Music Final

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to Musorgsky.

A freelance violist and organist, he earned money by playing in dance bands and opera orchestras.

How would you describe the musical texture here?

A monophonic trumpet is followed by a homophonic brass choir.

Which statement is true about the ending of Promenade?

A phrase of eleven beats is followed by a phrase of nine beats.

Which composition won a Pulitzer Prize in 1945?

Appalachian Spring

In which opera does the soprano live into a happy old age with her lover?

Are you kidding? This is Romantic opera; they all die.

Which statement about Berlioz is NOT accurate?

As a young man, he spent six years traveling across Europe, where he met the great artists and authors of his day.

How is "verismo opera" different from "realistic opera"?

Aside from the term, there is no difference.

Which statement about Brahms is INCORRECT?

Because a wealthy, music-loving widow granted him a steady income, he was able to travel extensively in Europe and America.

Identify the statement that does NOT apply to the biography of Brahms.

Because he was less than five feet tall and his poor eyesight required that he wear glasses, he was excused from military service

Identify the statement about Brahms that is INCORRECT.

Because of his demanding conducting career, he was only able to compose during the summer months.

Which statement about Puccini is INCORRECT?

During the middle years of his career, he traveled throughout Europe, residing in Paris whenever he was not supervising a production of one of his operas.

Which instrument is a low oboe?

ENGLISH horn

Identify the statement about Dvořák that is INCORRECT.

He began teaching in his father's school, but he found the profession so tedious and demanding that he quit, devoting his time entirely to music.

Which of the following statements is true about this final passage?

The harpsichord plays continuous chords together with a strong bass line, thereby creating the modern equivalent of a basso continuo.

Which statement does NOT apply to Liszt?

His life epitomized that of the Romantic artist: While in Italy, he consorted with a gang of bandits, twice tried to commit suicide, and impetuously entered into a disastrous marriage.

Try to tap your foot and conduct first a duple and then a triple pattern. What do you conclude?

The meter is irregular, shifting back and forth from duple to triple pattern.

Why does this passage sound less modern and more "Romantic"?

The rising cellos play with warmth and sentiment.

Which statement accurately describes "Expressionism"?

It is a movement that sought to depict objects, not as they are seen, but through the strong emotions they generate in the artist or composer.

Which statement about Neo-Romanticism is INCORRECT?

Its compositions are highly unsettling because they are so revolutionary.

Polyrhythm and polymeter are important techniques in compositions by which composer?

Ives

Which composer experimented with quarter-tone music?

Ives

Which composition is an example of musical collage?

Ives, Variations on America

Which artist or author did NOT reflect the traits of realism in his or her work?

Jane Austen

Which list of musicians does NOT include Romantic composers?

Josquin, Telemann, Lully, and Prokofiev

Which country was one of the first to develop its own national style of art music that was distinct from the European tradition?

Russia

The tune "The Gift to Be Simple" was a song sung by this nineteenth-century religious sect.

Shakers

Which statement most accurately reflects the musical intentions of Ives?

He desired to give new meaning to familiar material, for instance, placing hymns and folksongs within a context of radical compositional techniques.

Which statement is NOT applicable to Stravinsky's life and music?

He eventually stopped using conventional acoustical instruments in his compositions, experimenting instead with electronic music.

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Claude Debussy.

His ballet, The Rite of Spring, composed at the age of thirty-two, was his first masterpiece; later compositions met with less initial favor.

Comparing Stravinsky's Modernist music with Copland's blend of Modernism and Americana, which sounds more radically modern?

Stravinsky

What is the correct definition of "symphonic (tone) poem"?

a one-movement work for orchestra that gives musical expression to the emotions and events associated with a story, play, political event, or personal experience

Now a brass instrument enters, which, because it is made of a long, coiled tube, takes time to "speak" and, some think, sounds muffled or distant. For this reason, Romantic composers often used it to create the psychological effect of distance or distant mountains. Which brass instruments enter?

a pair of French horns

At the beginning, we hear a low, ominous sound. Which of the following creates that sound?

a pedal point (held or repeating pitch), which entered music history in the Baroque era

What is program music?

a piece of instrumental music, usually for symphony orchestra, that seeks to re-create in sound the events and emotions portrayed in some extramusical source: a story, a play, an historical event, and so on.

