Music test 3

T/F Luke Skywalker's Theme (the "Main Theme") has more emotional depth than Darth Vader's theme because it is in a three-part form and features a string section

True

T/F It is possible that Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) has had a greater impact on the development of Western art music than any other composer

true

The Rite of Spring depicted pagan rituals and caused consternation among members of its Parisian audience at the premier

true

The Rite of Spring does not tell a coherent story.

true

Wagner used leitmotifs to communicate information to an audience that is not included in the libretto or onstage action.

true

Similarly to Star Wars, Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungs makes heavy use of themes that represent specific characters or ideas.

true

Some critics of Wagner's operas argue that we should no longer produce or listen to his operas because the composer's ideology is so repugnant that his art should be erased

true

In Star Wars, the musical themes are effective because they: A) provide antagonism for a character onscreen B) act as a catalyst to move from one scene to another C) represent specific characters or ideas D) minimize viewer stress while watching a character E) All of the above F) None of the above

C) represent specific characters or ideas

Just as ragtime was becoming passé, a new style called _____ burst onto the scene. A) bebop B) big band jazz C) blues D) Dixieland jazz E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) Dixieland jazz

The technique of assigning a unique theme to each character, object, place, and idea in a drama is the use of A) Lief Erikson B) literal representation C) leitmezzo D) leitmotif E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) leitmotif

In a musical technique called underscoring: A) The characters can hear the music B) The music is played by musicians in the scene C) The characters understand that the music is meant to warn them D) The music is there to change the scene E) All of the above F) None of the above

F) None of the above

Stravinsky's introduction to The Rite of Spring made heavy use of A) major tonality B) duple meter C) conjunct melody lines D) predictable dynamic changes E) All of the above F) None of the above

F) None of the above

John Williams was only influenced by specific historical compositions, rather than by style more generally.

False

Holst had a sincere interest in and passion for astrology, and this led to the creation of The Solar System Cycle

false

In polyphonic jazz all of the musicians play the same melody at the same time

false

Like the composer of the musical scores for Star Wars, Wagner randomly paired themes with objects and ideas.

false

Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) was a world-famous performer by the time he was 17 years old.

false

T/F The theme that represents Darth Vader (the "Imperial March") shares many of the same characteristics as the main theme, but it is in the major mode and uses simple harmonies

false

The Rite of Spring debuted as the sole ballet on the program and audience members at the premier loved the dancing and costumes.

false

The barroom music in Star Wars relies heavily upon the unstable and irregular rhythms characteristic of ragtime music.

false

Wagner shrunk the size of the orchestra for The Ring of the Nibelungs in order to highlight characters with single instruments

false

Th e Rite of Spring was: A) a ballet B) a concert work not intended to be staged C) an opera that included staging and sets D) a ballet that did not include costumes or sets E) All of the above F) None of the above

A) a ballet

The composer of the music for Star Wars was a session musician, so he: A) already had a deep understanding of how music can shape the viewer's experience of drama B) had little understanding of how music can shape the viewer's experience of drama C) had to develop a sense of how music can shape the viewer's experience of drama D) found that music has little ability to shape the viewer's experience of drama E) All of the above D) None of the above

A) already had a deep understanding of how music can shape the viewer's experience of drama

Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungs derives from ______ mythology. A) Greek B) Norse C) Egyptian D) Native American E) All of the above F) None of the above

B) Norse

"Wotan's Farewell" features one of the most significant powers of the leitmotif: A) The ability to herald the downfall of an empire B) The ability to foreshadow events yet to come C) The ability to depict death and destruction D) The ability to provide music for the curtain to close E) All of the above

B) The ability to foreshadow events yet to come

Holst manipulated which characteristic of sound by utilizing women's voices in "Neptune": A) Dynamics B) Timbre C) Pitch D) Texture E) All of the above F) None of the above

