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CHAPTER 58 Modern Experiments: Gershwin and “Cultivated
Jazz”
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. George Gershwin first broke into the music business as a
a. band leader. c. song plugger.
b. film composer. d. composer of chamber music.
2. Where did George Gershwin grow up?
a. Boston c. Los Angeles
b. Manhattan d. Harlem
3. Who wrote many of the lyrics for George Gershwin’s songs?
a. Gershwin himself c. Duke Ellington
b. his brother, Ira d. Al Jolson
4. Which song provided George Gershwin with his first big hit?
a. Swanee c. Alexander’s Ragtime Band
b. They Can’t Take That Away From Me d. Embraceable You
5. Which types of works did George Gershwin compose?
a. film scores c. musicals
b. songs d. All answers shown here.
6. Which of the following characterizes the career of George Gershwin?
a. He won acclaim for Rhapsody in Blue.
b. He was a successful composer for Tin Pan Alley.
c. He unified popular and classical styles.
d. All answers shown here.
7. The premiere of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue was conducted by
a. Arturo Toscanini. c. Duke Ellington.
b. Paul Whiteman. d. Elmer Bernstein.
8. Which work did Gershwin compose in France?
a. Rhapsody in Blue c. Porgy and Bess
b. Concerto in F d. An American in Paris
9. Which work by George Gershwin was a collaborative effort between the composer, Whiteman, and Grofe?
a. Porgy and Bess c. American in Paris
b. Lady Be Good d. Rhapsody in Blue
10. Who was Ferde Grofe?
a. The principal arranger for the Whiteman Jazz Band.
b. The principal arranger for George Gershwin.
c. The principal arranger for Duke Ellington.
d. The leading jazz clarinet player of the 1920s.
11. Rhapsody in Blue is based on ________ musical ideas.
a. two c. five
b. three d. six
12. What was the job of a song plugger?
a. to demonstrate and sell sheet music c. to write songs
b. to fix bad songs d. All of the answers shown here.
13. Where was Tin Pan Alley?
a. Boston c. New York
b. Chicago d. Los Angeles
14. Which American composer first broke into the music business as a “song plugger”?
a. George Gershwin c. Duke Ellington
b. Stephen Foster d. Louis Armstrong
15. Which work is considered Gershwin’s masterpiece?
a. Rhapsody in Blue c. Porgy and Bess
b. Concerto in F d. An American in Paris
16. Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess is best described as a(n)
a. “experiment in music.” c. Tin Pan Alley song.
b. folk opera. d. Broadway musical.
17. George Gershwin’s primary instrument was
a. trumpet. c. clarinet.
b. piano. d. voice.
18. George Gershwin’s Tin Pan Alley songs incorporate
a. syncopations and harmonic variations that resemble jazz.
b. the use of the twelve-tone system.
c. very little syncopation.
d. harmonic principles learned by his close study of Schubert’s songs.
19. How did Gershwin describe the music of Tin Pan Alley to one of his teachers?
a. “I don’t like this musical clap-trap.” c. “This music has no future.”
b. “This is American music.” d. None of the answers shown here.
20. What musical style did Gershwin seek to expand into the cultivated sphere?
a. opera c. bebop
b. jazz d. swing
21. Who was the brainchild for the February 12, 1924, “An Experiment in Modern Music” concert?
a. George Gershwin c. Ferde Grofe
b. Paul Whiteman d. Duke Ellington
22. Which group premiered Rhapsody in Blue on February 12, 1924?
a. George Gershwin’s Jazz Cats c. Louis Armstrong’s Hot Five
b. the Whiteman Jazz Band d. the Duke Ellington Orchestra
23. Which renowned music teacher turned away Gershwin?
a. Nadia Boulanger c. Duke Ellington
b. Igor Stravinsky d. Paul Whiteman
24. Why did Nadia Boulanger NOT accept Gershwin as her student?
a. She thought he was a genius.
b. She was concerned that classical training would have a negative effect on his jazz-influenced style.
c. He couldn’t read music.
d. She had no interest in working with American musicians.
25. In some ways, Rhapsody in Blue is very much like a
a. piano concerto. c. folk opera.
b. piano sonata. d. free-form jazz exploration.
1. Although American popular songs from the early twentieth century capitalized on ragtime and jazz, they followed the conventions of
Foster’s parlor ballads.
2. One reason for Gershwin’s success is the harmonic simplicity of his music.
3. Gershwin wrote songs for both Broadway and Hollywood.
4. George Gershwin wrote all of the lyrics for his songs.
5. Gershwin’s orchestral work An American in Paris became the impetus for a Hollywood film.
6. Rhapsody in Blue is scored for orchestra and solo violin.
7. Rhapsody in Blue had its premiere in a concert entitled “An Experiment in Modern Music.”
8. George Gershwin was inspired by the goals of the Harlem Renaissance.
9. The premiere of Rhapsody in Blue took place in 1937.
10. Gershwin wrote and orchestrated Rhapsody in Blue.
11. Gershwin broke into the music business by working as a bookkeeper for a Tin Pan Alley publisher.
12. Gershwin worked for a publishing company known as Tin Pan Alley.
13. Gershwin enjoyed privileges as a white musician playing jazz that black musicians could not enjoy in the 1920s.
14. The Paul Whiteman Orchestra performed the premiere of Rhapsody in Blue.
15. Gershwin became one of Nadia Boulanger’s most beloved students.
1. Describe the collaborative compositional process of Rhapsody in Blue.
2. Describe Gershwin’s contribution to American music.
3. Describe the issues that surround the debate about whether Rhapsody in Blue truly is jazz.