Although there are allusions to music of the Baroque period in this piece (the regular rhythm and the presence of the harpsichord, for example), the piece conveys a feeling of the anxiety, tension, isolation, and even terror of modern (urban) life. By what means does the composer create this feeling?

a pounding, percussive beat b. prolonged dissonances in a high register c. ostinatos that, through repetition, suggest that the listener can't escape d. all of these

What image did Musorgsky strive to convey in the B section of The Great Gate of Kiev from Pictures at an Exhibition?

a procession of Russian pilgrims

Who were the "Symbolists"?

a progressive group of poets that inspired the Impressionist composers

What is meant by "diminution"?

a reduction, usually by half, of all the rhythmic durations in a melody

What does the solo instrument play here, at the moment before execution?

a reminiscence of the beloved (the idée fixe)

What do composers achieve by using octave displacement?

angular themes

What standard gesture does Berlioz use here to give a sense of increasing excitement?

ascending melodic sequence

Madonna from Pierrot lunaire is an example of __________ in music.

atonality

In this passage, the pianist's hands move

away from each other to the extremities of the keys, thereby demonstrating the extraordinary range—low to high—of the nineteenth-century piano.

Here, Tchaikovsky orchestrates the love theme, part 1, a third time. Why does it sound so much more passionate in this presentation?

because the melody is now played by sweeping strings with vibrato

Copland, Appalachian Spring The following questions focus on Copland's style and contrast it with aspects of European Modernism. Section 1: Introduction Although the opening involves the overlapping of two conflicting triads, why does this passage NOT sound harshly dissonant?

because the music is quiet b. because the notes unfold in succession rather than sound at once c. because the dissonant notes are not all in the same register d. all of these

in section B, what happens to the mode?

changes from major to minor

Robert Schumann's Kinderszenen is a set of ___________ for the piano.

character pieces

Despite all the pounding dissonance that listeners experience, putting them on edge, the conclusion is less confrontational and more relaxing. What does composer Zwilich do to make this happen?

fades out quietly, holding a dark minor triad

Brahms is considered the last in the line of great German composers of symphonies.

false

In the eighteenth century, ballet was seen as too frivolous a spectacle to be in the same program as an opera seria.

false

Mahler's Fourth Symphony is the only instance in which Mahler chose to incorporate vocal music into his symphonies.

false

Here, at the end, which of the following is an aspect, NOT of Exoticism, but of Modernism?

fortissimo, crashing, dissonant chords

Identify the response that applies to Cubism.

fractures and dislocates formal reality into geometrical blocks and planes

Which of the following is rarely seen in realistic opera?

happy ending

When the flute returns with the twisting chromatic line, which instrument provides a colorful background?

harp

Liszt's recitals were innovative in that

he played from memory. b. he was generally the only artist on the program. c. he performed dazzling feats of virtuosity. d. he placed the piano parallel with the line of the stage. e. he did all of these.

Sergei Diaghilev was the legendary __________ of the Ballets Russes.

impresario (producer)

Is the sultry-sounding saxophone usually part of a symphony orchestra? (Did we hear it in the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms?) Where do we usually hear the saxophone?

in a marching band or a jazz band

From beginning to end within each "lap" of this composition, the level of dissonance generally

increases

Identify the correct description of "absolute music."

instrumental music free of a text or any preexisting program

identify the correct definition of "absolute music."

instrumental music free of a text or any preexisting program

How do we sense that Carmen is a sensual creature?

The singer does not move from one exact pitch to the next but, instead, slides upward between pitches.

Now the harp strumming is repeated. How is the orchestration changed?

The solo flute is replaced by violins, and a timpani roll is added at the end.

Why does this passage sound more like Romantic rather than Modernist music?

The strings provide a warm accompaniment, and there are no syncopated rhythms or percussive effects.

Which is a correct description of the music at this point?

Various instruments dart in and out with tiny motives, creating colorful sonorities but a discontinuous texture.

Which statement does NOT describe Mahler's music?

While he could write beautiful Romantic melodies, he emphasized the contrapuntal development of themes in his works.

Which statement accurately describes the final year of Chopin's life?

While his tour of England and Scotland was financially profitable, it weakened his precarious health; he died in Paris of tuberculosis at the age of thirty-nine.

