CHAPTER 48 Accepting Death: Fauré and the Requiem
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following major musical streams did French Romantic composers reject?
a. Wagner’s music dramas c. grand operatic productions
b. ballet d. salon piano music
2. French composers developed a type of art song called the
a. Lied. c. mélodie.
b. parlor song. d. minstrel song.
3. Which of the following were French symbolist poets?
a. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, Stéphane Mallarmé
b. Paul Verlaine, Victor Hugo, Stéphane Mallarmé
c. Stéphane Mallarmé, Gabriel Fauré, Victor Hugo
d. Victor Hugo, Paul Verlaine, Gabriel Fauré
4. Fauré held several teaching appointments, including the position as director of the
a. Paris Conservatory. c. Church of La Madeleine.
b. Church of St. Sulpice in Paris. d. Le Figaro.
5. ________ was one of Fauré’s students.
a. Claude Debussy c. Nicole Niedermeyer
b. Nadia Boulanger d. Camille Saint-Saëns
6. Of which genre is Fauré considered to be a master?
a. opera c. string quartet
b. symphony d. song
7. Fauré’s Requiem was originally scored for
a. a chamber orchestra. c. a cappella performance.
b. a full orchestra. d. organ accompaniment.
8. The Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem features which vocal soloist?
a. soprano c. tenor
b. contralto d. baritone
9. The form of the Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem is
a. strophic. c. A-B-A.
b. rondo. d. through-composed.
10. The mood at the end of Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem is
a. ecstatic. c. serene.
b. mournful. d. dramatic.
11. Which self-conscious French style drew musical inspiration from Schubert’s songs?
a. Lied c. mélodie
b. parlor song d. minstrel song
12. Charles Baudelaire, Paul Verlaine, and Stéphane Mallarmé are examples of French
a. symbolist poets. c. opera stars.
b. post-Romantic composers. d. piano virtuosi.
13. What position did Fauré hold at Le Figaro?
a. editor c. critic
b. sports writer d. staff writer
14. What was the mission of the Société Musicale Indépendente?
a. to promote Fauré’s music
b. to further the cause of French music
c. to further the cause of German music in France
d. to further the cause of French music in Germany
15. Fauré was an influential critic at which major Paris newspaper?
a. Le Figaro c. the French News
b. Le Monde d. Société Musicale Indépendente
16. Fauré’s musical writing was in direct contrast to the German Romanticism of
a. Bach. c. Wagner.
b. Beethoven. d. Brahms.
17. What instrument introduces the Dies irae text in the Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem?
a. trombone c. French horn
b. tuba d. trumpet
18. Fauré’s Requiem has ________ movements.
a. five c. seven
b. four d. nine
19. Fauré’s Requiem was premiered in 1888 at the funeral of
a. a well-known architect. c. Claude Debussy.
b. his mother. d. Richard Wagner.
20. What is Fauré’s most famous work?
a. La donne chanson c. Cantique de Jean Racine
b. Requiem d. Messe basse
21. Where was Gabriel Fauré born?
a. Italy c. Germany
b. France d. England
22. Which of the following major musical streams were important to French Romantic composers?
a. salon piano music c. grand operatic productions
b. ballet d. All answers shown here.
23. The Libra me from Fauré’s Requiem is sung in
a. French. c. Latin.
b. Italian. d. a mixture of French and Latin.
24. The French horn introduces the ________ in the Libra me from Fauré’s Requiem.
a. Dies irae c. In Paradisum
b. opening d. Pie Jesu
25. Which composer’s musical writing was in direct contrast to the German Romanticism of Wagner?
a. Fauré c. Liszt
b. Chopin d. Brahms
TRUE/FALSE
1. The mélodie accommodated the unique features of the French language, yet drew inspiration from Schubert.
2. Sacred music was of little importance in French Romantic music.
3. As shown in his Requiem, Fauré preferred larger musical forms.
4. Fauré became director of the Paris Conservatory.
5. Because Fauré preferred small-scale musical forms, he composed no operas.
6. Maurice Ravel was one of Fauré’s music students.
7. Fauré altered the texts in his setting of the Requiem Mass.
8. Fauré’s Requiem is in the standard five movements.
9. The Pie Jesu from Fauré’s Requiem was originally sung by a boy soprano.
10. The dynamics in the Libera me from Fauré’s Requiem remain subdued throughout the movement.
11. French Romantic music warmly embraced the music of Richard Wagner.
12. Art song in France is called mélodie.
13. Symbolist poets inspired French song composers to write mélodie.
14. Fauré’s musical style was in direct contrast to German Romanticism.
15. Fauré also worked as a critic for Le Figaro.
ESSAY
1. Describe the musical characteristics of late-French Romanticism.
2. Describe how Fauré’s Requiem embodies the general music style of the composer.
3. How does French Romanticism differ from German Romanticism?
4. Discuss the development of the mélodie.