Purcell's Employment for Dido and Aeneas

Where was Purcell employed when he wrote Dido and Aeneas?
a) He was a court composer.
b) He was a church organist.
c) He was a music teacher in a girls’ school.

Which best describes the overall form of the aria “Rejoice greatly”?
a) binary form
b) da capo form
c) ground bass form

The libretto for this opera is based on:
a) The Odyssey.
b) The Iliad.

c) The Aeneid.

How many movements are there in Bach’s cantata A Mighty Fortress Is Our God?
a) Three
b) Five
c) Eight

Which musical style best describes the opening line “Thy hand, Belinda; darkness shades me”?
a) Aria
b) Recitative

How does Purcell musically depict Dido’s grief in this aria?
a) with a descending, chromatic bass line
b) with a disjunct solo line
c) with a frenetic rhythmic pulse

Which is NOT true of an overture?
a) It is an instrumental introduction to an opera
b) It may introduce themes from arias to follow
c) It is generally played again between scenes

The earliest opera plots were drawn from real-life situations.

a) True
b) False

Dido and Aeneas was first presented in 1689 by:
a) the Royal Opera of England.
b) a group of girls at a boarding school.
c) no one, since stage plays were outlawed.

An aria is characterized by:
a) tuneful and highly emotive melodies
b) rapid speech-like declamation
c) homorhythmic choral singing

A ground bass is heard only at the beginning of Dido’s aria.
a) True
b) false

Purcell is considered to be England’s first important opera composer.
a) True
b) False

Which best describes the texture heard in the “Hallelujah” Chorus?
a) homophonic texture throughout
b) polyphonic texture throughout
c) alternating between homophonic and polyphonic textures

Many of Bach’s cantatas are based on Protestant chorale or hymn tunes.
a) True
b) False

What is the structural basis for Dido’s aria?
a) ground bass
b) da capo
c) Ritornello

For which church did Bach write his cantatas?
a) Roman Catholic
b) Lutheran
c) Church of England

Why does Dido sing a lament at the end of the opera?
a) Because Aeneas has been murdered
b) Because Aeneas was lost at sea
Why does Dido sing a lament at the end of the opera?

a) Because Aeneas has been murdered
b) Because Aeneas was lost at sea
c) Because Aeneas left her

Who wrote the chorale text and tune for A Mighty Fortress is our God (Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott)?
a) Johann Sebastian Bach
b) Martin Luther
c) John Gay

In the aria, Dido sings “Remember me, but ah forget my fate.” What was her fate?
a) To marry Aeneas
b) To die
C) To leave her country

The masque was an English entertainment that combined music and poetry.
a) True
b) false

What musical element changes in the second section of the aria “Rejoice greatly”?
a) Tonality
b) Meter
c) Texture

The text of an opera is known as a:
a) screenplay
b) libretto
c) recitative

Which best describes the text setting on the word “rejoice”?
a) Syllabic
b) Neumatic
c) Melismatic

Dido’s aria is in two sections. Which text line begins the second section?
a) “Thy hand, Belinda; darkness shades me”
b) “When I am laid in earth”
c) “Remember me, but ah forget my fate”

Which of the following was an early master of Italian opera?
a) Palestrina
b) Machiavelli
c) Monteverdi

The term “accompagnato,” as opposed to “secco,” describes a recitative in which:
a) the orchestra accompanies the recitative
b) only continuo instruments accompany the recitative
c) the recitative is sung unaccompanied

What is the source of the text for Messiah?
a) Old Testament
b) New Testament
c) both Old and New Testament

Which best describes the chorale as it is heard in the fifth movement of Bach’s cantata A Mighty Fortress Is Our God?
a) It is set in quadruple meter.
b) It is changed to compound (6/8) meter.
c) It is heard only in the orchestra in this movement.

Which is NOT true of a Baroque oratorio?
a) It was generally based on a biblical story and performed in a church.
b) It utilized scenery, acting, and costumes, just as in opera.
c) It featured arias, recitatives, ensemble numbers, choruses, and narration.

An operatic song in the form ABA, which allows for the soloist to embellish the last section, is called a:
a) lament aria.
b) da capo aria.
c) ballad aria.