Exotic sounds, similar to those of Eastern music, are suggested in this passage. Which is NOT one of them?

a Chinese erhu playing the melody

Throughout the movement, a keyboard instrument accompanies. Which instrument is it?

a harpsichord, which became prominent in music history in the Baroque period

What is "twelve-tone composition"?

a method of composing music that has each note of the chromatic scale sound in a fixed, regularly recurring order

Which statement accurately describes "Impressionism"?

a movement that arose in opposition to German Romanticism and its use of precise formal or representational musical structures

Which answer best describes the listening example?

irregular accents

When the two-note falling motive sounds in the bass,

it does so for only part of the lap.

Which theme is NOT heard in this section?

love theme

Identify the character or idea associated with this theme from Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet.

love theme part 1

Polyphony means "many voices," and here Berlioz creates a sense of growing tumult by adding to the march a strong contrapuntal (polyphonic) line in

low strings

Which genres were NOT important during the Romantic period?

madrigal and chamber sonata

Carmen now sings the refrain. What is the mode of the refrain?

major

How would you describe the mode and texture at the beginning?

major and homophonic

Which of the following typically did NOT convey national color in music?

major and minor scales

The love theme (parts 1 and 2) is stated and repeated. How does the statement of the love theme, part 1, in the second presentation differ in orchestration from its first presentation?

melody assigned to high woodwinds, with French horn playing a two-note descending motive against it

The unornamented melody returns now in which part of the texture?

middle

The melody begins again and is immediately repeated. Through which two parts of the three-part texture—bass, middle, treble—does it move?

middle to treble

The sultry mood of the beginning is created in part by the presence of which mode?

minor

What is the result of adding more thirds to the basic triad?

more dissonance

"Serial music" is best defined as

music in which some important component—pitch, dynamics, rhythm—appears in a continually repeating series.

Identify the correct definition of "Sprechstimme."

music in which the singer declaims, rather than sings, a text at only approximate pitch levels

Atonal music" is best described as

music without a key center.

What generally happens to the texture and dynamic level during this lap?

narrow spectrum of sound expands to broader one; dynamics move moderate to loud

Which musical style or artistic movement is NOT associated with the Second Viennese School?

nationalism

As the angular melody enters, does the ominous bass change?

no

As the trumpets repeat, are the pitches held for the same duration?

no

Ravel, Bolero What is your reaction to Ravel's highly unusual ballet music Bolero? Are you bored by it, or do you experience a growing sense of exhilaration, even power, as the sound swells? The following questions deal with Exoticism in music generally and the structure of this piece, in particular. Most dance music, including ballet music, is in duple meter. Is Ravel's Bolero in duple meter?

no

A major point with regard to orchestration: What new instrument is added here to create a greater sense of sonic volume?

ophicleide (tuba

By repeating a motive as it fades away, Debussy avoids any large climax of the sort beloved by Romantic composers. In restating this motive continuously, on the same pitches, Debussy is employing what?

ostinato

What is meant by "cross-stringing"?

overlaying the lowest-sounding strings across those of the middle register, thereby producing a richer, more homogenous sound

Which term best describes the listening example?

parallel motion

Modernist music, as represented by Stravinsky, is marked by an increased emphasis on which family of instruments?

percussion

The low brasses (trombones and tuba) that are prominent in this passage were introduced into the symphony orchestra during which period?

romantic

Which instrument plays the melody here?

saxophone

What is the correct definition of "col legno"?

striking the strings with the wood of the bow rather than with the horsehair

The triad has been the building block of Western music since

the Middle Ages.

The return of the melody here is comparable to a return of what in a Baroque concerto grosso?

the ritornello

Section 7: Variations on a Shaker tune Into which musical form is the Shaker tune shaped in this section of the ballet?

theme and variations

Now we have a typical gesture of Romantic composers, the use of percussion, usually timpani or cymbals, or both, to signal that a climax has been reached. Which enters here at the high point of this long musical phrase?

timpani

What was one reason Liszt placed the piano parallel to the line of the stage in his recitals?

to show off his handsome profile

Debussy's approach to composition—replacing the centrality of melody with color and texture—was adopted by a number of the revolutionary figures of twentieth-century music.

true

Neo-classicism is a twentieth-century musical procedure that uses the genres, forms, and aesthetics of the Baroque or Classical periods in a new, Modernist composition.

true

Some Modernist composers sought to shake listeners out a state of complacency by distorting traditional musical practice.

true

Which trait is NOT shared by the three famous early ballets by Stravinsky?

turned into famous films

Identify the two musical innovations introduced by Schoenberg.

twelve-tone composition and Sprechstimme

Now, Tchaikovsky alludes to the love theme yet again but varies it. How does he orchestrate this transformed, transcendental appearance?

violins play melody, with low string counterpoint below

Now, for the first time, the orchestra ceases merely to play quiet chords in the background, and instead the

violins play the melody along with the voice.

