Baroque Era Test – Flashcards

During the seventeenth century, women who desired a public voice through music often joined a:

Which of the following was a reason that a woman would join a convent during the seventeenth century?
a. to avoid an unwanted marriage
b. to seek asylum after being widowed
c. to have an outlet for musical talent
d. all of the above

the canticle of Mary is generally known as the

during which service does the magnificat occur?

what services did Chiara Margarita Cozzolani provide for the convent of St. Radegonda?
a. director of choirs
b. abbess and prioress
c. composer
d. all of the above

what is a type of music NOT composed by Chiara Margarita Cozzolani?

the dramatic and mystical qualities of Cozzolani’s setting of the Magnificat are similar to those of what other significant artwork?

Of the following, which characterizes Cozzolani’s music for the Magnificat?
a. imitative polyphony throughout
b. an ABA structure
c. expressive and rich in word-painting
d. all of the above

what are the performing forces for Cozzolani’s magnificat?

the prayer of praise at the end of the Magnificat is called the

a drama that is sung is called a

the vocal style in opera that imitates the natural inflections of speech is called

a highly emotional song in an opera is called a

the orchestral introduction at the beginning of an opera is called the

the text of an opera is called the

what composer is regarded as the first master of opera?

which cultural center rejected italian opera?

a type of English entertainment combining music, poetry, and dance was called the

the greatest native-born English composer of Baroque was

Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas was composed for

who was the librettist of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas?

what epic poem was the basis for Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas?

Dido sings her famous lament in Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas just prior to:

Dido’s lament for Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas is composed

Luther believed that music belonged to the

in the Lutheran church, the weekly hymns sung by the congregation were called

which of the following does NOT describe the chorale?
a. intended to be sung by the congregation
b. four part harmony
c. text in german
d. simple and memorable melodies

the sacred cantata was an integral part of the

the expansion of the chorale with new poetry resulted in the

during his musical career, Johann Sebastian Bach held position of:
a. cantor of St. Thomans Church in Leipzig
b. court organist and chamber musician to the duke of Weimar
c. court musician to the prince of Ahjalt-Cothen
d. all of the above

Johann Sebastian Bach was most famous in his day as a performer on the

what would listeners hear in a typical Bach chorale?

what is the form of the chorale tune Wachet Auf?

Bach’s cantata no. 140, Wachet Auf, has how many movements?

the opening movement of Bach’s cantata Wachet Auf is best described as a

the fourth movement of Bach’s cantata Wachet Auf has three musical lines:

Handel’s Messiah is a

What is Handel’s most famous oratorio, frequently performed today?

Why is Messiah so popular in Britain and America today?
a. sung in english
b. first part is appropriate for the christmas season
c. it combines vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra
d. all of the above

which of the following does NOT characterize an oratorio?
a. elaborate scenery
b. recitatives
c. arias
d. choruses

the stories for oratorios are generally drawn from

George Frideric Handel is considered master of the

Who was born in Germany and studied in Italy, but spend much of his creative life in England?

When Handel arrived in London, he established his fame by composing

Later in life, Handel turned his efforts from the opera to the

the subject of the second part of Messiah is

the orchestra for Messiah relies primarily on the

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” from Messiah is an example of

what is ritornello?

the famous choral climax of Handel’s Messiah is

which of the following does NOT characterize the Hallelujah Chorus?
a. varied dynamics
b. fugal passages
c. homophonic passages
d. a cappella setting

in seventeenth century New England, the puritan practice of singing that is based on call and response was called

what is the basic texture of the practice of lining-out?

why was lining-out developed?
a. most people could not read music
b. most people could not afford to buy a psalm book
c. the church wanted everyone to participate equally in services
d. all of the above

what is heterophonic texture?

which of the following was NOT a musical development in the seventeenth century?
a. polyphonic settings of sacred music began to appear
b, singing schools began teaching music
c. american composers were discouraged from writing music
d. shape-note singing was developed

which of the following does NOT characterize shape-note notation?
a. it was created in order to standardize sacred melodies
b. it was based on solfege, syllables used to memorize music
c. the shape of a note denoted its solfege syllable
d. it was first applied to tutorials for piano playing

how can the career of William Billings be described?

