Music Then And Now By Thomas Forrest Kelly – Test Bank

Music Then And Now By Thomas Forrest Kelly – Test Bank

CHAPTER 7: W. A. Mozart’s Don Giovanni

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Mozart had great success in working with the librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte on which of the following operas?

a.

The Abduction from the Seraglio

d.

The Marriage of Figaro

b.

The Magic Flute

e.

all of the above

c.

Idomeneo

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 177 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Factual

2. Don Giovanni succeeded because of a variety of factors, including all of the following EXCEPT:

a.

the official support of Joseph II in Vienna

b.

the clarity and drama of the text

c.

the power of Mozart’s music

d.

the emotional connection between music and words

e.

the quality of its performances

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: pp. 177–178 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Applied

3. Don Giovanni is clever but wicked, and at the end of the opera he:

a.

changes his ways and marries the peasant girl Zerlina

b.

gets away with his crimes

c.

is dragged to hell by a stone statue

d.

is forced to leave Spain and flee to Morocco

e.

has his heart broken by a woman who uses his own tricks against him

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: p. 178 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Applied

4. By blending a moral message with a comic plot in Don Giovanni, Mozart and Da Ponte were able to:

a.

have their work performed in multiple theaters in Prague

b.

trick Joseph II into funding the production

c.

poke fun at the lower class

d.

attract a large and receptive aristocratic audience

e.

populate their work with a series of stereotypical, one-dimensional characters

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 178 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Applied

5. In 1787, the most important city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire was:

a.

Prague

d.

Leipzig

b.

Vienna

e.

Bonn

c.

Salzburg

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 178 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Applied

6. In the late eighteenth century, the supreme leader of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was:

a.

Leopold II

d.

Pope Pius VI

b.

Elizabeth II

e.

Joseph II

c.

George III

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 178 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

7. The river that runs through the middle of Prague is the:

a.

Danube

d.

Rhine

b.

Elbe

e.

Seine

c.

Moldau

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

8. Most residents of Prague spoke which two languages?

a.

German and English

d.

German and Russian

b.

Czech and German

e.

Czech and French

c.

Czech and Russian

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Applied

9. Many of the most important artistic patrons in Prague kept their primary residences in:

a.

the Altstadt area of Prague

d.

Vienna

b.

Paris

e.

Budapest

c.

the Kleinseite

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Applied

10. In 1787, the central theater in Prague—the one where Don Giovanni was premiered—was known as:

a.

Count Nostitz’s Theater

d.

the National Theater

b.

the Opera

e.

the Estates Theater

c.

the Burgtheater

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

11. Pasquale Bondini’s professional responsibilities included:

a.

commissioning new works

b.

finding excellent Italian singers

c.

overseeing important musical events in Prague

d.

coordinating an opera series in Leipzig

e.

all of the above

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Factual

12. Eighteenth-century Italian opera was not popular in Paris because:

a.

the Parisian audience could not understand the Italian language

b.

the French preferred their own new national style of opera

c.

the city did not have a dedicated opera theater

d.

Italian musicians boycotted the city

e.

the French could not relate to the plots of Italian opera

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Conceptual

13. Throughout eighteenth-century Europe, Italian opera was usually performed by:

a.

Italian singers who traveled across the Continent

b.

local singers who had apprenticed in Italy before returning to their home country

c.

advanced school children and their teachers

d.

aristocratic families

e.

servants and members of the lower-class

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Applied

14. In 1786, Pasquale Bondini had a huge success with his production of which Mozart opera?

a.

The Magic Flute

d.

Idomeneo

b.

Don Giovanni

e.

Così fan tutte

c.

The Marriage of Figaro

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Factual

15. Pasquale Bondini’s salary and job security came from which of the following sources?

a.

his position at the court of Count Nostitz

b.

municipal funding from the City of Prague

c.

publishing and licensing his productions

d.

his own family’s aristocratic heritage

e.

the ongoing public success of his productions

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 181

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Applied

16. As a young composer in Vienna, Mozart tried to make a living by:

a.

organizing concerts

d.

seeking commissions for operas

b.

performing as a virtuoso pianist

e.

all of the above

c.

composing symphonies

ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: p. 181

TOP: Wolfgang Amade Mozart (1756–1791) MSC: Factual

17. Mozart first visited Prague in January of 1787 in order to:

a.

escape debtors in Vienna

b.

celebrate the success of The Marriage of Figaro

c.

learn the Czech language for a new operatic composition

d.

elope with Constanze Weber

e.

pursue a position on Count Nostitz’s court

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 182 TOP: The Performance

MSC: Applied

18. A play that mixes serious and comic elements is generally known as:

a.

a singspiel

d.

an opera seria

b.

an opera buffa

e.

a libretto

c.

a dramma giocoso

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: p. 182

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Vienna MSC: Factual

19. Operatic characters known as mezzo carattere have which of the following characteristics?

a.