A second, new theme appears in the clarinets, and beneath it the low strings play a pizzicato bass. This style of bass line is not particular to the Romantic era but first appeared in the Baroque period. It is called a

walking bass.

In a typical orchestral work of the Classical or Romantic period, it is usually the violins that present most themes. In Debussy's Impressionist Prelude, however, the instruments of which family introduce most melodic motives?

woodwinds

The English horn was an instrument that came into prominence in the symphony orchestra during the Romantic period, in part because of its mournful quality, heard here. In fact, the English horn is part of which family of instruments?

woodwinds

During this section, do we hear a ritard (slowing down) of the tempo?

yes

Judging from your responses, are there more moments in The Rite of Spring that make use of an ostinato than those that do not?

yes

Listen now to a few more statements of the melody. Does the musical interlude return after each one?

yes

The trombone is the only instrument of the orchestra to have a slide. In this performance, is the sound of the trombone slide audible between pitches?

yes

What about now? Has the tempo increased, perhaps to suggest rising excitement?

yes

Which answer best describes texture during the Romantic period?

predominantly homophonic but dense and rich because of larger orchestra; sustaining pedal on the piano also adds to density

Which famous ballet was performed by the Ballets Russes?

the rite of spring

Bizet spent his short life entirely in Paris, and his masterpiece, now probably the world's most popular opera, was a flop because audiences thought the subject matter too degrading; ninety days after the premiere, he suffered a fatal heart attack.

true

Listen to the first statement of the melody. At the end, there is an interlude during which the melody is absent, as if Ravel were allowing time for new dancers to come onstage. For how many measures or bars in ¾ time does the interlude last?

2

We hear a solo flute and a harp strumming. How many times does the harp play its sequence of strumming chords?

3 times

Which of the following musical symbols correctly represent(s) the overall shape, determined by dynamics and texture, of Bolero?

< (giant crescendo)

Identify the statement about Chopin that is INCORRECT.

After receiving composition lessons from Antonio Salieri, he was soon writing his own works at an astonishing rate.

Identify the INCORRECT statement about Carmen.

Bizet based his famous Habanera on a well-known tango melody.

Which composition was the first important realistic opera?

Bizet, Carmen

Which statement does NOT apply to Mahler?

Born into a wealthy family in Berlin, Germany, his parents hired an orchestra for him to conduct weekly concerts in their home.

Which composer was considered the heir to the symphonic tradition of Beethoven?

Brahms

In which country did the habanera originate? (Clue: The name is similar to that of the country's capital city.)

Cuba

The ending of this section applies several standard compositional tricks for creating a rousing conclusion at the end of a piece. Which of the following is NOT heard in this passage?

Cymbal crashes are added to suggest a climax.

Identify the group of Impressionist composers.

Debussy, Ravel

In the Largo from Symphony No. 9, "From the New World," Dvořák chose to introduce the primary melody with this instrument, used often in the Romantic era to evoke a feeling of nostalgia.

English horn

Which country's traditions of orchestral music dominated instrumental composition during the nineteenth century?

German

Berlioz was noted for his skill with instruments. Which statement about Berlioz is most accurate?

He experimented with new instruments. b. His compositions call for an enormous orchestra; he felt the ideal ensemble would include hundreds of musicians. c. Local tutors taught him to play the flute and guitar, but he never learned to play the piano proficiently. d. He wrote a treatise on musical instruments that is still used as a textbook in music conservatories around the world. e. all of the above!!!

Which statement does NOT apply to Chopin's career in Paris?

He heard Niccolò Paganini play while in Paris and was so impressed that he vowed to transfer the great violinist's virtuosic technique to the keyboard

What did Ravel mean when he said, "I have written only one masterpiece. That is the Bolero. Unfortunately, it contains no music."

He meant all of these.

Which statement about Berlioz's family background and education is INCORRECT?

He met his future wife while studying piano with her father.

How, then, does Tchaikovsky alter the return of the music of section A?

He omits one (the first) statement of the melody, thereby making A' only half as long as the original A

How does Berlioz suggest that the populace is wholly and happily in agreement with this deadly outcome?

He reiterates, fortissimo, the same pitches in homophonic, major chords.

