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CHAPTER 45 Total Art: Wagner and German Romantic Opera
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following characterizes Singspiel?
a. It was the immediate predecessor of German Romantic opera.
b. Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute is an example of this genre.
c. The plots were generally light or comic.
d. All answers shown here.
2. Which composer is considered one of the MOST significant in the history of the Romantic era?
a. Berlioz c. Wagner
b. Schubert d. Schumann
3. Wagner’s first operatic success was a grand opera entitled
a. The Flying Dutchman. c. Rienzi.
b. Tristan and Isolde. d. Faust.
4. The librettist for Wagner’s music dramas was
a. Goethe. c. Müller.
b. Heine. d. Wagner himself.
5. Where was Wagner born?
a. Berlin, Germany c. Vienna, Austria
b. Leipzig, Germany d. Hamburg, Germany
6. Wagner chose to base his early operas on
a. dramas of historical intrigue. c. ancient Greek tragedies.
b. medieval German epics. d. biblical stories.
7. Wagner’s cycle of four music dramas is called
a. Lohengrin. c. The Ring of the Nibelung.
b. Tristan and Isolde. d. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
8. A special theater was built at ________ for the presentation of Wagner’s music dramas.
a. Dresden c. Berlin
b. Munich d. Bayreuth
9. In his Ring of the Nibelung, which characteristic of traditional opera did Wagner eliminate?
a. separate arias c. the overture
b. the orchestra d. costumes
10. Wagner’s total artwork, in which all the arts—music, poetry, drama, and visual spectacle—are fused together, is called
a. the Gesamtkunstwerk. c. the Ewigemelodie.
b. leitmotifs. d. cyclic unity.
11. Wagner called his operas
a. tone poems. c. oratorios.
b. music dramas. d. operettas.
12. The principal themes in Wagner’s operas, which recur throughout and carry specific meanings, are called
a. libretti. c. motives.
b. leitmotifs. d. fixed ideas.
13. Which composer’s musical language was based on chromatic harmony?
a. Mendelssohn c. Verdi
b. Brahms d. Wagner
14. The emotional quality of Wagner’s music is heightened by his use of
a. separate arias. c. chromatic dissonance.
b. exotic instruments. d. rubato.
15. In the Ring cycle, who is the father of the gods?
a. Siegfried c. Wotan
b. Loge d. Brünnhilde
16. In Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung, who are the Valkyries?
a. the nine daughters of Wotan c. the Rhine maidens
b. the Nibelung dwarfs d. the enemies of Wotan
17. In Act III, Scene 1 of Die Walküre, what are the Valkyries carrying on their horses?
a. weapons of war c. armor
b. fallen heroes d. slain foes
18. In the orchestral prelude to Act III of Wagner’s Die Walküre, the Ride theme primarily is played by
a. strings. c. brass.
b. woodwinds. d. percussion.
19. Which of the following characterizes the music of Act III, Scene 1 of Die Walküre?
a. The music flows continuously.
b. The battle cries of the Valkyries can be heard.
c. Major and minor harmonies alternate.
d. All answers shown here.
20. Why does Wotan deprive Brünnhilde of her immortality and leave her sleeping inside a ring of fire?
a. because she drew the sword out of the stone
b. because, overcome with compassion, she attempted to save Siegmund’s life in battle
c. because she fell in love with a mastersinger of Nuremburg
d. because she allowed her winged horse, Pegasus, to die in battle
21. Scenes with spoken dialogue or minimal singing that included striking orchestral accompaniment was called
a. melodrama. c. opera.
b. Singspiel. d. opera buffa.
22. Wagner’s final work, ________, was based on the legend of the Holy Grail.
a. Parsifal c. Lohengrin
b. Rienzi d. Tristan and Isolde
23. Wagner based his musical language on
a. chromatic harmony. c. atonality.
b. diatonic harmony. d. Medieval church modes.
24. Which day of the week is named after the father of the gods?
a. Monday c. Wednesday
b. Tuesday d. Sunday
25. Wagner freely adapted the Ring of the Nibelung from myths of
a. the Norse sagas. c. the Rhine maidens.
b. the Greek tragedies. d. Dante’s Inferno.
1. Richard Wagner composed the first Singspiel.
2. Because of his dominating personality, Wagner frequently changed librettists while composing his music dramas.
3. Wagner’s operas employ the supernatural as an element of drama and glorify the German land and people.
4. Wagner did NOT wish to change the prevailing form of opera in the nineteenth century.
5. Wagner strove for a continuous flow of melody, unlike the divisions of aria and recitative in Italian opera.
6. The focal point of Wagnerian music drama is the voice.
7. Wagner pushed major-minor tonality to extreme limits with his style of chromatic harmony.
8. In Wagner’s operas, the recurring themes, which represent specific characters, emotions, or ideas, are called leitmotifs.
9. Brünnhilde is a Valkyrie.
10. One of the leitmotifs from Wagner’s Die Walküre is the “magic fire” music.
11. In Wagner’s Ring cycle, Brünnhilde is Wotan’s wife.
12. Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung is a cycle of four music dramas.
13. Wagner called his works music dramas.
14. The German word Gesamtkuntswerk means a “total work of art.”
15. Wagner invented Wotan’s Day, which is known as Wednesday.
1. Describe Wagner’s innovations in opera and his desire to unite music and drama. Give examples from works mentioned in the
textbook.
2. Describe the background, story, and musical qualities of The Ring of the Nibelung.
3. Why is Richard Wagner considered one of the most significant figures in the history of the Romantic era?
4. Discuss how modern composers incorporated the leifmotif into their work. Provide examples from movies or television to support
your answer.
