BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Western Music History 2 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which medieval theorist wrote 'Micrologus,' one of the earliest treatises on polyphony and counterpoint?
- Guido of Arezzo (Correct answer)
- Hucbald of Saint-Amand
- Johannes de Garlandia
- Franco of Cologne
Correct answer: Guido of Arezzo
Guido of Arezzo wrote 'Micrologus' around 1025â1026, covering chant, modes, and early polyphonic practice.
Question 2: The 'Ars Subtilior' style of the late 14th century is best characterized by which feature?
- Extreme rhythmic complexity and notational experimentation (Correct answer)
- Simple homophonic textures for congregational singing
- Monophonic secular songs in the vernacular
- Modal counterpoint based on Gregorian chant
Correct answer: Extreme rhythmic complexity and notational experimentation
Ars Subtilior, centered in southern France and northern Italy, pushed rhythmic complexity and notation to unprecedented extremes.
Question 3: Which Baroque composer served as Kapellmeister at the Dresden court and was renowned for his opera 'Dafne' (1627)?
- Heinrich SchĂŒtz (Correct answer)
- Johann Hermann Schein
- Samuel Scheidt
- Michael Praetorius
Correct answer: Heinrich SchĂŒtz
Heinrich SchĂŒtz's 'Dafne' (1627) is considered the first German opera, though the music is now lost.
Question 4: The 'doctrine of affections' (Affektenlehre) in Baroque music held that music should:
- Express a single unified emotion throughout a movement (Correct answer)
- Imitate bird calls and natural sounds
- Follow strict mathematical proportions derived from ancient Greece
- Alternate rapidly between contrasting emotional states
Correct answer: Express a single unified emotion throughout a movement
Baroque Affektenlehre taught that each piece or movement should embody and arouse one specific affect or emotion.
Question 5: Christoph Willibald Gluck's 'reform operas' of the 1760s aimed to correct which perceived flaw in opera seria?
- Virtuosic singing that overshadowed dramatic truth (Correct answer)
- Excessive use of the orchestra at the expense of voices
- Overlong recitatives that bored audiences
- Lack of Italian texts in German-language courts
Correct answer: Virtuosic singing that overshadowed dramatic truth
Gluck's reforms, articulated in his preface to 'Alceste' (1769), sought to subordinate music to poetry and restore dramatic simplicity over vocal display.
Question 6: Which term describes the formal plan of a Classical-era minuet movement: MinuetâTrioâMinuet?
- Rounded ternary (ABA) form (Correct answer)
- Through-composed form
- Rondo form
- Binary form
Correct answer: Rounded ternary (ABA) form
The minuet and trio movement follows an ABA ternary plan, with the opening minuet returning da capo after the contrasting trio.
Question 7: Hector Berlioz's 'Symphonie fantastique' introduced the concept of the 'idée fixe,' which refers to:
- A recurring melodic theme representing a person or idea across all movements (Correct answer)
- A fixed harmonic progression repeated throughout the symphony
- An unchanging rhythmic ostinato underlying the entire work
- A literary program printed in the concert program notes
Correct answer: A recurring melodic theme representing a person or idea across all movements
The idée fixe is a melody representing the beloved that transforms in character across the symphony's five movements.
BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Western Music History 2
Which medieval theorist wrote 'Micrologus,' one of the earliest treatises on polyphony and counterpoint?