Which statement regarding Arnold Schoenberg is INCORRECT?

He studied music theory and composition at the Leipzig Conservatory.

Which statement about Copland is INCORRECT?

He traveled around rural America recording folksongs on Edison's newly invented recording machine.

How has Berlioz signaled that the artist/musician's last thought is of a solitary figure, his beloved?

He writes a forlorn solo for clarinet.

Which statement about Ellen Taaffe Zwilich is NOT accurate?

Her compositions stress an American nationalistic style after World War II.

A passage with a prominent flute is stated and then repeated at a lower pitch, now featuring an oboe. What happens to the texture and orchestration in the course of each of these two passages?

Homophonic texture and unchanging orchestration give way to polyphonic texture and discontinuous orchestration.

What does the sustaining pedal do on the piano?

It allows the strings to vibrate freely.

Finally, what, in your opinion, is the outcome of this musical contest (student choice)?

It's a tie.

Identify the incorrect statement about Berlioz's "idée fixe."

It is always played by the oboe.

Revisit the first stanza of the Habanera, and compare it with the second stanza. Which statement is true of the second stanza?

It is essentially the same in content and length as the first stanza.

Following the violin cadenza, the refrain is transformed into a march-like melody. Which of the following statements is true?

It is played by the solo violin as double stops.

What likely makes Bizet's Habanera such a successful musical number?

It possesses not one, but two, seductive melodies—one major, the other minor. b. It combines the beauty of an aria with the power of a chorus. c. Despite the sometimes soaring vocal lines, it is firmly grounded on an ostinato bass. d. All of the above contribute.

This section is likely the best-known passage in all of Copland's music. Which statement about this section is true?

It sounds like Romantic music, projecting a pleasing, consonant sound and a regular meter.

What is the purpose of the Promenade theme in Pictures at an Exhibition?

It transports us into a world of purely Russian art. b. It unifies the sequence of musical pictures. c. It provides a recurring interlude. d. It suggests that the composer, and by extension the listener, is wandering through an exposition of paintings. e. all of these!!!

As the melody now ascends in the treble, it doesn't sound as before because

Liszt sets it to new, unexpected chords, creating a rich harmonic accompaniment.

The pounding percussion instruments are typical of music of which period?

Modernist

When the trumpets enter, they play a

Modernist disjunctive melody, employing frequent leaps.

Who is considered the most original composer of the Russian Five?

Musorgsky

Often, an aria will end fortissimo, with the singer holding on his or her highest pitch. Does this powerfully expressive aria by Puccini do that?

No, Puccini has chosen a gentle fade-out, with the tenor ending in the middle range of his voice.

Which Expressionist composition features Sprechstimme, avoids melodic repetition, and emphasizes dissonant harmony?

Pierrot lunaire

Identify this composition by its most famous theme.

Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun

Which composition, based on a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé, suggests the summer dreams of a mythological creature?

Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun

Identify the INCORRECT statement regarding Ives.

Premieres of his compositions frequently provoked the audience to riot

Which composer is best known for writing verismo operas?

Puccini

Which statement about Puccini's La bohème is INCORRECT?

Puccini strictly adapted Wagner's principles of Gesamtkunstwerk in writing this opera

Which of the following musicals is NOT a Broadway counterpart of realistic opera?

The King and I

In this passage, we hear one of the distinctive aspects of the "Copland sound": The composer spaces the instruments to allow "air" in the middle of the texture. Which statement is true about this passage?

The double basses play a pedal point, the strings hold softly in the middle, and the clarinet unfolds a triad above.

In The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky creates music that conjures up exotic locales. In this clip, how does he evoke the dancing shepherds that young Clara encounters in China?

The flutes play the melody.

To give the conclusion a feeling of majesty, what happens?

The full orchestra plays, and the tempo slows.

Tap your foot to the music and try conducting, first with a duple-meter pattern and then with a triple-meter one. Which of the following statements is true?

The music has a regular duple meter.

Given all the static repetition that has occurred up to this point in Bolero, now something remarkable happens. What is it?

The music suddenly modulates to a higher key.

The refrain returns. Which statement is true?

The orchestra has the melody, and the solo violin is silent.

Which statement is true about the second iteration of the refrain?

The orchestra has the refrain, and the violin is silent

Which statement is true about the third iteration of the refrain?

The orchestra has the refrain, and the violin is silent.

