Chapter 42: Poetry in Motion: Tchaikovsky and the Ballet
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. ______ is a choreographed dance that began in the Renaissance and was central to lavish festivals
and theatrical entertainments presented at the courts of kings and dukes.
a. Ballet c. Pas de deux
b. Tap d. The Lindy Hop
2. Who invented the structure of the classic pas de deux?
a. Marius Petipa c. Fred Astaire
b. Vaslav Nijinsky d. Martha Graham
3. Staged dancing in Italy was known as:
a. masque. c. intermedio.
b. ballet de cour. d. pas de deux.
4. Where was Tchaikovsky born?
a. Germany c. France
b. Russia d. England
5. In 1891 Tchaikovsky was invited to participate in the inaugural concert of ________.
a. Carnegie Hall in New York c. the Garnier Opera in Paris
b. Albert Hall in London d. the Moscow Conservatory
6. What is the name of the wealthy widow who became Tchaikovsky’s patron?
a. Nadezhda von Meck c. Clara Schumann
b. Fanny Hensel d. Marius Petipa
7. Which composer became a giant of Russian ballet in the later nineteenth century?
a. Tchaikovsky c. von Meck
b. Debussy d. Rubinstein
8. Which Tchaikovsky ballet is performed every Christmas all over the world?
a. Swan Lake c. The Nutcracker
b. The Sleeping Beauty d. Romeo and Juliet
9. Where does Act I of The Nutcracker take place?
a. at a Christmas party c. in Trepak
b. in Confiturembourg d. on New Year’s Eve
10. Who is/are the ruler(s) of Confiturembourg?
a. the Sugar Plum Fairy c. the Nutcracker
b. the Mouse King d. Clara and Fritz
11. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy features the ______, an instrument Tchaikovsky “discovered”
in Paris.
a. piano c. celesta
b. glockenspiel d. tambourine
12. What Russian dance features the famous Cossack squat-kick?
a. the Trepak c. the pas de deux
b. the celesta d. the intermedio
13. What instrument does Tchaikovsky use to enliven the sound of the orchestra during the Trepak?
a. celesta c. guitar
b. tambourine d. tympani
TRUE/FALSE
1. In England, staged dancing was known as masque.
2. Ballet developed as an independent art form during the early twentieth century.
3. Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer whose music appealed to Western tastes.
4. Tchaikovsky’s three ballets (Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker) are part of the
Russian repertory.
5. Tchaikovsky utilizes the celesta during the Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance.
6. During the Trepak, Tchaikovsky enlivens the sound of the orchestra by adding a celesta.
7. The Nutcracker takes place at an Easter celebration.
8. Ballet is a choreographed dance that began during the Baroque era.
9. Marius Petipa brought the art of staging ballets to unprecedented heights.
10. Tchaikovsky was a Russian-born composer who wrote most of his works while in exile in France.
ESSAY
1. Discuss the musical elements that make The Nutcracker a representative Romantic work.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 234–236
TOP: The Nutcracker MSC: Applied
2. Why did ballet principally develop in France and Russia?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 234–236
TOP: Ballet MSC: Applied