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.
timbre.
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.
blooper.
C.
crescendo.
D.
dynamic accent.
Question #4
The range of a singer's voice depends on
A.
training and physical makeup.
B.
physical makeup.
C.
training and musical style.
D.
which microphone the singer uses.
Question #5
The relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
A.
timbre.
B.
pitch.
C.
octave.
D.
dynamics.
Question #6
Pizzicato is an indication to the performer to
A.
draw the bow across two strings at the same time.
B.
pluck the string with the finger instead of using the bow.
C.
repeat tones by quick up-and-down strokes of 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.
dynamic levels.
B.
cycles per minute.
C.
noiselike sounds.
D.
cycles per second.
Question #8
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of jazz music?
A.
A ritardando
B.
Syncopation
C.
A metronome
D.
Expiation
Question #9
The Italian term _____________ is a tempo marking to indicate a lively pace.
A.
allegro
B.
andante
C.
adagio
D.
vivace
Question #10
In musical notation, silence is indicated by
A.
rests.
B.
beams.
C.
clefs.
D.
notes.
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.
staccato.
B.
glissando.
C.
vibrato.
D.
legato.
Question #13
A sequence may be defined as
A.
a part of a melody.
B.
the repetition of a melodic pattern at a higher or lower pitch.
C.
a resting place at the end of a phrase.
D.
the emotional focal point of a melody.
Question #14
The triad built on the fifth step of the scale is called the
A.
dominant chord.
B.
resolution.
C.
progression.
D.
tonic chord.
Question #15
The central tone around which a musical composition is organized is called the
A.
tonic.
B.
scale.
C.
dominant.
D.
modulation.
Question #16
Homophonic texture consists of
A.
two or more melodies of relatively equal interest performed simultaneously.
B.
a single melodic line without accompaniment.
C.
one main melody accompanied by chords.
D.
two or more different versions of the same basic melody performed simultaneously.
Question #17
Classicism, as a stylistic period in western music, roughly encompassed the years
A.
1600-1750.
B.
1450-1600.
C.
1820-1900.
D.
1750-1820.
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.
a loose ensemble of available instruments.
D.
strings with harpsichord continuo.
Question #19
Mozart was born in
A.
Salzburg, Austria.
B.
Rohrau, Austria.
C.
Bonn, Germany.
D.
Eisenach, Germany.
Question #20
Don Giovanni, in Mozart's opera of that name, is
A.
Sir John Falstaff.
B.
a despotic Italian nobleman.
C.
the legendary Spanish lover.
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.
Monophony
B.
Operatic form
C.
Fugal counterpoint
D.
Basso continuo
Question #23
Beethoven's only opera is entitled
A.
Madame Butterfly.
B.
The Magic Flute.
C.
Fidelio.
D.
Don Giovanni.
Question #24
A symphony is a
A.
work for solo instrument.
B.
work for piano solo.
C.
work for chorus and orchestra.
D.
sonata for orchestra.
Question #25
Social mobility during the classical period was
A.
an important factor in the rise of the middle class.
B.
ruthlessly stamped out by the aristocracy.
C.
promoted and encouraged by the church.
D.
a limited sociological factor.
Question #26
Haydn's contract of employment shows that he was considered
A.
a freelance musician.
B.
a visiting guest composer.
C.
an equal by his employer.
D.
a skilled servant.
Question #27
In the classical period, comic operas sometimes
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
ridiculed the aristocracy.
C.
were in Latin.
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.
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.
melodies.
B.
motives.
C.
rides.
D.
codas.
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 set of variations on a theme.
D.
a rigid mold into which musical ideas are poured.
Question #31
Each successive variation in a theme with variations
A.
retains some elements of the theme.
B.
is usually in the same key.
C.
presents a new melodic idea.
D.
is usually in a new key.
Question #32
The movement of a symphony that is often patterned after a dance is the
A.
fourth.
B.
third.
C.
first.
D.
second.
Question #33
The minuet is in _______ meter.
A.
common
B.
duple
C.
triple
D.
quadruple
Question #34
The scherzo differs from the minuet in that it
A.
moves more quickly.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
has a different form.
D.
has a different meter.
Question #35
The first movement of a classical symphony is almost always fast, and in _____ form.
A.
minuet
B.
ABA
C.
rondo
D.
sonata
Question #36
The last movement of a classical symphony
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
is always in the tonic key of the symphony.
