Chapter 3

Gustav Holst (1874 - 1934) was _____.

a British composer who wrote The Planets

In the European tradition, opera is a staged work of music theater that features these four components:

1) costumes, 2) dramatic plots, 3) props, 4) sets

The Rite of Spring was:

a ballet

The "Sacrificial Dance" is in rondo form, best represented by:

A B A' C A'' C A'''

In Star Wars: A New Hope, when the droids R2D2 and C3PO land on Tatooine, Williams utilized what four 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

The composer of the music for Star Wars was a session musician, so he:

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

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

True

True or False - In film, music that the characters can hear is called source music because the source of the sound is usually visible on screen.

True

True or False - 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

True or False - 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

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

True

True or False - 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

True or False - The Rite of Spring depicted pagan rituals and caused consternation among members of its Parisian audience at the premier.

True

True or False - The Rite of Spring does not tell a coherent story.

True

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

True

Some of the musical characteristics of the "Main Theme" that tell us Luke Skywalker is a hero are:

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

Holst's "Mars" march was extremely unusual because it was in:

quintuple meter

In Star Wars, the musical themes are effective because they:

represent specific characters or ideas

Ragtime was a style of music popularized by pianists and featuring steady rhythm with the left hand and ______ with the right.

syncopated rhythms

The final scene (Act III, Scene 3) of The Valkyrie contains what four themes?

the appearance of Logo, the demigod of fire, Wotan's spear, a ring of fire, and Brunnhilde's sleep

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:

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

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

False

True or False - Even Adolph Hitler believed that Wagner's operas should not be produced.

False

True or False - Holst became wealthy as a trombone performer in the middle part of his career.

False

True or False - In polyphonic jazz all of the musicians play the same melody at the same time.

False

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

False

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

False

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

False

True or 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

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

False

True or False - 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

True or False - Wagner shrunk the size of the orchestra for 'The Ring of the Nibelungs' in order to highlight characters with single instruments.

False

The composer who wrote the scores for the original Star Wars trilogy (among the best-known musical works created for the big screen) is _______.

John Williams

Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungs derives from ______ mythology.

Norse

The theme that represents "Loge as fire" uses the following to represent fire:

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

Holst manipulated which characteristic of sound by utilizing women's voices in "Neptune":

Timbre

The technique of assigning a unique theme to each character, object, place, and idea in a drama is the use of ______.

leitmotif

True or False - "Mars" served as a model for John Williams's "Imperial March" theme in the Star Wars soundtrack.

True

True or False - 12-bar blues provides the structure for most blues compositions.

True

True or False - 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

A session musician is a musician who:

participates in recording sessions for television and film

Just as ragtime was becoming passé, a new style called _____ burst onto the scene.

Dixieland Jazz

"Wotan's Farewell" features one of the most significant powers of the leitmotif:

The ability to foreshadow events yet to come