Question 1

Explain what Schoenberg meant when he spoke of "the emancipation of dissonance."

Accepted Answer

Arnold Schoenberg, a pioneering composer of the 20th century, spoke of "the emancipation of dissonance" as a key concept in his development of atonal and twelve-tone music. In traditional tonal music, dissonance was often resolved to consonance, creating a sense of tension and release. However, Schoenberg sought to liberate dissonance from this traditional framework, allowing it to exist on its own terms without the need for resolution.

By emancipating dissonance, Schoenberg opened up new possibilities for musical expression, challenging the established rules of harmony and paving the way for a more complex and diverse musical language. This approach allowed for greater freedom in the use of dissonant chords and intervals, leading to a more expansive and innovative musical landscape.

Schoenberg's concept of the emancipation of dissonance had a profound impact on the development of modern music, influencing composers such as Alban Berg, Anton Webern, and later generations of avant-garde and experimental musicians. It represented a radical departure from traditional tonal practices and sparked a revolution in the way composers approached harmony, ultimately shaping the course of 20th-century music.

Question 2

The composer who originated serialism is:

Accepted Answer

A)  Arnold Schoenberg. 
B)  Richard Wagner. 
C)  Igor Stravinsky. 
D)  Béla Bartók. 
A)  Arnold Schoenberg. 
B)  Richard Wagner. 
C)  Igor Stravinsky. 
D)  Béla Bartók. A

Question 3

Briefly trace the shift from tonality to atonality in terms of the use of dissonance and chromaticism from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.What was meant by the "holy trinity" of music?

Accepted Answer

The shift from tonality to atonality in music occurred gradually over the course of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 19th century, composers began to experiment with increased dissonance and chromaticism, using notes outside of the traditional diatonic scale and creating more tension in their compositions. This led to the breakdown of traditional tonal structures and paved the way for the development of atonal music in the 20th century, where composers completely abandoned tonal centers and embraced dissonance and chromaticism as integral elements of their compositions.

The "holy trinity" of music refers to the three most influential composers of the Baroque period: Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, and Antonio Vivaldi. These composers were considered the pillars of Baroque music and their works were highly revered for their technical mastery and expressive qualities. Their contributions to music were so significant that they were often referred to as the "holy trinity" of Baroque music.

Question 4

Briefly discuss the impressionist movement in the visual arts.

Accepted Answer

The impressionist movement in the visual

Question 5

Define expressionism as an early twentieth-century artistic movement.

Accepted Answer

Expressionism was an early twentieth-cen

Question 6

Which musical elements were questioned in the modernist movement?

Accepted Answer

A)  melody, rhythm, and tone color 
B)  melody, harmony, tonality, and rhythm 
C)  harmony and tone color 
D)  harmony and tonality 
A)  melody, rhythm, and tone color 
B)  melody, harmony, tonality, and rhythm 
C)  harmony and tone color 
D)  harmony and tonality

Question 7

Briefly describe the interdependent relationships among the developments of melody,harmony,and tonality.

Accepted Answer

The developments of melody, harmony, and

Question 8

What is one way in which Stravinsky departed from the Romantic style?

Accepted Answer

A)  He wrote only atonal music. 
B)  He refused to use any meter. 
C)  He used mechanistic rhythms as opposed to rubato. 
D)  He wrote no works for large orchestra. 
A)  He wrote only atonal music. 
B)  He refused to use any meter. 
C)  He used mechanistic rhythms as opposed to rubato. 
D)  He wrote no works for large orchestra.

Question 9

Describe some of the events and scientific discoveries that shook the late nineteenth century's confidence in the idea of progress.What effect did these events have on music,literature,and the arts?

Accepted Answer

The late nineteenth century was a time o

Question 10

Schoenberg's reference to "the emancipation of dissonance" meant emancipation from the need to:

Accepted Answer

A)  be free. 
B)  serve homophony. 
C)  dominate. 
D)  resolve to consonant chords. 
A)  be free. 
B)  serve homophony. 
C)  dominate. 
D)  resolve to consonant chords.

Question 11

Composers focused on certain musical elements before World War I and on other musical elements after World War II.Name the elements stressed in each era.

