Music 105 - Understanding Music » Spring 2022 » Final Examination
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Question #1
Music can be defined as
A.
a system of symbols that performers learn to read.
B.
an art based on the organization of sounds in time.
C.
sounds that are pleasing, as opposed to noise.
D.
sounds produced by musical instruments.
Question #2
The distance between the lowest and highest tones a voice or instrument can produce is called
A.
an octave.
B.
pitch range.
C.
dynamic accent.
D.
timbre.
Question #3
When a performer emphasizes a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it, it is called a
A.
dynamic accent.
B.
pianissimo.
C.
crescendo.
D.
blooper.
Question #4
The range of a singer's voice depends on
A.
training and physical makeup.
B.
physical makeup.
C.
which microphone the singer uses.
D.
training and musical style.
Question #5
The relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
A.
octave.
B.
dynamics.
C.
pitch.
D.
timbre.
Question #6
Pizzicato is an indication to the performer to
A.
repeat tones by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow.
B.
veil or muffle the tone by fitting a clamp onto the bridge.
C.
draw the bow across two strings at the same time.
D.
pluck the string with the finger instead of using the bow.
Question #7
The frequency of vibrations is measured in
A.
cycles per minute.
B.
cycles per second.
C.
noiselike sounds.
D.
dynamic levels.
Question #8
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of jazz music?
A.
Expiation
B.
Syncopation
C.
A metronome
D.
A ritardando
Question #9
The Italian term _____________ is a tempo marking to indicate a lively pace.
A.
andante
B.
allegro
C.
adagio
D.
vivace
Question #10
In musical notation, silence is indicated by
A.
rests.
B.
notes.
C.
beams.
D.
clefs.
Question #11
Staccato refers to playing or singing a melody
A.
in a short, detached manner.
B.
at a higher or lower pitch.
C.
in a smooth, connected manner.
D.
in small steps.
Question #12
A smooth, connected style of playing a melody is known as
A.
legato.
B.
glissando.
C.
staccato.
D.
vibrato.
Question #13
A sequence may be defined as
A.
the emotional focal point of a melody.
B.
a part of a melody.
C.
the repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch.
D.
a resting place at the end of a phrase.
Question #14
The triad built on the fifth step of the scale is called the
A.
progression.
B.
dominant chord.
C.
tonic chord.
D.
resolution.
Question #15
The central tone around which a musical composition is organized is called the
A.
modulation.
B.
tonic.
C.
dominant.
D.
scale.
Question #16
Homophonic texture consists of
A.
two or more different versions of the same basic melody performed simultaneously.
B.
a single melodic line without accompaniment.
C.
two or more melodies of relatively equal interest performed simultaneously.
D.
one main melody accompanied by chords.
Question #17
Classicism, as a stylistic period in western music, roughly encompassed the years
A.
1820-1900.
B.
1600-1750.
C.
1450-1600.
D.
1750-1820.
Question #18
The typical orchestra of the classical period consisted of
A.
strings with harpsichord continuo.
B.
a loose ensemble of available instruments.
C.
strings, woodwinds, horns, trumpets, and timpani.
D.
woodwinds, trombones, drums, and strings.
Question #19
Mozart was born in
A.
Rohrau, Austria.
B.
Bonn, Germany.
C.
Eisenach, Germany.
D.
Salzburg, Austria.
Question #20
Don Giovanni, in Mozart's opera of that name, is
A.
the legendary Spanish lover.
B.
a despotic Italian nobleman.
C.
Sir John Falstaff.
D.
the servant to Leporello.
Question #21
We have a record of Beethoven's struggle with his musical material because he
A.
showed his workflow in musical sketchbooks.
B.
described his struggles in letters to friends.
C.
told his troubles to his biographer.
D.
keept a diary.
Question #22
What following technique did Beethoven use more extensively in his late works?
A.
Operatic form
B.
Basso continuo
C.
Fugal counterpoint
D.
Monophony
Question #23
Beethoven's only opera is entitled
A.
The Magic Flute.
B.
Don Giovanni.
C.
Madame Butterfly.
D.
Fidelio.
Question #24
A symphony is a
A.
work for chorus and orchestra.
B.
work for solo instrument.
C.
work for piano solo.
D.
sonata for orchestra.
Question #25
Social mobility during the classical period was
A.
promoted and encouraged by the church.
B.
a limited sociological factor.
C.
an important factor in the rise of the middle class.
