Q&A Hero

Q: The stories for oratorios are generally drawn from: a. Greek mythology. c. medieval history. b. the Bible. d. contemporary life.

Q: An oratorio includes which of the following? a. elaborate scenery c. costumes b. recitatives d. acting

Q: Handels Messiah has become a staple of a. Easter celebrations. b. Christmastime celebrations. c. Passover celebrations. d. none of the answers shown here

Q: Which of the following is Handels most famous oratorio, frequently performed today? a. Julius Caesar c. Samson b. Israel in Egypt d. Messiah

Q: Handels Messiah is an example of: a. an opera. c. an oratorio. b. a cantata. d. a masque.

Q: Johann Sebastian Bach lived a short, unhappy life and had no children.

Q: Bach completed just under 100 cantatas in his lifetime.

Q: Chorales were intended to be sung by a trained choir.

Q: A chorale is a hymn tune associated with the followers of Martin Luther.

Q: The texts for chorales were always taken from the Bible.

Q: Bach uses a hymn originally written by ________ as the basis for Wachet auf (Sleepers Awake). a. Martin Luther c. Machaut b. Philipp Nicolai d. Farmer

Q: Bachs cantatas typically included how many movements? a. two c. five to eight b. four d. eleven

Q: Lutheran chorales were originally sung in what language? a. Latin c. English b. German d. French

Q: The elaboration of the weekly Lutheran hymn is known as a: a. chorale. c. spiritual. b. cantata. d. chorus.

Q: A group of university students and musicians who give regular concerts is called: a. a collegium musicum. c. a chorale. b. an ensemble. d. cantata.

Q: Luther and his followers created weekly hymns known as: a. sorrow songs. c. chorales. b. congregational tunes. d. choruses.

Q: The opening movement of Bachs cantata Wachet auf is best described as: a. a grand chorale fantasia. c. a soprano aria. b. a duet for soprano and bass. d. a four-part chorale.

Q: What is the form of the chorale tune Wachet auf? a. A-B-B c. da capo (A-B-A) b. A-B-B-A d. bar form (A-A-B)

Q: Johann Sebastian Bach was most famous in his day as a performer on: a. the harpsichord. c. the piano. b. the organ. d. the clavichord.

Q: During his lifetime, Johann Sebastian Bach held the position of: a. cantor of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig. b. court organist and chamber musician to the duke of Weimar. c. court musician to the prince of Anhalt-Cthen. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: Which of the following describe(s) the chorale? a. Chorales were intended to be sung by the congregation. b. The chorale tune was placed in the soprano in four-part settings. c. Chorale texts are in German. d. all of the answers shown here

Q: The sacred cantata was an integral part of the: a. Catholic church service. c. Lutheran church service. b. Anglican church service. d. Pilgrims church service in America.

Q: Discuss how Wachet auf (Sleepers Awake) reveals Bachs deep-rooted faith and his ability to communicate a meaningful spiritual message.

Q: Discuss how the chorale expanded into the cantata.

Q: Wachet auf (Sleepers Awake) is in a standard three-part structure known as bar form.

Q: Bachs cantata Wachet auf (Sleepers Awake) is based on a well-known Lutheran choral tune written by Philipp Nicolai.

Q: J. S. Bach is the culminating figure of the Baroque style and one of the giants in the history of Western music.

Q: In Wachet auf, Bach presents the chorale melody in only one movement.

Q: Bachs setting of the chorale tune Wachet auf utilizes ground-bass form.

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

Q: Describe how opera originated in Italy and then spread throughout Europe, including England. Be sure to include the names of composers and works.

Q: Describe the various components of opera, commenting on the function of each in the drama.

Q: An opera is a drama that is sung.

Q: The aria When I am laid in earth is accompanied by continuo only.

Q: The aria When I am laid in earth is unified by a descending chromatic-scale, ground bass.

Q: Purcells Dido and Aeneas was first performed in a public opera house.

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

Q: The first public opera houses opened in Venice.

Q: Early operas, such as Monteverdis Orfeo, were simple productions for intimate gatherings.

Q: In opera, the lyric melodies that release emotional tension are called recitatives.

Q: The musical interludes heard between scenes of an opera are called: a. overtures. c. arias. b. sinfonias. d. recitatives.

Q: Didos Lament from Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas is composed: a. over a ground bass. b. in the style of imitative counterpoint. c. in the ternary form common to the genre. d. in the ritornello form of the period.

Q: Dido sings her famous lament in Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas just prior to: a. marrying Aeneas. c. killing herself. b. killing Aeneas. d. leaving with Aeneas.

