Question 1

Which statement about Charles Ives is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was born in the South, where he was deeply moved by African American music. 
B)  He had jobs in insurance and as a church organist. 
C)  He developed unique mystical notions about music that were related to New England transcendentalism. 
D)  He believed that all kinds of music and all musical experiments are equally valid. 
A)  He was born in the South, where he was deeply moved by African American music. 
B)  He had jobs in insurance and as a church organist. 
C)  He developed unique mystical notions about music that were related to New England transcendentalism. 
D)  He believed that all kinds of music and all musical experiments are equally valid. A

Question 2

Name and define the compositional technique invented by Schoenberg that served to organize pitches in atonal music.

Accepted Answer

The compositional technique invented by Arnold Schoenberg that served to organize pitches in atonal music is known as the twelve-tone technique, or dodecaphony. This method was developed around 1921 as a way to structure music without relying on traditional tonality, which is the hierarchy of pitches around a central tone known as the tonic.

The twelve-tone technique involves the use of a series or row of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, with each note being used only once before all other notes have been included. This row can be manipulated in various ways but must maintain its original order of pitches. The basic operations that can be applied to the row are:

1. Transposition: Moving the entire sequence of notes up or down in pitch, while maintaining the intervals between them.
2. Retrograde: Reversing the order of the notes in the row.
3. Inversion: Flipping the row around a central axis so that each interval is mirrored.
4. Retrograde Inversion: Applying both retrograde and inversion operations to the row.

The twelve-tone row serves as the basis for the melodic, harmonic, and structural aspects of a composition, ensuring that no single note dominates the musical texture, thus avoiding the establishment of a key or tonal center. This technique was a significant development in the evolution of Western art music and had a profound influence on many composers in the 20th century, leading to further explorations in serialism and other avant-garde musical practices.

Question 3

The major works of Stravinsky's early period were:

Accepted Answer

A)  ballets. 
B)  operas. 
C)  symphonies. 
D)  lieder. 
A)  ballets. 
B)  operas. 
C)  symphonies. 
D)  lieder. A

Question 4

A repeating figure that serves to unify works by composers such as Stravinsky and Debussy is called a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  passacaglia. 
B)  ground bass. 
C)  ostinato. 
D)  leitmotiv. 
A)  passacaglia. 
B)  ground bass. 
C)  ostinato. 
D)  leitmotiv.

Question 5

Alban Berg based his opera Wozzeck on:

Accepted Answer

A)  descriptions of ancient fertility rites. 
B)  fragments of a play by Georg Büchner. 
C)  a series of poems by Albert Giraud. 
D)  a story he wrote himself. 
A)  descriptions of ancient fertility rites. 
B)  fragments of a play by Georg Büchner. 
C)  a series of poems by Albert Giraud. 
D)  a story he wrote himself.

Question 6

Which statement about The Rite of Spring is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  It has a primitive quality. 
B)  It has some complex rhythms with irregular meters. 
C)  It is composed for ballet. 
D)  It is based on a symbolist poem. 
A)  It has a primitive quality. 
B)  It has some complex rhythms with irregular meters. 
C)  It is composed for ballet. 
D)  It is based on a symbolist poem.

Question 7

Ives's orchestral sets can be thought of as:

Accepted Answer

A)  popular opera overtures. 
B)  casual piano concertos. 
C)  informal symphonies. 
D)  light songs with orchestral accompaniment. 
A)  popular opera overtures. 
B)  casual piano concertos. 
C)  informal symphonies. 
D)  light songs with orchestral accompaniment.

Question 8

Which is true of "The Rockstrewn Hills Join in the People's Outdoor Meeting"?

Accepted Answer

A)  The meter is constant and stable. 
B)  The themes are stated in their entirety, then varied. 
C)  The themes are generally fragmentary, like sound bites. 
D)  The accompaniment never intrudes on the themes but instead always assumes a secondary role. 
A)  The meter is constant and stable. 
B)  The themes are stated in their entirety, then varied. 
C)  The themes are generally fragmentary, like sound bites. 
D)  The accompaniment never intrudes on the themes but instead always assumes a secondary role.

Question 9

For a time,Stravinsky composed in the ________ style.

Accepted Answer

A)  Renaissance 
B)  Neomedieval 
C)  impressionist 
D)  Neoclassical 
A)  Renaissance 
B)  Neomedieval 
C)  impressionist 
D)  Neoclassical

Question 10

The Rite of Spring is a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  opera. 
B)  symphony. 
C)  symphonic poem. 
D)  ballet. 
A)  opera. 
B)  symphony. 
C)  symphonic poem. 
D)  ballet.

