Final Exam

Question 1

Beethoven’s Three Periods

Answer 1

Early

• assimilating already established styles, building on music of Haydn and Mozart
• Piano Sonata No. 8 Op. 13
• Moonlight Sonata
• String Quartets

Middle
innovative, expansion of form, cyclical traits, extreme motivic development
-Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) (dedicated to Napoleon)
-Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral)
-Fidelio

Late
-modern, blurring division between phrases, influence of Baroque conventions (fugues, canons, heavy ornamentation) 
-String Quartet in C# Minor
-Symphony No. 9
Mass in D Missa Solmnis

Question 2

Heliigenstadt Testament

Answer 2

Lette to brother describing his hearing loss.

He was close to suicide, but decided against it for the sake of his art.

Question 3

Song Cycle

Answer 3

A group of songs meant to be performed together. Unifying narrative that tells a story.

Question 4

Program Music

Answer 4

Music written to deliberately represent literature, an idea, feeling, or environment. Something specific, distinct from music for it’s own sake (absolute).

Question 5

Beethoven’s Only Opera

Answer 5

Fidelio

Question 6

Beethoven’s Only Ballet

Answer 6

Creatures of Prometheus

Question 7

Schubert Song Cycles

Answer 7

Die Winterreise - The Winter Journey
Die Schöne Müllerin - The Beautiful Miller’s Daughter
Schwannengesang - Swan Songs (written shortly before his death)

Question 8

Schubert String Quartet in d minor

Answer 8

Death and the Maiden

-Written after he fell seriously ill, began to face his own mortality

Question 9

Schubert Piano Quintet

Answer 9

The Trout

-includes variations from another one of his works, Die Forelle (The Trout)

Question 10

Ballad

Answer 10

Song form that incorporated narrative and dialogue. Often based on literature. Longer pieces and were the predecessor to lieder.

Question 11

Schubert’s Harmonic Innovations and song form

Answer 11

• Modified strophic form
• three-key exposition (Great C-Major)
• key changes in thirds, alternates major and minor

Question 12

Influence of Paganini on Liszt

Answer 12

• Paganini’s virtuosic performances and showmanship on violin
• made Liszt want to do the same thing on piano

Question 13

Who is credited for the invention of the symphonic poem?

Answer 13

LISZT

Question 14

Define symphonic poem

Answer 14

• multi-sectional, one movement programmatic piece

- sections of contrasting character and tempo

Question 15

Contrast early and late music of Liszt

Answer 15

Early - flamboyant, technical, virtuosic piano performancy

Late - lyrical, thematic, less flashy and flamboyant, more chromatic and adventurous, progressive - wrote symphonic poems during this period

Question 16

Background, music, program of Symphonie Fantastique

Answer 16

written by Berlioz
about his romantic obsession with Harriet Smithson (actress)
influenced by Beethoven symphony no. 6
large orchestration
incorporation of idee fixe (repeating melodic theme)
-repetition of melodic ideas in this manner is called cyclic
piece had 5 movements (most symphonies had 4),
4th movement was considered the extra one
2nd movement features a waltz in a symphony for the first time
features these characters: Faust (protagonist), Gretchen (love interest), Mephisto (the devil)

Question 17

Comparison of background of Mendelssohn and Berlioz

Answer 17

• Mendelssohn was rich, Berlioz was poor
• Mendelssohn had extensive formal training, Berlioz had less training, taught himself a great deal about composition through textbooks
• Berlioz was not renowned during his lifetime, worked as a music critic. Mendelssohn was well known and successful as a composer during his lifetime.

Question 18

Periods of Verdi

Answer 18

First - bel canto tradition, patriotic (risorgiomento), melodramatic (Aida, Macbeth)
Second - deepening of characterization, blurred division between numbers, increased role of orchestra, reminiscence themes (Moses, La Traviata, Il Trouvatore)
Third - concentrated on psychological study of human beings, libretti based on Shakespeare, orchestra described in detail happenings on stage (Otello, Falstaff)

Question 19

Operas of Wagner vs Verdi

Answer 19

Wagner-supernatural, many based on Norse legends
Verdi- human themes
Wagner-wrote his own librettos, highly controlled many aspects of his productions
Verdi-worked with a librettist, collaborated with many others for costumes, scenery, etc
Wagner- drama created through the orchestra
Verdi- more drama in the vocal melodies
Wagner-leitmotives (melodic ideas that repeat tied to specific characters
Verdi-reminiscence motives: repeating ideas not necessarily tied to specific characters