Prelude 6: Making Music Modern
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The artistic trends of the early twentieth century can best be characterized as:
a. a reaction against Romanticism. c. influenced by Romanticism.
b. influenced by an earlier era. d. an extension of Romantic ideals.
2. How did non-Western arts influence twentieth-century Western arts?
a. Western artists sought the spontaneity of primitive art.
b. The abstraction of African sculpture influenced Western painters.
c. Non-Western rhythms were adopted by Western composers.
d. all of the answers shown here
3. The concept of art was rejected by:
a. Impressionism. c. Dadaism.
b. Expressionism. d. surrealism.
4. Salvador Dali and Joan Miró are associated with:
a. Impressionism. c. Dadaism.
b. Expressionism. d. surrealism.
5. Which early twentieth-century style dealt with the realm of the unconscious, distorted images, and
the inner self?
a. neo-Classicism c. Impressionism
b. Expressionism d. post-Romanticism
6. In which country did the Expressionist movement originate?
a. England c. Italy
b. the United States d. Germany
7. Which of the following artists is associated with Expressionism?
a. Renoir c. Schoenberg
b. Monet d. Debussy
8. The early twentieth-century style that sought to revive certain principles and forms of earlier music
was:
a. neo-Classicism. c. Impressionism.
b. post-Romanticism. d. Expressionism.
9. Which of the following composers would have been emulated during the neo-Classical era?
a. Berlioz c. Wagner
b. Bach d. Grieg
10. Which of the following genres was favored by the neo-Classicists of the early twentieth century?
a. the symphonic poem c. the program symphony
b. the symphony d. the concert overture
11. The element of rhythm in twentieth-century music is best characterized as:
a. adhering to the basic metrical patterns of the past.
b. disregarding the basic metrical patterns of the past.
c. adopting dance rhythms borrowed from the folk idiom.
d. returning to the patterns of the Baroque era.
12. The element of melody in twentieth-century music is best characterized by:
a. a singing vocal style.
b. balanced phrases.
c. wide leaps and dissonant intervals.
d. a consideration of melody as the primary element in music.
13. The element that most decisively separated twentieth-century music from that of the past was:
a. melody. c. rhythm.
b. harmony. d. texture.
14. What type of harmony is implied by stacked chords?
a. atonal c. twelve-tone
b. polyharmony d. diatonic
15. The emphasis on rhythm brought the ______ section of the orchestra into greater prominence.
a. brass c. string
b. woodwind d. percussion
16. Which of the following best describes orchestration in twentieth-century music?
a. Music continued to be written for bigger orchestras.
b. The string section lost its role as the heart of the orchestra.
c. Composers used tone color only to create atmosphere.
d. all of the answers shown here
17. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque are associated with:
a. neo-Classicism. c. Cubism.
b. Expressionism. d. surrealism.
18. Artists who seek to explore true creativity by breaking from social and artistic conventions are
considered:
a. avant-garde. c. Expressionist.
b. neo-Classical. d. none of the answers shown here
19. The constantly shifting meter common for some twentieth-century works is called:
a. changing meter. c. polymetric.
b. polyrhythm. d. jazz.
20. What became the norm for many twentieth-century works?
a. tension c. resolution
b. consonance d. all of the answers shown here
21. The ________, used in the Romantic era as a solo instrument, found a place in the orchestral
ensemble during the twentieth century.
a. piano c. organ
b. violin d. flute
TRUE/FALSE
1. During the early twentieth century, the arts were marked by artists’ desire to throw off the
oppressive style of the nineteenth century and to capture the spontaneity of primitive life.
2. Expressionism in music took its impulse from painters whose canvases delved into the realm of the
subconscious.
3. Expressionism was the German equivalent of French Impressionism and had the same goals and
artistic qualities.
4. Neo-Classical composers preferred absolute music and forms to program music.
5. Avant-garde artists sought to distinguish themselves from traditional high culture and from
mass-market taste.
6. The complexity of rhythm in modern Western music far exceeds that in Asian and African music.
7. Composers of modern music enlivened their music with the rhythms of popular music.
8. Melody in early twentieth-century music is characterized by wide leaps and dissonant intervals.
9. Although polyharmony features chords with six to seven notes, it still sounds consonant.
10. Percussion instruments came into prominence in modern music.
11. Some American modernists incorporated folk music, blues, and jazz.
12. The simultaneous use of several rhythmic patterns is called polyrhythm.
13. Twentieth-century composers shunned dissonance in favor of consonance.
14. Twentieth-century composers who embraced neo-Classicism found inspiration in the music of
Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi.
ESSAY
1. Describe the major artistic trends of the early twentieth century and note how they were a reaction
against earlier styles.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 256–260
TOP: Modernism MSC: Conceptual
2. Describe the features of early musical modernism.
ANS:
Answers will vary.
PTS: 1 DIF: 2 REF: Essentials: pp. 259–260
TOP: Modernism MSC: Applied