D.
ruthlessly stamped out by the aristocracy.
Question #26
Haydn's contract of employment shows that he was considered
A.
an equal by his employer.
B.
a freelance musician.
C.
a skilled servant.
D.
a visiting guest composer.
Question #27
In the classical period, comic operas sometimes
A.
were in Latin.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
ridiculed the aristocracy.
D.
were based on the Old Testament.
Question #28
A feeling of harmonic tension and forward motion is created in the exposition of a sonata form movement by
A.
changing the meter of the second theme.
B.
the introduction of a new theme in the bridge.
C.
the conflict of tonalities between the first and second themes.
D.
retaining the same tonality for both themes.
Question #29
Short musical ideas or fragments of themes that are developed within a composition are called
A.
codas.
B.
motives.
C.
rides.
D.
melodies.
Question #30
Sonata form should be viewed as
A.
another term for the symphony.
B.
a rigid mold into which musical ideas are poured.
C.
a set of principles that serve to shape and unify contrasts of theme and key.
D.
a set of variations on a theme.
Question #31
Each successive variation in a theme with variations
A.
is usually in a new key.
B.
presents a new melodic idea.
C.
retains some elements of the theme.
D.
is usually in the same key.
Question #32
The movement of a symphony that is often patterned after a dance is the
A.
third.
B.
fourth.
C.
first.
D.
second.
Question #33
The minuet is in _______ meter.
A.
triple
B.
quadruple
C.
common
D.
duple
Question #34
The scherzo differs from the minuet in that it
A.
moves more quickly.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
has a different meter.
D.
has a different form.
Question #35
The first movement of a classical symphony is almost always fast, and in _____ form.
A.
minuet
B.
rondo
C.
ABA
D.
sonata
Question #36
The last movement of a classical symphony
A.
is always in the tonic key of the symphony.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
is usually fast, lively, and brilliant, but somewhat lighter in mood than the opening movement.
D.
is most often in sonata or sonata-rondo form.
Question #37
A concerto is a large-scale work in several movements for
A.
an instrumental soloist.
B.
an instrumental soloist and orchestra.
C.
symphonic orchestra.
D.
any combination of instruments.
Question #38
The favored solo instrument in the classical concerto was the
A.
cello.
B.
clarinet.
C.
harpsichord.
D.
piano.
Question #39
Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by
A.
using their national legends as subject matter.
B.
using the rhythms of the dances of their homelands.
C.
basing their music on the folk songs of their country.
D.
All answers are correct.
Question #40
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A.
began to study music theory at the age of twenty-one.
B.
was a child prodigy, learning music at an early age.
C.
preferred his government position to music.
D.
studied music theory and violin as a teenager.
Question #41
Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony
A.
has five movements.
B.
is in the usual four-movement form.
C.
was left unfinished by the composer.
D.
ends with a slow, despairing finale.
Question #42
Which of the following was not a member of the Russian five?
A.
César Cu
B.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
C.
Modest Mussorgsky
D.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Question #43
Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet is
A.
a ballet based on Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
B.
a medley of popular melodies taken from his opera of that name.
C.
a concert overture consisting of a slow introduction and a fast movement in sonata form.
D.
an early programmatic symphony inspired by the characters in Shakespeare's play.
Question #44
Brahms wrote masterpieces in many musical forms, but never any
A.
operas.
B.
choral works.
C.
art songs.
D.
chamber music.
Question #45
Brahms's works, though very personal in style, are rooted in the music of
A.
Joseph Haydn.
B.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
C.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
D.
All answers are correct.
Question #46
A.
Tosca and Turandot.
B.
Turandot and Manon Lescaut.
C.
La Bohème and Madame Butterfly.
D.
Madame Butterfly and Turandot.
Question #47
The composer who had an overwhelming influence on the young Wagner was
A.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
B.
Hector Berlioz.
C.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
D.
Johannes Brahms.
Question #48
A slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo in music is known as
A.
rubato.
B.
ritardando.
C.
accelerando.
D.
fermata.
Question #49
During Wagner's time in Paris, he
A.
built an opera house according to his specifications.
B.
was unable to get an opera performed and was reduced to musical hackwork.
C.
conducted the famous premiere of his opera, Rienzi.
D.
finished his masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
Question #50
The librettos to The Ring of the Nibelung were written by
A.
Richard Wagner
B.
King Ludwig of Bavaria.
C.
Arrigo Boito.
D.
Hans von Bülow.
