Deck 18: Romantic Opera

Question 1

"La donna è mobile" is from a(n):

A) song cycle for voice and orchestra.
B) opera.
C) oratorio.
D) lied.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When the character Siegmund collapses in Sieglinde's house in the first scene of The Valkyrie,a leitmotiv in which there is a(n)________ is heard.

A) ascending scale melody in the trombones
B) descending scale melody in the cellos
C) rhythmic pulsing in the timpani
D) rising melody in the cellos

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What characterizes the singers' melodies in the first scene of The Valkyrie?

A) lyrical song forms
B) free-formed declamation of the words
C) full-fledged aria
D) leitmotivs

Answer 3

B

Question 4

"La donna è mobile" is the first line of a(n):

A) aria.
B) recitative.
C) arioso.
D) duet.

Question 5

What important role does the orchestra play in the first scene of The Valkyrie?

A) By carrying the leitmotivs, it conveys the psychological depth of the characters and their feelings.
B) It merely provides accompaniment for the singers.
C) It repeats the leitmotivs in exactly the same way while the singers echo and transform them.
D) It remains restrained at all times, allowing the singers to be more emotionally expressive.

Question 6

The performing forces in the recitative at the end of "Bella figlia dell'amore" consist of:

A) two vocal soloists and the full orchestra.
B) two vocal soloists.
C) two vocal soloists, a chorus, and the string and woodwind sections of the orchestra.
D) three vocal soloists, a chorus, and the full orchestra.

Question 7

"La donna è mobile" is a(n):

A) round.
B) aria.
C) recitative.
D) arioso.

Question 8

Who composed Rigoletto?

A) Richard Wagner
B) Georges Bizet
C) Giacomo Puccini
D) Giuseppe Verdi

Question 9

How does the vocal quartet end in Act III,scene i,of Rigoletto?

A) There is a long passage for all four voices.
B) The orchestra provides ballet music as the quartet exits one by one.
C) The quartet reinforces the personality of each character with a leitmotiv.
D) A fugal section adds to the tension of the scene.

Question 10

When Sieglinde enters in the first scene of The Valkyrie,she bends over Siegmund,and in a leitmotiv:

A) the flute plays a flowing melody.
B) the melody rises in the cellos.
C) the melody rises and gently falls back in the violins.
D) the low brasses repeat notes gently.

Question 11

The "Bella figlia dell'amore" section in Rigoletto includes:

A) a recitative and a lied.
B) a vocal quartet.
C) two arias and an arioso.
D) a chorus and a solo aria.

Question 12

Who composed The Valkyrie?

A) Richard Wagner
B) Giuseppe Verdi
C) Giacomo Puccini
D) Carl Maria von Weber

Question 13

What comes after the aria "La donna è mobile" in Rigoletto?

A) an aria by Rigoletto
B) a duet between the Duke and Rigoletto
C) a duet between Rigoletto and Maddalena
D) a brief recitative and then a vocal quartet

Question 14

What is not heard in the recitative preceding "La donna è mobile"?

A) a chorus
B) a female soloist
C) a male soloist
D) the orchestra

Question 15

Who composed "Bella figlia dell'amore"?

A) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B) Giacomo Puccini
C) Giuseppe Verdi
D) Richard Wagner

Question 16

What is the mood portrayed in "La donna è mobile"?

A) compelling and jaunty
B) macabre, then playful
C) gloomy, then happy
D) peaceful and content

Question 17

"La donna è mobile" is in what form?

A) strophic
B) through-composed
C) A B A
D) rondo

Question 18

The performing forces in the section starting with "Bella figlia dell'amore" consist of:

A) a soprano soloist, chorus, and orchestra.
B) two female soloists and orchestra.
C) two male soloists and orchestra.
D) two female soloists, two male soloists, and orchestra.

Question 19

Who composed "La donna è mobile"?

A) Giacomo Puccini
B) Giuseppe Verdi
C) Richard Wagner
D) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Question 20

The characters in Act III,scene i,of Rigoletto include:

A) the Duke, Gilda, and Sieglinde.
B) the Duke, Gilda, Rigoletto, and Maddalena.
C) the Duke, Radamès, and Rigoletto.
D) the Duke, Gilda, and Brangaene.

Question 21

Romantic opera began to surface in ________ in the ________.

A) Austria; 1830s
B) Germany; 1820s
C) England; 1830s
D) Italy; 1820s

Question 22

"Un bel dì" is a(n):

A) ensemble.
B) duet.
C) aria.
D) chorus.

Question 23

Which is considered Vincenzo Bellini's finest opera?

A) The Barber of Seville
B) Norma
C) Lucia di Lammermoor
D) Rigoletto

Question 24

Which is true of Vincenzo Bellini?

A) He used a light folk song style in his opera arias.
B) He was a composer of refined, highly expressive Romantic melodies.
C) He stressed the orchestra in his operas, sometimes overshadowing the singers.
D) He was admired by Schubert for his melodic writing.

Question 25

Which statement is false?

