Survey of Popular music practice questions 1
In 1919, what song became the first hit to be popularized in recorded form before it was released as sheet music?
"Mary"
Consider the following statement and choose the best response: Musicians like Al Jolson, Pat Boone, and Bessie Smith were more popular during their lifetimes than in subsequent generations, but their contributions to music paved the way for the more enduring legacies of musicians, such as Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry A) The statement is true. B) The statement is false because Bessie Smith belongs in the category of enduring legacies alongside Armstrong and Berry. C) The statement is false because Berry straddles both categories, with record sales far outpacing Boone's. D) The statement is false because Al Jolson was a producer and musical entrepreneur, not a performer.
B
_____ refers to the channelled flow of rhythms that could be described as "swinging," "funky," or "phat"
Groove
Which African American composer and pianist was the best-known creator of ragtime music?
Scott Joplin
Which American is credited with the invention of the phonograph?
Thomas Alva Edison
What popular theatrical form gave rise to the modern-day variety show?
Vaudville
The rise in brass bands' popularity between the 1860s and 1910s is explained largely by the emergence of
decommissioned soldiers
Analyzing how a song is made and interpreted by a particular performer is known as
musical process
Dating back to the 1890s, jukeboxes (coin-fed phonographs) were originally known as
nickelodians
Nineteenth-century ballroom dancing focused on _______ as a reflection of the dancer's refinement.
uniformity
Which of the following mediums was boosted by the Great Depression?
Radio
_______ is the name given to the genre that best represented the growing influence of African American music in the late nineteenth-century.
Ragtime
What was the name of the first successful all-black Broadway musical?
Shuffle Along
Which American is widely regarded as the first important composer of American popular song, with over 200 compositions to his credit?
Stephen Collins Foster
From the very beginning, popular music in America has been closely tied up with _____, such as those portraying women as sexual objects, men as violent, and more
Stereotypes
Spotify and Apple Music are examples of which method of music distribution?
Streaming
T/F Scott Joplin is most closely associated with marches.
False
T/F T.D. Rice is most closely associated with ragtime music.
False
T/F Tin Pan Alley was technically a stretch of a street in the heart of the 19th-century music publishing industry: Nashville, TN.
False
Which influential style of music did immigrants from France, the Caribbean, Ireland, Germany, and other countries bring to early America?
Folk
Which American was the first white performer to gain popularity as a "blackface" entertainer?
George Washington Dixon
Listen to "Stagolee" by Mississippi John Hurt. Mr. Hurt uses alternating patterns with his thumb and forefingers on the guitar's strings to create what kind of rhythmic texture? A) Unsyncopated B) Polyrhythmic C) Monorhythmic D) Straight-tone
B
Listen to the "Dipper Mouth Blues" by the Creole Jazz Band. What two contrasting elements are displayed side-by-side first half-minute of this piece, and again at about 1:09? A) Melody and Polyphony B) Composition and improvisation C) Dance and ballad D) Syncopation and harmony
B
Listen to this version of "Soldier's Joy" by Tommy Jarrell. What is the technical term for the repeated low notes in this example, above which Mr. Jarrell plays often ornate melodies? A) Riff B) Drone C) Hook D) Phrase
B
What black cornet player from New Orleans led the Creole Jazz Band? A) Nick LaRocca B) King Joe Oliver C) Louis Armstrong D) Thomas "Fats" Waller
B
Which musician studied in this chapter wrote a song that was later picked up by Louis Armstrong? A) Elizabeth Marbury B) Justo Azpiazú C) Bing Crosby D) Miguel Covarrubias
B
Which of the following is the best description of vaudeville? A) A formal performance that featured patriotic songs and marches, usually given in town halls or other civic centers. incorrect B) Popular theatrical form in which a series of performers presented one after another without an overarching narrative theme. correct C) Miniature operas performed in saloons, often with politicized or satirical messages. incorrect D) The first type of music specifically intended for studio recording, with few (if any) live performances given.
B
Which of the following types of popular 19th-century dance was initially regarded as a threat to public morality due to its indecorous exhibition of intimacy between men and women? A) The jitterbug B) The waltz C) The schottische D) Square dancing
B
From 1999 to 2009, what drastic shift changed the music industry? A) Widely available internet-based recording technology rendered the "recording studio" obsolete. B) Hip-hop music began to explore overtly political themes. C) Internet-based digital sales technologies, such as Apple's online iTunes store. D) The Seattle-based "grunge" movement became popular, replacing punk and metal.
