Music Midterm

c. a composite of musical lines of all the orchestral instruments, from which a conductor conducts

The correct definition of "orchestral score" is:

plainsong

Which term is synonymous with "Gregorian chant"?

color

Which term is synonymous with "timbre"?

d. Leonardo's Mona Lisa

Which work is NOT an expression of the Baroque artistic spirit?

e. the various levels of sound, loud and soft, at which pitches are produced in a musical composition.

"Dynamics" are defined as

false

Due to the physical power required to play the pianoforte, the most common players of the new instrument were professional male musicians.

a. 1750-1820

The period ________ is known as the Classical Period.

b. the process by which one or more musical voices, or parts, enter and duplicate exactly for a period of time the music presented by the previous voice.

"Imitation" is best defined as

a. stage work making use of a serious historical or mythological subject, usually in three acts.

"Opera seria" is best defined as a(n)

d. a musical texture involving two or more simultaneously sounding lines that are independent and create counterpoint.

"Polyphony" is

b. a musical tremor produced on a string instrument by repeating the same pitch with quick up and down strokes of the bow.

"Tremolo" is

b. the opening section, in which each voice in turn has the opportunity to present the subject

Identify the correct definition of "exposition" in the context of a fugue.

d. the repetition of a musical motive at successively higher or lower degrees of the scale

Identify the correct definition of "melodic sequence."

a. a large, free-standing piece within a major instrumental work

Identify the correct definition of "movement."

d. a term for the principal theme in a fugue

Identify the correct definition of "subject."

c. The song has no clearly articulated meter or rhythm, but is sung in notes of more or less equal length.

Identify the one statement about A chantar m'er that is correct.

e. his concertos and trio sonatas were widely admired throughout Europe

Identify the one statement about Henry Purcell that is wrong.

c. the first movement is in binary form and prominently features the oboes and bassoon in the tutti section

Identify the one statement about Vivaldi's Violin Concerto in E major ("The Spring") that is NOT correct.

a. he was employed at various times by Philip the Good, duke of Burgundy

Identify the statement about Josquin that is INCORRECT.

d. the harmonic rhythm varies dramatically, creating a dynamic flux and flow; simple chordal harmonies made more active by "Alberti" bass

Identify the statement that correctly describes the harmonic style of the era.

b. It was the largest city in Europe.

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to Vienna during the late eighteenth century.

b. since it was a liturgical drama, the singers wore elaborate costumes, but the scenery was minimal due to its church setting

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to the late Baroque church cantata.

b. figured bass

Identify the term that does NOT apply to the fugue.

b. composed in the space of three and a half weeks

Identify the true statement about Messiah.

b. a slight and continual wobbling of the pitch produced on a string instrument

Identify what is meant by the term "vibrato."

true

Mozart found the system of aristocratic patronage irritating, and after several unpleasant scenes with his patron, he cut himself free and moved to Vienna, determined to make a living as a freelance musician.

e. theme and variations form

Mozart used ________ form for his composition "Ah, vous dirai-je Maman" (known today as "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")

Salzburg

Mozart was born in the town of ________ .

a. antecedent, consequent

Phrases that are dependent upon each other to produce a complete musical idea are called ________ and ________ .

b. You could, since you are still only twenty, become a choirboy or choirgirl at St. Stephen's Cathedral and sing soprano in the choir.

Suppose you were a twenty-year-old violinist in a small village in central Europe. In 1791, you decide to go to Vienna to seek your fortune in music. All the following possibilities are open to you EXCEPT one. Which statement is the "closed door"?

d. ternary form.

Tchaikovsky's "Dance of the Reed Pipes" from The Nutcracker is composed in

a. The development of colorful, florid singing in opera and technical virtuosity in instrumental solos brought the performer center stage in any performance of Baroque music. The performer and the more overtly expressive content of the music worked hand in hand to convince the listener of what he or she should feel at every moment.

The Doctrine of Affections deals with the representation of thoughts and emotions (affects) in music. Reflect on the music you have studied in Chapters 5 and 6, then read the statements below. Choose the statement that best describes the role of the Doctrine of Affections in Baroque music.

b. a musical form consisting of two units (A and B) constructed to balance and complement each other

The best description of "binary form" is:

a. unaccompanied vocal music

The correct definition for "a cappella" is:

a. Purcell's Dido and Aeneas.

