Music Middle Ages

The phrase Middle Ages refers to the period of European history spanning: A. 450-1000. B. 1000-1150. C. 1150-1450. D. 450-1450.

The Renaissance may be described as an age of: A. curiosity and individualism. B. exploration and adventure. C. the "rebirth" of human creativity. D. All answers are correct

The intellectual movement called humanism A. condemned any remnant of pagan antiquity. B. focused on human life and its accomplishments. C. treated the Madonna as a childlike unearthly creature. D. focused on the afterlife in heaven and hell.

The dominant intellectual movement of the Renaissance was called A. feudalism. B. humanism. C. classicism. D. paganism.

Which of the following statements is not true of humanism? A. The Madonna was treated as a beautiful young woman. B. The humanists were basically atheistic in their beliefs. C. The humanists were captivated by the pagan cultures of ancient Greece and Rome. D. The humanists focused on human life and its accomplishments.

In the Middle Ages, most important musicians were A. priests. B. traveling entertainers. C. peasants. D. women.

A virtual monopoly on learning during the Middle Ages was held by A. knights in castles. B. professors in universities. C. monks in monasteries. D. wandering minstrels or jongleurs.

During the Middle Ages, women A. were not permitted to sing in church. B. sang at all church services. C. could sing only in monasteries. D. were not permitted to participate in church services.

Church officials expected monks to sing with A. proper pronunciation and tone quality. B. the accompaniment of organs and other instruments. C. proper attention to the wishes of the bishop. D. the members of the congregation.

Bernard of Clairvaux ordered his monks to sing A. quietly with reverence. B. vigorously with manliness. C. loudly with boisterous tone quality. D. somberly with proper dignity.

The church frowned on instruments because of their A. association with minstrels and jongleurs. B. sacred quality and background. C. earlier role in pagan rites. D. use in early Jewish religious ceremonies.

The use of organs in church A. added a sacred quality to the mass. B. made it possible for more musicians to be employed. C. frustrated the nobles in their attempts to control the church. D. distracted the listeners from worship.

What we know about instruments in church comes mainly from A. the pictures and literary descriptions of the day. B. surviving musical manuscripts. C. the work of Pope Gregory the Great. D. the work of Hildegard of Bingen.

Most medieval music was A. instrumental. B. vocal. C. for the piano. D. for the organ.

We know from paintings and literary descriptions of the Middle Ages that A. instruments were used. B. trumpets and trombones were prominent. C. instruments were seldom used. D. large orchestras existed.

The view of the later medieval church on music during religious services was that it should be A. performed by as many musical instruments as possible. B. used only as a discreet accompaniment. C. banned entirely. D. used only with wind instruments.

Church authorities in the Middle Ages ____________________ their religious services. A. encouraged the use of music as a highlight of B. forbade the use of music in C. wanted music only as a discreet accompaniment to D. preferred instrumental music in

The music the Medieval monks sang was called A. contemporary gospel. B. Gregorian chant. C. estampies. D. Trouvère songs.

Gregorian chant A. is set to sacred Latin texts. B. retained some elements of the Jewish synagogue of the first centuries after Christ. C. was the official music of the Roman Catholic church for more than 1,000 years. D. All answers are correct.

Gregorian chant A. is monophonic in texture. B. is polyphonic in texture. C. is homophonic in texture. D. has no texture.

Gregorian chant consists of A. one instrument playing alone. B. melody sung without accompaniment. C. several voices singing in harmony. D. several instruments playing together.

Which of the following is not true of Gregorian chant? A. It conveys a calm, otherworldly quality. B. Its rhythm is flexible, without meter. C. The melodies tend to move by step within a narrow range of pitches. D. It is usually polyphonic in texture.

Gregorian chant is seldom heard today because A. it is very difficult to sing, and those who know how are dying out. B. the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 decreed the use of the vernacular in church services. C. it is too old-fashioned for modern services. D. All answers are correct.

