood continues to be lyrical and romantic.

Select all the statements describing the first movement of a classical concerto.

The first movement is in sonata form with two expositions. The second exposition is played by both the soloist and the orchestra. The first movement begins with only the orchestra playing.

How are the third movements of Beethoven's symphonies and string quartets different from traditional third movements?

The often feature a scherzo rather than a traditional minuet.

Select all the descriptions that apply to the opening passages in the orchestral exposition of the first movement from Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major.

The string section introduces the theme, then the woodwinds repeat the theme. The tempo is allegro throughout the passages. The woodwind and string sections play a melody that is legato and piano.

Beethoven believed he was at the same level as the aristocracy and deserved to be treated equally.

True

Which instruments make up a string quartet?

Two violins, one viola, one cello.

In his early twenties, Beethoven left his native Germany to go to ______, where he spent the rest of his life.

Vienna

Select all the typical ensembles that played chamber music in the classical era.

Violin, cello, and piano (a piano trio) Violin and piano Two violins, two violas, and cello (a string quintet)

Select all the characteristics of this recording from Beethoven's Piano Sonata in C Minor.

When the music begins a new tempo, the left hand plays broken octaves in the low register. The introduction to the first movement ends, and the main theme begins. The tempo changes suddenly from slow to very fast.