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.
a system of symbols that performers learn to read.
C.
sounds produced by musical instruments.
D.
sounds that are pleasing, as opposed to noise.
Question #2
The distance between the lowest and highest tones a voice or instrument can produce is called
A.
an octave.
B.
dynamic accent.
C.
timbre.
D.
pitch range.
Question #3
When a performer emphasizes a tone by playing it more loudly than the tones around it, it is called a
A.
blooper.
B.
pianissimo.
C.
dynamic accent.
D.
crescendo.
Question #4
The range of a singer's voice depends on
A.
physical makeup.
B.
training and musical style.
C.
training and physical makeup.
D.
which microphone the singer uses.
Question #5
The relative highness or lowness of a sound is called
A.
octave.
B.
timbre.
C.
pitch.
D.
dynamics.
Question #6
Pizzicato is an indication to the performer to
A.
pluck the string with the finger instead of using the bow.
B.
repeat tones by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow.
C.
veil or muffle the tone by fitting a clamp onto the bridge.
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 second.
C.
cycles per minute.
D.
noiselike sounds.
Question #8
Which of the following is a characteristic feature of jazz music?
A.
A ritardando
B.
Expiation
C.
Syncopation
D.
A metronome
Question #9
The Italian term _____________ is a tempo marking to indicate a lively pace.
A.
andante
B.
adagio
C.
allegro
D.
vivace
Question #10
In musical notation, silence is indicated by
A.
notes.
B.
rests.
C.
clefs.
D.
beams.
Question #11
Staccato refers to playing or singing a melody
A.
at a higher or lower pitch.
B.
in a smooth, connected manner.
C.
in small steps.
D.
in a short, detached manner.
Question #12
A smooth, connected style of playing a melody is known as
A.
glissando.
B.
staccato.
C.
vibrato.
D.
legato.
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.
tonic chord.
B.
resolution.
C.
dominant chord.
D.
progression.
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.
a single melodic line without accompaniment.
C.
two or more different versions of the same basic melody 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.
1750-1820.
C.
1600-1750.
D.
1450-1600.
Question #18
The typical orchestra of the classical period consisted of
A.
strings, woodwinds, horns, trumpets, and timpani.
B.
a loose ensemble of available instruments.
C.
woodwinds, trombones, drums, and strings.
D.
strings with harpsichord continuo.
Question #19
Mozart was born in
A.
Eisenach, Germany.
B.
Rohrau, Austria.
C.
Salzburg, Austria.
D.
Bonn, Germany.
Question #20
Don Giovanni, in Mozart's opera of that name, is
A.
a despotic Italian nobleman.
B.
the legendary Spanish lover.
C.
the servant to Leporello.
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.
Operatic form
B.
Fugal counterpoint
C.
Basso continuo
D.
Monophony
Question #23
Beethoven's only opera is entitled
A.
The Magic Flute.
B.
Madame Butterfly.
C.
Fidelio.
D.
Don Giovanni.
Question #24
A symphony is a
A.
sonata for orchestra.
B.
work for solo instrument.
C.
work for chorus and orchestra.
D.
work for piano solo.
Question #25
Social mobility during the classical period was
A.
a limited sociological factor.
B.
promoted and encouraged by the church.
C.
ruthlessly stamped out by the aristocracy.
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 skilled servant.
B.
a freelance musician.
C.
a visiting guest composer.
D.
an equal by his employer.
Question #27
In the classical period, comic operas sometimes
A.
ridiculed the aristocracy.
B.
were in Latin.
C.
were based on the Old Testament.
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.
changing the meter of the second theme.
B.
retaining the same tonality for both themes.
C.
the introduction of a new theme in the bridge.
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.
rides.
C.
codas.
D.
motives.
Question #30
Sonata form should be viewed as
A.
another term for the symphony.
B.
a set of variations on a theme.
C.
a set of principles that serve to shape and unify contrasts of theme and key.
D.
a rigid mold into which musical ideas are poured.
Question #31
Each successive variation in a theme with variations
A.
is usually in a new key.
B.
retains some elements of the theme.
C.
presents a new melodic idea.
D.
is usually in the same key.
Question #32
The movement of a symphony that is often patterned after a dance is the
A.
second.
B.
third.
C.
fourth.
D.
first.
Question #33
The minuet is in _______ meter.
A.
duple
B.
triple
C.
common
D.
quadruple
Question #34
The scherzo differs from the minuet in that it
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
has a different meter.
C.
has a different form.
D.
moves more quickly.
Question #35
The first movement of a classical symphony is almost always fast, and in _____ form.
A.
minuet
B.
rondo
C.
sonata
D.
ABA
Question #36
The last movement of a classical symphony
A.
is most often in sonata or sonata-rondo form.