Q: On which epic poem was Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas based? a. Miltons Paradise Lost c. Homers Iliad b. Homers Odyssey d. Virgils Aeneid

Q: Who was the librettist of Purcells Dido and Aeneas? a. Josias Priest c. John Milton b. Nahum Tate d. John Donne

Q: The first performance of Purcells opera Dido and Aeneas took place at: a. the Royal Opera in London. c. a girls school in London. b. the Metropolitan Opera. d. La Scala in Milan.

Q: The most well known native-born English composer of the Baroque was: a. George Frideric Handel. c. Henry Purcell. b. Thomas Morley. d. Oliver Cromwell.

Q: A type of English entertainment combining music, poetry, and dance was called: a. tragdie lyrique. c. masque. b. monody. d. oratorio.

Q: Which cultural center rejected Italian opera? a. France c. Germany b. England d. Austria

Q: Who composed Orfeo and was also recognized for having solidified early experiments with music dramas into the genre now called opera? a. Monteverdi c. Handel b. Purcell d. Puccini

Q: The text of an opera is called: a. the lyrics. c. the script. b. the libretto. d. the play.

Q: The orchestral introduction heard at the beginning of an opera is called: a. an overture. c. an ensemble. b. a ritornello. d. a recitative.

Q: A highly emotional song in an opera is called: a. an aria. c. an ensemble. b. a chorus. d. a recitative.

Q: The vocal style in opera that imitates the natural inflections of speech is called: a. recitative. c. chorus. b. aria. d. madrigal.

Q: A drama that is sung is called: a. a madrigal. c. a cantata. b. an opera. d. a motet.

Q: Discuss how the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation affected sacred music.

Q: Describe the musical structure of the Mass.

Q: Palestrina wrote the Pope Marcellus Mass to satisfy the Council of Trents recommendations for polyphonic church music.

Q: The dense counterpoint in the Pope Marcellus Mass obscures the words.

Q: The upper voice parts of the Pope Marcellus Mass were sung by boy sopranos or adult males with high voices.

Q: Palestrina worked as a composer at St. Peters in Rome.

Q: The Council of Trent took place in the mid-sixteenth century.

Q: The reform movement within the Catholic Church that was brought about by the Protestant Reformation was called the Counter-Reformation.

Q: The Reformation leader who encouraged polyphony was John Calvin.

Q: The Ordinary begins with the Kyrie, which has a Greek text.

Q: The Proper of the Mass contains the texts that are sung every day.

Q: What type of monophonic singing did both Martin Luther and John Calvin believe should be the basis of Christian worship? a. motets c. congregational singing b. madrigals d. cantus firmus

Q: Which section of the Mass ends with Hosanna in the highest? a. the Sanctus c. the Gloria b. the Kyrie d. the Angus Dei

Q: Which part of the Mass is prayer for mercy? a. the Gloria c. the Sanctus b. the Credo d. the Kyrie

Q: Which of the following best describes the texture of the Pope Marcellus Mass? a. monophony c. four-voice polyphony b. three-voice polyphony d. six-voice polyphony

Q: Which of the following describes the required performers for the Pope Marcellus Mass? a. a full choir b. an all-male choir with boy sopranos or male falsettos c. a choir and instruments d. a mixed-gender choir and organ

Q: Which of the following composers responded to the reforms of the Council of Trent in an exemplary fashion? a. Palestrina c. Du Fay b. Josquin d. Ockeghem

Q: In terms of church music, which of the following did the Council of Trent recommend? a. removing all secularism from church music b. making the words of the liturgy more understandable c. disciplining the irreverent attitudes of church musicians d. all of the answers shown here

Q: After the Protestant Reformation of the early sixteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church responded with a movement to recapture the loyalty of its people. This movement was known as: a. the Crusades. c. the Counter-Reformation. b. the Reformation. d. the Thirty Years War.

Q: Which of the following was a leader in the Protestant Reformation? a. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina c. Saint Ignatius Loyola b. Martin Luther d. Ascanio Sforza

Q: Which of the following lists the movements of the Ordinary of the Mass? a. Introit, Gradual, Ite missa est, Agnus Dei b. Kyrie, Collect, Epistle, Gradual c. Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei d. Agnus Dei, Magnificat, Dies irae, Kyrie

Q: What was the primary language of the Mass? a. Hebrew c. Italian b. Greek d. Latin

Q: The portion of the Mass that changes from day to day, depending on the feast celebrated, is called: a. the Proper. c. the liturgy. b. the Ordinary. d. none of the answers shown here

Q: The portion of the Mass that remains the same in every celebration of the service is called: a. the Proper. c. the Gradual. b. the Ordinary. d. none of the answers shown here

Q: The Roman Catholic service that symbolically reenacts Christs Last Supper is: a. Vespers. c. the Mass. b. Matins. d. the Divine Office.