Which statement about The Rite of Spring is INCORRECT?

The plot is influenced by the ancient religious rituals of the Christian tradition.

Debussy, Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun Debussy, as we have seen, was a master of generating new sonorities, as well as creating new, discontinuous orchestrations. The following questions, therefore, pertain mainly to issues of color and orchestration. Which of the following is true about the beginning of this piece?

The texture is monophonic, the meter is vague, and the melody has chromaticism

Which phrase about the listening example is correct?

The trombone plays a contrapuntal accompaniment to the trumpet theme.

Musorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition Promenade Throughout Promenade, the meter is irregular, which is typical of Eastern European folk music. Which statement is correct regarding the beginning?

The trumpet plays for eleven beats, and the full brasses respond for eleven beats.

There are two complementary musical phrases. Which statement is true of each?

The trumpet plays the first seven beats, and the brasses join for the next four beats.

Musical Beginnings This first Listening Exercise asks you to review two of the most famous "beginnings" in all of classical music. Remember, to hear all the subtleties of the music and respond correctly to the questions), quality headphone, earbuds, or stereo speakers are essential. Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 (1808)—Opening The following questions ask you to recall the workings of a concerto and a rondo form. Which statement is true about the first iteration of the refrain?

The violin has the refrain, and the orchestra accompanies

Again, there is another transition to a new theme. Which statement is true?

The violin plays difficult arpeggios to a background accompaniment of simple chords in the orchestra.

Now an unusual moment occurs. Which statement describes that moment?

The violin plays entirely by itself, and the orchestra gradually sneaks back in.

At the end of the transition from theme A to theme B, what is the relationship between the forces

The violin plays runs against pizzicato accompaniment in the orchestra.

While the flutes repeat the melody,

The violins provide a counterpoint, and the English horn and bassoon disappear.

Exposition The Exposition begins with the feud theme. Which sentence best describes what occurs in the transition between the feud theme and the love theme?

The woodwinds descend, and there is a release of tension into the low strings.

The Friar Laurence theme now returns. In what way is it different?

The woodwinds play the melody above the pizzicato string accompaniment.

In this beautiful passage, Debussy comes closest to re-creating the lush sentimentality that is more typical of Romantic than Impressionist music. Which statement is INCORRECT?

There is a solo for the French horn and then the violin at the beginning.

Now a new theme (theme B) enters—specifically, a rising scale. Which statement is true?

There is a true dialogue here: The violin goes up with the theme, and the orchestra comes down with it

What is the cornet?

a brass instrument with valves, most often used in military bands

Which answer correctly describes the type of scale sung by the soprano in the listening example?

a chromatic scale

What is a "tone cluster"?

a dissonant sounding of several pitches a whole or half step apart in a densely packed chord

What is a pentatonic scale?

a five-note scale

What is flamenco?

a genre of Spanish song and dance, infused with gypsy elements

Identify the correct definition of "whole-tone scale."

a six-note scale in which each pitch is a whole tone away from the next

What is "Lisztomania"?

a term describing the sensational reaction of audiences to Liszt and his concerts

This brief passage leading from B back to A is a good example of

a transition.

Which statement best describes the Dies irae?

a tune originally composed in the thirteenth century b. it is treated in a sacrilegious manner in Symphonie fantastique c. the burial hymn of the medieval Church d. used in music and movies to suggest scenes of horror e. all of the above!!!!

Musical nationalism was expressed through

a. national anthems. b. native dances. c. protest songs. d. victory symphonies. e. all of these

Which trait best describes the rhythmic style of The Rite of Spring?

a. polymeter b. ostinato figures c. irregular accents d. polyrhythm e. all of these

What type of music did Johannes Brahms compose?

absolute music

We do not know what might have been the source of inspiration for the music of this movement, but let's assume for the sake of argument that Dvořák conceived it in his mind without external influence. The Largo from the symphony "From the New World" is thus an example of

absolute music.

Puccini, "Che gelida manina," from La bohème This signature aria from Puccini's realistic opera, La bohème, begins with what sounds like a recitative. What kind of recitative is it?

accompanied recitative (accompanied by orchestra)

Notice the many percussion instruments sounding here at the end: bass and snare drums, cymbal, and (faintly heard) bells. Besides sharpening the rhythmic profile of the music, percussion instruments, as exemplified here,

add weight and sonic body to the texture.