Gregorian chant melodies tend to move A. by leaps over a wide range of pitches. B. stepwise within a narrow range of pitches. C. infrequently, remaining on a single tone for long stretches. D. only by perfect intervals.

Gregorian chant is named after Pope Gregory I, who A. composed all the chants presently in use. B. had his name put on the first printed edition. C. was credited by medieval legend with having created it. D. wrote the texts for the chants.

Pope Gregory the Great A. composed all of the Gregorian chants. B. published all of the Gregorian chants. C. reorganized the Catholic church liturgy during his reign from 590 to 604. D. All answers are correct

The two types of services at which monks and nuns sang were A. the salvation service and the holiness service. B. the monastery and the convent. C. the office and the mass. D. the worship service and the praise service.

The highlight of the day for monks and nuns was A. the service before sunrise. B. the service after sunset. C. the evening feast. D. the mass.

The earliest surviving chant manuscripts date from about the _______ century. A. sixth B. ninth C. hirteenth D. fourteenth

The church modes were A. forms of religious ritual. B. only used in the music of the Catholic church. C. the basic scales of western music during the Middle Ages. D. chalices to hold holy relics.

The church modes are A. different from the major and minor scales in that they consist of only six different tones. B. different from the major and minor scales in that they consist of only five different tones. C. like the major and minor scales in that they consist of seven tones and an eighth tone that duplicates the first an octave higher. D. completely different from any other form of scale.

Alleluia A. may be translated as "praise ye the Lord". B. is a Latinized form of the Hebrew word hallelujah. C. is often used in Gregorian chants. D. All answers are correct.

The form of the chant Alleluia: Vidimus stellam is A. theme and variations. B. ABA. C. through-composed. D. ABACABA.

Hildegard of Bingen was A. the first woman composer to leave a large number of works that have survived. B. abbess of the convent at Rupertsberg. C. a visionary and mystic active in religious and diplomatic affairs. D. All answers are correct.

The earliest extant liturgical morality play, Ordo virtutum (Play of the Virtues), was composed by A. the nuns of Rupertsberg. B. the monks at the church of St. Trophime. C. Pope Gregory I. D. Hildegard of Bingen.

The first large body of secular songs that survives in decipherable notation was composed A. during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. B. during the ninth century. C. from 590 to 604. D. during the fifteenth century.

The first large body of secular songs that survives in decipherable notation was composed by A. priests and monks. B. French nobles called troubadours and trouvères. C. wandering minstrels or jongleurs. D. professional dancers and singers.

The French secular songs of the Middle Ages usually dealt with A. the Crusades. B. spinning. C. love. D. All answers are correct

Trouvère songs of the Middle Ages dealt with all of the following subjects except A. love. B. dancing. C. the Crusades. D. religion.

Which of the following statements is not true of secular music in the Middle Ages? A. Knights were able to gain great reputations as musical poets. B. The medieval jongleurs, important sources of information in a time when there were no newspapers, were accordingly ranked on a high social level. C. Some 1,650 troubadour and trouvère melodies have been preserved. D. While the notation does not indicate rhythm, it is likely that many of the secular songs of the Middle Ages had a regular meter with a clearly defined beat.

A famous French woman troubadour was A. Hildegard of Bingen. B. Frauenlob. C. Péronne d'Armentières. D. Beatriz de Dia.

Beatriz de Dia was A. queen of southern France. B. abbess of Rupertsberg and a composer of choral music. C. one of a number of women troubadours. D. the wife of Guillaume IX, duke of Aquitaine.

The notation of the secular songs of the Middle Ages does not indicate A. rhythm. B. pitch. C. duration. D. All answers are correct.

The medieval jongleurs, important sources of information in a time when there were no newspapers, were A. ranked on a high social level. B. on the lowest social level. C. equal in rank to the troubadours and trouvères. D. welcomed by the nobility as distinguished guests.

