Music Then And Now By Thomas Forrest Kelly – Test Bank

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CHAPTER 5: George Frideric Handel’s Messiah

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1.A large-scale religious drama performed without costumes or staging is called:

a.	a concerto	d.	a cantata
b.	an oratorio	e.	a mass
c.	an opera

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: p. 119 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Factual

2.Audiences attending Messiah’s premiere expected to witness all of the following operatic elements EXCEPT:

a.	dialogue in recitative	d.	an instrumental overture and interludes
b.	emotive solo songs	e.	choral works
c.	elaborate aristocratic narratives

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: p. 119 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Applied

3.Handel did NOT spend time living and working in which of the following countries?

a.	England	d.	Germany
b.	Italy	e.	Spain
c.	Ireland

ANS:EDIF:MediumREF:p. 120

TOP: The Setting: George Frideric Handel MSC: Applied

4.When Handel died in 1759, he was buried in:

a.	Westminster Abbey, London	d.	Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
b.	St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome	e.	St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg
c.	Trinity Church, Dublin

ANS:ADIF:EasyREF:p. 120

TOP: George Frideric Handel (1685–1759) MSC: Factual

5.How did Messiah’s reception affect Handel’s career?

a.	It led him to leave England permanently.
b.	It led him to compose more chamber music.
c.	It made it harder for him to find patrons and audiences.
d.	It led him to stop composing operas.
e.	It made him rent smaller performance spaces.

ANS:DDIF:MediumREF:p. 121

TOP: The Setting: George Frideric Handel MSC: Applied

6.Opera seria has all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

a.	It is sung in Italian.
b.	It is economical to produce.
c.	It features historical or mythological characters.
d.	It  was written for an aristocratic audience.
e.	Its unrealistic plots were full of evocative and emotional moments.

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 121 TOP: The Setting: Opera

MSC: Applied

7.Opera seria recitatives do NOT:

a.	advance the plot
b.	feature simple basso continuo accompaniment
c.	make use of melodic and rhythmic contours that mimic speech
d.	inevitably lead to arias
e.	often elicit passionate applause from the audience

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 121 TOP: The Setting: Opera

MSC: Applied

8.Opera seria and oratorio are alike in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

a.	They are long-form vocal works.
b.	They are narrative works.
c.	They have elaborate staging and costumes.
d.	They feature specific characters who sing the entirety of their roles.
e.	They make use of alternating recitatives and arias.

ANS: C DIF: Hard REF: p. 122 TOP: The Setting: Oratorio

MSC: Applied

9.Opera seria and oratorio differ in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

a.	Operas are staged, whereas oratorios are not.
b.	Opera seria is sung in Italian, whereas oratorios can be set in a variety of languages.
c.	Operas have secular plots, whereas oratorio features sacred topics.
d.	Opera seria choruses have a less important role than oratorio choruses.
e.	Opera seria makes use of recitative, whereas oratorio utilizes spoken dialogue.

ANS: E DIF: Hard REF: p. 122 TOP: The Setting: Oratorio

MSC: Applied

10.Messiah is an unusual example of an oratorio in that:

a.	it does not explicitly refer to King George of England
b.	its text is drawn directly from the Bible, and it does not rhyme
c.	its characters are not aristocratic figures
d.	it does not include a chorus
e.	its plot is taken from the Old Testament

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 122 TOP: The Setting: Oratorio

MSC: Applied

11.A majority of Dublin’s music, opera, and theater came from which of the following sources?

a.	It was produced by the children of the Foundling Hospital.
b.	It was created at Trinity College.
c.	It came from the city’s churches.
d.	It was imported from England, Italy, and the rest of Europe.
e.	It was part of the city’s rich tradition of improvisation.

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 123 TOP: The Setting: Dublin

MSC: Applied

12.Handel’s first performances in Dublin were:

a.	premieres of newly created works for the Irish audience
b.	private events for wealthy patrons
c.	oratorios and concertos he had already produced in London
d.	free promotional events
e.	sacred works performed within Protestant worship services

ANS:CDIF:MediumREF:p. 124

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Factual

13.At the premiere, Messiah’s choral movements included all of the following performers EXCEPT:

a.	boy sopranos	d.	female altos
b.	male countertenors	e.	a full orchestra
c.	male tenor and bass vocalists

ANS:DDIF:MediumREF:p. 124

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Applied

14.The original instrumental score for Messiah includes all of the following EXCEPT:

a.	a flute soloist	d.	Kettledrums
b.	a string ensemble	e.	basso continuo
c.	two trumpets