Billings’s best-known publication is

the form of Billings’s David’s Lamentation is

what is the texture of Billings’s David’s Lamentation?

of the following, what contributes to the simplicity of Billings’s David’s Lamentation?
a. mostly stepwise melodies
b. consonant harmonies
c. duple meter and regular rhythmic patterns
d. all of these

what describes Spanish attitudes toward indigenous American peoples?

which of the following musical activities in NOT associated with Gaspar Fernanded?
a. playing organ
b. composing operas
c. teaching music to choirboys
d. collecting music performed in Mexico at the time

which of the following does NOT characterize the villancico by Fernandes?
a. images of christianity mixed with those of the aztec religion
b. an ensemble refrain
c. notation that includes parts for organ and other instruments
d. a frequent short-long rhythm

the first era of western music history in which instrumental music was a major focus for composers was the

which of the following does NOT describe instrumental music in the Baroque era?
a. the flowering of instrumental music was largely encouraged by wealthy patrons
b. elaborate instrumental music often accompanied grand celebrations
c. new technologies made more sophisticated instruments possible
d. instrumental music became the central focus of western concert music at this time

which of the following is NOT a major difference between Baroque and modern violins?
a. the general shape of the instrument
b. the type of strings
c. the playing techniques
d. the cost of the instrument

during the Baroque, which of the woodwind instruments became associated with a somber mood?

which of the following instruments was NOT made of wood during Baroque?
a. recorder
b. oboe
c. trumpet
d. flute

which of the following does NOT characterize the Baroque suite?
a. consists of a series of dances
b. movements are in contrasting keys
c. each movements is a dance type from a different country
d. the movements have contrasts of tempo and character

which of the following dance types was NOT standard in a Baroque suite?
a. allemande
b. sarabande
c. courante
d. tarantella

what is the most common form of the individual movement in a suite?

baroque composers applied the concept of the suite to:
a. solo instrumental music
b. keyboard music
c. orchestral music
d. all of the above

handel’s Water Music is best described as

why is the music for Handel’s Water Music marked by lively rhythms and catchy melodies?

the Alla hornpipe movement from Water Music is characterized by

the instrumental form based on the contrast of two dissimilar bodies of sound is called a

the typical solo concerto has how many movements?

the *blank* form in a concerto is loosely based on the alternation between orchestral statements and virtuosic passages for the soloist.

a ritornello form in a concerto is typically found in

who was the greatest and most prolific italian composer of concertos?

antonia vivaldi was known as the “red priest” for

vivaldi lived and worked in

What is Vivaldi’s best-known set of concertos?

the solo instrument in Spring from The Four Seasons is the

Which of the following does NOT characterize Vivaldi’s Four Seasons?
a. based on poems
b. avoid ritornello form
c. convey pictoral images
d. structured in three movement forms

the opening movement of Spring from The Four Seasons is in what form?

in the slow movement of Spring, Vivaldi evokes a dog’s parking through

which of the following was NOT an important keyboard instrument during the Baroque?
a. harpsichord
b. piano
c. organ
d. clavichord

What keyboard instrument is plucked by quills?

the harpsichord is different from the piano because:
a. sometimes has two keyboards
b. strings are plucked
c. not capable of wide dynamic range
d. all of the above

the keyboard instrument that uses various sets of pipes to create contrasting colors is?

what is toccata?

what is the keyboard form that is based on the principle of voices imitating each other?

what is the principal element of a fugue?

after the first statement of the fugue subject, the second entrance of the subject is called the

the opening section of a fugue, in which all voices successively introduce the subject is called the

in a fugue, the areas of relaxation where the subject is not heard are called

which of the following is NOT a contrapuntal device that alters the orginal theme of a fugue?
a. augmenation
b. retrograde
c. prelude
d. diminution

in a fugue, the technique of stating the theme in shorter time values that go faster is called

in the field of keyboard music, Bach’s most important collection was

what is the title of a set of 48 preludes and fugues by Bach?

how many preludes and fugues are contained in the two well tempered clavier volumes?

Bach’s last demonstration of contrapuntal mastery was

how many voices or individual lines are there in Bach’s contrapunctus 1, from the art of the fugue?

by which voice is the subject first stated in contrapunctus 1 from the art of the fugue?

TRUE or FALSE: Creative voices from groups excluded from equal opportunity seldom have any emotional impact.

TRUE or FALSE: Women who made a name for themselves as professional musicians were often viewed as having low morals.

TRUE or FALSE: The convent of St. Radegonda in Milan was famous for its music-making.

TRUE or FALSE: The Catholic Church supported the performances of nuns in public and their use of polyphony.

TRUE or FALSE: In convents, men frequently joined the nuns’ choir in order to perform the bass parts.

TRUE or FALSE: Although coming from the family of a wealthy Milanese merchant, Chiara Margarita Cozzolani entered a convent and professed her final vows at age eighteen.

TRUE or FALSE: In Cozzolani’s ‘Magnificat’, the choirs often sing in homophony.

TRUE or FALSE: In opera, the lyric melodies that release emotional tension are called recitatives.

TRUE or FALSE: Early operas, such as Monteverdi’s ‘Orfeo’, were simple productions for intimate gatherings.

TRUE or FALSE: The first public opera houses opened in Venice.

TRUE or FALSE: In seventeenth-century England, the masque was a popular type of aristocratic entertainment that combined vocal instrumental music with poetry and dance.