The wandering minstrels, or jongleurs, of the Middle Ages A. performed music and acrobatics in castles, taverns, and town squares. B. lived on the lowest level of society. C. played instrumental dances on harps, fiddles, and lutes. D. All answers are correct

As a young student in Paris, Henri de Malines sang A. Gregorian chant. B. monophonic songs in various languages. C. monophonic songs in French and Latin. D. organums and motets.

One function of secular music in the late Middle Ages was to provide accompaniment for A. monasteries. B. church services. C. dancing. D. monks and nuns.

An estampie is a medieval A. dance. B. stringed instrument. C. secular song form. D. song of worship.

Which of the following statements is not true of the medieval estampie? A. It is one of the earliest surviving pieces of instrumental music. B. It was intended for religious services. C. The manuscript contains only a single melodic line. D. The manuscript does not indicate which instrument should play the melody.

In the recording of the medieval estampie, the melody is played on a rebec, a A. medieval drum. B. bowed string instrument. C. tubular wind instrument. D. plucked string instrument.

The first steps in a revolution that eventually transformed western music began sometime between 700 and 900 with the A. addition of a second melodic line to Gregorian chant. B. addition of an organ accompaniment. C. transcription of the music for several different instruments. D. addition of chords to the melody line.

The first steps toward the development of polyphony were taken sometime between 700 and 900, when A. musicians composed new music to accompany dancing. B. the French nobles began to sing hunting songs together. C. monks in monastery choirs began to add a second melodic line to Gregorian chant. D. All answers are correct.

______________ is a term applied to medieval music that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines. A. Alleluia B. Organum C. Jongleurs D. Ostinato

Medieval music that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines is called A. ars nova. B. organum. C. cantus firmus. D. alleluia.

Which of the following statements is not true? A. Medieval music theorists favored the use of triads, the basic consonant chords of music. B. Medieval music that consists of Gregorian chant and one or more additional melodic lines is called organum. C. Paris was the intellectual and artistic capitol of Europe during the late medieval period. D. Perotin was the first known composer to write music with more than two voices.

The center of polyphonic music in Europe after 1150 was A. Paris. B. Rome. C. Reims. D. London.

In medieval times, most polyphonic music was created by A. placing new melodic lines against known chants. B. harmonizing melodies with chords. C. having some singers embellish the chant during church services. D. adding orchestral instruments to church music.

Leonin and Perotin are notable because they A. are the first important composers known by name. B. indicated definite time values and a clearly defined meter in their music. C. were the leaders of the school of Notre Dame. D. All answers are correct.

The earliest known composers to write music with measured rhythm were A. Pope Gregory and Chastelain de Couci. B. Machaut and Josquin. C. Leonin and Perotin. D. All answers are correct.

An outstanding composer of the school of Notre Dame was A. Perotin. B. Guillaume de Machaut. C. Hildegard of Bingen. D. Pope Gregory I.

Among other causes, secular music became more important than sacred music in the fourteenth century because A. the literature of the time stressed earthly sensuality. B. rival popes claimed authority at the same time, thereby weakening the authority of the church. C. the feudal system had gone into decline. D. All answers are correct.

One of the major characteristics of ars nova music is its use of A. syncopation. B. organum. C. Gregorian chant. D. monophonic texture.

Secular music in the fourteenth century A. became more important than sacred music. B. was not based on Gregorian chant. C. included drinking songs and pieces in which bird calls, dog barks, and hunting shouts were imitated. D. All answers are correct.

The term ars nova refers to A. Italian and French music of the fourteenth century. B. German music of the sixteenth century. C. the new art of baroque painters. D. paintings from the new world.

A new system of music notation that allowed composers to specify almost any rhythmical pattern had evolved by the A. late twelfth century. B. early thirteenth century. C. early fourteenth century. D. late fourteenth century.