The lament "When I am laid in earth" is a ground bass aria from

d. a popular genre of secular vocal music, originating in Italy, in which four or five voices sing love poems

The madrigal is best described as:

c. opera buffa

The new comic opera, called ________ in Italy, was the opera of the middle class.

chorale

The three movements for chorus from Bach's cantata Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme are based on the text and melody of a sixteenth-century

b. Renée Fleming singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl as the band plays—children singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" in unison as the band plays—two bands in two cities playing "The Star-Spangled Banner" together in a simulcast

The three types of music (style and/or texture) in three of the following choices are in the pattern monophony—homophony—polyphony. Which choice does NOT follow that pattern?

e. the German word for the hymn of the Lutheran church; hence a simple religious melody to be sung by the congregation

What is a chorale?

b. a genre of instrumental music for orchestra consisting of several movements; also the orchestral ensemble that plays this genre

What is a symphony?

c. a musical figure, motive, melody, harmony, or rhythm that is repeated again and again

What is an "ostinato"?

a. the full orchestra or full performing force

What is meant by the term "tutti"?

c. binary form—binary with repeats—ternary form—rondo—theme and variations

What is represented by the following patterns of letters? AB—AABB—ABA—ABACABA—AA1A2A3A4

c. a contrapuntal form in which the individual voices enter and each in turn duplicates exactly the melody that the first voice played or sang

What is the correct definition for "canon"?

a. singing many notes to just one syllable of text

What is the correct definition of "melismatic singing"?

b. a small ensemble of at least two instrumentalists that provides a foundation for the melody above, heard almost exclusively in Baroque music

What is the definition of basso continuo?

d. exploiting the strengths, special abilities, and color of a particular instrument or voice while avoiding its weaknesses

What is the meaning of "idiomatic writing"?

c. the contrast in sound between the tutti and concertino

What is the most distinctive feature of the concerto grosso?

a. to convey musical "signposts" and give the listener a sense of comfort and security

What is the purpose of repetition in music?

e. to consider reforms for the Roman Catholic Church

What was the purpose of the Council of Trent?

e. around 1600 in Italy

When and where did Baroque music first appear?

c. plucking the strings of an instrument rather than bowing them

When musicians play in a "pizzicato" style, what are they doing?

fugue

Which Baroque genre opens with a section called the "exposition"?

a. to write concertos for weekly concerts by the school's orchestra, highlighting the skills of his most talented pupils

Which activity was NOT a part of Bach's duties as Cantor of Saint Thomas Church?

e. considered by many to be the finest composer of choral music who ever lived

Which answer applies to Handel's posthumous reputation?

b. a device of sliding up or down the scale very quickly

Which answer best describes "glissando"?

a. a rapid alternation of two neighboring pitches

Which answer best describes a "trill"?

a. it becomes more stop-and-go; greater rhythmic variety within a single movement

Which answer correctly describes the rhythm of Classical period music?

b. a texture in which all the voices, or lines, move to new pitches at roughly the same time

Which answer provides the correct definition for "homophony"?

b. the density and disposition of the musical lines that make up a musical composition

Which answer provides the correct definition for "texture"?

b. "Voglio morire" by Strozzi

Which aria is based on a basso ostinato pattern?

alternating the mood between themes, rapid changes in rhythmic patterns, the use of crescendos and diminuendos, and quickly changing the texture from light and airy to dense and more contrapuntal

Which aspect contributed to the dynamic mood of Classical music?

b. calm, symmetrical organization of events

Which characteristic does NOT apply to the art and music of the Baroque period?

Machaut

Which composer wrote a famous Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary?

e. Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Schubert

Which composers are representative of the Classical period?

c. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme by Bach

Which composition is an example of the late Baroque church cantata?

a. in musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating "loud"

Which definition accurately describes the term "forte"?

c. a musical form often used in setting a strophic, or stanzaic, text, such as a hymn or carol; the music is repeated anew for each successive strophe

Which definition is appropriate for "strophic form"?

c. instead of having the pitches of a chord sound all together, the notes are played in succession to provide a continual stream of sound

Which definition is correct for "Alberti bass"?

c. solo concerto

Which genre uses ritornello form?

a. the importance of communicating passion no matter what sort of imbalance, contradiction, or formal inconsistency might result

Which idea did NOT emerge during the Enlightenment?

c. flute

Which instrument never plays in the basso continuo group?

c. Louis XIV of France

Which monarch came to epitomize the grandeur and glory of the Baroque era, building a palace so monumental that it was virtually a small, independent city?

b. Spanish flamenco

Which musical tradition was NOT influential in the development of Mozart's musical style?

d. Hildegard used plain, unadorned words, so as to keep a spiritual mood in her chant. Beatriz created poetry about flowers and nature, so as to please elegant courtiers.

