Chapter 17 Quiz 1

. Why is Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker most often heard in December in the United States?

Because the story takes place on Christmas Eve

Because the story is tied to the Christian holiday of All Saints Day

Because the first performance in the United States was in December of 1901

None of the above

. Consider the following statement and choose the best response: "Stravinsky's Rite of Spring demonstrates many features of primitivism, especially driving, irregular rhythms; in addition, the work illustrates modern orchestration techniques in its use of instruments like the bassoon and muted trumpet to create specific and often soothing tone colors."

The statement is true.

The statement is false because this piece is an example of expressionism, not primitivism.

The statement is false because this work is by Diaghilev, not Stravinsky.

The statement is false because the tone colors produced by Stravinsky's orchestration are harsh, not soothing.

. Which composer in this chapter is NOT correctly paired with a piece for which they wrote both the ballet and the derived suite?

Copland-Rodeo

Stravinsky-Firebird

Tchaikovsky-Nutcracker

Delibes-Petrouchka

. Copland's ballet ___ centers around a love triangle between a cowgirl, a head wrangler, and the rancher's daughter; in the famous finale number, ___, the wrangler and the cowgirl finally come together.

The Tender Land / "Gavotte"

Appalachian Spring / "Grand Sacrifice"

Rodeo / "Hoedown"

Of Mice and Men / "Tonight"

. What is the function of a director in producing a ballet?

To provide an overall vision for the piece, often called a 'scenario'

To design the dance movements

To direct the orchestra in performance

All of the above

. What desire of Aaron Copland led to the composition of Appalachian Spring, his best-known work?

His desire to meld impressionist and expressionist artistic concepts

His desire to narrow the gap between the contemporary composer and the general listening audience

His desire to hold the prestigious post of composer-in-residence at Juilliard

His desire to bring jazz music into the concert hall as 'art music'

. Composers of great ballets often extracted the most popular music into a new form called what?

Ballet suite

Ballet reduction

Sublimation

Symphonic poem

. What is the function of "drops" in a ballet?

They serve as props that the dancers can throw without being hurt if one goes off the mark.

They provide a scenic backdrop in lieu of constructed scenery that would clutter the dance space.

They are stagehands responsible for securing the safety of the stage and performers, specifically relating to fire safety.

They are secondary dancers of slight stature who are thrown by the larger dancers in the full ensemble dance sequences.

. Which composer is considered the most important composer of Romantic ballet?

Aaron Copland

Igor Stravinsky

Leo Delibes

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

. What effect did the Russian Revolution have on the life of Igor Stravinsky?

Early on, he joined the Communist party and became an important part of the Soviet propaganda effort.

He fled his native land and spent most of his career in France and the United States.

None, as his family had left Russia for Western Europe in the 1890s.

Early on he sympathized with the revolutionaries, but became disgusted with their policies in the 1930s and sought asylum in the United States.

. Which of the following is NOT one of the movements from the Nutcracker ballet suite?

Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies

Waltz of the Flowers

The Rite of Spring

Arabian Dance

. Which of the following is a trait of early court ballet?

They featured song and dance combined

Their plots were large-scale and often intricate

They were the first type of Western music to include the saxophone in the instrumentation

They usually consisted of dance scenes united by a minimal plot thread

. Consider the following statement and choose the best response: "Many ballet suites, which typically only include the best and most popular music from their respective ballets, are now considered standard repertory for choral ensembles."

The statement is true.

The statement is false because ballet suites usually include all of the music, not just the best or most popular.

The statement is false because ballet suites are usually written first as a musical 'draft' from which the full ballet is then constructed.

The statement is false because ballet suites are standard repertory for orchestras, not choral ensembles.

. By the ___, the epicenter of ballet had moved from France to ___; the latter is still greatly influential among today's dancers.

19th century / Russia

Romantic era / Belgium

18th century / Italy

modern era / Spain

. Which statement about ballet in the Romantic era and early 20th century is NOT true?

During this time, the music was always written after the dance was already choreographed.

The most important ballets were written during this period.

Many of the ballets written during this period drew their plots from fairy tales.

Much of the ballet music from this period is now performed in suites by orchestras.

Chapter 17 Quiz 1

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