CHAPTER 53 Calculated Shock: Stravinsky and Modernist Mul-
timedia
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which Russian figure played a crucial role in the development of twentieth-century ballet?
a. Marius Petipa c. Mily Balakirev
b. Serge Diaghilev d. Modest Musorgsky
2. Which of the following was the Paris-based Russian ballet company that commissioned Stravinsky to write several ballets?
a. the Kirov c. the Ballets Russes
b. the Bolshoi d. the Paris Ballet
3. Which of the following figures were associated with the Ballets Russes?
a. Monet, Picasso c. Nijinsky, Schoenberg
b. Picasso, Nijinsky, Braque d. Braque, Monet, Picasso
4. Who was the choreographer for The Rite of Spring?
a. Nijinsky c. Roerich
b. Diaghilev d. Stravinsky
5. The Rite of Spring opened in Paris in 1913 to
a. great critical acclaim. c. a near riot.
b. audience indifference. d. an empty theater.
6. Which of the following was the Russian-born composer who wrote music in post-Impressionist, primitivist, neo-Classical, and twelve-
tone styles?
a. Bartók c. Prokofiev
b. Schoenberg d. Stravinsky
7. Which work provided crucial support for Stravinsky’s rise to prominence as a modernist composer?
a. The Rite of Spring c. The Soldier’s Tale
b. The Firebird d. Oedipus Rex
8. The Rite of Spring is a work by Stravinsky that reflects an interest in
a. Expressionism. c. primitivism.
b. Dadaism. d. surrealism.
9. Stravinsky immigrated to ________ at the onset of the Second World War.
a. the United States c. France
b. the Soviet Union d. England
10. The Rite of Spring is characterized by
a. the percussive use of dissonance. c. polytonality.
b. polyrhythms. d. All answers shown here.
11. The somewhat static quality of Stravinsky’s melodies and harmonies can be attributed in part to the use of
a. atonality. c. ostinatos.
b. mixed meters. d. loose forms.
12. Which of the following musical elements in The Rite of Spring could be considered the MOST innovative?
a. lush harmonies c. folklike melodies
b. unpredictable rhythms and meters d. harsh orchestration
13. The Introduction to Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring begins with a melody played on the
a. flute. c. French horn.
b. clarinet. d. bassoon.
14. Which of the following best describes the meter in Stravinsky’s Dance of the Youths and Maidens, from The Rite of Spring?
a. unpredictable accents set against a duple meter
b. a clear triple meter
c. unpredictable accents with no sense of regular meter
d. a floating quality with no accents
15. Serge Diaghilev was the impresario for which ballet company?
a. the Kirov c. the Ballets Russes
b. the Bolshoi d. the Paris Ballet
16. Which of the following dancers were associated with the Ballets Russes?
a. Nijinsky, Karsavina c. Nijinsky, Stravinksy
b. Picasso, Nijinsky, Braque d. Braque, Karasavina, Picasso
17. Who was the stage designer for The Rite of Spring?
a. Nijinsky c. Roerich
b. Diaghilev d. Stravinsky
18. The choreographer for The Rite of Spring included
a. jerky and irregular movements.
b. jumping up and down in place.
c. forming rotating geometric patterns onstage.
d. All answers shown here.
19. Who was the composer for The Rite of Spring?
a. Nijinsky c. Roerich
b. Diaghilev d. Stravinsky
20. Which of the following Stravinsky works is from his primitivist period?
a. Symphony of Psalms c. The Rite of Spring
b. Agon d. Oedipus Rex
21. What was Stravinsky’s nationality?
a. American c. French
b. Russian d. German
22. What does the Introduction to Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring evoke?
a. the awakening of the earth in spring c. a celebration of the equinox
b. the coming of winter d. Thanksgiving
23. Which of the following are ballets by Stravinsky?
a. Daphnis and Chloé, The Rite of Spring, Oedipus Rex
b. The Firebird, Petrushka, The Rite of Spring
c. Petrushka, The Soldier’s Tale, The Rite of Spring
d. The Rite of Spring, Oedipus Rex, The Firebird
24. What happens at the end of The Rite of Spring?
a. The earth awakens in spring.
b. The “chosen one” dances herself to death.
c. The “chosen one” gets married.
d. A feast is held to honor the “chosen one.”
25. Which of the following Stravinsky works is from his primitivist period?
a. Symphony of Psalms c. The Rite of Spring
b. Agon d. Oedipus Rex
26. Stravinsky’s early ballets are all
a. strongly nationalistic. c. works interested in primitivism.
b. traditional works. d. rarely performed today.
1. The home of the Ballets Russes was Moscow.
2. Nijinsky’s choreography for The Rite of Spring was considered groundbreaking.
3. Stravinsky’s ballets all achieved immediate popularity with their audiences.
4. The opening-night audience of The Rite of Spring was undoubtedly startled and repelled by the pagan rites being depicted.
5. Stravinsky’s ballet The Rite of Spring had a revolutionary impact on music of the twentieth century.
6. In The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky quotes and imitates Russian folk melodies.
7. After living in France for many years, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky eventually became a U.S. citizen.
8. Stravinsky tried his hand at many compositional styles throughout his career.
9. Stravinsky’s greatest contribution to the art music of the twentieth century is thought to be his development of the twelve-tone
method.
10. Because the music of The Rite of Spring was tied to unpopular choreography, it has been seldom played since the ballet’s premiere.
11. Serge Diaghilev was the impresario behind the Ballets Russes.
12. Picasso and Braque choreographed works for the Ballets Russes.
13. The Rite of Spring tells the story of a young maiden in search of her lost love.
14. The Rite of Spring includes the use of polyrhythms and polytonality.
15. Stravinsky minimizes harmonic changes in The Rite of Spring through the use of ostinatos.
16. Stravinsky was born in the United States, but he established his career in Paris.
17. Stravinsky studied composition with Diaghilev.
18. Ballets commissioned by Diaghilev helped launch Stravinsky’s career.
1. In what ways does The Rite of Spring exemplify collaborative multimedia?
2. Discuss how Stravinsky reflected several main currents in twentieth-century music, citing specific examples.
3. Discuss the musical innovations heard in The Rite of Spring.
4. Discuss why a 1913 audience found The Rite of Spring shocking.