Question 1

Which is true of Vincenzo Bellini?

Accepted Answer

A)  He used a light folk song style in his opera arias. 
B)  He was a composer of refined, highly expressive Romantic melodies. 
C)  He stressed the orchestra in his operas, sometimes overshadowing the singers. 
D)  He was admired by Schubert for his melodic writing. 
A)  He used a light folk song style in his opera arias. 
B)  He was a composer of refined, highly expressive Romantic melodies. 
C)  He stressed the orchestra in his operas, sometimes overshadowing the singers. 
D)  He was admired by Schubert for his melodic writing.

Question 2

Describe the relationship between the vocal lines and the orchestra in the operas of Verdi.

Accepted Answer

In the operas of Verdi, the relationship

Question 3

Which allows a composer to show what a character is thinking even though something else is being said in the text?

Accepted Answer

A)  idée fixe 
B)  bel canto style 
C)  leitmotiv 
D)  Gesamtkunstwerk 
A)  idée fixe 
B)  bel canto style 
C)  leitmotiv 
D)  Gesamtkunstwerk

Question 4

Outline the plot of Madame Butterfly and the place that the aria "Un bel dì" has in the drama.How does the orchestra contribute to the aria?

Accepted Answer

Madame Butterfly is an opera by Giacomo

Question 5

Which statement about The Nibelung's Ring is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  It exhibits a classic emotional restraint. 
B)  It has an epic scope covering many generations. 
C)  It is a story of myth and the supernatural. 
D)  It is a lengthy performance experience. 
A)  It exhibits a classic emotional restraint. 
B)  It has an epic scope covering many generations. 
C)  It is a story of myth and the supernatural. 
D)  It is a lengthy performance experience.

Question 6

What does bel canto mean? Briefly describe this Romantic style.How did it affect the role of the human voice in Italian opera?

Accepted Answer

Bel canto, which means "beautiful singin

Question 7

Rigoletto is based on a play by the French writer:

Accepted Answer

A)  Victor Hugo. 
B)  Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 
C)  Vincenzo Bellini. 
D)  Lord Byron. 
A)  Victor Hugo. 
B)  Jean-Jacques Rousseau. 
C)  Vincenzo Bellini. 
D)  Lord Byron.

Question 8

Unlike the Romantic Italian opera composers of his time,Carl Maria von Weber:

Accepted Answer

A)  is known for his charming opera buffa. 
B)  wrote primarily for the voice. 
C)  used supernatural subject matter in his operas. 
D)  developed new brass instruments to enrich the orchestral tone color. 
A)  is known for his charming opera buffa. 
B)  wrote primarily for the voice. 
C)  used supernatural subject matter in his operas. 
D)  developed new brass instruments to enrich the orchestral tone color.

Question 9

Discuss the growing role of the orchestra in both German and Italian opera.

Accepted Answer

The orchestra has played a significant r

Question 10

What is not heard in the recitative preceding "La donna è mobile"?

Accepted Answer

A)  a chorus 
B)  a female soloist 
C)  a male soloist 
D)  the orchestra 
A)  a chorus 
B)  a female soloist 
C)  a male soloist 
D)  the orchestra

Question 11

A style of opera developed by early Italian Romantic composers was called:

Accepted Answer

A)  rubato. 
B)  bel canto. 
C)  da capo aria. 
D)  canzona. 
A)  rubato. 
B)  bel canto. 
C)  da capo aria. 
D)  canzona.

Question 12

In the first scene of The Valkyrie,as Sieglinde gives Siegmund a drink of water and their eyes meet,a new leitmotiv is heard,written for the:

Accepted Answer

A)  solo clarinet. 
B)  upper strings. 
C)  lower brasses. 
D)  solo cello and other low strings. 
A)  solo clarinet. 
B)  upper strings. 
C)  lower brasses. 
D)  solo cello and other low strings.

Question 13

Compare and contrast the recitatives of Verdi with those of earlier Italian composers of Romantic opera.

Accepted Answer

The recitatives of Verdi can be compared

Question 14

"Un bel dì" is a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  ensemble. 
B)  duet. 
C)  aria. 
D)  chorus. 
A)  ensemble. 
B)  duet. 
C)  aria. 
D)  chorus.

