Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
Music History – 150 pts.
Please match the style period in the left column with the appropriate set of dates
in the right column.
Ancient
Medieval
Renaissance
Baroque
Classical
Romantic
Twentieth-century
1900-2000
1600-1750
4000 B.C.- A.D. 300
1450-1600
1800-1900
300-1450
1700-1800
Ancient Music
1. Describe the functions of music in the cultures of Ancient Israel,
Greece, and Mesopotamia.
2. What is a kithara?
3. What is an aulos?
4. What is a shofar?
5. Describe the Ancient Greek understanding of musica mundana.
Medieval Music
1. What is direct chant?
2. What is responsorial chant?
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
3. What is antiphonal chant?
4. What is syllabic text setting? Which texts of the mass ordinary are
most likely to utilize it?
5. What is neumatic text setting? Which texts of the mass ordinary
are most likely to utilize it?
6. What is melismatic text setting? Which texts of the mass ordinary
are most likely to utilize it?
7. For what is Pope Gregory the Great primarily remembered in music
history?
8. Differentiate between strict simple, strict composite, and modified
parallel organum.
9. Name two composers of organum who lived in the late Medieval
period.
10.
What is a motet as written in the 13th century?
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
11.
What contributions did Guido d’Arezzo make to music
history?
12.
What contributions did Franco of Cologne make to music
history?
13.
In your opinion, what is the single most important musical
development of the Medieval period? Why?
Renaissance Music
1. Write “imitative polyphony.”
2. Explain what is meant by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina belonging
to the “Roman school” of composition. What were some
characteristics of this “school?”
3. Compare and contrast a Renaissance madrigal and a Renaissance
motet. How are they the same? How are they different?
4. What is the difference between a Medieval motet and a Renaissance
motet?
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
5. Technically, Pierre Certon’s La la la, je ne l’ose dire is a “chanson.”
If you had to broadly categorize it as either a “motet” or a
“madrigal,” which would you choose and why?
6. Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli worked at St. Mark’s cathedral in
Venice during the late Renaissance. What significant contribution
did they make in the realm of instrumental music?
7. In your opinion, who was the greatest composer of the Renaissance
period? Why?
Baroque Music
1. Why is Johann Sebastian Bach widely regarded as the greatest
composer of the Baroque period? Do you think he is deserving of
this distinction? Why or why not?
2. What is the difference between an opera and an oratorio?
3. Name a famous Baroque opera and its composer.
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
4. Name the most famous oratorio of the Baroque period and its
composer.
5. What is the difference between recitativo secco and recitativo
accompagnato?
6. Explain how the “recitative and aria” functions in an opera or
oratorio.
7. What is a solo concerto?
8. Antonio Vivaldi is primarily remembered for his
a.
b.
c.
d.
Oratorios
Concertos
Symphonies
Crazy funk grooves
9. What is your favorite work/piece of Baroque music? Why?
Classical Music
1. Classical music is generally characterized by a reliance on
a.
b.
c.
d.
Heavily ornamented solo lines
Complex polyphony
Formal structure
Improvisation
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
2. What are the five parts of a sonata plan?
3. Using letters, write out the plan of a five-part rondo.
4. Describe the general idea behind theme and variations.
5. In your opinion, is Mozart deserving of the wunderkind status with
which he is still remembered? Why or why not?
Romantic & Nationalist Music
1. Obviously not every song written in the nineteenth century is a love
song. What is meant by referring to the music of this time as
“romantic?”
2. In what three ways did nineteenth-century composers “nationalize”
their music regarding folk elements?
3. Describe how Ludwig van Beethoven can accurately be considered a
“transitional” composer. Which two periods did he link?
4. What is thematic transformation? Who is credited with having
developed it? Give an example of a symphony in which thematic
transformation is used.
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
5. Do you consider Johannes Brahms’ A German Requiem to be a
Romantic work, a Nationalist work, or both? Explain your answer.
6. What characters are present in Franz Schubert’s Erlkönig? Does
this song qualify as Romantic? Nationalist? Explain your answer.
7. In your opinion, does worldview affect artistic output? How is your
answer supported by an understanding of musical developments of
the nineteenth century? Include at least one example.
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
Twentieth-century Music
1. Differentiate between the neoclassical and avant-garde schools of
compostitional thought.
2. Of which of these two philosophies is Appalachian Spring an
example?
3. Of which of these two philosophies is minimalism an example?
4. For what compositional process is Terry Riley known?
5. What is aleatoric music (aleatory)?
6. John Cage is known primarily for utilizing ___________________ in his
music.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Minimalism
Aleatory
Sonata form
Theme & variations
7. Terry Riley is known primarily for utilizing _______________________ in
his music.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Minimalism
Aleatory
Sonata form
Theme & variations
8. In your opinion, at which point in history did Western music
achieve its artistic apex? Has this point come yet? Is this a
reasonable question?
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
EXTRA CREDIT (5 PTS.)
Who is the most likely composer of the following excerpt?
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ludwig van Beethoven
Aaron Copland
Explain how you arrived at your answer:
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
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Stillwater Christian School
Music Theory, History, & Literature
History & Literature Final Written Examination
Mr. Hunter
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