A) Verdi never wavered in his commitment to the human voice.
B) Verdi cared most about the dramatic quality of his operas.
C) Verdi's operas still employ secco recitative, though in a bel canto style.
D) The orchestra plays a richer role in Verdi's operas than in those of his predecessors.

Question 26

Gaetano Donizetti is considered a(n):

A) master of depicting the supernatural in his operas.
B) expert conductor of his works.
C) prolific composer of more than sixty operas.
D) sharp critic of the bel canto style.

Question 27

In the first scene of The Valkyrie,when Siegmund utters the repeated word Misswende,Wagner:

A) highlights the mood in the clarinets.
B) adds dissonant chords in the orchestra.
C) deepens the mood in the brass.
D) imitates the rhythm of the word with the bassoons.

Question 28

At the end of "Un bel dì," the orchestra:

A) fades away before the soprano's last note.
B) plays three short, emphatic chords.
C) takes up the intensified melody to end the aria.
D) begins a quiet march.

Question 29

Which statement is false?

A) Many Romantic operas transcend artistic barriers.
B) The Romantic era was a golden age of opera.
C) Romantic opera flourished only in Germany and Italy.
D) Romantic composers came to view opera as a type of serious drama in music, not just a vehicle for song, spectacle, and entertainment.

Question 30

Which was composed by Gioacchino Rossini?

A) The Barber of Seville
B) Norma
C) Lucia di Lammermoor
D) Rigoletto

Question 31

What announces the return of Hunding in the first scene of The Valkyrie?

A) a baritone voice
B) the low strings
C) the low brasses
D) the timpani

Question 32

In the first scene of The Valkyrie,as Sieglinde gives Siegmund a drink of water and their eyes meet,a new leitmotiv is heard,written for the:

A) solo clarinet.
B) upper strings.
C) lower brasses.
D) solo cello and other low strings.

Question 33

A style of opera developed by early Italian Romantic composers was called:

A) rubato.
B) bel canto.
C) da capo aria.
D) canzona.

Question 34

Who composed Madame Butterfly?

A) Giuseppe Verdi
B) Vincenzo Bellini
C) Gaetano Donizetti
D) Giacomo Puccini

Question 35

The melody of "Un bel dì" has a ________ character.

A) floating, fantasy
B) dramatic, emphatic
C) gloomy, sad
D) jaunty, pompous

Question 36

In Verdi's operas,the orchestra plays a greater role in ________ and a lesser role in ________.

A) ensembles; arias
B) recitatives; arias
C) ariosos; arias
D) ensembles; ballets

Question 37

Vincenzo Bellini,Gaetano Donizetti,and Gioacchino Rossini were all:

A) early Italian Romantic opera composers.
B) legendary singers of the bel canto era.
C) famous tenors in the nineteenth century.
D) owners of the most famous early opera houses.

Question 38

Which was composed by Gaetano Donizetti?

A) The Barber of Seville
B) Norma
C) Lucia di Lammermoor
D) Rigoletto

Question 39

Gioacchino Rossini's opera buffa style was similar to that of:

A) Schubert.
B) Beethoven.
C) Berlioz.
D) Mozart.

Question 40

Carl Maria von Weber was the founder of:

A) German Romantic opera.
B) verismo.
C) the bel canto style.
D) the arioso style.

Question 41

The Nibelung's Ring is based on:

A) a play by Shakespeare.
B) a poem by Schopenhauer.
C) an original story by Richard Wagner.
D) Germanic or Norse legends.

Question 42

Many of Verdi's early operas are associated with:

A) ancient Greek myths and legends.
B) patriotic themes.
C) Germanic myths and legends.
D) the Bible.

Question 43

The setting of Rigoletto is:

A) Spain.
B) Rome.
C) Italy.
D) Japan.

Question 44

Carl Maria von Weber's most important work is:

A) Tristan und Isolde.
B) Otello.
C) Don Pasquale.
D) Der Freischütz (The Magic Bullet).

Question 45

Verdi's last two masterpieces were:

A) La traviata and Otello.
B) Falstaff and Il trovatore.
C) Rigoletto and Otello.
D) Otello and Falstaff.

Question 46

Unlike the Romantic Italian opera composers of his time,Carl Maria von Weber:

A) is known for his charming opera buffa.
B) wrote primarily for the voice.
C) used supernatural subject matter in his operas.
D) developed new brass instruments to enrich the orchestral tone color.

Question 47

Many scholars say that,next to Beethoven,________ had the greatest influence on nineteenth-century composers.

A) Richard Wagner
B) Giuseppe Verdi
C) Giacomo Puccini
D) Gioacchino Rossini

Question 48

Leitmotivs are developed by means of:

A) theme and variation form.
B) thematic transformation.
C) ornamentation in the last section of a da capo aria.
D) imitative polyphony.

Question 49

Wagner was as well known for his ________ as he was for his operas.

A) piano transcriptions of operatic works
B) controversial ideas
C) lieder
D) generosity

Question 50

Wagner's ________ was part of the larger work ________.

