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