They have dynamic personalities that shift between comic and serious.

b.

They are the central characters in the narrative.

c.

They have vocal ranges that are neither very high nor very low.

d.

They represent aristocratic ideals.

e.

They sing the most flowery and elaborate arias.

ANS: A DIF: Hard REF: pp. 182–183

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Vienna MSC: Applied

20. Mozart was able to tailor each individual role in Don Giovanni to a specific performer in Bondini’s company because:

a.

they were all international superstars whose talents were known across Europe

b.

the company traveled to Vienna annually for a winter residency

c.

all singers of Italian opera are essentially the same

d.

he had worked closely with all of them on their production of The Marriage of Figaro

e.

all of the above

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 183

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Vienna MSC: Applied

21. The premiere of Don Giovanni was delayed for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

a.

the singers refused to rehearse on days of performances

b.

the piece could not be performed during Lent

c.

the staging, sets, and production details were precise and complicated

d.

the variety of comedic acting required careful planning and rehearsal

e.

the singers could not memorize the complicated music quickly enough

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 185

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Prague MSC: Applied

22. Throughout Don Giovanni, Leporello sings his text very quickly, a type of writing known as:

a.

legato

d.

patter song

b.

stretto

e.

lyric aria

c.

prestissimo

ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: p. 186

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Prague MSC: Factual

23. The premiere of Don Giovanni was conducted from the piano by:

a.

Wolfgang Amadè Mozart

d.

Lorenzo Da Ponte

b.

Pasquale Bondini

e.

Joseph Svoboda

c.

Count Nostitz

ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: p. 187

TOP: The Performance: Monday, October 29, 1787, 7 P.M. MSC: Factual

24. The two chords that begin the piece are heard at what climactic moment in Don Giovanni?

a.

when the Commendatore is killed

b.

when Leporello and Don Giovanni disguise themselves as one another

c.

accompanying Zerlina’s terrified scream

d.

at the arrival of the Commendatore’s statue

e.

when Leporello catalogues his master’s conquests

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 187

TOP: The Performance: Monday, October 29, 1787, 7 P.M. MSC: Applied

25. This musical element is common throughout Don Giovanni but does not appear in the finales of the two acts:

a.

recitative

d.

orchestral accompaniment

b.

large vocal ensemble

e.

duets

c.

aria

ANS: A DIF: Medium REF: p. 190

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Applied

26. Mozart’s operatic finales most often conclude with:

a.

a peaceful conclusion

d.

a solo recitative

b.

chaos

e.

a dance

c.

a love duet

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 190

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Applied

27. Within Mozart’s arias, time usually stands still. This allows characters to:

a.

react to a plot twist

d.

reflect on the progress of the drama

b.

express a strong emotion

e.

all of the above

c.

explain something

ANS: E DIF: Easy REF: p. 190

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Applied

28. Why doesn’t Don Giovanni himself have a full solo aria at any time in the opera?

a.

Luigi Bassi was the weakest singer in the Bondini company.

b.

Don Giovanni is a patient and generous listener.

c.

He spends his time manipulating others instead of reflecting on his own actions.

d.

He is always in control and has no need to express strong emotion.

e.

all of the above

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: pp. 190–191

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Conceptual

29. Mozart’s orchestra at the premiere of Don Giovanni consisted of:

a.

professional musicians from Prague

b.

Count Nostitz’s court orchestra

c.

Mozart’s preferred players from Vienna

d.

Italian instrumentalists who traveled with the Bondini company

e.

experienced amateurs from the region

ANS: A DIF: Easy REF: p. 191 TOP: The Music: The Orchestra

MSC: Factual

30. Mozart conceived of Don Giovanni as containing twenty-four distinct pieces of music. What is the name for an extended dramatic work consisting of a series of connected yet distinct pieces?

a.

opera seria

d.

a number opera

b.

a through-composed music drama

e.

opera buffa

c.

singspiel

ANS: D DIF: Medium REF: p. 192 TOP: Listening to the Music

MSC: Factual

31. In his aria the very first in Don Giovanni, Leporello sings in a smooth, bel canto style at the moments in which he:

a.

complains about the monotony of his work

b.

is frightened

c.

demonstrates his low social status

d.

defends his mater

e.

imitates Don Giovanni

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 192

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1, Scene 1: “Notte e giorno faticar”

MSC: Applied

32. When the Commendatore enters in the middle of the first scene, how does the music change to reflect his arrival?

a.