Which of the following comparisons of Hildegard of Bingen and Beatriz, Countess of Dia, is NOT true?

c. continually enlivening the work with musical creativity

Which of the following does NOT create a "reassuring return to stability" in musical repetition?

c. Michelangelo's David demonstrated how an artist might transform a human into a god. Similarly, Renaissance composers followed the designs of classical architecture to express words that imagined humans as gods.

Which of the following scenarios did NOT occur during the rise of the Renaissance?

d. The organ is the best instrument for sending sound waves of pitch and volume to the cerebellum. It can do pitch and volume signals hundreds of times per second. Sound travels in the air at a speed of 250 miles per second.

Which of the following statements does NOT accurately describe an example of the experience of music?

true

In the Kyrie of the Messe de Nostre Dame, passages of chant alternate with sections of four-part polyphony.

b. His father served as court composer to Joseph II of Austria, and later gave composition lessons to Beethoven

All of the following statements regarding the early years of Mozart are accurate EXCEPT this:

false

Although Hildegard of Bingen was married to Count William of Poitiers, she loved the troubadour Raimbaut d'Orange, for whom she composed numerous chansons.

b. Troubadours and trouvères wandered across Europe looking for secular (non-Gregorian) melodies (hence the term trouvères, or "finders"). These new melodies could be developed into motets, madrigals, and other forms of secular, polyphonic music.

Chapter 4 begins by describing life in the Middle Ages as "an isolated, solitary life revolving around prayer" and concludes with the observation that Renaissance "madrigals . . . were popular because they were fun to sing." What happened in European culture to bring about this musical transformation? Three of the following statements are plausible answers to this question. Which one is NOT a plausible answer?

popular music

Compositions in this style are relatively short, averaging from three to four minutes in length, and possess a single mood from beginning to end.

b. terraced dynamics.

During the Baroque era musicians used three distinct techniques to heighten musical contrast: clear alternations between major and minor keys, abrupt changes in orchestration, and

a. True

During the Enlightenment, also referred to as the Age of Reason, thinkers gave free rein to the pursuit of truth and the discovery of natural laws.

b. Baroque instrumental music was aesthetically inferior due to the fact that, without the structure given by liturgical texts or secular poetry, it was distorted and grotesque; hence the Portuguese word barroco.

For most people, music means a "song" with words, melody, harmony, and rhythm. Why, then, is the rise of purely instrumental music in the Baroque era seen as a positive development instead of a decline or deprivation? Three of the following statements provide logical explanations regarding the loss of words to sing in Baroque instrumental music. Which one does NOT?

Vienna

From 1781 until his death in 1791, Mozart lived almost exclusively in which city?

true

Hildegard of Bingen was a playwright, poet, naturalist, pharmacologist, abbot, and visionary as well as a composer.

e. short, balanced phrases create tuneful melodies; more vocal than instrumental in character

How did composers treat melody during the Classical period?

e. a musical form in which a theme continually returns but is varied by changing the notes of the melody, the harmony, the rhythm, or some other feature of the music

How should one define "theme and variations"?

d. The nineteen choruses are exclusively simple, homophonic settings of chorales.

Identify the ERRONEOUS statement about Handel's oratorio Messiah.

e. composed by Chaucer for performance during Christmas Mass in the newly constructed cathedral of Paris, Notre Dame

Identify the INCORRECT statement about the Messe de Nostre Dame.

b. A consort of string instruments was expected to support the singers.

Identify the INCORRECT statement concerning As Vesta Was from Latmos Hill Descending.

a. It could be sung by a group of men or women, but never by a mixed group.

Identify the INCORRECT statement concerning the madrigal.

d. Performances were staged with costumes and scenery.

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Handel's oratorios.

b. He was responsible for an orchestra that was never larger than twenty-five musicians and saw to it that all musicians appeared in uniform and followed instructions.