Question #51
A short musical idea associated with a person, object, or thought, used by Richard Wagner in his operas, is called
A.
lied.
B.
unending melody.
C.
speech-song.
D.
leitmotif.
Question #52
While Wagner's Ring cycle features fantastical elements such as gods, giants, and magic, the opera is really about
A.
the colonisation of Africa.
B.
nineteenth-century society and culture.
C.
the Renaissance.
D.
his family lineage.
Question #53
The composer whose career was a model for many romantic composers was
A.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
B.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
C.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
D.
Joseph Haydn.
Question #54
A romantic composer who earned his living as a touring virtuoso was
A.
Frédéric Chopin.
B.
Franz Liszt.
C.
Hector Berlioz.
D.
Franz Schubert.
Question #55
The rise of the urban middle class led to the
A.
development of regular subscription concerts.
B.
formation of many orchestras and opera groups.
C.
All answers are correct.
D.
piano becoming a fixture in every middle-class home.
Question #56
When music conservatories were founded, women
A.
were admitted only as vocalists.
B.
could only study musical composition, since performance was considered undignified.
C.
were not admitted.
D.
were at first accepted only as students of performance, but by the late 1800s could study musical composition.
Question #57
An art song is a musical composition for
A.
solo voice and piano.
B.
multiple voices.
C.
solo voice and orchestra.
D.
All answers are correct.
Question #58
The word ___________ is commonly used for a romantic art song with a German text.
A.
chanson
B.
ballade
C.
lied
D.
durchkomponiert
Question #59
Schubert
A.
produced his greatest works after the age of forty.
B.
was the first great master of the romantic art song.
C.
was widely acknowledged as a composer in his lifetime.
D.
was very self-critical, which accounts for his meager output.
Question #60
Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and
A.
mazurkas.
B.
waltzes.
C.
folk songs.
D.
polkas.
Question #61
Most of Chopin's pieces
A.
have a limited variety of moods.
B.
have literary programs or titles.
C.
are exquisite miniatures.
D.
are for a wide range of media.
Question #62
A study piece, designed to help a performer master specific technical difficulties, is known as
A.
ein lied.
B.
a polonaise.
C.
an etude.
D.
a nocturne.
Question #63
Liszt abandoned his career as a traveling virtuoso to become court conductor at __________, where he championed works by contemporary composers.
A.
Weimar
B.
Paris
C.
Rome
D.
Budapest
Question #64
Program music is
A.
music that depicts aspects of nature.
B.
vocal music that tells a story.
C.
All answers are correct.
D.
instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
Question #65
Nonprogram music is also known as _____________ music.
A.
pure
B.
symphonic
C.
concert
D.
absolute
Question #66
A ____________ is an instrumental composition in several movements based to some extent on a literary or pictorial idea.
A.
program symphony
B.
polonaise
C.
nocturne
D.
concert overture
Question #67
Outside France, Berlioz enjoyed a great career as a(n)
A.
singer.
B.
conductor.
C.
impresario.
D.
concert pianist.
Question #68
George Gershwin grew up in
A.
New York, New York.
B.
Charleston, South Carolina.
C.
Anatevka, Russia.
D.
Paris, France.
Question #69
Twelve-tone compositional techniques used to organize rhythm, dynamics, tone color, and other dimensions of music to produce totally controlled and organized music are called
A.
minimalism.
B.
Klangfarbenmelodie.
C.
chance music.
D.
serialism.
Question #70
Minimalist music is characterized by
A.
the development of musical materials through random methods.
B.
rapidly changing dynamics and textures.
C.
the use of twelve-tone techniques to organize the dimensions of music.
D.
a steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns.
Question #71
When a voice is answered by an instrument, or when one instrument (or group of instruments) is answered by a chorus, the pattern is referred to as
A.
calling the beat.
B.
polyphonic texture.
C.
call and response.
D.
jazz.
Question #72
The backbone of a jazz ensemble is its
A.
clarinet section.
B.
director.
C.
brass section.
D.
rhythm section.
Question #73
The poetic and musical form of the blues was popularized in the early years of the twentieth century through the publication of Memphis Blues and St. Louis Blues, composed by
A.
William C. Handy.
B.
Louis Armstrong.
C.
Bessie Smith.
D.
King Oliver.
Question #74
The absence of key or tonality in a musical composition is known as
A.
ostinato.
B.
polytonality.
C.
a tone cluster.
D.
atonality.
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