The music stops.

b.

The orchestra performs a quick flourish that changes from a major to a minor key.

c.

The Commendatore sings a long, graceful line.

d.

Don Giovanni and the Commendatore sing together in harmony.

e.

Donna Anna sings a sorrowful duet with her father.

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 192

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1, Scene 1: Ensemble MSC: Applied

33. At the conclusion of Act 1 of Don Giovanni, Mozart and Da Ponte increase the drama’s intensity through all of the following means EXCEPT:

a.

bringing all of the characters onstage

b.

placing three small ensembles on stage, all playing different dances simultaneously

c.

having all of the noble characters vow to avenge the Commendatore’s death

d.

having Zerlina produce a blood-curdling scream from offstage

e.

bringing a full chorus onstage to comment on the action

ANS: E DIF: Medium REF: p. 196

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1: Finale MSC: Applied

34. Late in the second act, the statue of the Commendatore speaks to Don Giovanni and Leporello in the graveyard, inspiring Don Giovanni to:

a.

apologize for his misdeeds

b.

invite the statue to dinner

c.

threaten to kill the Commendatore again

d.

offer up Leporello as a sacrifice

e.

ask the statue for Donna Anna’s hand in marriage

ANS: B DIF: Medium REF: p. 199

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1: Finale MSC: Factual

35. Don Giovanni failed in its initial production in Vienna, in part because:

a.

the new cast did not have enough rehearsal time

b.

the fashion in Vienna had changed to operas sung in German

c.

the audience expected another comedy like The Marriage of Figaro

d.

the Viennese aristocratic audience did not appreciate the dark depiction of Don Giovanni

e.

Mozart’s health was failing and he was unable to conduct

ANS: C DIF: Medium REF: p. 205

TOP: Don Giovanni Then and Now MSC: Applied

TRUE/FALSE

1. The Don Juan story has been retold many times, because it lends itself to both dramatic action and comic relief.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 177 TOP: Introduction

MSC: Applied

2. The Church of St. Nicholas, one of Prague’s civic landmarks, is an excellent example of the Czech style of architecture.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Applied

3. Mozart’s opera La clemenza di Tito was composed as a celebration of the coronation of Leopold II.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

4. Pasquale Bondini was one of the greatest operatic stars of late-eighteenth-century Vienna.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Applied

5. Bel canto, the term for the fluid Italian vocal style, can be translated as “beautiful song.”

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 180

TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company MSC: Factual

6. Don Giovanni was a huge success on its premiere in Vienna.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: p. 181

TOP: Wolfgang Amade Mozart (1756–1791) MSC: Factual

7. Late in life, Lorenzo Da Ponte became a professor at Columbia College in New York.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 183

TOP: Lorenzo Da Ponte (1749–1838) MSC: Factual

8. Scholars have been able to date many composers’ manuscripts by analyzing the details of the paper.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 183

TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Prague MSC: Factual

9. Count Nostitz’s theater held approximately two thousand people.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: p. 186

TOP: The Performance: Monday, October 29, 1787, 7 P.M. MSC: Factual

10. All of Don Giovanni’s scene changes happened quickly behind a closed curtain.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: p. 187

TOP: The Performance: Monday, October 29, 1787, 7 P.M. MSC: Factual

11. Throughout Don Giovanni, Mozart maintains the traditional separation between recitative and aria.

ANS: F DIF: Medium REF: p. 190

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Conceptual

12. Mozart’s simple recitatives are among the most emotive moments in his operas.

ANS: F DIF: Easy REF: p. 190

TOP: The Music: Musical Structure MSC: Factual

13. Don Giovanni requires that the pit orchestra be augmented by several small ensembles that appear on stage in the finale of Act 1.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 191 TOP: The Music: The Orchestra

MSC: Factual

14. In the Catalogue Aria, Leporello tells Donna Elvira that Don Giovanni has conquered 1,003 women in Spain alone.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 197

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1, Scene 5: Catalogue Aria MSC: Factual

15. In the final scene from Act 2 of Don Giovanni, Mozart interpolates several popular melodies from other operas, including one from The Marriage of Figaro.

