Chapter 46: Calculated Shock: Stravinsky and Modernist Multimedia
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which impresario significantly revitalized the art of ballet?
a. Marius Petipa c. Mily Balakirev
b. Serge Diaghilev d. Modest Musorgsky
2. Which Paris-based dance company opened a new chapter in the cultural life of Europe during the
early twentieth century?
a. Paris ballet c. the French National Ballet
b. Ballets Russes d. the Russian National Ballet
3. Which artists did Diaghilev invite to paint scenery for the ballet?
a. Picasso and Braque c. Braque and Stravinsky
b. Picasso and Stravinsky d. Nijinsky and Karsavina
4. Which of the following was the Russian-born composer who wrote music in post-Impressionist,
primitivist, neo-Classical, and twelve-tone styles?
a. Bartók c. Prokofiev
b. Schoenberg d. Stravinsky
5. The Rite of Spring opened in Paris in 1913 to:
a. great critical acclaim. c. a near riot.
b. audience indifference. d. an empty theater.
6. Which of the following Stravinsky works is from his primitivist period?
a. The Rite of Spring c. Symphony of Psalms
b. Agon d. Oedipus Rex
7. Stravinsky immigrated to _____ at the onset of World War II.
a. the United States c. France
b. the Soviet Union d. England
8. The Rite of Spring is characterized by:
a. the percussive use of dissonance. c. polytonality.
b. polyrhythms. d. all of the answers shown here
9. Stravinsky minimizes harmonic changes through the use of:
a. atonality. c. ostinatos.
b. mixed meters. d. loose forms.
10. Which of the following musical elements in The Rite of Spring could be considered the most
innovative?
a. lush harmonies c. folklike melodies
b. unpredictable rhythms and meters d. harsh orchestration
11. Which of the following best describes the meter in Stravinsky’s Dance of the Youths and Maidens,
from The Rite of Spring?
a. unpredictable accents that disguise any regular meter
b. a clear triple meter
c. a clear duple meter
d. a floating quality with no accents
12. The Introduction to Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring begins with a melody played by the:
a. flute. c. French horn.
b. clarinet. d. bassoon.
13. Who choreographed The Rite of Spring?
a. Vaslav Nijinsky c. Serge Diaghilev
b. Igor Stravinsky d. Pablo Picasso
14. Where was Stravinsky born?
a. Russia c. the United States
b. France d. Germany
TRUE/FALSE
1. Stravinsky’s ballet music all achieved immediate popularity with audiences.
2. Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring had a revolutionary impact on music of the twentieth
century.
3. The opening-night audience of The Rite of Spring was undoubtedly startled and repelled by the
pagan rites being depicted.
4. The Russian composer Igor Stravinsky lived for many years in France and eventually became a
U.S. citizen.
5. Stravinsky utilized many compositional styles throughout his career.
6. Stravinsky’s greatest contribution to the art music of the twentieth century is thought to be his
development of the twelve-tone method.
7. Stravinsky enlarged the orchestra for The Rite of Spring by increasing the number of wind and
percussion instruments.
8. Because the music of The Rite of Spring was tied to the unpopular choreography, it has been
seldom played in the twentieth century.
9. Igor Stravinsky was an impresario who founded the Ballets Russes.
10. Nijinksky’s choreography for The Rite of Spring was considered very old fashioned when the piece
debuted in 1913.
11. The Ballets Russes had limited impact on the dance world outside of Paris.
ESSAY
1. Why is The Rite of Spring considered a multimedia work?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 261–264
TOP: Stravinsky MSC: Applied
2. Discuss Stravinsky’s musical innovations heard in The Rite of Spring.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 262–263
TOP: Stravinsky MSC: Applied