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CHAPTER 70 Reality Shows: Adams and Contemporary Opera
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which of the following characterizes historical opera?
a. It seeks documentary-like authenticity.
b. It is a recent development in opera plots.
c. It evokes the emotions of historical figures.
d. All answers shown here.
2. In his post-minimalist style, John Adams combines minimalism with
a. chance music. c. electronic music.
b. serialism. d. neo-Romanticism.
3. Although educated at Harvard, John Adams has spent most of his career in
a. Paris, France. c. El Paso, Texas.
b. Vienna, Austria. d. San Francisco, California.
4. The music of John Adams reflects the influence of
a. rock. c. Mozart.
b. serialism. d. All answers shown here.
5. Which of the following composers wrote the opera Nixon in China?
a. Terry Riley c. Steve Reich
b. John Adams d. Philip Glass
6. John Adams’s opera Doctor Atomic is based on the life of
a. Albert Einstein. c. Richard Nixon.
b. J. Robert Oppenheimer. d. Hans Geiger.
7. The librettist of Doctor Atomic is
a. Peter Sellars. c. J. Robert Oppenheimer.
b. John Adams. d. John Donne.
8. Which of the following was a source for the libretto of Doctor Atomic?
a. John Donne’s poetry c. William Shakespeare’s sonnets
b. Einstein’s autobiography d. the Koran
9. The text for “At the sight of this,” from Doctor Atomic is taken from
a. the Bhagavad Gita. c. Oppenheimer’s diary.
b. the Bible. d. the poetry of John Donne.
10. Who wrote the music for the opera Doctor Atomic?
a. Peter Sellars c. Philip Glass
b. John Adams d. John Donne
11. Which composer is considered a post-minimalist?
a. John Adams c. Steve Reich
b. Philip Glass d. John Tavener
12. John Adams won ________ for On the Transmigration of Souls.
a. the Nobel Prize c. a Grammy for best new artist
b. the Pulitzer Prize d. the Medal of Honor
13. Which work by John Adams is based on the 1985 hijacking of a cruise liner by Palestinian terrorists?
a. On the Transmigration of Souls c. The Death of Klinghoffer
b. Short Ride in a Fast Machine d. Phrygian Gates
14. Which work by John Adams is based on the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer?
a. On the Transmigration of Souls c. The Death of Klinghoffer
b. Short Ride in a Fast Machine d. Doctor Atomic
15. What was Peter Sellars’ contribution to Doctor Atomic?
a. He wrote the music.
b. He wrote the libretto.
c. He premiered the role of Oppenheimer.
d. He had no role in the production.
16. The libretto of Doctor Atomic includes text from
a. 1940s popular songs. c. William Shakespeare’s sonnets.
b. sacred Hindu scripture. d. Einstein’s theory of relativity.
17. The libretto of Doctor Atomic includes poetry from
a. Robert Frost. c. William Shakespeare.
b. Charles Baudelaire. d. Allen Ginsberg.
18. Where does the opera Doctor Atomic take place?
a. New York City
b. San Francisco
c. Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico
d. NASA Headquarters in Houston
19. Who wrote the text for the aria “Batter my heart” from Doctor Atomic?
a. Peter Sellars c. John Donne
b. John Adams d. Charles Baudelaire
20. The aria “Batter my heart” from Doctor Atomic has musical influences from which era?
a. Renaissance c. Middle Ages
b. Baroque d. Romantic
21. What year does Doctor Atomic take place?
a. 1940 c. 1954
b. 1945 d. 1965
22. Doctor Atomic depicts events that took place during the ________ War.
a. First World c. Vietnam
b. Second World d. Korean
23. Which work by John Adams is based on events that take place during the Second World War?
a. On the Transmigration of Souls c. The Death of Klinghoffer
b. Short Ride in a Fast Machine d. Doctor Atomic
24. Who was the physicist that headed the team that developed the atomic bomb?
a. Albert Einstein c. Neil deGrasse Tyson
b. J. Robert Oppenheimer d. Hans Geiger
25. Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team developed ________ at the Los Alamos Laboratory in New Mexico.
a. post-minimalism c. the hydrogen bomb
b. the atomic bomb d. the rocket
1. John Adams can be considered a post-minimalist composer.
2. John Adams’s music exhibits elements of neo-Romanticism.
3. Nixon in China is an opera by Philip Glass.
4. Several of John Adams’s stage works are based on historical events.
5. John Adams won a Pulitzer Prize for The Death of Klinghoffer.
6. Doctor Atomic tells of the events leading to the initial test of the first atomic bomb.
7. The libretto of Doctor Atomic includes excerpts from the Hindu Bhagavad Gita, even though Oppenheimer was unfamiliar with that
text.
8. “At the sight of this” from Doctor Atomic includes electronic sonorities.
9. “Batter my heart” from Doctor Atomic includes text from Hindu scripture.
10. Adams’s opera The Death of Klinghoffer created a controversy.
11. Harmonielehre by John Adams pays homage to Arnold Schoenberg.
12. The setting for Doctor Atomic is the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
13. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s character sings the aria “At the sight of this” from Doctor Atomic.
14. John Adams wrote the music and libretto for Doctor Atomic.
15. Doctor Atomic takes place in 1945.
1. Discuss the similarities and differences between Tavener’s Hymn to the Mother of God and Adams’s “At the sight of this.”
2. Discuss the variety of sources for the libretto and music of Doctor. Atomic.
3. Using Doctor. Atomic as an example, discuss the tensions caused by using a controversial subject like the atomic bomb to create art.
4. Why is John Adams considered a post-minimalist composer?
