1. What innovations did Wagner bring to the world of opera?
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2. What famous literary works became the basis for Romantic operas?
Chapter 35, p. 299
1. How did the traditional system of tonality break down in the early twentieth century and what replaced it?
2. How did composers change their approach to the orchestra in early twentieth-century music? How did they approach form?
Chapter 36, p. 312
1. What elements made Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring shocking to its first audiences? Is it still shocking today?
Chapter 39, p. 339
2. What qualities in the music of Aaron Copland are particularly American?
Chapter 41, p. 362
1. How did George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein both straddle the worlds of Classical and popular music?
2. What is the literary basis for Porgy and Bess? How does this story differ from other musicals at the time?
3. What is the literary basis for West Side Story? What does this story share with Porgy and Bess?
Chapter 42, p. 371
1. How does the music for film contribute to the drama of the story?
2. How does John Williams unify his films through the music?
Chapter 18, p. 135
2. How is the suite an international genre?
Chapter 19, p. 139
1. How did composers achieve both unity and contrast in the concerto?
2. What musical techniques did Vivaldi employ in La Primavera to depict the imagery of spring?
Chapter 23, p. 180
1. How did Classical composers vary the standard structure of the symphony?
2. What contributions did Haydn make to the genre of the symphony?
Chapter 24, p. 185
1. How is the Classical era concerto like the Baroque concerto? How does it differ?
2. How is the virtuosic ability of the performer displayed in the Classical concerto?
Chapter 30, p. 243
1. What is Romantic about the program and music of Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique?
2. What are some ways that nationalism is reflected in nineteenth-century music?
Chapter 31, p. 251
1. What remains “classical” about the treatment of absolute music in the