20th Century Classical Quiz

What is the 12-tone system?

• A method of composing using a special ordering of the twelve chromatic tones.

• A style marked by emotional restraint and clarity.

• The absence of a musical key in a composition.

• A musical style with repetitive rhythms and dissonances.

What is serialism?

• A style marked by emotional restraint and clarity.

• An extension of the 12-tone system to rhythms or dynamics.

• The absence of a musical key in a composition.

• A musical style with repetitive rhythms and dissonances.

What is minimalism in music?

• A method of composing using a special ordering of the twelve chromatic tones.

• A style marked by emotional restraint and clarity.

• A style calling for a steady pulse and repetition of short melodic patterns.

• A musical style with fleeting moods and a misty atmosphere.

What is atonality?

• The absence of a musical key in a composition.

• A style marked by emotional restraint and clarity.

• A method of composing using a special ordering of the twelve chromatic tones.

• A musical style with repetitive rhythms and dissonances.

What is primitivism in music?

• The deliberate evocation of primitive power through repetitive rhythms and dissonances.

• A style marked by emotional restraint and clarity.

• A method of composing using a special ordering of the twelve chromatic tones.

• A musical style with fleeting moods and a misty atmosphere.

Which American composer left school at 15 to become a pianist and wrote his first Broadway musical at 20, known for his heavy use of jazz?

• Copland

• Gershwin

• Ives

• Stravinsky

Who is known for operas and dramatic works and made innovations in music education?

• Debussy

• Ravel

• Orff

• Boulanger

Which composer is best known for the orchestral work "Bolero" and used exoticism heavily in his pieces?

• Ravel

• Copland

• Debussy

• Ives

Who studied composition in France with Nadia Boulanger and is known for music that is "American in Character"?

• Stravinsky

• Copland

• Gershwin

• Orff

Which composer is considered the first great American composer with works ahead of their time?

• Ives

• Debussy

• Boulanger

• Ravel