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Mozart's life in Vienna during the 1780s.

it can be played by one or more instruments or sung by voices, it begins with a presentation of a subject in imitation in each part, passages of free counterpoint alternate with appearances of the subject, and a polyphonic composition for two, three, four, or five parts

Identify the answer that best applies to "fugue."

d. the process of depicting the text in music, be it subtly, overtly, or even jokingly, by means of expressive musical devices

Identify the correct definition for "word painting."

a. a three-movement composition that pits the sound of a small group of soloists against that of the full orchestra

Identify the correct definition for the term "concerto grosso."

d. Popular music is characterized by new songs with lyrics that are words used by people today. Classical music has no lyrics, and therefore no contemporary language, and uses acoustic instruments (no electrical amplification) with such weak volume that the audience has to sit still to be able to hear these old instruments.

In Chapter 1, many characteristics of popular music and classical music are discussed. These characteristics are compared and contrasted. Now try to sum them up. Which one of the following comparative statements is a POOR representation of how popular music and classical music compare?

d. The influence of Neoclassical architecture (as seen in Fig. 7.10, the Esterházy palace) caused music to become polyphonic again. Striking chant melodies could be heard in soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts simultaneously, much like four identical columns on a building.

In many ways, music in the late eighteenth century was growing and changing in diverse and conflicting directions. Three of the scenarios below represent the complexity of Classical-era music accurately. Which one does NOT?

classical music

It is primarily instrumental music in which meaning is communicated through a language of musical sounds and gestures.

popular music

It relies greatly on an immediately audible, recurrent beat.

popular music

It relies mostly on oral and aural transmission, and the work can change greatly from one performance to the next

classical music

It relies on acoustic instruments for performance.

classical music

It relies on preset musical notation and is to a certain extent a "fixed entity," meaning that it does not change significantly between different performances.

popular music

It usually makes use of a text or "lyric" to convey its meaning.

classical music

Musical pieces can be lengthy and involve a variety of moods, requiring the listener to concentrate over a long period of time.

a. The top staff recalls the ornate ceilings of Baroque churches. Such ceilings would have rows of columns to support them. The line in the bottom staff is the one that is ornamented in the top system.

Notice that the top staff and middle staff have some notes in common, but the melody in the bottom staff is quite different. Three of the following statements can be logically extrapolated from this musical example. Which one CANNOT?

false

O rubor sanguinis and A chantar m'er are both examples of Gregorian chant.

b. Early Baroque opera employed Renaissance dance forms pervasively, especially the minuet and gigue. These dance rhythms fostered new styles in Baroque recitative speech rhythms.

Opera and the Baroque era in music emerged together, in the early 1600s. Some aspects of early opera were inherited from the Renaissance, and some were new portents of the future. Which of the following statements does NOT describe this dual nature of early Baroque opera?

c. Bach worked for courts, towns, and churches, but, although he had a wide reputation as an organ virtuoso, he rarely worked or traveled far from home (central Germany). Handel preferred opera to organ music, and produced in Italy and England operas that he had composed (and later, English oratorios).

Review the careers of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. Which of the following statements is the most accurate comparison of the livelihoods, appointments, musical works, and performances of these two composers?

a. The spoken dialogue and simple songs of comic opera foreshadow the Broadway musical. Modern popular songs, however, have Classical-style antecedent and consequent phrases, which are needed to make melodies long enough for all the lyrics.

Review the list of five ways in which classical music and popular music differ shown in Chapter 1 under "Popular and Classical Music Compared." The era of music presented in Chapter 7 is the "deep background" from which the modern split between classical and popular music emerged. Three of the following four statements describe lines of development in music over the past 250 years. Which statement does NOT?

d. musically heightened speech; often used in an opera, oratorio, or cantata to report dramatic action and advance the plot

Select the correct definition for "recitative."

a. homophonic with a thin bass and middle range, hence it is light and transparent.

The texture of Classical period music is generally

True

Spurred on by economic self-interest and the principles of Enlightenment philosophers, the middle class of France and America rebelled against the monarchy.

d. a large-scale genre of sacred music involving an overture, arias, recitatives, and choruses, but performed, whether in a theater or a church, without costumes or scenery.

The "oratorio" is

e. the original name of the piano.

