Chapter 32: Mourning a Hero: Mozart and the Requiem
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. During the Classical era, the principal genre(s) of sacred choral music was/were:
a. the oratorio. c. the Requiem.
b. the Mass. d. all of the answers shown here
2. A musical setting of the Mass for the Dead is called:
a. an oratorio. c. a Requiem.
b. an opera. d. a cantata.
3. Oratorios primarily drew their stories from:
a. the Bible. c. Milton’s Paradise Lost.
b. Greek myths. d. newly created stories.
4. Mozart’s Requiem was:
a. his first work.
b. performed on the death of his father.
c. his last work, incomplete at his death.
d. dedicated to Haydn.
5. Who completed Mozart’s Requiem?
a. Mozart himself c. Beethoven
b. Salieri d. Süssmayr
6. The Dies irae text from the Requiem Mass describes:
a. the resurrection of Christ. c. devotion to the Virgin Mary.
b. the birth of Christ. d. Judgment Day.
7. Which of the following correctly describes the musical forces included in Mozart’s Requiem?
a. winds, strings, and choir
b. strings, choir, and four soloists
c. strings, winds, and timpani
d. winds, strings, timpani, choir, and four soloists
8. What instrument accompanies the baritone voice in the Tuba mirum section of Mozart’s Requiem?
a. trombone c. trumpet
b. tuba d. oboe
9. Which of the following best describes the mood of the Dies irae from Mozart’s Requiem?
a. gentle and comforting c. fearful
b. lively and excited d. humorous and light
10. The text of Mozart’s Requiem is sung in:
a. Italian. c. German.
b. Latin. d. English.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Mozart composed his Requiem out of gratitude for a long life of artistic creativity.
2. The Requiem was Mozart’s first major composition in Vienna.
3. Mozart died before finishing the Requiem, and one of his students completed the work for him.
4. The Dies irae is a rhymed Latin poem.
5. The Dies irae from Mozart’s Requiem includes solo voices.
6. Mozart’s Requiem was sung in a worldwide memorial for the victims of the September 11 terrorist
attacks on the United States.
7. Myths surrounding Mozart’s early death and his Requiem continue to shape our culture’s notions
of creative genius.
8. A Requiem is a musical setting of the Mass for the Dead.
9. The Mass, the oratorio, and the Requiem were the three principal genres of sacred choral music
during the Classical era.
10. The text for the Dies irae is from a poem written by a friar in the thirteenth century.
11. Mozart’s setting of the Dies irae includes word-painting.
12. Mozart’s Requiem was performed at the funeral for Martin Luther King Jr.
13. Because Mozart’s Requiem was written so long ago, it has little relevance for today’s audience.
ESSAY
1. Discuss how Mozart musically evokes the terrible power of divine intervention during the Dies
irae in his Requiem.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: p. 174
TOP: Mozart Choral Music MSC: Applied
2. Discuss how artists and works of art, including musical compositions, can become enveloped in
myth.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 173–174
TOP: Mozart MSC: Conceptual