The ars nova or new art differed from older music in that A. the subjects were all secular. B. there was no syncopation. C. a new system of notation permitted composers to specify almost any rhythmic pattern. D. the music emphasized homophonic texture.

An outstanding composer of the ars nova was A. Guillaume de Machaut. B. Perotin. C. Leonin. D. Pope Gregory I.

Guillaume de Machaut was a ______________ as well musician. A. court official B. poet C. priest D. All answers are correct.

Guillaume de Machaut's compositions consist mainly of A. music for church services. B. Gregorian chants. C. dance music. D. love songs with instrumental accompaniment. Answer: D

Which of the following is not a part of the mass ordinary? A. Ave Maria B. Gloria C. Kyrie D. Credo

The Renaissance in music occurred between A. 1000 and 1150. B. 1150 and 1450. C. 1450 and 1600. D. 1600 and 1750.

Which of the following statements is not true of the Renaissance? A. Education was considered a status symbol by aristocrats and the upper middle class. B. The Catholic church was even more powerful in the Renaissance than during the Middle Ages. C. Every educated person was expected to be trained in music. D. Musical activity gradually shifted from the church to the court.

Many prominent Renaissance composers, who held important posts all over Europe, came from what was then A. England. B. Flanders. C. Spain. D. Scandinavia.

Which of the following statements is not true of Renaissance music? A. The texture of Renaissance music is chiefly polyphonic. B. Instrumental music became more important than vocal music during the Renaissance. C. The Renaissance period is sometimes called "the golden age" of a cappella choral music. D. Renaissance composers often used word painting, a musical representation of specific poetic images.

The leading music center in sixteenth-century Europe was A. Flanders. B. Spain. C. Germany. D. Italy.

The texture of Renaissance music is chiefly A. monophonic. B. homophonic. C. polyphonic. D. heterophonic.

Renaissance music sounds fuller than medieval music because A. composers considered the harmonic effect of chords rather than superimposing one melody above another. B. the bass register is used for the first time. C. the typical choral piece has four, five, or six voice parts of nearly equal melodic interest. D. All answers are correct.

A cappella refers to A. unaccompanied choral music. B. men taking their hats off in church. C. singing in a hushed manner. D. any form of music appropriate for church use.

Renaissance melodies are usually easy to sing because A. there is a sharply defined beat. B. the music is mostly homophonic. C. the level of musicianship in the Renaissance was not very high. D. the melody often moves along a scale with few large leaps.

The two main forms of sacred Renaissance music are the mass and the A. Kyrie. B. motet. C. madrigal. D. cantata.

The Renaissance motet is a A. polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections. B. piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love. C. dancelike song for several solo voices. D. polyphonic choral work set to a sacred Latin text other than the ordinary of the mass.

Which of the following is not a part of the Renaissance mass? A. Agnus Dei. B. Gloria. C. Sanctus. D. Alleluia.

Josquin Desprez spent much of his life in A. Italy. B. Spain. C. Germany. D. the Netherlands.

Josquin Desprez was a contemporary of A. Christopher Columbus. B. Perotin. C. Palestrina. D. Henry VIII of England.

Which of the following statements is not true? A. Josquin's compositions strongly influenced other composers, and were praised enthusiastically by music lovers. B. Josquin spent most of his life in the province of Hainaut, today a part of Belgium. C. Josquin's compositions include masses, motets, and secular vocal pieces. D. Josquin's Ave Maria . . . Virgo serena uses polyphonic imitation, a technique typical of the period.

Palestrina's career centered in A. the Netherlands. B. Florence. C. Naples. D. Rome.

Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's A. career centered in Florence. B. training, like Josquin's, was in Flanders. C. music includes 104 masses and some 450 other sacred works. D. All answers are correct.

The movement in which the Catholic church sought to correct abuses and malpractices within its structure is known as A. the Reformation. B. the Counter-Reformation. C. Protestantism. D. the Inquisition.

