CHAPTER 46 Poetry in Motion: Tchaikovsky and the Ballet
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The concept of ballet dates back to the
a. Middle Ages. c. Baroque.
b. Renaissance. d. Classical era.
2. The masque was a spectacle incorporating dance in
a. France. c. Russia.
b. Italy. d. England.
3. The dominant center of ballet in the early nineteenth century was
a. France. c. Russia.
b. Italy. d. England.
4. Which country rose to prominence in ballet during the late nineteenth century?
a. France c. Russia
b. Italy d. England
5. The development of Russian ballet was stimulated by the great choreographer
a. Mikhail Baryshnikov. c. Marius Petipa.
b. Vaslav Nijinsky. d. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
6. In ballet, the pas de deux is
a. a dance for two. c. the denouement of the narrative.
b. the break after Act I. d. a large climactic dance by the corps.
7. The first Russian composer whose music appealed to Western tastes was
a. Musorgsky. c. Borodin.
b. Tchaikovsky. d. Rimsky-Korsakov.
8. Which of the following was Tchaikovsky’s principal patron?
a. Anton Rubinstein c. Nadezhda von Meck
b. Vaslav Nijinsky d. Serge Diaghilev
9. What type of works did Tchaikovsky compose?
a. ballets c. symphonies
b. operas d. All answers shown here.
10. Which of the following Russian composers was famous for his ballets?
a. Tchaikovsky c. Rimsky-Korsakov
b. Cui d. Musorgsky
11. Which of the following are ballets by Tchaikovsky?
a. Eugene Onegin, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker
b. Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker
c. West Side Story, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker
d. Romeo and Juliet, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker
12. Which great Russian choreographer created the dances for The Nutcracker ?
a. Diaghilev c. Nijinsky
b. Baryshnikov d. Petipa
13. The Nutcracker is based on a story by
a. Marius Petipa. c. E. T. A. Hoffmann.
b. Victor Hugo. d. Prosper Merimée.
14. Tchaikovsky’s fanciful ballet about a child’s Christmas gift and dreams of exotic people and places is
a. Swan Lake. c. Pathétique.
b. Sleeping Beauty. d. The Nutcracker.
15. The keyboard instrument featured in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, from The Nutcracker, is the
a. piano. c. harpsichord.
b. celesta. d. organ.
16. The trepak is a folk dance from
a. Arabia. c. Russia.
b. China. d. Bohemia.
17. Staged dancing in Italy was known as
a. masque. c. ballet de cour.
b. intermedio. d. opera seria.
18. In France, staged dancing was known as
a. masque. c. ballet de cour.
b. intermedio. d. opera seria.
19. Who invented the structure of the classic pas de deux?
a. Mikhail Baryshnikov c. Marius Petipa
b. Vaslav Nijinsky d. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
20. Marius Petipa brought the art of staging ________ to unprecedented heights.
a. ballet c. oratorios
b. opera d. masques
21. Tchaikovsky was invited to participate in the 1891 inaugural concert of
a. Symphony Hall in London.
b. Carnegie Hall in New York.
c. the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
d. the Conservatory of St. Petersburg.
22. The Nutcracker features the ________, a folk dance from Russia.
a. trepak c. waltz
b. celesta d. pas de deux
23. What instrument enlivens the orchestral sound during the Trepak?
a. celesta c. glockenspiel
b. tambourine d. guitar
24. The celesta is featured in the ________ from The Nutcracker.
a. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy c. Trepak
b. Waltz of the Flowers d. Pas de Deux
25. The tambourine is featured in the ________ from The Nutcracker.
a. Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy c. Trepak
b. Waltz of the Flowers d. Pas de Deux
26. Where was Tchaikovsky born?
a. Russia c. Hungary
b. France d. Austria
1. The first major center of ballet was France.
2. The pas de deux is a Western-style two-step dance.
3. Tchaikovsky suffered from depression and guilt because of the social stigma associated with being a homosexual.
4. Tchaikovsky was known for his symphonies and operas as well as for his ballets.
5. The Nutcracker is based on a story by E. T. A. Hoffmann.
6. The Nutcracker is a real-life story set at Christmastime.
7. The Arab Dance and the Chinese Dance, from The Nutcracker, are examples of exoticism.
8. The celesta has a bell-like tone.
9. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Trepak are both in an A-B-A form.
10. The trepak is a folk dance from Arabia.
11. Staged dancing in Italy was known as pas de deux.
12. Royal weddings and other celebrations in England were accompanied by staged dancing known as intermedio.
13. Tchaikovsky invented the classic structure of the pas de deux.
14. Marius Petipa helped elevate the level of Russian ballet.
15. The orchestral sound is enlivened during the Trepak by a celesta.
ESSAY
1. Discuss the development of ballet from the Renaissance through the late nineteenth century.
2. Discuss the exotic elements of Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker.
3. Why do modern audiences still find Tchaikovsky’s ballets so engaging?