ANS:ADIF:MediumREF:p. 124

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Applied

15.Though he did not compose specific parts for them, Handel most likely included oboes and bassoons in the premiere of Messiah, asking them to:

a.	Improvise
b.	play the parts written for strings and voices
c.	compose their own parts
d.	transcribe Handel’s keyboard improvisations
e.	perform from the figured bass notation

ANS:BDIF:MediumREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Applied

16.In rehearsals for Messiah’s premiere, Handel changed all of the following EXCEPT:

a.	He adapted several male solos the better to suit the soloists.
b.	He shortened a few pieces.
c.	He transposed some solos to fit the vocal ranges of the singers.
d.	He added additional wind instruments to the ensemble.
e.	He rearranged the order of individual pieces.

ANS:EDIF:MediumREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Applied

17.The first official performance of Messiah was organized as a:

a.	subscription concert	d.	private gathering for Handel’s friends
b.	benefit for Handel’s charitable sponsors	e.	part of a large festival
c.	free event

ANS:BDIF:MediumREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Applied

18.The audience that attended the public rehearsal preceding the premiere of Messiah consisted of:

a.	members of the Dublin leisure class who could afford the steep ticket price
b.	orphans from the Foundling Hospital
c.	working-class Dubliners
d.	friends and family of the performers
e.	Handel’s corporate sponsors

ANS:ADIF:MediumREF:p. 126

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Applied

19.We know which soloists performed which pieces at the premiere of Messiah, because:

a.	Handel made detailed notes in his journal
b.	the New Music Hall published the relevant information in an advertisement
c.	an audience member wrote the singers’ names in a copy of the wordbook
d.	the soprano soloist told her sister in a letter
e.	the roles were included in the first published edition of the score

ANS:CDIF:MediumREF:p. 126

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Applied

20.At the conclusion of Susannah Cibber’s performance of the aria “He Was Despised,” the Reverend Dr. Delaney is said to have shouted:

a.	“Encore!”
b.	“Begone, ye demon!”
c.	“Amen! Hallelujah!”
d.	“Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!”
e.	“Get thee behind me, Satan!”

ANS:DDIF:EasyREF:p. 126

TOP: Susannah Cibber in the Eyes of Contemporaries MSC: Factual

21.Handel conducted the performance from his position:

a.	standing in front of the ensemble	d.	at the back of the hall
b.	at the harpsichord	e.	in the violin section
c.	at the side of the stage

ANS:BDIF:EasyREF:p. 127

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Factual

22.Handel organized Messiah thematically and musically by all of the following means, EXCEPT:

a.	The texts are organized into three parts, each of which is thematically unified.
b.	The first act consistently alternates recitatives, arias, and choruses.
c.	Handel makes direct musical connections between adjacent movements.
d.	The texts are consistently drawn directly from the Old Testament of the Bible.
e.	All the movements are in the same key.

ANS:EDIF:HardREF:p. 128

TOP: Listening to the Music: The Shape of the Oratorio MSC: Applied

23.In “There were shepherds,” Handel utilizes which of the following word-painting techniques?

a.	horn calls to depict shepherds
b.	thundering low strings to depict the power of God
c.	alternation of secco recitative and accompagnato recitative, which depicted the angels
d.	a high vocal range to depict the fearful shouts of the shepherds
e.	repeated plucking in the violins to depict the twinkling of stars

ANS:CDIF:MediumREF:p. 129

TOP: Listening to the Music: Recitatives MSC: Applied

24.Handel’s arias do NOT demonstrate which of the following characteristics?

a.	extensive word painting
b.	speechlike melodic phrasing
c.	strong emotional expression
d.	ample opportunity for soloists to embellish the melodies
e.	ritornello form

ANS:BDIF:MediumREF:p. 130

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Applied

25.The musical “sentences” at the heart of Handel’s arias are similar in structure to the grammatical constructions of:

a.	Children	d.	Preachers
b.	Kings	e.	native Italian speakers
c.	working-class Dubliners

ANS:DDIF:MediumREF:p. 132

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Applied

26.A cadence is:

a.	a gesture that creates musical closure
b.	a musical idea repeated on a series of higher or lower pitches
c.	the concluding section of a composition
d.	a type of aria
e.	a polyphonic structure in which individual instruments imitate each other

ANS:ADIF:EasyREF:p. 132

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Factual

27.Which of the following elements contribute(s) to the mood of an aria?

