CHAPTER 22 Performing Grief: Purcell and Early Opera
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A drama that is sung is called a(n)
a. madrigal. c. cantata.
b. opera. d. motet.
2. The vocal style in opera that imitates the natural inflections of speech is called
a. aria. c. madrigal.
b. a chorus. d. recitative.
3. A highly emotional song in an opera is called a(n)
a. aria. c. ensemble.
b. chorus. d. recitative.
4. The orchestral introduction at the beginning of an opera is called the
a. overture. c. ensemble.
b. ritornello. d. recitative.
5. The text of an opera is called the
a. lyrics. c. libretto.
b. script. d. book.
6. Which of the following composers was regarded in his own time for having developed opera into a mature and powerful new genre?
a. Monteverdi c. Handel
b. Purcell d. Puccini
7. Which cultural center rejected Italian opera?
a. Germany c. Austria
b. England d. France
8. A type of English entertainment combining music, poetry, and dance was called the
a. tragédie lyrique. c. monody.
b. masque. d. oratorio.
9. The greatest native-born English composer of the Baroque was
a. George Frideric Handel. c. Henry Purcell.
b. Thomas Morley. d. Oliver Cromwell.
10. Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas was composed for
a. the Royal Opera in London. c. a production at a girls’ school.
b. King James II. d. La Scala in Milan.
11. Who was the librettist of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas?
a. Josias Priest c. John Milton
b. Nahum Tate d. John Donne
12. Which epic poem was the basis for Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas?
a. Milton’s Paradise Lost c. Homer’s Iliad
b. Homer’s Odyssey d. Virgil’s Aeneid
13. Dido sings her famous lament in Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas just prior to
a. marrying Aeneas. c. killing herself.
b. killing Aeneas. d. leaving with Aeneas.
14. Dido’s lament from Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas is composed
a. over a ground bass.
b. in the style of imitative counterpoint.
c. in the ternary form common to the genre.
d. in the ritornello form of the period.
15. The orchestral interlude between the acts of an opera are called
a. libretto. c. sinfonias.
b. overture. d. arias.
16. At which point in history did opera become public and widespread entertainment?
a. 1640s c. 1607
b. 1550s d. 1750
17. Which group during the Commonwealth (1649–1660) regarded the theater as an invention of the devil?
a. the Puritans c. the Lutherans
b. the Florentine Camerata d. the pope
18. Purcell begins the last act of Dido and Aeneas with a dance form often associated with sailors called a
a. hornpipe. c. Scotch snap.
b. jig. d. waltz.
19. Henry Purcell was a composer born in
a. England. c. Italy.
b. France. d. Germany.
20. What is the name of Purcell’s 1689 opera based on Virgil’s Aeneid?
a. The Aeneid c. Dido’s Lament
b. Dido and Aeneas d. Orfeo
21. An opera is a drama that is
a. spoken. c. recited.
b. sung. d. All of the answers shown here.
22. Nahum Tate was the ________ of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.
a. librettist c. stage manager
b. producer d. star
23. The hornpipe is a dance form often associated with
a. sailors. c. royalty.
b. actors. d. farmers.
24. The libretto is the ________ of an opera.
a. text c. music
b. plot d. outline
25. Sinfonias are the orchestral interlude between the acts of a(n)
a. opera. c. Mass.
b. musical. d. sonata.
1. In opera, the lyric melodies that release emotional tension are called recitatives.
2. Early operas, such as Monteverdi’s Orfeo, were simple productions for intimate gatherings.
3. The first public opera houses opened in Venice.
4. In seventeenth-century England, the masque was a popular type of aristocratic entertainment that combined vocal and instrumental
music with poetry and dance.
5. Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas was first performed in a public opera house.
6. The aria “When I am laid in earth” is unified by a ground bass on a descending chromatic scale.
7. The aria “When I am laid in earth” is accompanied by continuo only.
8. The recitative is designed to imitate and emphasize the natural inflections of speech.
9. Arias often take place in “stop time.”
10. Opera may contain ensemble numbers in which the characters pour out their respective feelings.
11. Musical interludes between scenes of an opera are called overtures.
12. The librettist creates the characters and the story line of an opera.
13. A hornpipe is a dance form associated with English opera.
14. Most of Henry Purcell’s compositions were unknown before the twentieth century.
15. Claudio Monteverdi is recognized for having solidified opera into a mature and powerful genre.
ESSAY
1. Describe the various components of opera, commenting on the function of each in the drama.
2. Compare the operatic traditions of Italy and England. Be sure to include the names of composers and works.
3. Describe the differences between an aria and a recitative.
4. Describe the role of the orchestra during an opera performance.