CHAPTER 16 Symbols and Puzzles: Machaut and the Medieval
Mind
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The tradition of troubadours and trouvères developed in
a. France. c. England.
b. Italy. d. the Middle East.
2. Which of the following was a subject reflected in the poems of the troubadours and trouvères?
a. politics and current events c. love and unrequited passion
b. moralizing and devotional themes d. All answers shown here.
3. Which of the following best describes the Crusades?
a. They lasted over two hundred years.
b. Advanced scientific knowledge was brought to the West.
c. Contact with the East affected Western concepts of music.
d. All of the answers shown here.
4. During the fourteenth century, a style of music developed that became known as
a. the Ars antiqua. c. the Renaissance.
b. the Ars nova. d. Notre Dame polyphony.
5. The outstanding composer-poet of the Ars nova was
a. Machaut. c. Chaucer.
b. Boccaccio. d. Petrarch.
6. The French courtly love song of the Middle Ages was called the
a. motet. c. estampie.
b. goliard song. d. chanson.
7. Which of the following are fixed poetic forms?
a. rondeau c. virelai
b. ballade d. All the answers shown here.
8. Who composed Ma fin est mon commencement?
a. Machaut c. Léonin
b. Pérotin d. Hildegard of Bingen
9. Which of the following best characterizes Ma fin est mon commencement?
a. It has a ballade structure.
b. It has a monophonic texture.
c. It is in triple meter with syncopations.
d. The structure does not involve palindromes.
10. What is the form of a rondeau?
a. ABB c. AAB
b. AbbaA d. ABaAabAB
11. The lineage of the violin can be directly traced to which Arab instrument?
a. the rebec c. the shawm
b. the rebab d. the oboe
12. At what point in history did the West adopt Arabic numerals?
a. the Crusades c. the Baroque era
b. the Renaissance d. the nineteenth century
13. What Middle Eastern country provided the model for many Western orchestral percussion instruments?
a. Turkey c. Iraq
b. Iran d. Saudi Arabia
14. The Ars nova ushered in developments in
a. rhythm and meter. c. counterpoint.
b. harmony. d. All answers shown here.
15. Guillaume de Machaut worked primarily in
a. France. c. Germany.
b. Italy. d. England.
TRUE/FALSE
1. Music and mathematics have been linked since the time of the ancient Greeks.
2. Troubadours and trouvères were medieval musicians often living on the fringes of society.
3. The Crusades had little impact on the development of Western civilization.
4. The fourteenth century witnessed a decreased focus on secular music.
5. The chanson is an example of secular music.
6. Because Machaut was a cleric in the church, he wrote only sacred music.
7. Ma fin est mon commencement is a ballade for three voices.
8. The chanson Ma fin est mon commencement reflects the era’s fascination with complexity.
9. Troubadours were from the south of France.
10. The four topics (Quadrivium) considered essential to education were music, mathematics, writing, and science.
11. The predecessor of the modern oboe is the shawm, an instrument used by Turkish armies.
12. Machaut is a composer identified with the Ars antiqua.
13. Machaut was the first composer to self-consciously collect his works and leave them for posterity.
ESSAY
1. What roles did secular music play in medieval life? Provide examples to support your answer.
2. What impact did the Crusades have on Western medieval life? Provide examples to support your answer.
3. Why was the Ars nova important in the development of Western music? Provide examples to support your answer.
4. What musical instruments did western European medieval society borrow from the Middle East?
