Q&A Hero

Q: Machaut wrote both religious and secular music.

Q: Ars nova appeared in the early 1500s in Spain.

Q: Troubadours and trouvres were poet-musicians who flourished at the various courts of Europe.

Q: Ma fin est mon commencement (My end is my beginning) includes palindromes, words or phrases that read the same backward or forward.

Q: Machauts music was not appreciated during his own lifetime.

Q: Machaut was both a cleric and a courtier.

Q: Machaut was the first composer to self-consciously collect his works and leave them for posterity.

Q: Medieval lyrics dealt with unrequited, or unconsummated, passion, just as in many songs today.

Q: What were the four topics considered essential to education during medieval times? a. English, science, mathematics, and history b. music, mathematics, geometry, and astronomy c. music, science, Latin, and astronomy d. Latin, mathematics, science, and religion

Q: Machaut had a double career as both a courtier and a ______. a. noble. c. farmer. b. cleric. d. miller.

Q: Who is the foremost poet-composer of the Ars nova? a. Hildegard c. Charles, duke of Normandy b. Machaut d. Petrarch

Q: _____ ushered in developments in rhythm, meter, harmony, and counterpoint that transformed the art of music. a. Ars nova c. Ars musica b. Ars antiqua d. Rondeau

Q: Which poetic forms established the musical repetition scheme of the chansons? a. rondeau and virelai c. rondeau, ballade, and virelai b. virelai and ballade d. rondeau and ballade

Q: In Machauts secular works, he favored French courtly love poems known as: a. chansons. c. odes. b. ballades. d. palindromes.

Q: Machaut favored what type of themes? a. religious c. secular b. liturgical d. vernacular

Q: What musical style appeared in the early 1300s in France? a. Ars antiqua c. troubadour b. Ars nova d. chanson

Q: What were the poet-musicians that lived on a higher social level than other wandering musicians called? a. minstrels c. troubadours and trouvres b. jesters d. none of the answers shown here

Q: Who was the ancient Greek mathematician renowned for his musical experiments? a. Pythagoras c. Socrates b. Plato d. Machaut

Q: How long has music been linked with mathematics and geometry? a. since the 1750s c. since the Renaissance b. since antiquity d. since the late 1900s

Q: Why is Hildegard of Bingens Alleluia, O virga mediatrix not considered Gregorian chant?

Q: Describe the influence of the Roman Catholic Church on music in the Middle Ages.

Q: The church canonized Hildegard in 1923.

Q: A setting of plainchant with small groups of notes to a syllable is called neumatic.

Q: Plainchant is polyphonic in texture.

Q: The culture of the medieval era was shaped in large part by the rise of monasteries.

Q: Hildegard elaborates some words with melismas in Alleluia, O virga mediatrix.

Q: Alleluia, O virga mediatrix is an example of Gregorian chant.

Q: Hildegard of Bingen wrote both the poetry and the music for Alleluia, O virga mediatrix.

Q: The modes were the basis for European art music for less than one hundred years.

Q: A setting of plainchant with many notes per syllable is called syllabic.

Q: The order of church services and the structure of each service are known as the liturgy.

Q: The scale patterns used from Gregorian chant through music of the Renaissance are called: a. keys. c. minor scales. b. major scales. d. modes.

Q: The melismatic style of Gregorian chant descended from the elaborate improvisations heard in which type of music? a. Russian folk music c. Middle Eastern music b. Italian opera d. none of the answers shown here

Q: Which term refers to the set order of church services and the structure of each service? a. plainchant c. liturgy b. Gregorian chant d. monastic

Q: Hildegards Alleluia, O virga mediatrix was sung on which liturgical occasion(s)? a. Easter Sunday c. feast days of the Virgin Mary b. any Sunday d. Christmas Day

Q: During the Middle Ages, which of the following women was a religious leader and a prominent figure in literature and music? a. Hildegard of Bingen c. Isabella dEste b. Eleanor of Aquitaine d. Lucrezia Borgia

Q: In addition to composing music, Hildegard of Bingen is known for: a. visions that people thought foretold the future. b. founding her own convent. c. writing religious poetry. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: A setting of Gregorian chant with two to four notes per syllable might be considered: a. syllabic. c. melismatic. b. neumatic. d. modal.

Q: A setting of Gregorian chant with one note per syllable is called: a. syllabic. c. melismatic. b. neumatic. d. modal.

