50. The Polish origins of Chopin’s mazurkas make them an example of nineteenth-century
a. secularism.
b. regionalism.
c. nationalism.
d. folk revivalism.
51. Chopin advised young pianists to listen carefully and often to
a. chamber sonatas.
b. great singers.
c. his concerts.
d. sounds in nature.
52. The opening theme of Chopin’s Mazurka in B♭, op. 7 no. 1 consists of a(n)
a. ascending major scale.
b. series of heavy, monumental chords in the low register.
c. fugal exposition.
d. descending minor scale.
53. The sections of Chopin’s Mazurka in B♭, op. 7, no. 1 repeat without variation to create a
a. homophonic chorale structure.
b. fugal structure.
c. sonata-form exposition.
d. rondo-like pattern.
54. What is the texture of Chopin’s Mazurka in Bb, op. 7, no. 1?
a. polyphony with pervading imitation
b. heterophony
c. homophony with an occasional drone bass
d. monophony
55. Chopin had a decade-long liaison with a female novelist whose pen name was
a. George Sand.
b. Mike Jabrinski.
c. Fred Doolittle.
d. Anastasia Darling.
56. Chopin suffered from
a. depression.
b. hydrophobia.
c. tuberculosis.
d. scurvy.
57. The “rubato” of Chopin’s piano compositions were described as being
a. akin to passionate speech.
b. like a thunderstorm, building in intensity.
c. simple and plain.
d. steady and unchanging.
58. Chopin
a. was Polish (with a little French).
b. wrote exclusively for the piano.
c. commented that he wished he could play his own compositions as well as Liszt.
d. all of the above.
59. Gottschalk wrote Union in order to
a. galvanize Northern sentiment in support of the war.
b. memorialize the culture of the Old South.
c. have a chance to show off his virtuosity.
d. both A and C.
60. Gottschalk’s Union contains the following patriotic tunes:
“This Is My Country,” “God Bless the U.S.A.,” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
“George M.,” “This Land Is My Land,” and “God Bless America.”
“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor,” “America the Beautiful,” and “Shenandoah.”
“The Star Spangled Banner,” “Hail, Columbia,” and “Yankee Doodle.”
61. During the Civil War, as with soldiers today, music provided
a. an important emotional outlet for soldiers in the field and their families back
home.
b. a source of comfort and inspiration.
c. entertainment.
d. all of the above.
62. The texture of Union moves generally from
a. polyphonic to monophonic.
b. homophonic to polyphonic.
c. polyphonic to homophonic.
d. heterophonic to homophonic.
63. The large leaps, rapid runs, and complicated rhythms of Union demonstrate its
a. nationalism.
b. American spirit.
c. authenticity.
d. virtuosity.
64. Whenever he played a concert, Louis Gottschalk would
a. take up an offering while playing, thus giving the idea for offertories in church.
b. always make a “ceremony” of taking off his white gloves before performing.
c. always wear gloves while he played, amazing the audience with his gliding
fingers.
d. walk around the piano three times backwards before being seated to play.
65. Ravi Shankar is known for his
a. expertise as a Hindu guru.
b. scholarship in Eastern philosophy.
c. collaboration with the 1960s rock band The Lovin’ Spoonful.
d. virtuosity and composition on sitar.
66. The sitar is most similar to which of the following instruments?
a. trumpet
b. guitar
c. clarinet
d. bongo drum
67. Which string instrument became well known through the Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood”
and the Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”?
a. tala
b. tabla
c. sitar
d. none of the above
68. How many raga are known and performed today in North Indian music?
a. 5
b. 9
c. 12
d. 72
69. Because Raga Sindhi-Bhairavi is a morning raga, which of the following would occur if
it was played with mistakes at sunrise?
a. The player would be banished.
b. It was thought to cause inclement weather.
c. It was believed to throw off the entire day because the musical vibrations would
be “out of synch” with the vibrations of the universe.
d. all of the above
70. Which instrument provides the drone in North Indian music?
a. shawm
b. tambura
c. tabla
d. raga
71. Which is the introductory section of Raga Sindi-Bhairavi?
a. jor
b. gat tora
c. jhala
d. alap
72. What is the word for the fixed, repeated cycles of rhythmic pulses in North Indian music?
a. jhala
b. tala
c. alap
d. raga
73. Which character from Verdi’s La Traviata is suffering from a terminal illness?
a. Alfredo
b. Rigoletto
c. the Count
d. Violetta
74. In La Traviata, which word did Verdi emphasize using vocal virtuosity?
a. “run!”
b. “enjoy!”
c. “love!”
d. “death!”
75. What type of melody is used in the accompanied recitative sections of La Traviata?
a. declamatory
b. virtuosic
c. lyrical
d. arioso
76. Through his art, Verdi sought to
a. revive ancient instrumental traditions.
b. unify Italy, which was still a loose confederation of small states.
c. remain apolitical.
d. revive the Baroque doctrine of affections.