C
John Philip Sousa was famous for composing what type of ensemble? A) Barbershop quartet B) Dance orchestra C) Brass band D) Tin Pan Alley trio
C
Listen to "Ain't Misbehavin'" by Louis Armstrong and his Orchestra. What is the term for the vocal technique Armstrong uses briefly between about 1:40 and 1:45? A) Semivibrato B) Melisma C) Scat D) Crooning
C
Listen to "Coo Coo" by Dink Roberts. Which of the following is a key difference between this piece and European-based folk ballads? A) The principle instrument in this example is a percussive instrument, not a stringed instrument like those used in European traditions. B) European folk music makes extensive use of the "call and response" technique, while Mr. Roberts's piece does not. C) This piece is not a strict narrative, but rather an associative cluster of brief exchanges around a central theme. D) This piece is recorded a cappella, unlike European folk ballads.
C
Listen to "Enigue Nigue" by Grupo AfroCuba. Which section of the typical rumba guaguanco is this? A) La Diana B) El Canto C) El Montuno D) La Coda
C
______ textures, produced by many rhythms going on at the same time, are distinctive of African music
Polyrhythmic
Sometimes, the rejection of electronic technology in music production functions as an emblem of
authenticity
In mainstream pop music, the creator of the music is known as the
composer
A&R personnel are responsible for
finding new talent
Listening for musical structure, its basic building blocks, and the ways in which these blocks are combined is known as
formal analysis
The most popular of the ragtime dances was the
foxtrot
The "periphery" refers to the impact of the musical ______ in shaping mainstream popular music taste
margins
The first form of musical and theatrical entertainment to be regarded as distinctively American was the
minstrel show
Early American styles, including string band music, ballads, and sacred songs, are oftentimes lumped together in what category?
old-time music
Kendrick Lamar's song "alright" is an example of popular music that powerfully represents issues of
race and ethnicity
The great Duke Ellington developed his "jungle music" jazz style while performing regularly at what famous Harlem nightclub?
The Cotton Club
Which American gained fame with his performance of "Jim Crow," which became the first international American song hit?
Thomas Dartmouth Rice
_______ was the nickname for the cluster of small publishing firms in lower Manhattan known for the sound of many pianos simultaneously playing songs in a variety of keys and tempos.
Tin Pan Alley
T/F "Timbre" is used to describe the quality or 'tone color' of a given sound.
True
T/F An arranger reworks songs to complement a specific performer's strengths.
True
T/F An engineer runs the recording equipment during a session and layers the different tracks to create the desired aural balance.
True
T/F Enslaved African Americans used language about Canaan, the promised land in the Bible, as a code when planning to escape their bondage and flee to the northern states or Canada.
True
T/F J.P. Sousa is most closely associated with marches.
True
T/F Paul Dresser is most closely associated with the Tin Pan Alley genre.
True
T/F Scott Joplin, native Texan, got his first job as a pianist at a cafe in St. Louis.
True
In the 1910s, who influenced the greatest change in social dancing?
Vernon and Irene Castle
In mainstream pop music, the ______ is responsible for selecting key and instrumentation
arranger
Jazz originated in what American city?
New Orleans
Beginning in the mid-nineteenth century, which instrument became a standard feature of the middle-class parlor?
the piano
What "scandalous" dance step was popularized by its inclusion in Broadway revues and silent films?
the tango
Which dance, popularized in the 1820s, was initially regarded as indecorous before becoming the ultimate symbol of sophistication and romance?
the waltz
What famous singer first revealed the commercial possibilities of sound recording?
E. Caruso
Consider the following statement and choose the best response: Vernon and Irene Castle, who are credited with attracting millions of middle-class Americans into ballroom classes while expanding the stylistic range of popular dance, emulated publishers of sheet music by breaking down complex traditions into simplified versions that required little formal training to replicate. A) The statement is true. B) The statement is false because Vernon and Irene Castle worked exclusively with a high-class clientele; ballroom dance didn't become popular in the middle class in America until dance teams such as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1930s. C) The statement is false because the Castles kept the range of ballroom dance within their studio and performances within a narrow band of widely-known, decades-old dance steps. D) The statement is false because publishers of sheet music never endeavored to simplify music for popular consumption.
A
Consider the following statement and choose the best response: While John Philip Sousa's performing ensemble made two dozen hit phonograph recordings, Sousa himself did not direct them, as he held recorded music in low esteem. A) The statement is true. B) The statement is false because Sousa's performing ensemble did not make any phonograph recordings. C) The statement is false because Sousa didn't have a performing ensemble, he was a solo performer. D) The statement is false because Sousa loved recorded music and enthusiastically directed phonograph recordings whenever possible.
A
If a piece of music contains several verses that tell a story sung to repeating musical material, it would best be described as a A) strophic ballad. B) broadside chorus. C) strophic spiritual. D) operatic aria.
