CHAPTER 34 Disrupting the Conversation: Beethoven and the
Symphony in Transition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which composer both maintained and disrupted the balance of the Classical style?
a. Beethoven c. Haydn
b. Mozart d. Bach
2. With which symphony did Beethoven begin to expand the possibilities of the genre?
a. No. 1 c. No. 5
b. No. 3 d. No. 9
3. Which work by Beethoven is called the Choral Symphony?
a. the First Symphony c. the Seventh Symphony
b. the Fifth Symphony d. the Ninth Symphony
4. The “Ode to Joy” is the finale of Beethoven’s
a. Symphony No. 1. c. Symphony No. 9.
b. Symphony No. 5. d. Missa solemnis.
5. The text of the “Ode to Joy” was written by
a. Goethe. c. da Ponte.
b. Schiller. d. Rameau.
6. How many movements does Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 have?
a. one c. four
b. three d. five
7. Which of the following best describes the opening idea of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5?
a. a three-note motive c. a rocket theme
b. a four-note motive d. a dancelike theme
8. What is the form of the second movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5?
a. theme and variations c. A-B-A
b. sonata d. rondo
9. Which of the following best describes the final movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5?
a. The four-note rhythmic motive returns.
b. There is no break preceding the beginning of the movement.
c. It quotes a portion of the third movement.
d. All answers shown here.
10. Which Beethoven symphony was selected to celebrate the fall of the Berlin Wall?
a. Symphony No. 3 c. Symphony No. 6
b. Symphony No. 5 d. Symphony No. 9
11. Which genre provided Beethoven with the ideal medium to address his audience?
a. symphony c. opera
b. the sonata d. concerto
12. Beethoven originally dedicated his third symphony, the Eroica, to
a. Napoleon. c. Mozart.
b. Schiller. d. Louis XV.
13. Which symphony by Beethoven was interpreted as a personal narrative of individual heroism?
a. third c. sixth
b. fifth d. ninth
14. What is arguably the best known of all symphonies?
a. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 c. Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony
b. Haydn’s Joke Symphony d. Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony
15. ________ is when a theme or musical idea from one movement returns in a later one.
a. Cyclical form c. Sonata-allegro form
b. Theme and variations d. Rondo form
16. How did Beethoven describe the opening motive of his Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67?
a. “Fate knocking at the door” c. “Surely I have written better things”
b. “The best idea I ever had” d. “This is my Ode to Joy!”
17. What was Beethoven describing when he said this is “Fate knocking at the door”?
a. his own death c. the motive for his fifth symphony
b. the realization of his becoming deaf d. the Moonlight Sonata
18. Which best describes the opening to the third movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5?
a. It uses a rocket theme. c. It is introduced by the violins.
b. It uses a four-note motive. d. None of the answers shown here.
19. Which best describes the fourth movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5?
a. It introduces new instruments not yet part of the standard orchestra.
b. It is in sonata-allegro form.
c. The movement bursts forth without pause from the third movement.
d. All of the answers shown here.
20. Which movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 introduces the piccolo, contrabassoon, and trombone for the first time to the
standard orchestra?
a. first c. third
b. second d. fourth
21. What instruments did Beethoven introduce to the standard orchestra during the fourth movement of his Symphony No. 5?
a. piccolo, contrabassoon, trombone c. snare drum, trombone, gong
b. trumpet, trombone, French horn d. flute, piccolo, saxophone
22. What was the original title for Beethoven’s Third Symphony?
a. Bonaparte c. Ode to Joy
b. Eroica d. Battle Symphony
23. Why did Beethoven claim a kinship with Great Britain?
a. for its democratic parliamentary system c. He loved fish and chips.
b. He admired the king. d. All answers shown here.
24. Which country named Beethoven’s Ode to Joy as its national anthem in 1971?
a. Austria c. Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)
b. Germany d. South Korea
25. Which symphony by Beethoven has become a rallying cry for widely divergent philosophies?
a. Symphony No. 5 c. Symphony No. 9
b. Symphony No. 3 d. Symphony No. 6
TRUE/FALSE
1. Beethoven abandoned Classical principles in composing his symphonies.
2. Beethoven wrote his first two symphonies in a style similar to that of Haydn and Mozart.
3. Beethoven’s third symphony includes vocal soloists and a chorus.
4. Beethoven set Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” in the finale of his Symphony No. 5.
5. In spite of numerous innovations, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 has the standard four movements of the Classical symphony.
6. The four-note rhythmic motive of the first movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 can be heard in other movements as well.
7. Following the standard symphonic structure, there is a break after each of the middle movements of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
8. The third movement of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is a scherzo.
9. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is considered cyclical because the last movement quotes an earlier movement.
10. Beethoven opposed democracy in favor of the rule of a strong leader.
11. Beethoven originally dedicated his Symphony No. 3 to Napoleon.
12. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 is perhaps the best known of all symphonies.
13. The “short-short-short-long” motive of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5 only appears in the first movement.
14. Beethoven’s music has been appropriated by widely disparate political ideologies.
15. Adolf Hitler admired Beethoven’s music.
1. Give an overview of Beethoven’s symphonies.
2. Describe both the traditional and innovative elements in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5.
3. Describe the relationship between Beethoven’s music and politics.
4. Why is Beethoven considered a transitional figure in music?
5. Why has the idea of “Beethoven the hero” extended far beyond the concert hall?