Question 15

Vincenzo Bellini,Gaetano Donizetti,and Gioacchino Rossini were all:

Accepted Answer

A)  early Italian Romantic opera composers. 
B)  legendary singers of the bel canto era. 
C)  famous tenors in the nineteenth century. 
D)  owners of the most famous early opera houses. 
A)  early Italian Romantic opera composers. 
B)  legendary singers of the bel canto era. 
C)  famous tenors in the nineteenth century. 
D)  owners of the most famous early opera houses.

Question 16

What three early operas of Verdi ensured him international fame?

Accepted Answer

A)  Il trovatore, La traviata, and Rigoletto 
B)  La traviata, Otello, and Falstaff 
C)  Otello, Il trovatore, and Rigoletto 
D)  Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and Falstaff 
A)  Il trovatore, La traviata, and Rigoletto 
B)  La traviata, Otello, and Falstaff 
C)  Otello, Il trovatore, and Rigoletto 
D)  Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and Falstaff

Question 17

Wagner was as well known for his ________ as he was for his operas.

Accepted Answer

A)  piano transcriptions of operatic works 
B)  controversial ideas 
C)  lieder 
D)  generosity 
A)  piano transcriptions of operatic works 
B)  controversial ideas 
C)  lieder 
D)  generosity

Question 18

Which term refers to a synthesis of many of the arts into one unified work,or "total work of art"?

Accepted Answer

A)  leitmotiv 
B)  bel canto 
C)  music drama 
D)  Gesamtkunstwerk 
A)  leitmotiv 
B)  bel canto 
C)  music drama 
D)  Gesamtkunstwerk

Question 19

Which is considered Vincenzo Bellini's finest opera?

Accepted Answer

A)  The Barber of Seville 
B)  Norma 
C)  Lucia di Lammermoor 
D)  Rigoletto 
A)  The Barber of Seville 
B)  Norma 
C)  Lucia di Lammermoor 
D)  Rigoletto

Question 20

Why was Verdi,as opposed to Wagner,considered the dominant composer in nineteenth-century opera?

Accepted Answer

The question of why Giuseppe Verdi, as o

Exam 18: Romantic Opera

Which is true of Vincenzo Bellini?

Describe the relationship between the vocal lines and the orchestra in the operas of Verdi.

Which allows a composer to show what a character is thinking even though something else is being said in the text?

Outline the plot of Madame Butterfly and the place that the aria "Un bel dì" has in the drama.How does the orchestra contribute to the aria?

Which statement about The Nibelung's Ring is false?

What does bel canto mean? Briefly describe this Romantic style.How did it affect the role of the human voice in Italian opera?

Rigoletto is based on a play by the French writer:

Unlike the Romantic Italian opera composers of his time,Carl Maria von Weber:

Discuss the growing role of the orchestra in both German and Italian opera.

What is not heard in the recitative preceding "La donna è mobile"?

A style of opera developed by early Italian Romantic composers was called:

In the first scene of The Valkyrie,as Sieglinde gives Siegmund a drink of water and their eyes meet,a new leitmotiv is heard,written for the:

Compare and contrast the recitatives of Verdi with those of earlier Italian composers of Romantic opera.

"Un bel dì" is a(n):

Vincenzo Bellini,Gaetano Donizetti,and Gioacchino Rossini were all:

What three early operas of Verdi ensured him international fame?

Wagner was as well known for his ________ as he was for his operas.

Which term refers to a synthesis of many of the arts into one unified work,or "total work of art"?

Which is considered Vincenzo Bellini's finest opera?

Why was Verdi,as opposed to Wagner,considered the dominant composer in nineteenth-century opera?

Rhythm, Meter, and Tempo

Pitch,Dynamics,and Tone Color

Scales and Melody

Harmony, Texture, Tonality, and Mode

Musical Form and Musical Style

The Middle Ages

The Renaissance

The Early Baroque Period

Prelude: The Late Baroque Period

Baroque Instrumental Music

Baroque Vocal Music

Prelude: Music and the Enlightenment

The Symphony

Other Classical Genres

Beethoven

Prelude: Music after Beethoven: Romanticism

The Early Romantics

The Late Romantics

Prelude: Music and Modernism

Early Modernism

Modernism between the Wars

The Late Twentieth Century

Music in America: Jazz and Beyond

Musical Notation

Filters