Prelude 2: Music as Commodity and Social Activity
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The core of music-making today is largely based on the traditions from:
a. China. c. Europe.
b. Africa. d. Mesopotamia.
2. Which of the following is a role for secular music?
a. assisting in religious services c. spiritual expression
b. inspiring worship d. being sold as a commodity
3. The two centers of power during the early Middle Ages were the church and:
a. centralized governments led by kings.
b. diffuse courts headed by dukes.
c. barbarian tribes.
d. Arabian tribes.
4. The Frankish emperor who encouraged education and the concept of a centralized government
was:
a. Charlemagne. c. Hildegard of Bingen.
b. Pope Gregory. d. Chaucer.
5. The late Middle Ages witnessed:
a. the building of great cathedrals.
b. the founding of universities.
c. the emergence of cities as the center of the arts.
d. all of the answers shown here
6. Which of the following constituted a source of wealth outside of feudal society?
a. music-making c. manufacturing
b. farming d. trade and commerce
7. During the Middle Ages, the status of women:
a. remained unchanged for nearly one thousand years.
b. steadily declined until late in the era, just before the Renaissance.
c. was raised through the concept of chivalry held by knights and idealized in music.
d. was much like it is today.
8. Which institution(s) supported music in Renaissance society?
a. the church c. the aristocratic courts
b. the city and state d. all of the answers shown here
9. Musical notation was invented to further the goals of:
a. the king. c. the nobility.
b. Christian worship. d. the serfs.
10. What cathedral became one of the first centers in which polyphony was notated and integrated into
musical worship?
a. Chanson de Roland c. Notre Dame in Paris
b. St. Mark’s in Venice d. Westminster Abbey in London
11. In the later Middle Ages, many instruments and song styles were adapted from the highly
sophisticated ________ traditions of the time.
a. Eastern European c. French
b. North American d. Middle Eastern
12. Who left the first extensive notated tradition of love songs?
a. troubadours c. troubadours and trouvères
b. trouvères d. Charlemagne
TRUE/FALSE
1. Some scholars argue that song was one of the earliest forms of speech.
2. Music notation was invented to further the goals of Islamic worship.
3. Most of the surviving music from the early Middle Ages is secular.
4. The two centers of power in the Middle Ages were the feudal lord and the state.
5. Although feudal society was male-dominated, the status of women was raised by prevailing
attitudes of chivalry and devotion to the cult of the Virgin Mary.
6. The medieval era saw an increased Western awareness of the cultures of distant civilizations.
7. Songs written in the vernacular use Latin for the text.
8. The Renaissance saw the rise of amateur musicians and home music-making.
9. Musical notation has defined the development of Western music.
10. Notre Dame in Paris became one of the first centers in which polyphony was notated and
integrated into musical worship.
ESSAY
1. Discuss the influence of non-Western cultures and music practices on Western society during the
Middle Ages.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 3 REF: Essentials: pp. 60–61
TOP: Medieval Culture MSC: Conceptual
2. Describe the influence of printing on Renaissance society and culture. Cite specific examples from
the textbook.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: p. 62
TOP: Renaissance Spirit MSC: Conceptual
3. What are the various ways that early musicians could make a living?
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 1 REF: Essentials: p. 68
TOP: Renaissance Spirit MSC: Applied