A
Listen to "East St. Louis Toodle-oo" by Duke Ellington & his Washingtonians. Which respond best describes how the featured musician produces the sound evidenced in the section that begins after the 10-second introduction to this song? A) By using mutes on a trumpet and creating a deep growl in the throat B) By playing the mouthpiece of a trumpet or trombone by itself C) By using a mute combined with energetic use of the trombone slide D) By singing into a trumpet
A
Listen to "Maple Leaf Rag," written by Scott Joplin. Pay particular attention to the bass part played by Joplin's left hand. From what source is this bass pattern derived? A) Marching band music B) Jazz band music C) Ragtime piano music D) Rural blues piano music
A
Listen to "West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five. What is the term for the interplay between the clarinet and Armstrong's voice in the section that begins at about 1:25? A) Call and response B) Montuno C) Sturm und drang D) Stride improv
A
Listen to the first minute or so from the version of "Soldier's Joy" by the Skillet Lickers. The fact that the "borrowed lyrics" from "Chicken in the Bread Tray" fits this piece is an example of what feature of folk music? A) Many belong to closely related "tune families" that can be interchanged in live performance. B) An emphasis on the text as the most important feature of the music. C) Most of these texts were written by the same poet, Gid Tanner. D) These pieces were never intended to have text at all.
A
Listen to the song "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair" by Stephen Foster. What about this melody hints at the influence of Irish folk music? A) It moves largely in "step-by-step," or "conjunct," motion. B) It is highly syncopated. C) It modulates frequently. D) It skips around suddenly within a wide vocal range.
A
Listen to these two versions of "La Cumparsita," the first performed by Carlos Gardel and the second by Francisco Canaro y Quinteto Pirincho. What is the primary difference between the two recordings? A) One includes a vocal performance while the other is an instrumental. B) The two pieces have radically different tempos. C) One features an electric guitar while the other uses only an acoustic guitar. D) One is in the tango tradition while the other interprets the song as a rhumba.
A
T/F Consider the following statement and choose the best response: "Enslaved Africans in the Americas drew on a rich variety of cultural traditions from a huge region of the African continent to create a coherent, resilient culture of their own, which included an array of musical genres and styles including story songs, instrumental pieces used to accompany dances, and spirituals." A) The statement is true. B) The statement is false because enslaved Africans came from a narrow band of western African lands with a homogeneous culture. C) The statement is false because there was no tradition of instrumental music in African American culture. D) The statement is false because spirituals were a product of early Irish immigrant culture.
A
What white cornet player was the leader of the Original Dixieland Jazz Band? A) Nick LaRocca B) King Joe Oliver C) Louis Armstrong D) Thomas "Fats" Waller
A
Which statement about Paul Whiteman's life and career is not true? A) He made a conscientious endeavor to hire musicians of color in his orchestra and to celebrate the African American roots of jazz music. B) Whiteman's "Ambassador Orchestra" had a streak of amazing popularity in record sales that remains unmatched in the entire history of American music. C) Balancing improvisation with careful arrangement is one of the central stylistic features of Whiteman's music. D) Many religious and political authorities fiercely criticized Whiteman's attempt to bring jazz across America's racial divide.
A
Listen to "Long John" by Lightning Washington. Which statement about this piece is NOT true? A) The percussive sound in the background is the convicts chopping lumber. B) This song makes use of biblical images of suffering as media for criticizing an oppressive system based on racial discrimination. C) This song is about an historic character who embarked on the Underground Railroad. D) This piece makes extensive use of the "call and response" technique.
C
Listen to "Tiger Rag" by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. What musical 'trick' is exemplified in the section that begins at about 30 seconds? A) Rubato B) Monophony C) Stop-time D) Subito piano
C
Listen to the excerpt from "After the Ball" by C.K. Harris. What section of the piece begins at about 58 seconds? A) Beginning of a verse (A section) B) Middle of a verse (B section) C) Chorus (C section) D) Coda (D section)
C
What is "critical listening?" A) Searching lyrics for objectionable content for purposes of censorship B) Listening to the several "tracks" that make up a recording and deciding how to balance their volume and distribution, an essential skill for studio personnel C) Consciously seeking meaning in music by drawing on knowledge about both musical and historical elements D) Developing language to discuss why certain music is of no interest to you
C
What new form of singing arose specifically because of the availability of electric microphones? A) Scat B) Doo-wop C) Crooning D) Belting
C
Which Latin American bandleader's Havana Casino Orchestra was the first major Cuban dance band to visit New York City in 1930? A) Xavier Cugat B) Moises Simon C) Justo "Don" Azpiazú D) Antonio Machin
C
Which is the best-known of the English "ballad operas"? A) Kurt Weill's Street Scene B) Benjamin Britten's Peter Grimes C) John Gay's The Beggar's Opera D) Thomas Tallis's Book of Common Prayer
C
Which musician studied in this chapter famously said, "Ain't no sense in playing a hundred notes if one will do"? A) Fitzgerald B) Europe C) Armstrong D) Whiteman
C
Which of the following statements is an example of the interaction between advancing technology and qualitative nostalgia in popular music? A) "I wish Elvis Presley's estate would re-master his early recordings to get rid of that 'slap-back' echo." B) "I think Louis Armstrong was a better trumpet player than Miles Davis." C) "I prefer analog recordings to digital because the tone is so much richer and warmer." D) "I didn't like any of the MTV Unplugged series."
