Music Appreciation, Unit 4: The Classical Period PRACTICE – Flashcards
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Beethoven gave his Piano Sonata in C Minor, Op. 13, the title ______ because of its passionate character.
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Pathetique
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Which of the following adjectives summarize or typify the music of Mozart?
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- innovative harmonies contrasting with song-like lyricism - balance, restraint, and proportion - ease, grace, and spontaneity
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One reason that basso _______ became obsolete during the classical era was that more and more music was written for amateurs who could not master the difficult art of improvising from a figured bass.
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continuo
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A work for string quartet in the classical era had the same pattern of movements as a symphony, except that
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sometimes the minuet and trio is the second movement, and the slow movement is the third.
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Which of the following are true statements about the career of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
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- he fell int debt after his popularity with the musical public declined - he left his position as a court musician in early life - he worked as a freelance musician
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Which of the following are common characteristics of the first movement of a classical symphony?
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- a slow introduction may precede a fast tempo for the rest of the movement. - it is usually in sonata (sonata-allegro) form. - it has fast tempo and dramatic mood
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The element of music that sounds loud or soft (quiet) is
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dynamics.
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Which of the following techniques summarize Mozart's operas?
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- ability to bring characters to life through music by drawing on his inexhaustible gift for melody - coordination of music and stage action - keen sense of theater, with humorous and serious characters in his comic opera plots.
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Late baroque music was characterized by a ______ texture, whereas classical music is basically ______ in texture.
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polyphonic; homophonic
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Which two sequences best represent musical developments in Europe in the period 1750-1820?
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- polyphony > tuneful melody and simple harmony > contrasts of mood and theme > balance and clarity - baroque > preclassical > style galant (rococo) > classical
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In the theme-and-variations form of the classical period,
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each variation is usually about the same length as the theme.
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In a classical-era work for orchestra or string quarter, the tempos of the four movements typically followed which of the following patterns?
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Fast/slow/dance-related/fast
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Which of the following are true statements about the cadenza in most classical concertos?
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- Cadenzas were originally improvised but later were written out by the composer. - The orchestra momentarily stops playing while the soloist plays dazzling scale passages and broken chords. - The point in the movement when the cadenza is to be played is indicated by a fermata.
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Which of the following were sections (groups) of instruments in the typical orchestra of Haydn or Mozart?
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- woodwinds - strings - brass
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Which of the following sequences accurately represent minuet and trio form?
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minuet > trio > minuet
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Who were the tree master composers of the classical era?
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- Beethoven - Haydn - Mozart
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Which of the following best describes the balance and symmetry in atypical melody of the classical era having the form A A'?
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A phrase with an inconclusive ending followed by a phrase with a conclusive ending
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Which of the following are true statements about the classical concertos?
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- There are many ways of combining the soloist and orchestra, such as the soloist accompanying the orchestra when it has the theme. - The classical concerto combines the wide range of dynamics and tone colors of the orchestra with the curiosity of the soloist. - the classical concerto is a three-movement work for instrumental soloist and orchestra.
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Which of the following best describes the rondo form?
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A tuneful main theme returns in alteration with other themes (as in the form ABACA).
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True or false: Flexibility of rhythm was not a characteristic of the classical style.
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False
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Which of the following lists best describes changes in artistic styles in the eighteenth century?
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monumental baroque > graceful rococo > neoclassical
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Which of the following statements about the three style periods into which Beethoven's works are usually divided?
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- Beethoven's first style period (up to 1802) showed Beethoven's unique style emerging from the influence of Haydn and Mozart. - During his third style period (1814-1827), Beethoven wrote fugues and surprisingly "modern" music that was difficult the play.
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Which of the following are true statements about the first movement of a classical concerto?
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- The first movement begins with only the orchestra playing. - The first movement is in sonata (sonata-allegro) form with two expositions. - There is no modulation to a new key until near the end of the second exposition.
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Which of the following accurately describe mood in classical-era music, particularly in contrast to baroque music?
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- A classical era movement had contrasts within themes. - Classical music fluctuated from dramatic to carefree moods. - A classical-era movement had multiple themes.
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Which of the following are accurate assessments of Haydn's musical style?
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- It was influenced by folk music and his love of nature. - It often had a sense of humor. - It was robust, direct, and with a sense of optimism.
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Which of the following statements accurately interpret the influence of middle-class tastes on classical music?
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- Classical composers wrote more comic operas, some with plots that ridiculed the aristocracy. - Early classical composers wrote pieces that were easy for amateurs to play. - Classical composers used folk songs as themes in instrumental music and composed melodies with a rustic (country) flavor.
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Which of the following statements about Beethoven's musical style are correct?
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- Beethoven composed long movements, yet used various means of unity to give his works cohesion. - Using the classical forms and techniques of Mozart and Haydn, Beethoven added innovations that bridged the classic and romantic eras. - Beethoven's music has strong tension and dissonances, wide ranges of pitch and dynamics, and titanic climaxes.
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Which of the following sequences correctly represents the typical sequence of events in the exposition of a classical-era sonata form?
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first theme > bridge > second theme > closing section > repeat from the beginning
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Which of the following are accurate characterizations of Haydn's technique of composing?