Q: What distinguishes Gregorian chant from other types of Western music? a. It is for voices only. b. There is no harmony. c. The melodies are sometimes improvised. d. It is religious.

Q: _____ is traditionally associated with collecting and organizing the chants of the church. a. Charlemagne c. Pope Gregory the Great b. Lonin d. Hildegard of Bingen

Q: Which of the following terms characterize the texture of Gregorian chant? a. monophonic c. polyphonic b. homophonic d. multiphonic

Q: Which of the following does NOT describe life in the medieval cloister? a. living in quiet seclusion b. being at the center of trade and commerce c. devotion to prayer, scholarship, and charity d. participating in teaching and hospital work

Q: During the Middle Ages, men and women took shelter in a monastery or convent because of a: a. desire for an education. c. desire for a spiritual life. b. desire to heal the sick. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: Which of the following religions use(s) music extensively in its worship? a. Christianity c. Judaism b. Islam d. all of the answers shown here

Q: What is some of the information indicated by the title of a work? Cite specific examples given in the text.

Q: What defines the style of a work of art? How are different musical styles characterized, and how do we categorize them?

Q: Discuss the difference between style and genre.

Q: A musical work that first appeared circa 623 belongs in the Middle Ages.

Q: The style of the Classical era is the total language of all its artists as they react to the many forces that shape their environment.

Q: A musical work first performed in 1550 is part of the Renaissance period.

Q: Style indicates the creators personal manner of expression.

Q: The dates given for the beginnings and ends of historical eras are precise ones.

Q: The line between classical and popular music is clearly defined.

Q: Notated music of cultivated society is preserved through oral transmission.

Q: A genre is a category or type of music repertory.

Q: The concepts of genre easily transfer from one culture to another.

Q: The Romantic period: a. followed the Renaissance and preceded the Baroque. b. followed antiquity and preceded the Middle Ages. c. followed the Classical era and preceded the twentieth century d. followed the Classical era and preceded the Baroque.

Q: The approximate dates for the Baroque era are: a. 11501450 c. 16001750 b. 14501600 d. 17251775

Q: What is another term for popular or traditional musics? a. liturgical c. cultivated b. vernacular d. art music

Q: The Classical period: a. followed antiquity and preceded the Middle Ages. b. followed the Renaissance and preceded the Baroque. c. followed the Baroque and preceded the Romantic era. d. followed the Romantic era and preceded the twentieth century.

Q: The approximate dates for the Renaissance era are: a. 11501450. c. 16001750. b. 14501600. d. 17251775.

Q: Which of the following is the proper chronological order of musical style periods? a. Renaissance, medieval, Classical, Baroque, Romantic, twentieth century b. medieval, Baroque, Renaissance, Romantic, Classical, twentieth century c. medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, twentieth century d. medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic, Classical, twentieth century

Q: The style of a historical period is defined by: a. its leading artist. c. a single defining work. b. the total language of all its artists. d. its dominant musical critic.

Q: The concept of style can be identified with: a. individual artworks. b. a creators personal manner of expression. c. music of an entire culture. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: Musical style is best defined as the: a. characteristic manner of presentation of a work. b. succession of dynamics from beginning to end of a work. c. shape of the melody line in a work. d. harmonies in a work.

Q: The preservation of music without the help of written notation is called: a. secular. c. oral transmission. b. sacred. d. retrograde inversion.

Q: Titles of musical compositions occasionally indicate: a. genre and key. c. descriptive words. b. opus number. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: Which of the following is NOT a type of secular music? a. music for church services c. music for theater b. dance music d. music for work

Q: Which general term suggests something of the overall character of a work as well as its function? a. form c. medium b. genre d. opus

Q: Describe the role of conductors, mentioning the elements of music for which they are responsible.

Q: Describe the principal types of musical ensembles (vocal and instrumental) and state how they differ from one another.

Q: The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, by Benjamin Britten, is based on a dance tune by Beethoven.

Q: The upbeat is the strongest beat in any meter.

Q: Large ensembles, such as an orchestra, concert band, or chorus, generally need a conductor in order to perform together.

Q: The earliest wind and percussion groups were created for military purposes.

Q: The modern orchestra is typically made up of thirty to forty players.

Q: The term orchestra can be applied to various musical ensembles around the world.

Q: A piano trio is an ensemble of three pianos.

Q: The standard instrumentation of a string quartet is two violins, viola, and cello.