Hafer/Spring 2017

Graduate Music History Review

Study Guide for the Final Exam

Define the following terms and be able to relate them to specific composers, pieces, centuries, and locations
(where relevant). This is not a comprehensive list of testable material, but it should get you started.

Akademie Artwork of the Future Sprechstimme

Heiligenstadt Testament Gesamtkunstwerk Emancipation of the Dissonance
Lied(er) "Mad" King Ludwig II Twelve-tone music/Dodecaphony
Song cycle Unending melody Tone row
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Leitmotiv Serialism
Strophic/Modified Strophic Bayreuth Klangfarbenmelodie
Through composed Impressionism Pointillism
Concert Etudes Planing Primitivism
Character Pieces Whole tone/pentatonic scales Ballets russes
Music Criticism Coloristic harmonies Diaghilev
Neue Zeitschrift fr Musik/ Symphonic poem Nijinsky
(New Journal of Music) Indonesian Gamelan Polyrhythms
Cyclicism Nationalism/Exoticism Neo-Classicism
Heinrich Heine Expressionism Aleatoric Music
Virtuosos Second Viennese School Chance Operations
Ensembles vs. chorus Atonality/Pantonality Indeterminacy
Bel canto Pierrot Lunaire Prepared Piano
Risorgimento Albert Giraud Musique concrte
Arrigo Boito Passacaglia Minimalism

Sample Essay Questions

* Discuss in some detail the unusual treatment of traditional form in the first movement of
Beethoven's Eroica Symphony. How is this work typical of his middle period?

* Discuss the technological development of the piano in the nineteenth century. How did these
innovations contribute to the rise of the piano as a great solo instrument and an instrument of
amateurs? In what ways did the new instrument facilitate a style of composition that would have been
impossible in Mozart's day? Cite specific examples.

* Compare and contrast the works of Verdi and Wagner, citing specific examples to illustrate your
points.

* List and discuss the three pillars of Wagner's "Artwork of the Future." In what ways does Wagner
apply these ideas to his music dramas? Cite specific examples.

* Compare and contrast Impressionism and Expressionism, both in music and in the visual arts. Be sure
to identify important figures in both fields. When and where did these styles flourish? What were
some of their common symbols? Give examples of works of musical Impressionism and Expressionism
and discuss some of their defining characteristics.

* In the twentieth century, composers often looked back to older musical genres and forms for
inspiration, although their treatment of these older styles may have been very unconventional. Cite
several works or artistic movements (from both before *and* after World War II) that show
 Hafer/Spring 2017

composers' interest in earlier styles or compositions. How do composers adapt these styles in
distinctly "modern" ways to their own compositions?

* Explain some of the basic principles of twelve-tone composition. Who were some of its
practitioners? How is twelve-tone composition similar to and different from total serialism?

Score Identification

* You will be given scores from different periods of music history. You will identify the genre, the
style period, the century of composition, three defining characteristics of that period, and suggest a
possible composer. These MAY or MAY NOT be works from your listening assignment, but they will
be clear representations of works from each period. I am interested in how well you can identify
aspects of musical style more than I am your ability to memorize individual pieces.

* In preparation for this portion of the exam, I would suggest that you come up with a list of style
characteristics, forms, genres, composers, etc. from each period and then test yourself by flipping
through the anthology at random and trying to apply your knowledge.

* You will have plenty of time to complete the exam. Don't rush or panic.

* The exam will take place on Tuesday, May 9 @ 10:45am.