Quiz 2 The Classical Period

Select all the true statements about Beethoven's final years

-After he went completely deaf, Beethoven composed magnificent piano sonatas, string quartets and the 9th symphony -After age 44, Beethoven was completely deaf and he could not perform piano in public or conduct effectively -Beethoven initially used ear trumpets to hear, and he used notebooks to communicate with people in writing

Select all the accurate 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 classical and romantic eras

Common characteristics in symphonies by Haydn include

Broad dynamic range Contrasting tone colors Folklike melodies

Who were the important pioneers in this new style?

Bach's sons -- Carl Philipp Emanuel (1714-1788) & Johann Christian (1735-1782)

Why is the term classical confusing?

Because it has many different meanings -- may refer to greek or roman antiquity or it may be used for any supreme accomplishment of lasting appeal

The exciting rondo movement from Beethoven's String Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4, may be outlined ________________________.

A B A C A B A

Exposition

First section of a sonata-form movement, which sets up a strong conflict between the tonic key and the new key; and between the first theme (or group of themes) and the second theme (or group of themes)

Motive

Fragment of a theme, or short musical idea that is developed within a composition

Which are true statements about Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise)?

Haydn composed the work while he visited London The symphony was very well-received and became one of his most popular works The nickname "Surprise" comes from the sudden loud chord in the second movement

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

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

Select all the true statements about Mozart's adult career

He became friend with Haydn, who considered Mozart the greatest composer he knew or had ever heard of He left Salzburg at 25 and had some years of success as a freelance performer and composer in Vienna He became popular in Prague, especially with the opera The Marriage of Figaro (1786)

Which of the following are true statements about the career of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

He fell into debt after his popularity with the musical public declined He left his position as a court musician in early life He worked as a freelance musician

Coda

In a sonata-form movement, a concluding section following the recapitulation and rounding off the movement by repeating themes or developing them further

Select all the techniques that are characteristic of Mozart's operas

Keen sense of theater, with humorous and serious characters in his comic opera plots Ability to bring characters to life through music by drawing on his inexhaustible gift for melody

What does a concerto combine?

It combines the soloist's virtuosity and interpretive abilities with the orchestra's wide range of tone color and dynamics

Chamber music

Music using a small group (2-9) of musicians, with one player to a part.

Development

Second section of a sonata-form movement, in which themes from the exposition are developed and the music moves through several different keys.

What is the most important aspect of the recapitulation in sonata form?

all the important material such as the second theme are in the tonic key

Which descriptions apply to the second exposition of the first movement of a classical concerto?

The soloist's entry can be powerful or quiet It explores themes from the first exposition and introduces new ones

Select all the statements that correctly describe the classical conerto

There are many ways of combining the soloist and orchestra, such as the soloist accompanying the orchestra when it has the theme The classical concerto is a three movement work for instrumental soloist and orchestra The classical concerto combines the wide range of dynamics and tone colors of the orchestra with the virtuosity of the soloist

One reason that basso _____ became obsolete during the classical era was that more and more music was written for amateurs who could not master the difficult art of improvising from a figured bass

continuo

Select all the reasons public concerts were so important for the middle class in the classical period

They related to the content of the operas or tunes of the music Court performances were not accessible to them They wanted to hear the latest music, just like the nobles

Recapitulation

Third section of a sonata-form movement, in which the first theme, bridge, second theme, and concluding section are presented more or less as they were in the exposition, with one crucial difference: all the principal material is now in the tonic key.

T or F: During the classical period, it was fashionable for an aristocrat or a member of the well-to-do middle-class to play chamber music with friends and to hire professional musicians to entertain guests after dinner.

True

What was one of the ways in which composers of the classical era achieved more expression in their music?

by using crescendos and decrescendos, or gradual changes in volume

T or F: Flexibility of rhythm was NOT a characteristic of the classical style

false

Select all the characteristics of the development section in the sonata form

it combines motives (fragments of themes) it uses motives (fragments of themes) with new emotional meanings it contains modulations through several keys (tonalities)

Which statement about Haydn's Trumpet Concerto in E-flat major is true?

it was forgotten for more than a hundred years after its premiere

Select all the true statements about the fourth movement of Hadyn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major

its form is A B A-development-A'-development-A B-coda it is in sonata-rondo form

Chamber music is _________ in sound than classical orchestral music

lighter

Select all the groups of instruments that were standard in the orchestras of Haydn and Mozart

woodwinds, brass, and strings

In the sonata form, the key that comes in the bridge or transition to the second theme is typically _________

new

A symphony is a work for _______ in several ________

orchestra; movements

Late baroque music was characterized by a ___ texture, whereas classical music is basically ___ in texture.