A) Rhine Gold; Dichterliebe
B) Nibelung's Ring; Parsifal
C) Parsifal; The Nibelung's Ring
D) Rhine Gold; The Nibelung's Ring

Question 51

Wagner was particularly against:

A) leitmotivs.
B) arias.
C) the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk.
D) expanding the size and role of the orchestra in opera.

Question 52

Who wrote the texts for Richard Wagner's operas?

A) Hans von Bülow
B) Richard Wagner himself
C) Cosima Wagner
D) Arthur Schopenhauer

Question 53

Which term refers to a synthesis of many of the arts into one unified work,or "total work of art"?

A) leitmotiv
B) bel canto
C) music drama
D) Gesamtkunstwerk

Question 54

What three early operas of Verdi ensured him international fame?

A) Il trovatore, La traviata, and Rigoletto
B) La traviata, Otello, and Falstaff
C) Otello, Il trovatore, and Rigoletto
D) Rigoletto, Il trovatore, and Falstaff

Question 55

Rigoletto is based on a play by the French writer:

A) Victor Hugo.
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
C) Vincenzo Bellini.
D) Lord Byron.

Question 56

Which statement is false?

A) Wagner was a great conductor.
B) Wagner's career as a concert pianist enabled him to travel all over Europe.
C) Wagner was a great orchestrator.
D) Wagner wrote many books and articles about his ideas.

Question 57

Which allows a composer to show what a character is thinking even though something else is being said in the text?

A) idée fixe
B) bel canto style
C) leitmotiv
D) Gesamtkunstwerk

Question 58

Which statement about The Nibelung's Ring is false?

A) It exhibits a classic emotional restraint.
B) It has an epic scope covering many generations.
C) It is a story of myth and the supernatural.
D) It is a lengthy performance experience.

Question 59

What did Wagner call his new style of opera in the 1850s?

A) Gesamtkunstwerk
B) bel canto
C) music drama
D) leitmotiv

Question 60

What are the two most important elements of Wagner's operatic style?

A) aria and recitative
B) predominance of the orchestra and bel canto style
C) the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk and the technique of leitmotiv
D) the use of leitmotiv and idée fixe

Question 61

Describe the relationship between the vocal lines and the orchestra in the operas of Verdi.

Question 62

Briefly describe the style of Verdi's arias.

Question 63

How did Verdi view drama in opera? What sorts of characters did he include in his operas? How did he handle emotional expression?

Question 64

What were the main contributions of Carl Maria von Weber to early Romantic opera? How is his compositional style different from the styles of Rossini,Donizetti,and Bellini?

Question 65

Describe how opera as an art form was connected to Romantic themes in the nineteenth century.

Question 66

Wagner uses mythology in The Nibelung's Ring to reflect on modern life,the basic theme being:

A) might makes right.
B) love occurs only after death.
C) greed and hunger for power bring moral decline.
D) the end justifies the means.

Question 67

Name the five main characters in Rigoletto and briefly describe the plot and location of the opera.

Question 68

What is the relationship of the two protagonists in the opening of The Valkyrie?

A) mother and son
B) wife and husband
C) cousins
D) brother and sister

Question 69

Compare and contrast the recitatives of Verdi with those of earlier Italian composers of Romantic opera.

Question 70

Briefly describe the political views of Giuseppe Verdi.How was Verdi viewed by his fellow Italians?

Question 71

What became of Wagner's leitmotiv technique?

A) It faded from use by the twentieth century.
B) It became very popular in the operas of Rossini.
C) It was used only in Wagner's operas.
D) It was used in most operas.

Question 72

Briefly describe the events of the vocal quartet in Act III,scene i,of Rigoletto.Discuss how the drama is heightened with musical elements such as dynamics and orchestral tone colors.

Question 73

Where did Romantic opera first develop? Who was one of the first composers in this new style?

Question 74

Puccini's operas capitalized on the:

A) Romantic tendency for psychological depiction in opera.
B) Romantic tendency toward the macabre and supernatural.
C) Romantic tendency to use smaller orchestras.
D) Romantic tendency to use ancient church modes.

Question 75

Describe some of Richard Wagner's innovations and explain why they had far-reaching effects on composers for many years.

Question 76

Why was Verdi,as opposed to Wagner,considered the dominant composer in nineteenth-century opera?

Question 77

Late Romantic opera became known for:

A) concentrating on myths and legends from ancient Greece.
B) a return to the Classical era's ideals of harmony and form.
C) more realistic tendencies, using current middle- or lower-class characters.
D) the use of smaller orchestras.

Question 78

What does bel canto mean? Briefly describe this Romantic style.How did it affect the role of the human voice in Italian opera?

Question 79

Who was Gaetano Donizetti? Briefly describe his compositional style and name one opera he composed.

Question 80

Who was Vincenzo Bellini? Briefly describe his compositional style and name one opera he composed.Which musical element did he treat with an especially Romantic flair?