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