Question 11

Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck can generally be thought of as:

Accepted Answer

A)  Wagnerian in its dependence on musical continuity carried by the orchestra. 
B)  avoiding the use of leitmotivs. 
C)  owing its musical style to Webern. 
D)  retaining both recitatives and arias from the nineteenth century. 
A)  Wagnerian in its dependence on musical continuity carried by the orchestra. 
B)  avoiding the use of leitmotivs. 
C)  owing its musical style to Webern. 
D)  retaining both recitatives and arias from the nineteenth century.

Question 12

Which statement about Schoenberg is false?

Accepted Answer

A)  He was a great teacher, in Europe and then at UCLA. 
B)  He was the first impressionist composer. 
C)  He was the inventor of serialism. 
D)  He was part of the Second Viennese School. 
A)  He was a great teacher, in Europe and then at UCLA. 
B)  He was the first impressionist composer. 
C)  He was the inventor of serialism. 
D)  He was part of the Second Viennese School.

Question 13

The events in The Rite of Spring involve:

Accepted Answer

A)  a walk in the woods in springtime. 
B)  ancient fertility rites. 
C)  a fairy tale about a magic spring with healing waters. 
D)  true stories about life under the tsar. 
A)  a walk in the woods in springtime. 
B)  ancient fertility rites. 
C)  a fairy tale about a magic spring with healing waters. 
D)  true stories about life under the tsar.

Question 14

In Act III,scene iii,of Wozzeck,what can be heard as an influence of American music?

Accepted Answer

A)  a patriotic tune 
B)  a Protestant hymn 
C)  ragtime piano 
D)  a blues guitar 
A)  a patriotic tune 
B)  a Protestant hymn 
C)  ragtime piano 
D)  a blues guitar

Question 15

Briefly describe the expressionist style in music.

Accepted Answer

Expressionism in music is a style that e

Question 16

Name three of Schoenberg's compositions and briefly describe one of the following for each: the style,an innovative musical technique used,or the story behind the composition.

Accepted Answer

1. "Verklärte Nacht" (Transfigured Night

Question 17

In "Night," the image of "giant black butterflies" from the poem is evoked by the:

Accepted Answer

A)  muted trumpet. 
B)  use of Sprechstimme. 
C)  frantic clarinets. 
D)  lowest instruments of the ensemble. 
A)  muted trumpet. 
B)  use of Sprechstimme. 
C)  frantic clarinets. 
D)  lowest instruments of the ensemble.

Question 18

The two nonmusical influences on Debussy's style were:

Accepted Answer

A)  symbolist poetry and impressionist painting. 
B)  symbolist poetry and expressionist painting. 
C)  German Romantic literature and impressionist painting. 
D)  Neoclassical literature and cubist painting. 
A)  symbolist poetry and impressionist painting. 
B)  symbolist poetry and expressionist painting. 
C)  German Romantic literature and impressionist painting. 
D)  Neoclassical literature and cubist painting.

Question 19

The expressionist musical style took root mainly in:

Accepted Answer

A)  Germany and Austria. 
B)  France and Italy. 
C)  England and France. 
D)  Hungary and Russia. 
A)  Germany and Austria. 
B)  France and Italy. 
C)  England and France. 
D)  Hungary and Russia.

Question 20

The opening theme of The Rite of Spring is played by the:

Accepted Answer

A)  bassoon, in the highest part of its range. 
B)  alto flute. 
C)  oboe. 
D)  trombone, in the highest part of its range. 
A)  bassoon, in the highest part of its range. 
B)  alto flute. 
C)  oboe. 
D)  trombone, in the highest part of its range.

Exam 21: Early Modernism

Which statement about Charles Ives is false?

Name and define the compositional technique invented by Schoenberg that served to organize pitches in atonal music.

The major works of Stravinsky's early period were:

A repeating figure that serves to unify works by composers such as Stravinsky and Debussy is called a(n):

Alban Berg based his opera Wozzeck on:

Which statement about The Rite of Spring is false?

Ives's orchestral sets can be thought of as:

Which is true of "The Rockstrewn Hills Join in the People's Outdoor Meeting"?

For a time,Stravinsky composed in the ________ style.

The Rite of Spring is a(n):

Alban Berg's opera Wozzeck can generally be thought of as:

Which statement about Schoenberg is false?

The events in The Rite of Spring involve:

In Act III,scene iii,of Wozzeck,what can be heard as an influence of American music?

Briefly describe the expressionist style in music.

Name three of Schoenberg's compositions and briefly describe one of the following for each: the style,an innovative musical technique used,or the story behind the composition.

In "Night," the image of "giant black butterflies" from the poem is evoked by the:

The two nonmusical influences on Debussy's style were:

The expressionist musical style took root mainly in:

The opening theme of The Rite of Spring is played by the:

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

Prelude: Music and Modernism

Modernism between the Wars

The Late Twentieth Century

Music in America: Jazz and Beyond

Musical Notation

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