question

The approximate dates of the Baroque period are:

answer

1600-1750.

question

Which of the following does NOT characterize the Baroque era?

answer

an age of freedom and democracy

question

John Milton's Paradise Lost is an epic poem expressing the views of:

answer

Protestantism

question

Which best describes how Baroque musicians made a living?

answer

as servants to royalty or nobility as members of the church as employees of a free city

question

The Baroque period witnessed a new style of music, which featured a single vocal melody with accompaniment. This was known as:

answer

monody

question

The introduction of monody in music represented a major shift in texture from:

answer

polyphonic to homophonic.

question

The group of early Baroque writers, artists, and musicians whose aim was to resurrect the musical drama of ancient Greece was known as:

answer

the Florentine Camerata.

question

The ideas and music of the Florentine Camerata led the way directly toward:

answer

the development of opera.

question

Which two instruments would most likely have played the basso continuo in the Baroque era?

answer

cello and harpsichord

question

The Baroque technique of placing numerals, indicating the harmony required, above or below the bass notes, is called:

answer

figured bass.

question

The primary tonality used during the Baroque was:

answer

major-minor.

question

A system of slightly adjusting the tuning of intervals within the octave, thus making it possible to play in every major and minor key, was called:

answer

equal temperament

question

All of the following characterize Baroque musical style EXCEPT:

answer

harmonies built on the early church modes.

question

Which best describes the relentless beat and regular accent of later Baroque music?

answer

vigorous rhythm

question

The artificially created male soprano or alto who dominated opera was known as:

answer

the castrato.

question

The Baroque performance practice where musicians embellished the melodies was called:

answer

improvisation.

question

Women's roles in Baroque music:

answer

expanded into professional performance careers including opera

question

A drama that is sung is called:

answer

a madrigal.

question

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

answer

madrigal.

question

It was through the musical innovations of the _____ that opera was born.

answer

Florentine Camerata

question

A highly emotional song in an opera is called:

answer

an aria.

question

The orchestral introduction heard at the beginning of an opera is called:

answer

an overture.

question

The text of an opera is called:

answer

the libretto.

question

Who is best viewed as the first master of opera?

answer

Monteverdi

question

The earliest operas took their plots from:

answer

Greek mythology.

question

The English type of entertainment combining music, poetry, and dance was called:

answer

masque.

question

The greatest native English composer of the Baroque was:

answer

Henry Purcell.

question

Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas was composed for:

answer

a girl's school production.

question

On which epic poem was Purcell's opera Dido and Aeneas based?

answer

Virgil's The Aeneid

question

Dido's Lament from Purcell's opera Dido and Aenaes is composed:

answer

over a ground bass.

question

The sacred cantata was an integral part of the:

answer

Lutheran church.

question

The chorale is a type of hymn tune created by:

answer

Martin Luther.

question

The chorale tune A Mighty Fortress Is Our God was:

answer

written by Martin Luther.

question

The opening movement of Bach's cantata A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is best described as:

answer

a chorale fugue.

question

Which does NOT characterize an oratorio?

answer

elaborate scenery

question

George Frideric Handel was considered a master of:

answer

the oratorio.

question

Late in life, Handel turned his efforts from the opera to:

answer

the oratorio.

question

Handel's Messiah is:

answer

an oratorio.

question

The famous choral climax in Part II of Handel's Messiah is:

answer

"Hallelujah Chorus."

question

The first era of Western music in which instrumental music was as important as vocal music was the:

answer

Baroque era.

question

The Baroque era witnessed the appearance of the:

answer

solo concerto. concerto grosso.

question

The instrumental form based on the contrast of two dissimilar masses of sound is called:

answer

the concerto.

question

The solo concerto is:

answer

an instrumental work, usually in three movements, that features one performer supported by an accompanying group of instruments.

question

Who was the greatest and most prolific Italian composer of concertos?

answer

Vivaldi

question

Vivaldi lived and worked in:

answer

Venice.

question

Which of the following is a well known set of concertos by Vivaldi?

answer

The Four Seasons

question

The solo instrument in Spring from The Four Seasons is:

answer

the violin.

question

The opening movement of Spring from The Four Seasons features _____

answer

ritornello form.

question

Who composed the Brandenburg Concertos?

answer

Bach

question

Bach's Brandenburg Concertos comprise _____ separate concertos.

answer

six

question

The accompanying group in a concerto grosso is called:

answer

the ripieno.

