Music 1A Final Exam questions, Spring 2016
Music 1A final exam 350 words each. Write in complete, grammatically correct sentences, No introduction, no conclusion. Simply organize your essays into cohesive narratives that reflect careful study of the materials.
This essay exam is meant to help you to become “expert” in a few areas of our study by allowing you to choose which examples to highlight, and to help you to synthesize material from different units of study by making comparisons.Strong essays will give specific examples and composers - do not be vague or general!
No notes are allowed in the exam. Prepare by careful study and selection of the best representative composers and compositions, then outlining your essay.
The contexts and social forces of European society have shaped music and the other arts since the start of the Middle Ages, from the consolidation of power of the Catholic church to the shift in power to the monarchs and the aristocracy, to the rise of the middle class, etc. Choose three periods, and be sure to describe at least one composer from each period and how they responded to their cultural context, and how they in turn helped shape the music of their time. Consider, where relevant, how the other arts reflected the same currents.
The evolution of concert music - both instrumental and vocal - has carried with it changes in form, harmony, melody, instruments and performance contexts. Trace this evolution, starting with the Renaissance, by describing some important compositions and how they reflect this change (opera can, and should, also be considered). Choose at least three periods, and one composition from the late 20th century. Strong essays will describe how the composer/composition either retains some aspect of a previous form (or other musical element), or reacts against it.