BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Western Music History 2

Question 1

Which medieval theorist wrote 'Micrologus,' one of the earliest treatises on polyphony and counterpoint?

Accepted Answer

Guido of Arezzo

Answer

Guido of Arezzo wrote 'Micrologus' around 1025–1026, covering chant, modes, and early polyphonic practice.

Question 2

The 'Ars Subtilior' style of the late 14th century is best characterized by which feature?

Accepted Answer

Extreme rhythmic complexity and notational experimentation

Answer

Ars Subtilior, centered in southern France and northern Italy, pushed rhythmic complexity and notation to unprecedented extremes.

Question 3

Which Baroque composer served as Kapellmeister at the Dresden court and was renowned for his opera 'Dafne' (1627)?

Accepted Answer

Heinrich Schütz

Answer

Heinrich Schütz's 'Dafne' (1627) is considered the first German opera, though the music is now lost.

Question 4

The 'doctrine of affections' (Affektenlehre) in Baroque music held that music should:

Accepted Answer

Express a single unified emotion throughout a movement

Answer

Baroque Affektenlehre taught that each piece or movement should embody and arouse one specific affect or emotion.

Question 5

Christoph Willibald Gluck's 'reform operas' of the 1760s aimed to correct which perceived flaw in opera seria?

Accepted Answer

Virtuosic singing that overshadowed dramatic truth

Answer

Gluck's reforms, articulated in his preface to 'Alceste' (1769), sought to subordinate music to poetry and restore dramatic simplicity over vocal display.

BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Practice Test

BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Practice Test

BM or BMus Bachelor of Music Western Music History 2