Accepted Answer

Before World War I, composers focused on

Question 12

Modernist composers before World War I were mainly preoccupied with changing their approach to:

Accepted Answer

A)  rhythm and harmony. 
B)  melody, rhythm, and tone color. 
C)  melody, harmony, and tonality. 
D)  tone color and rhythm. 
A)  rhythm and harmony. 
B)  melody, rhythm, and tone color. 
C)  melody, harmony, and tonality. 
D)  tone color and rhythm.

Question 13

Name three composers who contributed to the disintegration of melody in the early twentieth century.How did they contribute to this change?

Accepted Answer

Three composers who contributed to the d

Question 14

Contrast Stravinsky's use of rhythm and attitudes with that of nineteenth-century composers.

Accepted Answer

Igor Stravinsky's use of rhythm and atti

Question 15

The five-note scale playable on the black keys of the piano is called the ________ scale.

Accepted Answer

A)  pentatonic 
B)  whole-tone 
C)  quarter-tone 
D)  octatonic 
A)  pentatonic 
B)  whole-tone 
C)  quarter-tone 
D)  octatonic

Question 16

Name and briefly describe three new kinds of scales used by composers after 1900.

Accepted Answer

1. The Whole Tone Scale: This scale cons

Question 17

Modernist composers after World War II were preoccupied with changing their approach to:

Accepted Answer

A)  tone color and rhythm. 
B)  melody, harmony, and tonality. 
C)  tonality, melody, and tone color. 
D)  tonality and harmony. 
A)  tone color and rhythm. 
B)  melody, harmony, and tonality. 
C)  tonality, melody, and tone color. 
D)  tonality and harmony.

Question 18

The feeling of centrality or focus toward a particular pitch is related to:

Accepted Answer

A)  tonality. 
B)  texture. 
C)  rhythm. 
D)  dissonance. 
A)  tonality. 
B)  texture. 
C)  rhythm. 
D)  dissonance.

Question 19

The "new language" for music invented in the 1920s was:

Accepted Answer

A)  primitivism. 
B)  objectivism. 
C)  serialism. 
D)  expressionism. 
A)  primitivism. 
B)  objectivism. 
C)  serialism. 
D)  expressionism.

Question 20

Was early twentieth-century music responsive to public opinion? Was emotional expression to an audience important to early twentieth-century composers? Explain.

Accepted Answer

Early twentieth-century music was indeed

Exam 20: Prelude: Music and Modernism

Explain what Schoenberg meant when he spoke of "the emancipation of dissonance."

The composer who originated serialism is:

Briefly trace the shift from tonality to atonality in terms of the use of dissonance and chromaticism from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century.What was meant by the "holy trinity" of music?

Briefly discuss the impressionist movement in the visual arts.

Define expressionism as an early twentieth-century artistic movement.

Which musical elements were questioned in the modernist movement?

Briefly describe the interdependent relationships among the developments of melody,harmony,and tonality.

What is one way in which Stravinsky departed from the Romantic style?

Describe some of the events and scientific discoveries that shook the late nineteenth century's confidence in the idea of progress.What effect did these events have on music,literature,and the arts?

Schoenberg's reference to "the emancipation of dissonance" meant emancipation from the need to:

Composers focused on certain musical elements before World War I and on other musical elements after World War II.Name the elements stressed in each era.

Modernist composers before World War I were mainly preoccupied with changing their approach to:

Name three composers who contributed to the disintegration of melody in the early twentieth century.How did they contribute to this change?

Contrast Stravinsky's use of rhythm and attitudes with that of nineteenth-century composers.

The five-note scale playable on the black keys of the piano is called the ________ scale.

Name and briefly describe three new kinds of scales used by composers after 1900.

Modernist composers after World War II were preoccupied with changing their approach to:

The feeling of centrality or focus toward a particular pitch is related to:

The "new language" for music invented in the 1920s was:

Was early twentieth-century music responsive to public opinion? Was emotional expression to an audience important to early twentieth-century composers? Explain.

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

Romantic Opera

The Late Romantics

Early Modernism

Modernism between the Wars

The Late Twentieth Century

Music in America: Jazz and Beyond

Musical Notation

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