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- Variety was created from many changes in texture, key, rhythm, dynamics, and orchestration. - Haydn was prone to modifying rules of composition and experimenting with the new methods or forms. - Haydn's themes are often humorous, achieved by unexpected pauses and sudden shifts in tempo, dynamics, or pitch.
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Which of the following statements describe how the middle-class public of the classical era enjoyed music?
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- They bought tickets to public concerts of symphonies and concertos. - They paid for music lessons for family members. - They purchased instruments and printed music for use in the home.
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Which of the following are true statements about Beethoven's piano sonatas?
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- Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas benefited from the expanded capabilities resulting from advances in the manufacture of the piano. - Beethoven experimented and tested new ideas in his piano sonatas, some of which were then used in his string quartets. - Beethoven experimented and tested new ideas in his piano sonatas, some of which were then used in his symphonies.
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Which of the following are characteristics of rhythm in music of the classical era?
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- In classical music, a change from one rhythmic pattern to another might be sudden or gradual. - Classical music has unexpected pauses and syncopations. - Classical music had changes in rhythm within a movement.
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Which of the following are accurate statements about Beethoven's symphonies?
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- Beethoven completed nine symphonies. They are entirely instrumental, except the Ninth Symphony. - The Finale movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony calls for four vocal soloists and a choir. - Beethoven's odd-numbered symphonies are powerful and assertive; his even-numbered symphonies are clam and lyrical.
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As an alternative to the minuet-and-trio form for his third movements, Beethoven often used the
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scherzo.
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Which of the following are true statements about rondo form?
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- In the rondo pattern A B A C A B A, the C theme may be replaced by a development section to create a sonata-rondo. - A rondo can be an independent movement or the final movement of a multimovement work such as a symphony or sonata.
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Which of the following changes in European culture took place between the baroque era and the classical era?
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- Voltaire and other philosophers believed in progress. - Political and economic power shifted from the aristocracy to the middle class. - Human conduct was increasingly guided by reason rather than custom or tradition.
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Which of the following statements indicate significant aspects of Mozart's Piano Concerto in A Major, K. 488?
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- This concerto was written in a period (October 1785 to May 1786) when Mozart composed a number of important concertos, operas, and other music. - The lyrical and elegant mood of this concerto and its key of A major is shared by a love duet in Don Giovanni and the Clarinet Concerto in A Major. - Mozart wrote that this concerto was one of "the compositions I keep for myself..."
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Which of the following statements about Mozart's final years and premature death are accurate?
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The failure of the opera Don Giovanni in Vienna led to a decline in Mozart's popularity.
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True or false: Unlike earlier composers, classical composers did not readily employ one type of instrument in place of another, such as an oboe for a violin.
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True
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Which of the following are true statements about Beethoven's final years?
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- After 1818, out of total deafness, Beethoven composed magnificent piano sonatas, string quartets, and the Ninth Symphony. - Beethoven used ear trumpets, and in conversations, people had to write their questions and comments in notebooks for him to read. - After age 44, Beethoven was so deaf he could not perform piano in public, and his conducting was ineffective.
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Which of the following are true statements about Beethoven's adult career?
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- Soon after arriving in Vienna, Beethoven became popular with the public and nobility alike. - Beethoven began to go deaf in his late twenties but found new determination to be a composer in his Heiligenstadt Testament (1802).
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Which of the following composers worked in Vienna during the classical period?
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- Beethoven - Mozart - Haydn
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Which of the following are true statements about Haydn in his later career?
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- He composed twelve symphonies for performance in London in the 1790s. - His music became popular all over Europe. - Choruses and orchestras were formed solely to perform his oratorios The Creation and The Seasons.
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Which of the following correctly represent the typical sequence of events in a movement in sonata-allegro (sonata) form?
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exposition > development > recapitulation > coda
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In the classical symphony, how did Beethoven's fourth movements differ from those of Haydn and Mozart?
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With Beethoven, the fourth movements tended to be more triumphant in character.
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Which of the following are true statements about Beethoven's childhood and youth?
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- As an adolescent, Beethoven impressed Mozart with his performance skills. - Before he was a teenager he had several piano pieces published. - He was born in Bonn, Germany, into a musical family.
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Which of the following are true statements about Mozart's child and youth?
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- He learned the characteristic music of each country and city he visited, such as opera in Italy. - He was a child prodigy who toured throughout Europe, performing before the public and before Louis XV of France and other royalty. - He could improvise fugues at age 6, compose symphonies by age 8, and wrote an opera at age 12.
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Which of the following are true statements about Haydn's early career?
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- Haydn entered the service of the Esterhazy family, for whom he worked for almost thirty years. - Haydn composed a vast amount of music in many forms. - Haydn was given the rank of skilled servant.
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The crucial aspect of the recapitulation in a sonata movement is that
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the bridge between the first and second themes does not modulate, and the second theme is in the tonic key.
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Which of the following is an example of music in theme-and-variations form?
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The second movement of Haydn's Symphony No. 94 in g Major
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Which of the following are true statements about Haydn's childhood and youth?
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- Haydn was born in an Austrian village. - For a time, Haydn was a poor street musician. - Haydn served as a choirboy in Vienna.
