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Part 4: The Classical Era: 1750–1800
1. Throughout the Classical Era, artists in every field looked to __________ as a model.
a. nature
b. church
c. mathematics
d. mythology
2. In the eighteenth century, writers began to describe musical structure in terms of
a. light and darkness.
b. religion.
c. art.
d. language.
3. Mozart’s comic opera “The Marriage of Figaro” (1786) captures the growing mood
of __________ with the societal establishment in the decade leading up
to the _____________.
a. discontent; French Revolution
b. terror; Black Plague
c. apathy; 30 Years’ War
d. joy; Age of Absolutism
4. Which of the following is true of the Classical Era?
a. Churches and royal courts remained important centers of culture.
b. Theaters and concert halls open to the paying public began to flourish for the first
time on a widespread scale.
c. Vienna was the musical center of Europe.
d. All of the above
5. The first movement of a Classical Era string quartet usually
a. begins with a fugue.
b. is in a fast tempo, in what came to be known as “sonata form.”
c. is a slow movement.
d. uses the form and texture of the French Overture.
6. The third movement of a Classical Era string quartet usually
a. is in a rondo form.
b. uses a fugue.
c. is in the style of a dance called the minuet.
d. borrows its sonata-form theme from a popular tune of the day.
7. In the string quartet, the standard ranges of the singing voice (SATB) correspond to
a. violin, vielle, cello, viola da gamba.
b. violin 1, violin 2, viola, cello.
c. violin, lute, cello, string bass.
d. violin, tenor viol, violone, viola.
8. Which is the lowest voice of the string quartet?
a. viola
b. viola da gamba
c. cello
d. lute
9. In the second movement of Haydn’s String Quartet, op. 76, no. 3, Haydn
a. changes texture throughout.
b. utilizes a hymn-like presentation of the theme.
c. uses four-part polyphony.
d. all of the above.
10. Commentators have likened the string quartet texture to
a. the priest’s liturgy.
b. the flight of the bumblebee.
c. an academic oration.
d. a conversation among four voices.
11. The kind of phrase structure with antecedent and consequent units is called the ________
structure.
a. tone poem
b. rondo
c. periodic phrase
d. plagal
12. Which of the following acts as antecedent in the melody of the second movement of
Haydn’s String Quartet in C Major, op. 76, no. 3?
a. phrase A
b. phrases A and B
c. phrase B
d. phrases A, B, and C
13. The second half of the eighteenth century witnessed
a. a tremendous growth in amateur music making at home.
b. a move back to the basics of Gregorian chant.
c. the downfall of Haydn’s career.
d. the birth of opera.
14. Haydn
a. was poor and unknown throughout his lifetime.
b. worked for a royal family (the Esterházys).
c. wrote only operas and oratorios.
d. lived in London for most of his life and composed for King George’s funeral.
15. Which term refers to the use of a work to serve something other than its original purpose?
a. melodic cognition
b. musical appropriation
c. mensuration
d. modulation
16. What is the most famous new text for a melody from Haydn’s String Quartet,
op. 76, no. 3?
a. “God Save the King”
b. “Germany Above All Else”
c. “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
d. none of the above
17. What is the form of the second movement of Haydn’s String Quartet, op. 76, no. 3?
a. sonata form
b. fugue
c. minuet
d. theme and variations
18. How does Haydn treat the main melody in the second movement of the String Quartet,
op. 76, no. 3?
a. He changes its melodic contour with each repetition.
b. He keeps it almost completely intact in each variation.
c. He only states it once at the beginning of the exposition.
d. He puts it against itself in counterpoint as a fugal theme.
19. What is the formal structure of Cherry Blossom?
a. call-and-response
b. ternary
c. theme and variations
d. monophony
20. Cherry Blossom uses a folk melody from which country?
a. Japan
b. China
c. Korea
d. Cambodia
21. The characteristic focused sound of the koto comes from the
a. type of wood from which it is made.
b. method of playing the instrument.
c. dissonant intervals played on two strings at once.
d. tension of its strings, which produces few overtone partials.
22. The koto is a
a. lute.
b. wind instrument.
c. bowed violin.
d. plucked zither.
23. The term “extramusical” refers to
a. sounds beyond humanly audible pitch.
b. music that comes from a written score.
c. music that refers to ideas beyond the realm of sound.
d. ideas about musical virtuosity.
24. The sentiment of the “cherry blossom” in sakura symbolizes
a. the human life cycle.
b. the cultural importance of horticulture.
c. the changing of the seasons.
d. immortality.
25. The in mode of Cherry Blossom sounds similar to which Western mode?
a. major
b. minor
c. harmonic
d. ionian
26. What is the name for a five-tone mode?
a. aleatoric
b. pentatonic
c. triptych
d. diatonic
27. “Geisha” translates literally as
a. tea woman.
b. cherry blossom.
c. arts person.
d. goddess of beauty and love.