TRUE or FALSE: Purcell’s ‘Dido and Aeneas’ was first performed in a public opera house.

TRUE or FALSE: The aria “When I am laid in earth” is unified by a ground bass on a descending chromatic scale.

TRUE or FALSE: The aria “When I am laid in earth” is accompanied by continuo only.

TRUE or FALSE: Luther believed that professional musicians had no place in a church service.

TRUE or False: A chorale is a hymn tune associated with German Protestantism.

TRUE or FALSE: Chorales were intended to be sung by a trained choir.

TRUE or FALSE: The texts for chorales were always taken directly from the Bible.

TRUE or FALSE: Bach completed over two hundred cantatas.

TRUE or FALSE: Johann Sebastian Bach lived a short, unhappy life and had no children.

TRUE or FALSE: During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was known primarily as a great organist.

TRUE or FALSE: All the movements of Bach’s Cantata No. 140 make use of the chorale tune ‘Wachet auf’.

TRUE or FALSE: In ‘Wachet auf’, Bach avoids mirroring the form of the chorale in his chorale movements.

TRUE or FALSE: A ‘bar form’ has the structure of A-A-B.

TRUE or FALSE: An oratorio is a dramatic, staged work with elaborate scenery and costumes.

TRUE or FALSE: The role of a chorus is especially important in the oratorio.

TRUE or FALSE: Handel wrote his oratorio ‘Messiah’ over a period of four years.

TRUE or FALSE: The libretto for Handel’s oratorio ‘Messiah’ is a compilation of verses from the Old and New Testaments.

TRUE or FALSE: Handel’s ‘Messiah’ is divided into three parts.

TRUE or FALSE: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion” is in bar form.

TRUE or FALSE: The “Hallelujah Chorus” is the climax of the Christmas section of ‘Messiah’.

TRUE or FALSE: Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” includes a variety of textures.

TRUE or FALSE: Lining-out was a system designed to promote polyphony in America.

TRUE or FALSE: Lining-out often involved heterophony.

TRUE or FALSE: Shape-note notation was designed to help the general public read music.

TRUE or FALSE: William Billings was the first highly trained composer active in America.

TRUE or FALSE: Billings’s four-part compositions generally placed the main melody in the soprano.

TRUE or FALSE: The text for Billings’s ‘David’s Lamentation’ is derived from the Bible.

TRUE or FALSE: Missionaries taught American natives plainchant exclusively in Latin.

TRUE or FALSE: The incorporation of percussion instruments in Fernandes’s villancico is not indicated in the score but suggested by various historical documents.

TRUE or FALSE: The Renaissance period was the first in which instrumental music was comparable in importance to vocal music.

TRUE or FALSE: Stradivarius, Guarneri, and Amati were famous makers of violins during the Baroque era.

TRUE or FALSE: The invention of valves enable Baroque trumpet players to become virtuosos.

TRUE or FALSE: Today, Baroque music is played exclusively on modern instruments.

TRUE or FALSE: The standard Baroque suite consists of a variety of international dance types.

TRUE or FALSE: Baroque suites were composed for orchestra only.

TRUE or FALSE: Handel’s ‘Water Music’ received its name because of the depiction of waves in the Alla hornpipe.

TRUE or FALSE: The Alla hornpipe from Handel’s ‘Water Music’ is in ternary form.

TRUE or FALSE: The typical Baroque concerto is written for a solo instrument with a continuo accompaniment.

TRUE or FALSE: The concerto lends itself to virtuoso playing.

TRUE or FALSE: The tempos in a three-movement concerto are Adagio-Allegro-Andante.

TRUE or FALSE: Antonio Vivaldi composed over two hundred concertos for solo violin.

TRUE or FALSE: Vivaldi lived in Rome, where he taught music at a girls’ school.

TRUE or FALSE: Bach composed the famous set of works known as the ‘Brandenburg Concertos’.

TRUE or FALSE: ‘The Four Seasons’ is considered to be program music.

TRUE or FALSE: In ‘Spring’ from ‘The Four Seasons’, all of the images are created in the orchestra passages.

TRUE or FALSE: The most important keyboard instruments of the Baroque were the harpsichord, organ and piano.

TRUE or FALSE: The strings of a harpsichord are plucked by quills.

TRUE or FALSE: The advantage of the harpsichord was its ability to produce crescendos and diminuendos.

TRUE or FALSE: The organ has multiple keyboards.

TRUE or FALSE: A fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a single subject is the focal point that unifies the work.

TRUE or FALSE: A fugue is a form intended exclusively for solo keyboard performance.

TRUE or FALSE: At the beginning of a fugue, the countersubject is stated alone.

TRUE or FALSE: Johann Sebastian Bach’s ‘Art of Fugue’ is now generally considered to be a keyboard work.