B.
All answers are correct.
C.
is always in the tonic key of the symphony.
D.
is usually fast, lively, and brilliant, but somewhat lighter in mood than the opening movement.
Question #37
A concerto is a large-scale work in several movements for
A.
any combination of instruments.
B.
an instrumental soloist and orchestra.
C.
an instrumental soloist.
D.
symphonic orchestra.
Question #38
The favored solo instrument in the classical concerto was the
A.
clarinet.
B.
harpsichord.
C.
cello.
D.
piano.
Question #39
Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
using their national legends as subject matter.
C.
using the rhythms of the dances of their homelands.
D.
basing their music on the folk songs of their country.
Question #40
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
A.
studied music theory and violin as a teenager.
B.
preferred his government position to music.
C.
began to study music theory at the age of twenty-one.
D.
was a child prodigy, learning music at an early age.
Question #41
Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony
A.
has five movements.
B.
is in the usual four-movement form.
C.
ends with a slow, despairing finale.
D.
was left unfinished by the composer.
Question #42
Which of the following was not a member of the Russian five?
A.
César Cu
B.
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
C.
Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
D.
Modest Mussorgsky
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.
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.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
C.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
D.
Joseph Haydn.
Question #46
A.
Madame Butterfly and Turandot.
B.
Tosca and Turandot.
C.
Turandot and Manon Lescaut.
D.
La Bohème and Madame Butterfly.
Question #47
The composer who had an overwhelming influence on the young Wagner was
A.
Johannes Brahms.
B.
Hector Berlioz.
C.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
D.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
Question #48
A slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo in music is known as
A.
fermata.
B.
ritardando.
C.
rubato.
D.
accelerando.
Question #49
During Wagner's time in Paris, he
A.
finished his masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
B.
built an opera house according to his specifications.
C.
was unable to get an opera performed and was reduced to musical hackwork.
D.
conducted the famous premiere of his opera, Rienzi.
Question #50
The librettos to The Ring of the Nibelung were written by
A.
Richard Wagner
B.
Arrigo Boito.
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.
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 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.
Joseph Haydn.
B.
Ludwig van Beethoven.
C.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
D.
Johann Sebastian Bach.
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.
formation of many orchestras and opera groups.
B.
piano becoming a fixture in every middle-class home.
C.
All answers are correct.
D.
development of regular subscription concerts.
Question #56
When music conservatories were founded, women
A.
could only study musical composition, since performance was considered undignified.
B.
were at first accepted only as students of performance, but by the late 1800s could study musical composition.
C.
were not admitted.
D.
were admitted only as vocalists.
Question #57
An art song is a musical composition for
A.
multiple voices.
B.
solo voice and orchestra.
C.
solo voice and piano.
D.
All answers are correct.
Question #58
The word ___________ is commonly used for a romantic art song with a German text.
A.
ballade
B.
durchkomponiert
C.
lied
D.
chanson
Question #59
Schubert
A.
was widely acknowledged as a composer in his lifetime.
B.
produced his greatest works after the age of forty.
C.
was very self-critical, which accounts for his meager output.
D.
was the first great master of the romantic art song.
Question #60
Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and
A.
mazurkas.
B.
polkas.
C.
folk songs.
D.
waltzes.
Question #61
Most of Chopin's pieces
A.
are exquisite miniatures.
B.
have a limited variety of moods.
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.
a nocturne.
B.
ein lied.
C.
a polonaise.
D.
an etude.
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.
Weimar
C.
Paris
D.
Rome
Question #64
Program music is
A.
All answers are correct.
B.
music that depicts aspects of nature.
C.
instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
D.
vocal music that tells a story.
Question #65
Nonprogram music is also known as _____________ music.
A.
concert
B.
absolute
C.
symphonic
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.
program symphony
D.
polonaise
Question #67
Outside France, Berlioz enjoyed a great career as a(n)
A.
conductor.
B.
concert pianist.
C.
singer.
D.
impresario.
Question #68
George Gershwin grew up in
A.
Charleston, South Carolina.
B.
Paris, France.
C.
Anatevka, Russia.
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.
chance music.
B.
Klangfarbenmelodie.
C.
minimalism.
D.
serialism.
Question #70
Minimalist music is characterized by
A.
rapidly changing dynamics and textures.
B.
the development of musical materials through random methods.
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.
polyphonic texture.
B.
call and response.
C.
jazz.
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.
King Oliver.
B.
William C. Handy.
C.
Louis Armstrong.
D.
Bessie Smith.
Question #74
The absence of key or tonality in a musical composition is known as
A.
a tone cluster.
B.
polytonality.
C.
ostinato.
D.
atonality.
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