28. Geisha are paid for their accomplishments as
a. musicians.
b. dancers.
c. experts in tea ceremonies.
d. all of the above.
29. A dulcimer is a type of ________ from the Appalachian region of the United States.
a. lute
b. fiddle
c. jaw-harp
d. zither
30. A zheng is a plucked string instrument from
a. Japan.
b. Korea.
c. China.
d. Cambodia.
31. Some in Haydn’s audience though his symphonies reflected the
a. mathematical perfection of the Golden Mean.
b. musical styles of antiquity.
c. social ideals of the French Revolution.
d. all of the above.
32. How were Haydn’s symphonies received in London?
a. They were very popular.
b. Reception was tepid.
c. Audiences were angered by the new musical styles.
d. They were generally ignored.
33. How does Haydn create the “surprise” in the third movement of Symphony no. 102?
a. dramatic harmonic shifts
b. sudden change in dynamics
c. off-stage instrumentation
d. a programmatic depiction of a battle
34. A(n) ________ is a lively, stylized dance in triple meter.
a. pavane
b. allemande
c. contredanse
d. minuet
35. Haydn, Mozart, and others liked to use the rondo form in the finale of symphonies and
other multimovement works because rondos
a. are jaunty and bright, and their principal melodies are often quite catchy.
b. allow the symphony to slowly wind down to a serene conclusion.
c. are very complex and demonstrated the composer’s skill.
d. are the only acceptable form for the finale.
36. How many movements are in a Haydn symphony?
a. one
b. two
c. four
d. six
37. “Da capo” means
a. to the end.
b. “from the head,” or “from the top.”
c. with gusto.
d. to be played only in the palace.
38. The third movement of Haydn’s Symphony no. 102 utilizes
a. ternary form.
b. ABA form.
c. rounded binary form.
d. all of the above.
39. How did Haydn react to being in London?
a. He disliked the English cuisine.
b. He enjoyed being treated like a celebrity.
c. He quickly settled in with the composer’s guild.
d. He was homesick for Austria.
40. Concerts in Haydn’s time
a. were much longer than today, often lasting four hours or more.
b. were only open to the royal household.
c. gained notoriety for being sites of social unrest.
d. were never longer than a single symphony or concerto.
41. Concert manners in Haydn’s time
a. were strictly demarcated by class and social rank.
b. were more like those of a rock concert today.
c. established a sacred, church-like atmosphere.
d. were dependent on the whims of the king.
42. Where does the trio fit in Haydn’s Symphony no. 102?
a. just before the recapitulation of the sonata form
b. after the rondo
c. in the middle of the minuet form
d. There is no trio in Symphony no. 102.
43. A rondo form features a(n)
a. exposition that precedes the development section.
b. opening A section that returns repeatedly.
c. ternary structure.
d. none of the above.
44. The orchestras in Haydn’s time
a. were relatively small by modern standards.
b. did not include brass or wind instruments.
c. included a lute accompaniment.
d. all of the above.
45. Which percussion instrument was common in the symphony during Haydn’s time?
a. snare drum
b. wood blocks
c. crash cymbals
d. timpani
46. Sonata form can be thought of as a
a. form that began in the Middle Ages.
b. short-lived musical form.
c. free-flowing form.
d. drama in three acts.
47. If comparing sonata form structure to The Wizard of Oz, which character can be likened
to a theme from a secondary key area that reappears later in the tonic?
a. Auntie Em
b. the Wicked Witch of the West
c. Professor Marvel
d. the mayor of Munchkin City
48. The formal parts of sonata form are
a. exposition, development, recapitulation, and coda.
b. exposition, reposition, development, and da capo.
c. theme, exposition, analysis, and development.
d. theme, episode, restatement, and finale.
49. The development section of a sonata form
a. is generally harmonically unstable.
b. presents themes and transforms them so that they are different from the original
hearing.
c. falls between the exposition and recapitulation.
d. all of the above.
50. The exposition of a sonata form always
a. begins with pervading imitation.
b. modulates to a secondary key area.
c. uses word-painting to create drama.
d. begins in a major mode.
51. The second theme of the exposition
a. overtakes the primary theme in the development section.
b. is always in a minor mode.
c. tends to use the dotted rhythms of the French overture.
d. returns in the recapitulation, but in the tonic key.
52. If comparing sonata form to The Wizard of Oz, the tonic key
a. is represented by the Cowardly Lion.
b. corresponds to Dorothy’s home.
c. corresponds to where the film turns to color.
d. both B and C.
53. The “sighing motif” of Mozart’s Symphony no. 40 is first heard
a. as the first theme.
b. as the second theme.
c. in the development.
d. in the reposition.