The "pianoforte" is

c. The Council of Trent wanted serene, monophonic melodies with religious word painting, similar to the paintings in the Sistine Chapel.

The Council of Trent met from 1545 to 1563, spawning the Counter Reformation. It may be possible to characterize the musical style of the Counter Reformation as part of more global trends leading up to the Renaissance. Listen to one or more of this chapter's YouTube selections of music by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, and then, for the sake of argument, consider that music of the Counter-Reformation (especially Palestrina's) is more like Renaissance music than it is a return to the pre-humanist Middle Ages. Which of the following statements does NOT represent the possible influence of trends leading to the Renaissance?

d. the five sung portions of the Mass for which the texts are invariable.

The Ordinary of the Mass refers to

classical music

The rhythmic "beat" often rests beneath the surface of this kind of music.

true

The solo concerto and concerto grosso are virtually identical genres, with the exception that the concerto grosso features multiple soloists while the solo concerto has only one.

c. a note, usually in the bass, sustained or continually repeated for a period of time while the harmonies change around it.

The term "pedal point" describes

a. in musical notation, a dynamic mark indicating "soft"

What does the term "piano" mean?

e. the soloist is accompanied by the basso continuo alone

What does the term "simple recitative" indicate?

e. sharp, abrupt dynamic contrasts found in the music of the Baroque era

What does the term "terraced dynamics" describe?

c. the character or quality of a musical tone produced by a voice or instrument

What is "color"?

a. a musical texture involving only a single line of music with no accompaniment

What is "monophony"?

a. an ancient musical form (surviving into the twenty-first century) in which a refrain alternates with contrasting material

What is "rondo form"?

d. a genre of opera originating in the eighteenth century that portrayed everyday characters and situations, and used spoken dialogue and simple songs

What is a "comic opera"?

d. the group of instruments that function as soloists in a concerto grosso

What is a "concertino"?

d. in musical notation, a numerical shorthand that tells the player which unwritten notes to fill in above the written bass note

What is a "figured bass"?

d. the text of an opera

What is a "libretto"?

c. a boy or adult singer who was castrated to keep his voice from changing so that it would remain in the soprano register

What is a castrato?

c. a passage of free, non-imitative counterpoint found in a fugue

Which response best describes the meaning of the term "episode"?

a. since his father disapproved of music, he quietly practiced the violin in the attic in order to avoid discovery

Which statement about Antonio Vivaldi is wrong?

b. as a result of his touring he acquired fame and fortune, and was court composer to Emperor Joseph II from 1780 until his untimely death in 1791

Which statement about Mozart's compositions and his childhood experiences touring Europe is WRONG?

b. features elaborate scenery and costumes

Which statement about the Italian "chamber cantata" is wrong?

a. a composition for choir setting a religious, devotional, or solemn text

Which statement accurately defines the motet?

usually makes use of elaborate stage sets and costumes ,a dramatic work in which the actors sing some or all of their parts, its origins trace back to late sixteenth-century Italy, and the word literally means "work"

Which statement best applies to "opera"?

d. sung in the vernacular language of the country of composition

Which statement concerning the Renaissance motet is NOT true?

a. a three-part musical form in which the third section is a repeat of the first, hence ABA

Which statement correctly defines "ternary" form?

a. Because he displayed great musical talent as a child, his father forced the boy to practice at all hours with the intent of exploiting him as a child prodigy.

Which statement does NOT apply to Haydn's early years?

e. humans are the conduit for gifts descending from heaven

Which statement does NOT apply to the concept of humanism?

False

While Haydn toured Europe to acquire fame and fortune, what actually happened was that his compositions increased in breadth and substance because of his exposure to a wealth of musical styles.

b. it was the first major opera in the history of Western music

Why is Orfeo important?

b. Ask a neuropsychologist to perform brain scans and develop personality profiles for the townspeople, based on their styles of musical sound perception.

You are conducting field research in music by visiting a small town not well known to you. You learn that there are only two buildings there in which music is performed in public. In one of those buildings, a hall, there is a large stage with dozens of music stands and chairs set out. The other place is a bar. You want to determine (a) what kind of music the people here prefer and (b) whether it is native to the area (indigenous) or imported from elsewhere. The goal of your research is identifying the townspeople's musical style preferences based on where they gather to hear music, what norms of behavior and dress they follow, and what a musician is to them. Which of the following is a POOR choice for your research?