polyphonic; homophonic

As an alternative to the minuet-and-trio form for his third movements, Beethoven often used the _____________.

scherzo

Fully developed classical style

the significant parallel between "classical" music and "neoclassical" art is a common stress on balance and clarity of structure (Flourished 1770-1820) (Masters composers: Joseph Haydn 1732-1809, Mozart 1756-1791, and Beethoven 1770-1827)

T or F: Unlike earlier composers, classical composers did NOT readily substitute one type of instrument for another, such as an oboe for a violin

true

Select all the descriptions that are general characteristics of melody in the music of the classical era

tuneful, easy to remember, and folk or popular in style

Select all the typical practices for composers for the classic era

using two or more themes in one movement, having the music pause to signal the entrance of a new theme, and contrasting themes vividly

What is a typical sequence for a classical symphony?

(1) a vigorous, dramatic fast movement (2) a lyrical slow movement (3) a dancelike movement (minuet or scherzo) and (4) a brilliant or heroic fast movement

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

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

How is a symphony unified?

By using the same key in some of its movements

String quartet

Composition for two violins, a viola, and a cello; usually consisting of four movements. (1) fast (2) slow (3) minuet or scherzo (4) fast

Rondo

Compositional form featuring a main theme (A) that returns several times in alternation with other themes, such as A B A C A and A B A C A B A. Rondo is often the form of the last movement in classical symphonies, string quartets, and sonatas.

Sonata-rondo

Compositional form that combines the repeating theme of rondo form with a development section similar to that in sonata form, outlined A B A—development—A B A.

Select all the ways that middle-class tastes influenced classical music

Early classical composers wrote pieces that were easy for amateurs to play Classical composers wrote more comic operas, some with plots ridiculed the aristocracy Classical composers used folk songs as themes in instrumental musical and composed melodies with a rustic (country) flavor

Sonata Form

Form of a single movement, consisting of three main sections: the exposition, where the themes are presented; the development, where themes are treated in new ways; and the recapitulation, where the themes return. A concluding section, the coda, often follows the recapitulation.

Bridge (transition)

In the exposition of the sonata form, a section which leads from the first theme in the tonic, or home, key to the second theme, which is in a new key.

In a concerto, the ________ opens the first movement with the introductory exposition

Orchestra

Symphony

Orchestral composition, usually in four movements, typically lasting between 20 and 45 minutes, exploiting the expanded range of tone color and dynamics of the orchestra.

A work for string quartet in the classical era had 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

Which one of those often ends with a coda?

Sonata form

Select all the statements that correctly describe Vienna's importance in the development of classical-era music

Street musicians could perform profitably in Vienna and be hired to play for outdoor garden parties Aristocrats in Vienna were sometimes accomplished musicians, including the Empress Maria Theresa and the Emperor Joseph II Aristocrats from all over the Holy Roman Empire spent the winter there, bringing their private orchestras with them

Some consider Haydn the inventor of which musical form or genre?

String quartet

Select all the statements that are true of the third movement of Hadyn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise).

The movement is a minuet, a type of lively dance The form is A B A

Select all the statements that describe the cadenza in most classical concertos

The point in the movement when the cadenza is to be played is indicated by a fermata The orchestra momentarily stops playing while the soloist plays dazzling scale passages and broken chords Cadenzas were originally improvised but later were written out by the composer

Select all the accurate statements about the tempo, meter, and mood in this section from Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major

The rhythm is in groups of three, although the meter is 6/8 It is a waltz

Select all the true statements about the fourth movement of Mozart's Symphony No. 40

There are three sections: the exposition, development, and recapitulation The fourth movement begins in the tonic key of G minor There are two themes

Select all the ways the middle-class public of the classical era enjoyed music

They paid for music lessons for family members They purchased printed music and instruments for use in the home They bought tickets to public concerts of symphonies and concertos

Which instruments make up a string quartet?

Two violins, one viola, one cello

Cadenza

Unaccompanied section of virtuoso display for the soloist in a concerto, usually appearing near the end of the first movement and sometimes in the last movement.

Select all the descriptions that apply to this first movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in G Major (Surprise)

Very lively and quick Folk dance tune melody Vivace assai

Select all the typical ensembles other than the string quartet that played chamber music in the classical era

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

Select all the statements that accurately describe mood in classical-era music, particularly in contrast to baroque music

a classical movement can have contrasts within a theme and classical music fluctuated between dramatic and carefree moods

Mood in classical music may change gradually or suddenly, expressing conflicting surges of __________ and ___________

elation and depression

Why is the main theme of a rondo (A) tuneful and easy to remember?

so that the listener can easily recognize its return