ANS: T DIF: Easy REF: p. 199

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1: Finale MSC: Factual

SHORT ANSWER

1. Don Giovanni is based on the story of ___________, a legendary seducer who objectifies women.

ANS:

Don Juan

DIF: Easy REF: p. 177 TOP: Introduction MSC: Factual

2. In the late eighteenth century, Prague was the capital of the Austro-Hungarian territory of ___________.

ANS:

Bohemia

DIF: Easy REF: p. 178 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

3. Prague’s first public ___________ opened in 1783.

ANS:

theater

DIF: Easy REF: p. 179 TOP: The Setting: Prague in 1787

MSC: Factual

4. An Italian opera manager is known as a(n) ___________.

ANS:

impresario

DIF: Easy REF: p. 180 TOP: The Setting: The Bondini Opera Company

MSC: Factual

5. As a boy, Mozart toured Europe in a series of performances with his father and his sister, whom he called ___________.

ANS:

Nannerl

DIF: Easy REF: p. 181 TOP: Wolfgang Amade Mozart (1756–1791)

MSC: Factual

6. The “little book” comprising the text of an opera is known as a(n) ___________.

ANS:

libretto

DIF: Easy REF: p. 182 TOP: The Performance: Preparations in Vienna

MSC: Factual

7. Because she is a peasant girl, Zerlina’s arias in Don Giovanni are written to sound like ___________.

ANS:

folk songs

DIF: Easy REF: p. 190 TOP: The Music: Musical Structure

MSC: Factual

8. The ___________ comes at the end of the first act of an opera, when everything speeds up and the drama descends into chaos.

ANS:

stretta

DIF: Easy REF: p. 191 TOP: The Music: Musical Structure

MSC: Applied

9. In the middle of the duet from Act 1, Scene 9 of Don Giovanni, Mozart demonstrates that Don Giovanni’s seduction of Zerlina is working by adding a(n) ___________ to accompany Don Giovanni’s melodies.

ANS:

flute

DIF: Medium REF: p. 199

TOP: Listening to the Music: Act 1, Scene 9: “La ci darem la mano”

MSC: Applied

10. In the nineteenth century, the German composer ___________ composed a symphonic poem based on the story of Don Giovanni.

ANS:

Richard Strauss

DIF: Easy REF: p. 205 TOP: Don Giovanni Then and Now

MSC: Factual

MATCHING

Match each person to the correct description below.

a.

Luigi Bassi

d.

Teresa Saporiti

b.

Antonio Baglioni

e.

Giacomo Casanova

c.

Caterina Bondini

1. the prima donna of the Bondini company who originated the role of Zerlina in Don Giovanni

2. a beautiful young singer who premiered the role of Donna Anna in Don Giovanni

3. the young baritone who performed the role of Don Giovanni at the premiere of Mozart’s opera

4. a womanizing celebrity who lived in a suburb of Prague and may have assisted with Don Giovanni’s libretto.

5. vocalist who sang the florid and complicated vocal part of Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni

1. ANS: C

2. ANS: D

3. ANS: A

4. ANS: E

5. ANS: B

Match each item to the correct description below.

a.

opera seria

d.

opera buffa

b.

minuet

e.

Teisch

c.

contradance

6. in Don Giovanni, a stately dance that depicts Donna Anna and Ottavio

7. Italian comic opera

8. in Don Giovanni, a peasant dance that depicts Zerlina

9. Italian tragic opera

10. in Don Giovanni, a comic dance that depicts Leporello

6. ANS: B

7. ANS: D

8. ANS: C

9. ANS: A

10. ANS: E

ESSAY

1. Discuss the popularity and influence of Italian opera across Europe at the end of the eighteenth century. What elements made Italian opera such a prized form of entertainment? Why was Italian opera considered the highest form of entertainment, even in Austria?

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual

2. In a single paragraph, outline the plot of Don Giovanni. Then discuss the opera’s moral. What lesson is the audience intended to take away from this story?

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual

3. Choose one musical example from Don Giovanni and discuss Mozart’s approach to characterization. How does Mozart write music that dramatizes his characters’ different social positions or moral foundations? Provide examples of specific musical elements that tell us something important about each character in your chosen scene.

ANS:

Answers will vary

MSC: Conceptual