question

The solo group in a concerto grosso is called:

answer

the concertino

question

Which of the following dance types was NOT standard in a Baroque suite?

answer

tarantella

question

A gigue is best described as:

answer

a lively sextuple-meter dance.

question

What is the form of the individual movements in a suite?

answer

binary

question

Water Music by Handel is best described as a:

answer

suite.

question

Handel's Water Music opens with a:

answer

French overture.

question

During his lifetime, Bach held the position of:

answer

-cantor of St. Thomas's Church in Leipzig. -court organist and chamber musician to the duke of Weimar. -court musician to the prince of Anhalt-Cthen.

question

Bach was most famous in his day as a performer on:

answer

the organ.

question

In the field of keyboard music, Bach's most important collection was:

answer

The Well Tempered Clavier.

question

Which of the following is a set of forty eight preludes and fugues by Bach?

answer

The Well Tempered Clavier

question

Which was NOT an important keyboard instrument in the Baroque?

answer

the piano

question

A keyboard instrument in which the strings are plucked by quills is:

answer

the harpsichord.

question

The harpsichord is different from the piano because:

answer

it usually has two keyboards, rather than one. its strings are plucked, rather than struck. it is not capable of a wide dynamic range.

question

What is a toccata?

answer

an improvisatory, virtuosic keyboard work

question

A chorale prelude:

answer

is a work for organ. introduces the chorale to be sung by the congregation. displays the virtuosity of the organist.

question

The _____ is a keyboard form based on the principle of voices imitating each other.

answer

fugue

question

What is the principal element of a fugue?

answer

counterpoint

question

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

answer

episodes.

question

After the fugue subject is stated, the second entrance of the subject is called the:

answer

answer.

question

Of the following, which is NOT a contrapuntal device that alters the original theme?

answer

prelude

question

In a fugue, the technique of stating the theme in faster rhythmic values is called:

answer

diminution.

question

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

answer

exposition.

question

How many preludes and fugues are contained in the two Well Tempered Clavier volumes?

answer

48

question

Bach's last demonstration of contrapuntal mastery was:

answer

The Art of Fugue.

question

How many voices, or individual lines, are there in Bach's Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue?

answer

four

question

In which voice is the subject first heard in Contrapunctus I from The Art of Fugue?

answer

the second to top voice, or alto

question

Amateur music making at home was popular during the Baroque era. T/F

answer

True

question

The new Baroque style of vocal music for one singer with instrumental accompaniment was known as monophony. T/F

answer

False

question

During the Baroque era, some boy singers were castrated to preserve the high register of their voices, allowing them to sing high pitched operatic roles. T/F

answer

True

question

Handel wrote his oratorio Messiah over a period of four years. T/F

answer

False

question

The "Hallelujah Chorus" is the climax of the Easter section of Messiah. T/F

answer

True

question

The Baroque period was the first in which instrumental music was comparable in importance to vocal music. T/F

answer

True

question

Baroque composers, like their Renaissance counterparts, generally did not specify instrumentation. T/F

answer

False

question

Today, Baroque music is played exclusively on modern instruments. T/F

answer

False

question

Antonio Vivaldi became known as "the red priest" because of his fanatical religious beliefs. T/F

answer

False

question

Vivaldi lived in Venice, where he taught music at a girls' school. T/F

answer

True

question

Vivaldi's solo concertos typically had four movements. T/F

answer

False

question

Handel's Water Music was performed without continuo instruments when played outdoors. T/F

answer

True

question

The Hornpipe from Handel's Water Music is in A-B-A form. T/F

answer

True

question

Johann Sebastian Bach lived a short, unhappy life and had no children. T/F

answer

False

question

During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach was primarily known as a great organist. T/F

answer

True

question

The three main keyboard instruments of the Baroque were the harpsichord, organ, and piano. T/F

answer

False

question

The strings of a harpsichord are plucked by quills. T/F

answer

True

question

The clavichord was a popular instrument for the home. T/F

answer

True

question

The prelude originated in improvisation on keyboard instruments. T/F

answer

True

question

Bach's chorale prelude A Mighty Fortress Is Our God is based on a well known Lutheran chorale tune. T/F

answer

True

question

A fugue is a form exclusively for solo keyboard performance. T/F

answer

False

question

A fugue is a contrapuntal composition in which a single subject is the focal point, thus unifying the work. T/F

answer

True

question

At the beginning of a fugue, the countersubject is stated alone. T/F

answer

False

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