Musicology II Midterm Exam - Multiple Choice
features a highly contrapuntal finale
Jupiter Symphony
According to the text, what was the primary aim of instrumental music in the early Classic period?
to appeal to a wide variety of performers and audiences
Joseph Haydn spent much of his career
working for a single noble family.
In the 1700s, symphonies were typically performed by (a)______ for an audience, while string quartets and keyboard sonatas were for (b)______ to play at home.
(a) professionals (b) amateurs
In the mid-1700s, the first movement of a concerto combines (a)_______ form and (b)_______ form
(a) ritornello (b) sonata or expanded binary
Opera comique and ballad opera use (a)______ than (b) ______.
(a) spoken dialogue (b) recitative
How did geography and politics contribute to Vienna becoming a cultural center for music?
1. Its central location in Europe made Vienna a crossroads between four musical nations: Germany, Bohemia (the Czech Republic), Italy, and Hungary 2. It was an imperial capital where musicians and artists from various areas worked
The left hand in the musical example below shows the technique known as
Alberti bass
The preface to the score of _______ explains the goals of operatic reformers in the mid-1700s.
Alceste by Gluck
Which composer was known for writing in the empfindsam style?
C.P.E. Bach
Match each item to the person with whom it is most closely associated. reform opera
Christoph Willibald Gluck
Which of the following is not true of reform opera?
Composers used accompanied recitative and ensembles less frequently.
Mozart's first operatic hit
Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Match each item to the person with whom it is most closely associated. paired sonatas
Domenico Scarlatti
All of the following composers are primarily associated with symphonies except Johann Christian Bach Johann Stamitz Francois-Joseph Gossec Domenico Scarlatti Giovanni Battista Sammartini
Domenico Scarlatti & Johann Christian Bach
a serenade by Mozart
Eine kleine Nachtmusik
18th century writers believe that music should appeal first and foremost to sophisticated listeners True or False
False
Haydn almost always makes the onset of the recapitulation obvious so that listeners can readily follow the form.
False
Haydn, unlike most of his contemporaries, did not write an opera. True or False
False
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was one of the most vehement voices arguing against including elements of Italian opera in French opera. True or False
False
Mid-eighteenth-century orchestras gave woodwinds important solo parts. True or False
False
One could easily dance to most of the minuets in Haydn's string quartets. True or False
False
The Requiem is one of the last works that Mozart completed. True or False
False
Operatic reformers brought together what two national traditions?
French & Italian
What is one reason that Singspiel became an important genre in Germany?
German playwrights translated and adapted English ballad operas into German.
Why has Haydn been called "the father of the symphony"?
He set standards and patterns that later composers emulated.
Match each item to the person with whom it is most closely associated. sonata form as expanded binary form
Heinrich Christoph Koch
Who was the first person to outline a plan for what is now called sonata form?
Heinrich Christoph Koch
Which feature distinguishes Scarlatti's keyboard sonatas?
His melodies are reminiscent of opera arias
What is the foundational tonal paradigm for Classic-era music?
I - V - I
Where did Domenico Scarlatti spend most of his working life?
Iberian peninsula (Portugal and Spain)
Mozart's music was influenced by studying and re-orchestrating music by which two Baroque composers?
J.S. Bach and Handel
Match each item to the person with whom it is most closely associated. Mannheim crescendo
Johann Stamitz
Who was the first composer to consistently write symphonies with four movements?
Johann Stamitz
___________ is one of the most famous and successful intermezzi.
La serva padrona
Mozart wrote three operas with which librettist?
Lorenzo da Ponte
Why was the symphony sometimes viewed in the 1700s as a reflection of democratic ideals?
Many instruments work together to express ideas and sentiments.
considered by many to be the first great opera in German
The Magic Flute
You are listening to a piano concerto by J.C. Bach. You have just heard the soloist play a virtuosic section without any accompaniment from the orchestra. The soloist has just started a trill on what seems to be the dominant. What do you expect to hear next?
The last orchestral ritornello
What was one economic change in the eighteenth century?
The urban middle class rose in numbers.
How does the first movement of Johann Stamitz's Sinfonia in E-flat Major differ from the standard sonata or expanded binary form?
There are no sectional repeats.
Why were serious plots more common in the opéra comique in France in the later part of the eighteenth century?
They touched on social issues that arose during the years before and during the French Revolution.
"There are passages here and there from which connoisseurs alone can derive satisfaction; but these passages are written in such a way that the less learned cannot fail to be pleased, though without knowing why." Mozart's letter about his piano concertos reflects that successful composers during the Classic era tried to do what?
