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.
an art based on the organization of sounds in time.
C.
a system of symbols that performers learn to read.
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.
dynamic accent.
B.
pitch range.
C.
an octave.
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.
physical makeup.
B.
training and musical style.
C.
which microphone the singer uses.
D.
training and physical makeup.
Question #5
The relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
A.
pitch.
B.
dynamics.
C.
timbre.
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.
draw the bow across two strings at the same time.
C.
pluck the string with the finger instead of using the bow.
D.
veil or muffle the tone by fitting a clamp onto the bridge.
Question #7
The frequency of vibrations is measured in
A.
cycles per minute.
B.
cycles per second.
C.
dynamic levels.
D.
noiselike sounds.
Question #8
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of jazz music?
A.
Syncopation
B.
A metronome
C.
Expiation
D.
A ritardando
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.
notes.
B.
rests.
C.
beams.
D.
clefs.
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.
vibrato.
B.
glissando.
C.
staccato.
D.
legato.
Question #13
A sequence may be defined as
A.
the repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch.
B.
the emotional focal point of a melody.
C.
a resting place at the end of a phrase.
D.
a part of a melody.
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.
modulation.
B.
scale.
C.
tonic.
D.
dominant.
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.
strings, woodwinds, horns, trumpets, and timpani.
B.
strings with harpsichord continuo.
C.
a loose ensemble of available instruments.
D.
woodwinds, trombones, drums, and strings.
Question #19
Mozart was born in
A.
Bonn, Germany.
B.
Rohrau, Austria.
C.
Eisenach, Germany.
D.
Salzburg, 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.
Basso continuo
B.
Monophony
C.
Fugal counterpoint
D.
Operatic form
Question #23
Beethoven's only opera is entitled
A.
Don Giovanni.
B.
Madame Butterfly.
C.
Fidelio.
D.
The Magic Flute.
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.
a limited sociological factor.
B.
ruthlessly stamped out by the aristocracy.
C.
promoted and encouraged by the church.
D.
an important factor in the rise of the middle class.
Question #26
Haydn's contract of employment shows that he was considered
A.
a visiting guest composer.
B.
an equal by his employer.
C.
a skilled servant.
D.
a freelance musician.
Question #27
In the classical period, comic operas sometimes
A.
were based on the Old Testament.
B.
ridiculed the aristocracy.
C.
were in Latin.
D.
All answers are correct.
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.
retaining the same tonality for both themes.
C.
changing the meter of the second theme.
D.
the introduction of a new theme in the bridge.
Question #29
Short musical ideas or fragments of themes that are developed within a composition are called
A.
codas.
B.
melodies.
C.
rides.
D.
motives.
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.
another term for the symphony.
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.
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.
second.
B.
first.
C.
third.
D.
fourth.
Question #33
The minuet is in _______ meter.
A.
common
B.
duple
C.
quadruple
D.
triple
Question #34
The scherzo differs from the minuet in that it
A.
has a different meter.
B.
moves more quickly.
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.
rondo
B.
minuet
C.
ABA
D.
sonata
Question #36
The last movement of a classical symphony
A.
is always in the tonic key of the symphony.
B.
is usually fast, lively, and brilliant, but somewhat lighter in mood than the opening movement.
C.
All answers are correct.
D.
is most often in sonata or sonata-rondo form.
Question #37
A concerto is a large-scale work in several movements for
A.
any combination of instruments.
B.
symphonic orchestra.
C.
an instrumental soloist and orchestra.
D.
an instrumental soloist.
Question #38
The favored solo instrument in the classical concerto was the
A.
piano.
B.
harpsichord.
C.
cello.
D.
clarinet.
Question #39
Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
using their national legends as subject matter.
C.
basing their music on the folk songs of their country.
D.
using the rhythms of the dances of their homelands.
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.
ends with a slow, despairing finale.
B.
was left unfinished by the composer.
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.
Modest Mussorgsky
B.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
C.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
D.