B) Timbre

A session musician is a musician who: A) sits behind the sound panel to even levels during a recording session B) participates in recording sessions for television and film C) writes the music for recording sessions for television and film D) acts as a stand-in when one of the original musicians for a recording session is unavailable E) All of the above F) None of the above

B) participates in recording sessions for television and film

Ragtime was a style of music popularized by pianists and featuring steady rhythm with the left hand and ______ with the right. A) interrupted rhythms B) syncopated rhythms C) staggered rhythms D) uneven rhythms E) All of the above F) None of the above

B) syncopated rhythms

The composer who wrote the scores for the original Star Wars trilogy (among the best-known musical works created for the big screen) is A) Stephen Sondheim B) James Williams C) Stephen Spielberg D) John Williams E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) John Williams

The theme that represents "Loge as fire" uses the following to represent fire: A) Sudden bursts of sound, like cannons firing, to represent sudden eruption of flame B) Rising dynamic levels and pitches to indicate a steadily increasing burn C) Percussion instruments that represent sticks and brush bursting into flame D) Rising and falling dynamic levels and pitches to represent the unpredictable nature of fire spreading across the ground E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) Rising and falling dynamic levels and pitches to represent the unpredictable nature of fire spreading across the ground

Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) was _____. A) a French musician who composed the Solar System Cycle B) a British composer who wrote The Ring of the Nibelungs C) a German composer who wrote The Valkyrie D) a British composer who wrote The Planets E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) a British composer who wrote The Planets

Holst's "Mars" march was extremely unusual because it was in: A) duple meter B) quadruple meter C) triple meter D) quintuple meter E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) quintuple meter

Holst's work is an example of program music (instrumental music that tells a story or paints a picture), but he reversed the order of Mars and Mercury because: A) Mercury is a larger planet and the music had to contain greater dynamic contrast B) the music he composed for Mars made a better grand finale C) the music he composed for Mercury made a better opener for the work D) the music he composed for Mars made a better opener for the work E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) the music he composed for Mars made a better opener for the work

Some of the musical characteristics of the "Main Theme" that tell us Luke Skywalker is a heroare: A) the use of woodwind instruments, compound meter, irregular tempo, minor mode, and smooth melodic contour B) the use of percussion instruments, mixed meter, steady tempo, minor mode, and leaps to the lower tonic C) the use of stringed instruments, duple meter, steady tempo, major mode, and leaps to the upper tonic D) the use of brass instruments, duple meter, steady tempo, major mode, and leaps to the upper tonic E) All of the above F) None of the above

D) the use of brass instruments, duple meter, steady tempo, major mode, and leaps to the upper tonic

In the European tradition, opera is a staged work of music theater that features: A) costumes B) sets C) dramatic plots D) props E) All of the above F) None of the above

E) All of the above

The final scene (Act III, Scene 3) of The Valkyrie contains A) the appearance of Logo, the demigod of fire B) Wotan's spear C) a ring of fire D) Brunnhilde's sleep E) All of the above F) None of the above

E) All of the above

In Star Wars: A New Hope, when the droids R2D2 and C3PO land on Tatooine, Williams utilized the following elements popularized by Igor Stravinsky: A) High sustained notes in the strings and chromatic interjections from the bassoon and clarinet B) Oscillating melodies in the winds C) No conclusive musical gestures (cadences) D) Music that is neither the major nor minor mode E) All of the above F) None of the above

E) all of the above

Even Adolph Hitler believed that Wagner's operas should not be produced.

false

Holst became wealthy as a trombone performer in the middle part of his career.

false

"Mars" served as a model for John Williams's "Imperial March" theme in the Star Wars soundtrack

true

12-bar blues provides the structure for most blues compositions

true

Black and White Rag was a work that manipulated repetition and contrast by giving listeners familiar music each time the A section returned but preventing them from being bored by including contrasting material

true

In Dixieland style, it is difficult to tell which instrument has the "main" melody, because all seem of equal importance

true

In film, music that the characters can hear is called source music because the source of the sound is usually visible on screen

true