An attempt was made to purify Catholic Church music as a result of the A. founding of the Jesuit order in 1540. B. deliberations of the Council of Trent. C. complaints of Desiderius Erasmus. D. music of Palestrina.

The Council of Trent attacked the church music of the Renaissance because it A. was tiresomely monophonic. B. was based on Gregorian chant. C. used secular tunes, noisy instruments, and theatrical singing. D. All answers are correct.

Palestrina's Pope Marcellus Mass sounds fuller than Josquin's Ave Maria because A. Palestrina was a better composer. B. it is set for six voices instead of four. C. the recording engineer adjusted the levels differently. D. All answers are correct.

The Renaissance madrigal began around 1520 in A. England. B. France. C. Italy. D. Flanders.

During the Renaissance every educated person was expected to A. read musical notation. B. play a musical instrument. C. be skilled in dance. D. All answers are correct.

Which of the following composers is not an important madrigalist? A. Thomas Morley B. Thomas Weelkes C. Luca Marenzio D. Josquin Desprez

The Renaissance madrigal is a A. polyphonic choral composition made up of five sections. B. piece for several solo voices set to a short poem, usually about love. C. dancelike song for several solo voices. D. polyphonic choral work set to a sacred Latin text.

The development of the English madrigal can be traced to 1588 and considered a result of A. the Spanish armada. B. a decree by Queen Elizabeth. C. the writings of Shakespeare. D. the publication in London of a volume of translated Italian madrigals.

The madrigal anthology The Triumphes of Oriana was written in honor of A. Queen Anne. B. King Henry VIII. C. the goddess Diana. D. Queen Elizabeth I.

Thomas Weelkes's As Vesta Was Descending is notable for its A. word painting. B. completely homophonic texture. C. instrumental accompaniment. D. monophonic texture.

Besides the madrigal, the _______ was another type of secular vocal music which enjoyed popularity during the Renaissance. A. estampie B. motet C. lute song D. galliard

The ______ was the most popular instrument in the Renaissance home. A. shawm B. regals C. sackbut D. lute

The lute song was widely cultivated in England from A. the late 1570's to the 1590's. B. the late 1590's to the 1620's. C. 1580 to 1600. D. 1600 to the late 1620's.

Lute songs are mostly __________ in texture. A. monophonic B. polyphonic C. homophonic D. imitative

A leading English composer of lute songs was A. John Dowland. B. Thomas Weelkes. C. Josquin Desprez. D. Thomas Morley.

The expression of __________ , as heard in John Dowland's Flow My Tears, was a prominent feature of English literature and music in the time of William Shakespeare. A. bliss B. patriotism C. pain D. melancholy

John Dowland's Flow My Tears consists of _________ musical sections that are each immediately repeated. A. two B. three C. four D. five

In most lute songs, the lute accompaniment A. is given equal prominence with the voice. B. is subordinate to the voice. C.is more prominent that the voice. D. plays the same melody as the voice.

Which of the following statements regarding the Renaissance is not true? A. Secular vocal music was written for groups of solo voices and for solo voice with instrumental accompaniment. B. Secular music contained more rapid changes of mood than sacred music. C. A wealth of dance music published during the sixteenth century has survived. D. Much of the instrumental music composed during the Renaissance was intended for church use.

Much of the instrumental music composed during the Renaissance was intended for A. the concert hall. B. religious worship. C. dancing. D. the piano.

Terpsichore, a collection of over 300 dance tunes, was arranged for instrumental ensemble by A. Michael Praetorius. B. Pierre Francisque Caroubel. C. Thomas Weelkes. D. Thomas Morley.

The passamezzo is a A. lively dance in triple meter. B. stately dance in duple meter similar to the pavane. C. gay, sprightly dance in duple meter. D. wooden instrument with a cup-shaped mouthpiece.

A versatile plucked string instrument with a body shaped like half a pear, popular during the Renaissance, was the A. lute. B. recorder. C. viol. D. shawm.