César Cu
Question #43
Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet is
A.
a concert overture consisting of a slow introduction and a fast movement in sonata form.
B.
an early programmatic symphony inspired by the characters in Shakespeare's play.
C.
a ballet based on Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
D.
a medley of popular melodies taken from his opera of that name.
Question #44
Brahms wrote masterpieces in many musical forms, but never any
A.
operas.
B.
chamber music.
C.
choral works.
D.
art songs.
Question #45
Brahms's works, though very personal in style, are rooted in the music of
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
C.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
D.
Joseph Haydn.
Question #46
A.
Turandot and Manon Lescaut.
B.
Tosca and Turandot.
C.
Madame Butterfly and Turandot.
D.
La Bohème and Madame Butterfly.
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.
accelerando.
B.
ritardando.
C.
rubato.
D.
fermata.
Question #49
During Wagner's time in Paris, he
A.
built an opera house according to his specifications.
B.
finished his masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
C.
conducted the famous premiere of his opera, Rienzi.
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.
Arrigo Boito.
B.
Richard Wagner
C.
King Ludwig of Bavaria.
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.
unending melody.
B.
speech-song.
C.
leitmotif.
D.
lied.
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.
the colonisation of Africa.
D.
his family lineage.
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.
Frédéric Chopin.
B.
Franz Schubert.
C.
Hector Berlioz.
D.
Franz Liszt.
Question #55
The rise of the urban middle class led to the
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
development of regular subscription concerts.
C.
piano becoming a fixture in every middle-class home.
D.
formation of many orchestras and opera groups.
Question #56
When music conservatories were founded, women
A.
were admitted only as vocalists.
B.
were not admitted.
C.
were at first accepted only as students of performance, but by the late 1800s could study musical composition.
D.
could only study musical composition, since performance was considered undignified.
Question #57
An art song is a musical composition for
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
multiple voices.
C.
solo voice and orchestra.
D.
solo voice and piano.
Question #58
The word ___________ is commonly used for a romantic art song with a German text.
A.
durchkomponiert
B.
lied
C.
chanson
D.
ballade
Question #59
Schubert
A.
was very self-critical, which accounts for his meager output.
B.
produced his greatest works after the age of forty.
C.
was the first great master of the romantic art song.
D.
was widely acknowledged as a composer in his lifetime.
Question #60
Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and
A.
folk songs.
B.
mazurkas.
C.
polkas.
D.
waltzes.
Question #61
Most of Chopin's pieces
A.
are exquisite miniatures.
B.
have literary programs or titles.
C.
are for a wide range of media.
D.
have a limited variety of moods.
Question #62
A study piece, designed to help a performer master specific technical difficulties, is known as
A.
an etude.
B.
a nocturne.
C.
ein lied.
D.
a polonaise.
Question #63
Liszt abandoned his career as a traveling virtuoso to become court conductor at __________, where he championed works by contemporary composers.
A.
Rome
B.
Weimar
C.
Budapest
D.
Paris
Question #64
Program music is
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
vocal music that tells a story.
C.
instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
D.
music that depicts aspects of nature.
Question #65
Nonprogram music is also known as _____________ music.
A.
concert
B.
absolute
C.
pure
D.
symphonic
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.
concert overture
D.
nocturne
Question #67
Outside France, Berlioz enjoyed a great career as a(n)
A.
concert pianist.
B.
conductor.
C.
impresario.
D.
singer.
Question #68
George Gershwin grew up in
A.
Anatevka, Russia.
B.
Charleston, South Carolina.
C.
Paris, France.
D.
New York, New York.
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.
rapidly changing dynamics and textures.
C.
a steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns.
D.
the use of twelve-tone techniques to organize the dimensions of music.
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.
director.
B.
rhythm section.
C.
brass section.
D.
clarinet 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.
King Oliver.
C.
William C. Handy.
D.
Bessie Smith.
Question #74
The absence of key or tonality in a musical composition is known as
A.
atonality.
B.
ostinato.
C.
polytonality.
D.
a tone cluster.
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