They tried to please both sophisticated and less sophisticated listeners and appeal to a wide range of audience members
Fragmentation, counterpoint, digressions, and silences are common in Haydn's development sections. True or False
True
Haydn and Mozart admired and influenced each other. True or False
True
In Classic-era music, contrasts of stability and instability help listeners follow the form. True or False
True
Italian comic opera strongly influenced the new musical style of the eighteenth century. True or False
True
Johann Christian Bach influenced Mozart. True or False
True
Mozart's travels as a youth were important because they allowed him to absorb and later synthesize every kind of music being written in western Europe. True or False
True
New perspectives on human psychology and emotions influenced musical material in the early 1700s. True or False
True
Opera seria plots often focus on human conflicts resolved by magnanimous deeds. True or False
True
Published music for keyboard, chamber ensemble, or voice and keyboard was often performed by amateurs in domestic settings. True or False
True
Soloists improvised their own cadenzas in the eighteenth century.
True
Stamitz was one of the first composers to write a contrasting theme after the transition in an expanded binary form. True or False
True
All of the following are true of public concerts in the 18th century except: a. Composers', not performers', names were listed in ads and programs. b. They often were longer than modern-day concerts. c. They incorporated various genres of music. d. Tickets were expensive, so most patrons were wealthy. e. Audience members could and did walk around the converse.
a. Composers', not performers', names were listed in ads and programs.
All of the following are aspects of Haydn's musical style except a. unconventional formal structures b. wit and humour as expressive devices c. combination of simplicity and sophistication d. concentration of thematic development
a. unconventional formal structures.
Eighteenth-century philosophers argued that the sublime in music produces
awe and astonishment.
The following are all typical of the galant style except a. contrasting styles b. abrupt harmonic shifts c. regular phrases d. tuneful melodies e. differences in texture
b. abrupt harmonic shifts
What is the most common formal structure in the first movement of a sonata by Domenico Scarlatti?
balanced binary
Which of these is not a way in which Giovanni Battista Sammartini's Symphony in F Major is typical of early symphonies? a. It is short in duration. b. The opening movement follows the classic first-movement form. c. It was premiered at a salon party. d. It is in three-movement form (fast, slow, fast).
c. It was premiered at a salon party
The galant style became popular for all of the following reasons except: a. it was considered "natural" b. It focused on simple melody c. it focused on counterpoint d. it was easily understood
c. it focused on counterpoint
What was C.P.E. Bach's favorite keyboard instrument?
clavichord
In the 1700s, the Concert spirituel was a
concert series that fostered the development of the symphony.
Which is a quality one would expect to hear in Classic-period music
contrasting moods in a movement
The string quartet is often compared to a
conversation among instruments.
Johann Joseph Fux's Gradus ad Parnassum was the primary source for what aspect of Mozart's Jupiter Symphony?
counterpoint
All of the following are characteristic of the first movements in Mozart's piano concertos except: a. New material introduced at the beginning of the development section. b. The cadenza is linked to previous thematic material. c. The final ritornello is interrupted by the soloist. d. The development section is usually lyrical and relaxed.
d. The development section is usually lyrical and relaxed.
Which 18th century musical technique is a reaction against the complexity of Baroque music a. melodies in long phrases over lush accompaniment b. melodies in long phrases with no accompaniment c. melodies in long phrases over spare accompaniment d. melodies in short phrases over spare accompaniment
d. melodies in short phrases over spare accompaniment
When Mozart moved to Vienna, he earned money by doing all of the following except: a. composing b. performing as a pianist c. teaching d. performing as a singer e. publishing
d. performing as a singer
Which of the following is not a characteristic of empfindsam style? a. unusual melodic lines b. sudden changes in dynamic level c. nervous rhythms d. abrupt changes in harmony e. regular phrases
e. regular phrases
In what style is this excerpt?
empfindsam
The intellectual movement known as the _______ was based on themes of reason, nature, and progress. Its fundamental aim was the betterment of human life.
enlightenment
What term refers to 18th-century pianos in order to distinguish them from their later counterparts?
fortepianos
The French term _________, meaning modern, chich, smooth, and sophisticated, came to describe the new style of music in the 18th century
galant
The Sturm und Drang style was the primary source for what aspect of Haydn's music?
heightened agitated sentiment and abrupt dynamics
"Is there an artist of the present day Untaught by thee to think, as well as play?" Charles Burney's poem refers to what aspects of Haydn's musical style?
his ability to write sophisticated music, but also be witty and humorous
The second movement of a Haydn symphony
is gentler and slower than the first.
Scherzo refers to a
joking fast movement.
If you were to attend a dramatic performance at a public theater in the early 1700s that was sung throughout, had six or more singing characters, and had a contemporary plot centered around ordinary people, it would be an
opera buffa.
In an opera seria, action progresses through
recitative, either simple or accompanied.
The middle movements of Mozart's piano concertos...
reflect his experience as an opera composer.
What was the most common keyboard genre in the early Classic period?
the sonata
Why is the Esterházy family important for Classic-era music?
they provided Haydn with job stability and skilled musicians
If you were to hear an aria from a ballad opera, it probably would
use a familiar tune from a folk or popular song.
The musical example shown here demonstrates that Johann Adolf Hasse
wrote elegant melodies that allow singers to add a variety of ornaments.