a.	the words	d.	the key
b.	the tempo	e.	all of the above
c.	the melodic contour

ANS:EDIF:MediumREF:p. 132

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Applied

28.In the aria “Ev’ry valley,” Handel uses word painting through all of the following musical elements EXCEPT:

a.	long-held notes
b.	elaborate sequences
c.	long, descending vocal lines
d.	dramatic pauses
e.	sharp contrast between jagged and smooth melodies

ANS:DDIF:MediumREF:p. 133

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Applied

29.A ritornello is:

a.	a polyphonic structure in which voices imitate one another
b.	a melody that returns between verses of an aria
c.	one syllable of text set to multiple notes
d.	a virtuosic passage improvised by a soloist
e.	rapid alternation between two notes

ANS:BDIF:MediumREF:p. 133

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Factual

30.In the final section of a da capo aria, the soloist will deviate from the score by:

a.	singing fewer notes so that the accompaniment can be heard more clearly
b.	improvising a new melodic line
c.	embellishing the melody with a series of virtuosic ornaments
d.	singing at a louder dynamic level to emphasize the end of the aria
e.	singing melodies from earlier movements in the piece

ANS:CDIF:EasyREF:p. 136

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Applied

31.Handel’s basic approach to composing a chorus does NOT involve which of the following?

a.	breaking the text into brief phrases
b.	assigning each phrase its own melody
c.	connecting the individual phrases together into longer melodies
d.	changing the rhythms of each phrase to create contrast
e.	combining multiple melodies into dense polyphonic segments

ANS:DDIF:HardREF:p. 136

TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses MSC: Applied

32.In the middle of the “Hallelujah” chorus, each section of the choir sings the phrase “And He shall reign for ever and ever” on the same melody, but starting at different times. This technique is called:

a.	Imitation	d.	Minuet
b.	Homophony	e.	Exposition
c.	Ritornello

ANS:ADIF:EasyREF:p. 138

TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses MSC: Factual

33.A fugue chorus includes all of the following elements EXCEPT:

a.	a central melody called the subject
b.	an exposition in which the main melody is introduced in each section of the chorus
c.	episodes in which the subject is not present
d.	a polyphonic texture
e.	long passages in which only one or two voices perform

ANS:EDIF:MediumREF:p. 140

TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses MSC: Applied

34.In 1784, five hundred performers gathered to honor Handel’s legacy by performing Messiah at:

a.	Trinity Church, Dublin	d.	Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris
b.	St. Michaelis Church, Hamburg	e.	St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome
c.	Westminster Abbey, London

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: p. 143 TOP: Messiah Then and Now

MSC: Factual

35.Messiah’s long-standing commercial and artistic success comes in part from the fact that:

a.	it blurs the lines between sacred and secular
b.	it is a personal work with a universal message
c.	it presents a dramatic narrative drawn from Old Testament texts
d.	it is suitable for performance in both theaters and churches
e.	all of the above

ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: p. 143 TOP: Messiah Then and Now

MSC: Conceptual

TRUE/FALSE

1.Handel composed Messiah to be performed in public concerts during Lent.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 119 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Factual

2.In 1730s England, Handel was best known as a composer of concertos.

ANS:FDIF:MediumREF:p. 120

TOP: The Setting: George Frideric Handel MSC: Factual

3.Opera seria plots were designed to maximize the number of emotive arias sung by the main characters.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 121 TOP: The Setting: Opera

MSC: Applied

4.Compared with operas, oratorios were inexpensive to produce because they required no sets or costumes.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 121 TOP: The Setting: Oratorio

MSC: Factual

5.Although the majority of Irish citizens were Protestant, their rulers enforced Catholicism as the country’s sanctioned religion.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: p. 123 TOP: The Setting: Dublin

MSC: Factual

6.As with all of his vocal works, Handel had particular vocalists in mind when he composed the solos in Messiah.

ANS:FDIF:EasyREF:p. 124

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Factual

7.Handel changed the two tenor arias in Messiah to improve the dramatic flow of the piece.

ANS:FDIF:MediumREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Conceptual

8.Handel was generally displeased with the quality of the musicians involved in the premiere of Messiah.

ANS:FDIF:EasyREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Preparations MSC: Factual

9.In the eighteenth century, a daytime performance was less expensive than one held at night, in part because it required no candles.

ANS:TDIF:EasyREF:p. 126

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Factual

10.A man singing in a well-developed falsetto voice is known as a countertenor.

ANS:TDIF:EasyREF:p. 126

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Factual

11.Recitativo secco is a special kind of accompanied recitative that is generally reserved for the most intense moments of an opera or oratorio.