C.
is most often in sonata or sonata-rondo form.
D.
is usually fast, lively, and brilliant, but somewhat lighter in mood than the opening movement.
Question #37
A.
an instrumental soloist.
B.
an instrumental soloist and orchestra.
C.
any combination of instruments.
D.
symphonic orchestra.
Question #38
The favored solo instrument in the classical concerto was the
A.
harpsichord.
B.
clarinet.
C.
piano.
D.
cello.
Question #39
Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
basing their music on the folk songs of their country.
C.
using their national legends as subject matter.
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.
studied music theory and violin as a teenager.
D.
preferred his government position to music.
Question #41
Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony
A.
is in the usual four-movement form.
B.
was left unfinished by the composer.
C.
ends with a slow, despairing finale.
D.
has five movements.
Question #42
Which of the following was not a member of the Russian five?
A.
Modest Mussorgsky
B.
César Cu
C.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
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 concert overture consisting of a slow introduction and a fast movement in sonata form.
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.
chamber music.
B.
art songs.
C.
operas.
D.
choral works.
Question #45
Brahms's works, though very personal in style, are rooted in the music of
A.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
D.
Joseph Haydn.
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.
La Bohème and Madame Butterfly.
D.
Tosca and Turandot.
Question #47
The composer who had an overwhelming influence on the young Wagner was
A.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
B.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
C.
Johannes Brahms.
D.
Hector Berlioz.
Question #48
A slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo in music is known as
A.
rubato.
B.
fermata.
C.
ritardando.
D.
accelerando.
Question #49
During Wagner's time in Paris, he
A.
conducted the famous premiere of his opera, Rienzi.
B.
was unable to get an opera performed and was reduced to musical hackwork.
C.
built an opera house according to his specifications.
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.
Arrigo Boito.
B.
King Ludwig of Bavaria.
C.
Hans von Bülow.
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.
lied.
C.
leitmotif.
D.
unending melody.
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.
his family lineage.
C.
nineteenth-century society and culture.
D.
the Renaissance.
Question #53
The composer whose career was a model for many romantic composers was
A.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
B.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
C.
Joseph Haydn.
D.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
Question #54
A romantic composer who earned his living as a touring virtuoso was
A.
Frédéric Chopin.
B.
Hector Berlioz.
C.
Franz Schubert.
D.
Franz Liszt.
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 at first accepted only as students of performance, but by the late 1800s could study musical composition.
B.
were admitted only as vocalists.
C.
could only study musical composition, since performance was considered undignified.
D.
were not admitted.
Question #57
An art song is a musical composition for
A.
solo voice and orchestra.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
solo voice and piano.
D.
multiple voices.
Question #58
The word ___________ is commonly used for a romantic art song with a German text.
A.
ballade
B.
durchkomponiert
C.
chanson
D.
lied
Question #59
Schubert
A.
was very self-critical, which accounts for his meager output.
B.
was widely acknowledged as a composer in his lifetime.
C.
produced his greatest works after the age of forty.
D.
was the first great master of the romantic art song.
Question #60
Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and
A.
polkas.
B.
waltzes.
C.
folk songs.
D.
mazurkas.
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.
ein lied.
B.
an etude.
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.
Budapest
B.
Paris
C.
Weimar
D.
Rome
Question #64
Program music is
A.
music that depicts aspects of nature.
B.
instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
C.
vocal music that tells a story.
D.
All answers are correct.
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.
concert overture
B.
program symphony
C.
nocturne
D.
polonaise
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.
Charleston, South Carolina.
B.
Anatevka, Russia.
C.
New York, New York.
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.
serialism.
B.
minimalism.
C.
chance music.
D.
Klangfarbenmelodie.
Question #70
Minimalist music is characterized by
A.
the use of twelve-tone techniques to organize the dimensions of music.
B.
the development of musical materials through random methods.
C.
a steady pulse, clear tonality, and insistent repetition of short melodic patterns.
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.
calling the beat.
D.
polyphonic texture.
Question #72
The backbone of a jazz ensemble is its
A.
brass section.
B.
rhythm section.
C.
director.
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.
King Oliver.
B.
Bessie Smith.
C.
Louis Armstrong.
D.
William C. Handy.
Question #74
The absence of key or tonality in a musical composition is known as
A.
polytonality.
B.
a tone cluster.
C.
atonality.
D.
ostinato.
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