CHAPTER 47 Exotic Allure: Puccini and the Italian Verismo Tra-
dition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. What name is given to the expansion and intensification of late Romantic trends?
a. Impressionist c. minimalist
b. post-Romantic d. Expressionist
2. Which of the following was a major figure in post-Romantic Italian opera?
a. Puccini c. Richard Strauss
b. Mahler d. Wagner
3. Which of the following operas is an example of exoticism?
a. Madame Butterfly c. Tristan und Isolde
b. La Traviata d. All answers shown here.
4. The late-Romantic Italian opera tradition was characterized by a movement toward realism, called
a. bel canto. c. verismo.
b. opera seria. d. music drama.
5. With which operatic movement is realism associated?
a. surrealism c. impressionism
b. exoticism d. verismo
6. Which of the following opera composers composed in the verismo style?
a. Verdi, Puccini c. Mahler, Puccini
b. Puccini, Leoncavallo d. Leoncavallo, Verdi
7. Verismo was a late-Romantic movement in opera that sought to
a. return to the classical ideals of form and symmetry.
b. remove chromaticism from German styles.
c. choose subjects from everyday life and treat them realistically.
d. None of the answers shown here.
8. The leading composer of Italian opera in the late-Romantic era was
a. Rossini. c. Puccini.
b. Leoncavallo. d. Mascagni.
9. Which of the following operas are by Puccini?
a. Madame Butterfly, I Pagliacci c. Don Giovanni, I Pagliacci
b. La bohème, Tosca d. Tosca, Don Giovanni
10. Puccini’s Madame Butterfly is a
a. tragic tale of a Japanese geisha and a U.S. naval officer.
b. comedy about the head of a Japanese brothel.
c. Chinese fairy tale about a beautiful but cruel princess.
d. Japanese folk tale about an orphan who grows up to be a princess.
11. Puccini’s Madame Butterfly ends
a. happily.
b. tragically.
c. triumphantly.
d. inconclusively, so that a sequel could follow.
12. A Japanese geisha is best compared in Western culture with a
a. courtesan. c. wife.
b. prostitute. d. warrior.
13. At the close of the opera Madame Butterfly, the title character
a. kills herself.
b. returns to her life as a geisha.
c. goes to the United States with Pinkerton.
d. marries Prince Yamadori.
14. Which of the following exotic elements can be heard in the opera Madame Butterfly?
a. Japanese melodies
b. pentatonic and whole-tone scales
c. instrument combinations that evoke the Japanese gagaku
d. All answers shown here.
15. In her aria “Un bel dì,” from Madame Butterfly, Cio-Cio-San sings of her
a. life as a geisha. c. wish for her husband to return.
b. love for her son. d. plan to kill herself.
16. What instruments does Puccini use to evoke the timbre of a gagaku orchestra?
a. harp, flute, piccolo, bells c. timpani, flute, bells
b. flute, piano, bells d. violin, viola, cello
17. Which of the following was a German composer who was also a major figure in post-Romanticism?
a. Puccini c. Brahms
b. Mahler d. Wagner
18. Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly is an example of
a. exoticism. c. Singspiel.
b. opera buffa. d. gagaku.
19. The operatic movement known as verismo is associated with the ________ era.
a. post-Romantic c. late Romantic
b. Romantic d. early Romantic
20. The plots of verismo operas focused on
a. historical figures. c. subjects from everyday life.
b. mythological themes. d. depictions of royalty.
21. Which late-Romantic movement in opera chose subjects from everyday life and treated them realistically?
a. verismo c. serialism
b. opera buffa d. exoticism
22. Puccini’s brief reference to The Star-Spangled Banner in Madame Butterfly is an example of
a. patriotism. c. exoticism.
b. verismo. d. Romanticism.
23. Puccini uses the harp, flute, piccolo, and bells to evoke the timbre of a ________ orchestra.
a. Chinese c. Turkish
b. gagaku d. symphonic
24. Puccini was born in
a. Italy. c. Germany.
b. France. d. Spain.
25. Which opera by Puccini is based on a Chinese fairy tale?
a. Madame Butterfly c. Tosca
b. La bohème d. Turandot
TRUE/FALSE
1. Post-Romanticism was a movement that rebelled against the late Romantic ideals.
2. Madame Butterfly was Puccini’s last opera.
3. Puccini’s operas are associated with the verismo movement.
4. Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, with its Japanese melodies and pentatonic and whole-tone scales, is an example of exoticism.