77. In La Traviata, the lyrical melody of Alfredo’s voice is used to express
a. pleasure.
b. fear.
c. emotional love.
d. excitement.
78. Which of the following is not listed in the text as being a great “diva”?
a. Marilyn Horne
b. Leontyne Price
c. Maria Callas
d. Bette Midler
79. In Verdi’s opera, the orchestra supports the virtuosity of the voice. In Wagner’s
opera, the
a. voice and orchestra work as a single unit to serve the drama.
b. orchestral virtuosity overpowers the voice.
c. voices sing a cappella, with no instruments for most of the opera.
d. voices need no support because of their volume.
80. Major characters in Wagner’s The Valkyrie are
a. Wotan, Brunnhilde, and Siegfried.
b. Tristan and Isolde.
c. based upon the composer’s personal acquaintances.
d. Dora, Mildred, and Williagene.
81. Which is an example of Leitmotif?
a. the da capo section of an operatic aria
b. declamatory recitative
c. the arioso singing style
d. the music that is heard in Star Wars every time Darth Vader appears on screen
82. In The Valkyrie, Wotan’s spear is accompanied by
a. bright, constantly shifting music that darts around.
b. a steady, confident, downward-striding figure in the brass.
c. a descending line played softly by winds and high strings.
d. a bright, confident fanfare.
83. Which of the following is not a Wagnerian opera?
a. Tannhäuser
b. The Mastersingers of Nuremberg
c. The Magic Flute
d. The Rhine Gold
84. How are Wagner’s Leitmotif ideas developed in musical ways?
a. in similar ways to the themes of a sonata-form movement
b. using ritornello principle
c. through declamatory recitative
d. using pervading heterophony
85. The musical style of Brahms’s Symphony no. 4 can be characterized as
a. slow and peaceful throughout.
b. completely novel in its formal organization.
c. a synthesis of old and new.
d. all of the above.
86. Typically, an orchestral conductor
a. uses visual gestures to shape dynamics, rhythm, and texture.
b. beats the basic rhythm of the music.
c. calls out verbal directions during performance.
d. both A and B.
87. Brahms borrowed the theme for the finale to Symphony no. 4 from
a. Bach’s Cantata no. 150.
b. Beethoven’s Symphony no. 5.
c. early Gregorian chant.
d. the desk drawer of a fellow composer.
88. How does Brahms create an overall ternary structure in the finale of Symphony no. 2?
a. In the middle section, he drops the main theme and introduces a new one.
b. He follows a basic sonata-form layout.
c. He uses a ritornello layout.
d. He makes the middle variations slower and uses a contrasting key.
89. What was the primary way Brahms created contrast in the finale of Symphony no. 4?
a. adding vocal embellishments
b. using instruments that were new to the symphony, such as the saxophone
c. shifting orchestration and tone color
d. constantly shifting key centers
90. Johannes Brahms wrote a total of ______ symphonies.
a. 9
b. 41
c. 102
d. 4
91. Johannes Brahms was sometimes compared to which animal?
a. sheep
b. goat
c. hedgehog
d. lion
92. Brahms’s music was first brought to the attention of the public when he was 20, by
a. Robert Schumann, who was editor of one of the leading music journals of the day.
b. Clara Schumann, who secretly loved him.
c. Georg Sands, who knew music well due to her relationship with Tchaikovsky.
d. his own self-promotion and outgoing personality.
93. Brahms is buried
a. between Robert and Clara Schumann.
b. next to Beethoven.
c. in an unmarked grave.
d. in the United States.
94. Which textural technique did Dvořák use in the String Quartet in F Major op. 96 that
suggests a musical connection with both folk and African music?
a. heterophony
b. fugue
c. chorale setting
d. call-and-response
95. What scale did Dvořák consider to be common among the folk music of African-
American and Native American traditions?
a. octatonic
b. blues
c. pentatonic
d. tetrachordal
96. Antonín Dvořák wrote his String Quartet in F major, op. 96 in
a. Prague.
b. New York.
c. Vienna.
d. Iowa.
97. The “scherzo” form of the third movement of Dvořák’s String Quartet in F Major, op. 96
draws its basic structure from what formal type?
a. the exposition, development, and recapitulation of sonata form
b. the ABACA of a rondo
c. the ABA of a minuet
d. none of the above
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98. Dvořák creates a “folk–like” sound by
a. using a scale with fewer notes than the standard seven-note diatonic scale.
b. adding drums to the string quartet.
c. having the violins play like fiddles.
d. adding folk dancers as his works are performed.
99. As an ensemble, a string quartet
a. follows the expressive gestures of a conductor.
b. uses strictly acoustic instruments.
c. is akin to a rock band, in that it is often formed by the musicians themselves.
d. all of the above.