C
Which statement about T.D. Rice's life and work is not true? A) He became the first native-born American performer to export a type of music that was perceived abroad as quintessentially American. incorrect B) His "Jim Crow" character used a hybrid dialect to mock pretentious elites with American society. incorrect C) He was the first African-American performer of minstrel music. correct D) The song "Jim Crow" was likely based on an Irish folk tune, with only indirect relationships to any African folk music. incorrect
C
The _______ was the social club, booking agency, and trade union for African American musicians in New York City founded by James Reese Europe.
Clef Club
_______ exerted the strongest Latin influence on popular American dance music in the 1930s.
Cuba
Consider the following statement and choose the best response: Stephen Foster, the most influential popular songwriter of the 19th century, sold over 100,000 copies of his biggest hit, 'Oh! Susanna.' A) The statement is true. B) The statement is false because Foster was not the most influential popular songwriter of the 19th century. C) The statement is false because Foster's biggest hit sold over 10,000 copies, but nowhere near 100,000. D) The statement is false because Foster's biggest hit was "Old Folks at Home," not "Oh! Susanna."
D
Listen to "Castle House Rag" by J.R. Europe. Which section of the music begins at about 2:35, and how would it be described? A) Introduction and opening A section; violins foreshadow the melody with descending chords in piano, followed by first A section. B) B section; new melody with a dramatic opening effect. C) C section; after a brief transition, quieter music without drums—stoptime effect used. D) D section; drums re-enter, violins and trumpets introduce new syncopated ragtime theme.
D
Listen to "El Manisero" by the Havana Casino Orchestra under the leadership of Justo "Don" Azpiazu. On what instrument is the song's distinctive repeated syncopated pattern of five strokes over a regular eight-beat pulse played? A) Maracas B) Bongos C) Marimbas D) Claves
D
Listen to "La Negra" by Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlan. To what within this piece does the term "Copla" refer? A) The shouts from the performers at various points throughout the music B) A vigorous strumming technique used on stringed instruments in mariachi music C) The small, five-stringed guitar used to provide rhythmic drive D) The regular poetic structure of the text
D
Listen to this recording of "Barbara Allen." Which statement about this recording is not true? A) The singer sings the entire piece a capella, or without accompaniment. B) Many of the nonstandard pronunciations, such as "Bar-bry" for the title character's name, are drawn from the singer's native Kentucky dialect. C) The singer uses subtle melodic embellishments typical of Appalachian folk song throughout the piece. D) Unlike the original version of the song, this rendition has a happy ending.
D
What piece is a hugely popular example of the importation of the Cuban "contradanza" into European art music? A) The finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony B) Aaron Copland's "Fanfare for the Common Man" C) The overture to Verdi's operatic masterpiece, Don Giovanni D) "Habanera" from Bizet's opera, Carmen
D
Which composer studied in this chapter advised aspiring songwriters to keep their melodies to a limited range, "so that even a baby could hum them"? A) Stephen Foster B) John Philip Sousa C) Paul Dresser D) Harry von Tilzer
D
Which is the correct term for music that features multiple differing rhythms going on at the same time? A) Back-beat B) Mixed meter C) Syncopated D) Polyrhythmic
D
The term "ragtime" is commonly agreed to have emerged from what practice?
Enlivening music by shifting melodic accents onto the offbeats
T/F A producer reworks songs to complement a specific performer's strengths.
False
T/F A&R Convinces the board of directors of a record company to back a project and shapes the development of artists on the company's roster.
False
T/F Estribillo was a late 19th-century rural song tradition from Latin America.
False
T/F In most performances of early minstrel shows, the performers were exclusively white.
False
The Ambassador Orchestra, the most successful dance band of the 1920s, was led by
Paul Whiteman
In 1925, acoustic recording was replaced by electric recording using what new device?
Microphones
By the end of the nineteenth century, which city had become the center of the American music publishing business?
New York City