ANS:FDIF:MediumREF:p. 129

TOP: Listening to the Music: Recitatives MSC: Applied

12.In his arias, Handel rarely repeats individual phrases of text.

ANS:FDIF:EasyREF:p. 130

TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias MSC: Factual

13.In the second half of the “Hallelujah” chorus, Handel creates a dense polyphonic texture through extensive use of imitation.

ANS:TDIF:EasyREF:p. 138

TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses MSC: Factual

14.A fugue is a composition in which all voices perform exactly the same part.

ANS:FDIF:HardREF:p. 140

TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses MSC: Applied

15.From the enthusiastic reviews in the Dublin newspapers, we know that Messiah’s premiere was a rousing success.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 142 TOP: How Did It Go?

MSC: Factual

SHORT ANSWER

1.In eighteenth-century England, ___________ was banned during Lent.

ANS:

opera

DIF: Easy REF: p. 119 TOP: Introduction MSC: Factual

2.In 1719, Handel became the inaugural director of London’s ___________.

ANS:

Royal Academy of Music

DIF: Medium REF: p. 120 TOP: George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)

MSC: Factual

3.The Italian word for song is ___________.

ANS:

aria

DIF:EasyREF:p. 121TOP:The Setting: Opera

MSC: Factual

4.The ___________ is a poet who writes the text for an opera or oratorio.

ANS:

librettist

DIF:MediumREF:p. 122TOP:The Setting: Oratorio

MSC: Factual

5.In the eighteenth century, Ireland was controlled by the government of ___________.

ANS:

England

DIF:EasyREF:p. 122TOP:The Setting: Dublin

MSC: Factual

6.Ticketholders for the premiere of Messiah were also invited to attend a public ___________, similar to a “preview” performance of a Broadway show.

ANS:

dress rehearsal

DIF:EasyREF:p. 125

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Factual

7.At the premiere, audience members could purchase ___________ that contained the entire text of Messiah.

ANS:

wordbooks

DIF:EasyREF:p. 126

TOP: The Performance: Tuesday, April 13, 1742, 12 Noon MSC: Factual

8.___________ are short melodic phrases that are repeated several time at higher or lower pitch levels.

ANS:

Sequences

DIF: Easy REF: p. 132 TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias

MSC: Applied

9.A standard form for operatic solos, in which the vocalist sings an opening section, a contrasting section, and an ornamented repeat of the opening, is known as ___________.

ANS:

da capo aria

DIF: Hard REF: p. 136 TOP: Listening to the Music: Arias

MSC: Applied

10.Several choruses in Messiah feature only one or two voices singing for long stretches. These movements, which Handel adapted from earlier Italian works, are called ___________.

ANS:

duet choruses

DIF: Easy REF: p. 141 TOP: Listening to the Music: Choruses

MSC: Factual

MATCHING

Match each item to the correct description below.

a.	recitativo secco	d.	recitativo accompagnato
b.	fugue	e.	aria
c.	cadenza

1.an emotive, virtuosic song

2.recitative accompanied by a large orchestral ensemble

3.“dry” recitative, featuring spare basso continuo accompaniment

4.an ornamented, virtuosic version of a piece’s final cadence, traditionally performed by the soloist

5.a polyphonic structure in which individual voices or instruments directly imitate one another

1.ANS:E

2.ANS:D

3.ANS:A

4.ANS:C

5.ANS:B

Match each person to the correct description below.

a.	Charles Jennens	d.	Christina Maria Avolio
b.	Jonathan Swift	e.	Matthew Dubourg
c.	Susannah Cibber

6.violinist and leader of the State Music of Ireland

7.Italian opera soprano whom Handel brought from London

8.Handel’s associate, who assembled the texts for Messiah

9.famed Irish author and dean of St. Patrick’s Cathedral

10.alto soloist and actress whom Handel discovered in London

6.ANS:E

7.ANS:D

8.ANS:A

9.ANS:B

10.ANS:C

ESSAY

1.Discuss Handel’s alternating use of recitatives, arias, and choruses in Messiah. What function does each serve, and how do they work together to dramatize the work’s message?

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual

2.Explain the gesture-amplification-conclusion model of text setting, and provide a specific example of its use in the aria “Ev’ry valley.” Describe the specific musical materials and compositional techniques that Handel uses to create initial gestures, amplify those gestures, and conclude his musical sentences.

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual

3.What elements (commercial, social, musical) have allowed Messiah to retain its extraordinary popularity over the 250 years since its premiere?

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual