The Twentieth Century and Beyond (1-50 Answer Key)

The Twentieth Century and Beyond 1. In music, the early twentieth century was a time of A. revolt and change. B. the continuation of old forms. C. stagnation. D. disinterest. Answer: A 2. Which of the following statements is not true? The years following 1900 saw more fundamental changes in the language of music than any time since the beginning of the baroque era. B. Twentieth-century music follows the same general principles of musical structure as earlier periods. C. Twentieth-century music relies less on preestablished relationships and expectations. D. After 1900 each musical composition is more likely to have a unique system of pitch relationships, rather than be organized around a central tone. Answer: B A. 3. The most famous riot in music history occurred in Paris in 1913 at the first performance of A. Arnold Schoenberg's Gurrelieder. B. Igor Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. C. Richard Wagner's Siegfried. D. Igor Stravinsky's Les Noces. Answer: B 4. All of the following composers worked in the early years of the twentieth century except A. Arnold Schoenberg. B. Claude Debussy. C. Igor Stravinsky. D. Hector Berlioz. Answer: D 5. Composers in the twentieth century drew inspiration from A. folk and popular music from all cultures. B. the music of Asia and Africa. C. European art music from the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century. D. All answers are correct. Answer: D 6. Twentieth-century composers incorporated elements of folk and popular music within their personal styles because A. it made their music more commercially viable. B. they were attracted to the unconventional rhythms, sounds, and melodic patterns. C. it simplified technical problems of musical composition. D. All answers are correct. Answer: B 7. A great twentieth-century composer who was also a leading scholar of the folk music of his native land was A. Claude Debussy. B. Samuel Barber. C. Béla Bartók. D. Igor Stravinsky. Answer: C 8. Which of the following composers was not stimulated by the folklore of his native land? A. Igor Stravinsky. B. Anton Webern. C. Béla Bartók. D. Charles Ives. Answer: B 9. Which of the following statements is not true? A. B. C. Modern composers drew inspiration from a wider historical range of music. The range of musical styles during the first half of the twentieth century was vast. Composers in the early twentieth century drew inspiration only from serious art music and their own intellect, ignoring popular and folk music. D. Western composers were more receptive and sympathetic to Asian and African cultures. Answer: C 10. In twentieth-century music A. string players are sometimes called on to use the wood instead of the hair on their bows. B. percussion instruments have become very prominent and numerous. C. dissonance has been emancipated. D. All answers are correct. Answer: D 11. The glissando, a technique widely used in the twentieth century, is A. the combination of two traditional chords sounding together. B. a rapid slide up or down a scale. C. a motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch throughout a section. D. a chord made up of tones only a half step or a whole step apart. Answer: B 12. Among the unusual playing techniques that are widely used during the twentieth century is the _______, a rapid slide up or down a scale. A. buzz B. glissando C. slip D. ostinato Answer: B 13. In modern music A. instruments are played at the very top or bottom of their ranges. B. uncommon playing techniques have become normal. C. noiselike and percussive sounds are often used. D. All answers are correct. Answer: D 14. A piano is often used in twentieth-century orchestral music to A. "sing" a beautiful melody. B. play important cadenzas in slow movements. C. provide a nucleus for the orchestra similar to the baroque basso continuo. D. add a percussive edge. Answer: D 15. Which of the following is not an alternative to the traditional organization of pitch used by twentieth-century composers? A. Bitonality B. Tonic- dominant harmonies C. Atonality D. Polytonality Answer: B 16. The combination of two traditional chords sounding together is known as A. polytonality. B. bitonality. C. a tone cluster. D. a polychord. Answer: D 17. A fourth chord is A. a combination of four tones. B. the chord built on the fourth step of the scale. C. a chord in which the tones are a fourth apart, instead of a third. D. All answers are correct. Answer: C 18. A chord made of tones only a half step or a whole step apart is known as A. polytonality. B. a polychord. C. bitonality. D. a tone cluster. Answer: D 19. Striking a group of adjacent keys on a piano with the fist or forearm will result in A. a tone cluster. B. a jammed keyboard. C. a polychord. D. polytonality. Answer: A 20. To create fresh sounds, twentieth-century composers used A. scales borrowed from nonwestern cultures. B. scales they themselves invented. C. ancient church modes. D. All answers are correct. Answer: D 21. The technique of using two or more tonal centers at the same time is called A. expanded tonality. B. polytonality. C. atonality. D. twelve-tone. Answer: B 22. The absence of key or tonality in a musical composition is known as A. polytonality. B. ostinato. C. a tone cluster. D. atonality. Answer: D 23. Using all twelve tones without regard to their traditional relationship to major or minor scales, avoiding traditional chord progressions, is known as A. polytonality. B. bitonality. C. freetonality. D. atonality. Answer: D 24. The first significant atonal pieces were composed around 1908 by A. Igor Stravinsky. B. Claude Debussy. C. Arnold Schoenberg. D. Aaron Copland. Answer: C 25. The use of two or more contrasting and independent rhythms at the same time is known as A. polyrhythm. B. jazz. C. polytonality. D. ostinato. Answer: A 26. Ostinato refers to a A. rapid slide through different pitches. B. chord made of tones only a half step or whole step apart. C. combination of two traditional chords sounding together. D. motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch throughout a section. Answer: D 27. A motive or phrase that is repeated persistently at the same pitch throughout a section is called A. polytonality. B. glissando. C. ostinato. D. atonality. Answer: C 28. Recordings of much lesser-known music multiplied in 1948 through A. the appearance of long-playing disks. B. audience insistence for new works. C. government grants. D. demand created by radio stations. Answer: A 29. Radio broadcasts of live and recorded music began to reach large audiences during the A. 1900s. B. 1920s. C. 1940s. D. 1960s. Answer: B 30. The first opera created for television was Gian-Carlo Menotti's A. Turandot. B. Amahl and the Night Visitors. C. Trouble in Tahiti. D. The Telephone. Answer: B 31. Composers from which area rose to importance during the Twentieth Century? A. Latin America. B. Canada. C. Northern Europe. D. Saudi Arabia Answer: A 32. Which of the following countries did not produce an important composer in the Twentieth Century? A. Argentina B. Brazil C. Ecuador D. Mexico Answer: C 33. One of the most important teachers of musical composition in the twentieth century was A. Amy Beach. B. Nadia Boulanger. C. Sergei Diaghilev. D. Igor Stravinsky. Answer: B 34. The most influential organization sponsoring new music after World War I was A. the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. B. the National Broadcasting Company and its orchestra. C. the International Society for Contemporary Music. D. the United Federation of Musicians. Answer: C 35. During the first quarter of the Twentieth Century many composers left Russia because of A. the death of the Czar. B. the violence of the Russian Revolution. C. lack of funds for them to live on. D. more accepting audiences elsewhere. Answer: B 36. Impressionist painting and symbolist poetry as artistic movements originated in A. Bohemia. B. England. C. France. D. Austria. Answer: C 37. The most important impressionist composer was A. Richard Wagner. B. Béla Bartók. C. Arnold Schoenberg. D. Claude Debussy. Answer: D 38. The term impressionist derived from a critic's derogatory reaction to Impression: Sunrise, a painting by A. Claude Debussy. B. Camille Pissarro. C. Claude Monet. D. Auguste Renoir. Answer: C 39. When viewed closely, impressionist paintings are made up of A. fine lines. B. large bands of color. C. tiny black dots. D. tiny colored patches. Answer: D 40. Impressionist painters were primarily concerned with the effect of light, color, and A. rhythm. B. atmosphere. C. detail. D. clarity. Answer: B 41. The impressionist painters were particularly obsessed with portraying A. water. B. religious scenes. C. scenes of ancient glories. D. battle scenes. Answer: A 42. Which of the following is not considered a symbolist poet? A. Stéphane Mallarmé B. Paul Verlaine C. Victor Hugo D. Arthur Rimbaud Answer: C 43. Which of the following statements is not true? A. Both impressionist painting and symbolist poetry were catalysts for many developments during the twentieth century. B. Symbolist writers emphasized the purely musical, or sonorous, effects of words. C. When viewed closely, impressionist paintings are made up of tiny colored patches. D. The impressionist painters were particularly obsessed with portraying scenes of ancient French glories. Answer: D 44. Many of Debussy's songs are set to poems by the symbolist poet A. Stéphane Mallarmé. B. Paul Verlaine. C. Jean Paul Sartre. D. Arthur Rimbaud. Answer: B 45. A dramatic turning point in Debussy's career came in 1902 when A. his opera Pelléas et Mélisande was premiered. B. he undertook a series of concert tours. C. he went to Italy to study. D. he went to Bayreuth to hear Wagner's music. Answer: A 46. Which of the following characteristics is not usually associated with impressionism? A. Fleeting mood B. Clearly delineated forms C. Misty atmosphere D. Symbolism Answer: B 47. Debussy's music tends to A. sound free and almost improvisational. B. have a strong sense of tonality. C. affirm the key very noticeably. D. use the full orchestra for massive effects. Answer: A 48. Impressionism in music is characterized by A. the recurrence of strong accents on the downbeat. B. a stress on tone color, atmosphere, and fluidity. C. an adherence to traditional harmonic chord progressions. D. All answers are correct. Answer: B 49. In order to "drown the sense of tonality," Debussy A. turned to the medieval church modes. B. borrowed pentatonic scales from Javanese music. C. developed the whole-tone scale. D. All answers are correct. Answer: D 50. A scale made up of six different notes each a whole step away from the next is called a ________ scale. A. pentatonic B. octatonic C. whole-tone D. Gypsy Answer: C