Select the answer that describes "parallel motion."

all the parts move together in the same direction; the antithesis of counterpoint

While the flutes play the melody,

an English horn (low oboe) and later a clarinet provide a counterpoint.

What is an "orchestral Lied"?

an art song in which the accompaniment is provided by a full orchestra rather than a piano

What is an "ophicleide"?

an early form of the tuba

Between 1870 and 1939, France and Germany went to war three times, and Debussy died during the middle of these three wars. The emotional effect of his Prelude to The Afternoon of a Faun is to make you

an enervated pacifist

In what way is rising tension NOT communicated here?

an increasingly fast tempo

What new feature was added to the piano during the nineteenth century?

an internal frame made of cast iron b. thicker steel strings c. cross-stringing d. multiple pedals e. all of these

Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, "March to the Scaffold" One of the major achievements of the nineteenth century was the expansion of the symphony orchestra. Hector Berlioz was a master orchestrator—a musician adept at assigning the music to just the right orchestral instrument, according to sound quality and color. He was also a pioneer in writing program music. The following questions ask you to consider how Berlioz depicts the events of a march and an execution mainly through orchestral color and a few other tricks of the composer's trade. Berlioz, who grew up during the Napoleonic Wars, shows that he had the sound of a military marching band in mind by orchestrating this passage primarily for

b. percussion and brass

Now Liszt presents the melody in dense chords in which part of the texture?

bass

Throughout section B, the bass line is playing a

basso ostinato.

Events take on an almost comical air during this passage because it is orchestrated for

bassoon and pizzicato strings.

Why does the singing at "chi son" ("who I am") sound less like a recitative and more like an aria?

because the pitches are held longer b. because the voice has moved into a higher range c. because the singer sounds more emphatic (volume has increased) d. because the words chi son are repeated e. all of these

Why is this aria from a realistic opera by Puccini still well within the tradition of Italian bel canto opera and not Wagnerian music drama?

because the voice is the center of attention and the orchestra mostly accompanies the voice quietly in the background

Musical Beginnings This first Listening Exercise asks you to review two of the most famous "beginnings" in all of classical music. Remember, to hear all the subtleties of the music and respond correctly to the questions), quality headphone, earbuds, or stereo speakers are essential. Beethoven, Symphony No. 5 (1808)—Opening The following questions intend to highlight the qualities of Romantic musical style as well as the special colors of the large nineteenth-century orchestra. The introduction played by the brass choir is a good example of

bold harmonic shifts.

Which composer is notable for resisting the allure of program music?

brahams

The nineteenth century was the era of the grand gesture. Here, we have a grand climax, which is brought about in no small measure by the use of dynamics. Which of the following symbols correctly indicates the progress of the level of volume (dynamics) throughout this passage?

c. <>

What type of scale does the elusive Carmen execute when she first begins to sing?

chromatic

What weakened the traditional role of tonality in music?

chromatic dissonance b. new chords like the ninth and eleventh chords c. tone clusters d. all of these

Identify the woodwind instrument that plays the theme.

clarinet

Which member of the woodwind family does NOT play a solo in this lovely section?

clarinet

Which dynamic marking does Debussy use to create this feeling of evasion and anticlimax?

crescendo-diminuendo

An "etude" is

d. a short, one-movement composition designed to improve a specific aspect of a performer's technique.

Which answer accurately describes the harmonic style of Modernist music?

dissonance no longer must move to consonance; sometimes no audible tonal center

Which of the following elements of Zwilich's Concerto Grosso 1985 (1985) is NOT a Baroque feature?

dissonant harmony

This refrain demonstrates Brahms's use of which technical "trick" for the violinist?

double stops

Tchaikovsky, "Dance of the Reed Pipes" The form of this dance is ternary (ABA), but modified in the final return to A to create ABA'. This exercise focuses on how Tchaikovsky creates this form. First of all, in what meter are the reed pipes dancing?

duple meter

Is the transition music from the exposition repeated or eliminated here in the recapitulation?

eliminated

Stravinsky, Le Sacre du printemps Both the Impressionist Debussy and the Modernist Stravinsky used musical ostinatos to create a sense of suspended time. By the end of the following Listening Exercise, you will have a sense of the extent to which ostinatos pervade a Modernist work by Stravinsky. Are ostinatos present?

no

Tap your foot in this section and compare the speed of the beat here to the tempo at the beginning. Is the march getting noticeably faster?

no

Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Unlike Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, who were creators and developers, Peter Tchaikovsky was more a creator and repeater. He had the gift of creating short bursts of wonderfully evocative themes. Yet, instead of subjecting them to intricate manipulation, he would usually repeat them with a varied orchestration. The following questions focus your attention on various aspects of Tchaikovsky's use of repetition and his extraordinary skill as an orchestrator, in the tone poem Romeo and Juliet. Introduction The opening homophonic woodwind passage, which sounds like a hymn, is a musical depiction of the kindly Franciscan monk, Friar Laurence. It is made up of three phrases. Do phrases 2 and 3 repeat 1 and 2?

no

Which statement about musical form is most applicable to the Romantic period?

no new forms created during this style period; traditional forms extended in length and also applied to new genres, such as the song and symphonic poem

Although many instruments play the melody here, they are playing the same pitches (or pitches an octave higher or lower). This is called

playing in unison

Once we enter section B, what happens to the meter?

remains the same duple

The main instruments (brasses and woodwinds) generally play

repeating pitches, thereby emphasizing the changing texture.

Identify the correct definition of "nocturne."

slow, introspective type of music, usually for piano, with rich harmonies and poignant dissonances that convey the mysteries of the night

What is the name of the left-most pedal on the piano that, when depressed, reduces the dynamic level of the instrument?

soft pedal

Accordingly, what is the form of this Habanera?

strophic

Now the lively dance theme dominates. This passage sounds a bit like the music of Igor Stravinsky, a composer whom Copland greatly admired. Which of the following CANNOT be heard in this passage?

sweeping melody in the cellos

The singing at the beginning is principally

syllabic (one pitch for each syllable of text).

Identify the genre that was NOT important during the Modern era.

symphonic poem

Adams, Short Ride in a Fast Machine As you will hear in this exciting composition by the American composer John Adams, the Postmodern era, unlike previous periods in the history of music, is one that places texture in the foreground at the expense of melody. What rhythmic device enters here?

syncopation

Bizet, Habanera, from Carmen Which sensual dance has the same rhythmic pattern as the Habanera?

tango

Of the three components of interest in this etude, which does this passage best exemplify?

technical razzle-dazzle

During this passage, it is perfectly clear that the voice part singing this aria is a

tenor

We know that we have reached the emotional high point of the aria because a

tenor rises up to his highest range

The large orchestra that Zwilich requires here is LEAST comparable in size to which previous era's orchestra?

the Baroque orchestra

Which of the following elements from this passage is NOT a typical element in Baroque music?

the dissonant, disjunctive melody

With this extraordinary ending, Liszt demonstrates

the emotional power of bold harmonic shifts in a chord progression.

When the chorus enters, it sings

the melody just sung by Carmen.

The melody of section A returns. Which version of it do we hear?

the one with the violin counterpoint

What is a "polychord"?

the stacking of one triad or seventh chord on another so that they sound simultaneously

We often say that Romantic music has a lush, warm sound to it, which is created here by

the strings playing in unison with much vibrato.

The dance theme begins with the strings, and then the hymn-like tune enters at midpoint in the audio in the trumpet. When the two are playing together at the end of the passage, which sounds more aggressively modern?

the strings playing the dance in shorter notes

As if to confirm that we have, in fact, reached the climax of the aria, a percussion instrument enters to alert the listener to that fact. Which percussion instrument enters?

the timpani

Now the melody is played in thirds. In which part of the texture does this enriched variation sound?

treble

When the melody repeats with broken octaves, it does so in which part of the texture?

treble

Liszt, "Un sospiro" By the middle of the nineteenth century, the range of the piano had expanded to include eighty-eight keys, and the full expanse of its sonorous richness could be explored. In this etude, Liszt continually moves around the lovely melody to different parts of the texture—high and low. Can you track its progress? The melody enters in which part of the texture?

treble (top)

Here, the music assumes a more agitated tone, the tempo increases, and the flute and oboe play a new theme. In the background, the strings add an element of energetic movement, almost like leaves fluttering in the wind. What string technique creates this movement?

tremolo

The flute returns with the opening line, but now the strings quietly shimmer behind it. Which string technique creates this shimmering effect?

tremolo

What is "polymeter"?

two or more meters sounding simultaneously

Identify the correct definition of "polyrhythm."

two or more rhythms sounding simultaneously

In this section, the trumpets repeat the same

two pitches.

When instruments or voices sing or play the same pitches together, they are performing in

unison.