MUS 342
(Barone)
Final Exam Study Guide – Fall 2016
Part 1. Terminology
Be sure you understand how we have used terms in lectures, PowerPoint presentations,
and readings. Important terms and topics we have used are included in the list below.
Whenever relevant, you should be able to associate these terms with specific pieces of
music that we have studied.
“Dies irae” Goethe’s Faust rubato
“Ped” and “*” Heinrich Heine ‘Samiel’ chord
markings idée fixe scena form (i.e.,
‘absolute music’ leitmotive Italian scene
augmentation Lied form)
bel canto mazurka scherzo
cabaletta melodrama Singspiel
character piece modified strophic social realism
coloratura song form sonata form
con sordino motivic song cycle
Congress of development sotto voce
Vienna Napoleon strophic form
diminution Bonaparte tempo d’attacco
enharmonic nocturne tempo di mezzo
chords operatic ternary form
E. T. A. paraphrase Theobald Boehm
Hoffmann organicism Thirty Years’ War
etude program music three-key
fioritura revolutions of exposition
French 1848–49 through-
Revolution Romantic composed song
fugue (and fugal) ‘fragment’ Winterreise
German romantic Romantic sublime
opera Romanticism
Part 2. Essays.
The exam will contain two essay questions, of which you need answer only one. Your
response can probably be given in 250–350 words (25–35 average sentences), but there is
no specific required length. Your essay should be clear, concise, and informative.
Although the questions will not be provided in advance, every question has one of the
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following general forms or a close variation or combination of them:
QUESTION FORMS
1. Explain [how / why X] happened during the period [year-year]. Support your
explanation with three specific examples of works we have studied from this period that
explain these developments, and describe the specific features of each work that are
relevant.
2. Explain how [composers / compositions] from [one period] influenced the [composers
/ compositions] of [another period]. Provide at least three examples of works we have
studied that demonstrate this influence, and point out at least three specific musical
features of the works that support your explanation.
3. Explain the principle style characteristics and compositional techniques of music
between [year-year]. Discuss three examples of compositions written in this period that
illustrate clearly the characteristics and techniques you think are important. If the
compositions have texts, be sure to discuss composers’ treatments of these texts in
relation to their music.
4. Explain how [a technique or techniques] is used in a variety of compositions between
[year-year]. Discuss three examples of compositions written in this period that illustrate
various uses of this technique [or techniques].
In general, you will always want to be able to discuss three works in some detail when
writing about any broad question.
Audio Identification
Listening identification excerpts on the final exam will be chosen ONLY from the
following works we will have studied:
Beethoven, String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131, i
Schubert, “Gretchen am Spinnrade,” D. 118
Schubert, Winterreise, D. 911, No. 5 “Der Lindenbaum”
Chopin, Nocturne in Db, Op. 27, no. 2
Chopin, Mazurka in Bb, Op. 7, no. 1
Liszt, Trois études de concert, No. 3, “Un sospiro”
Clara Wieck Schumann, Piano Trio, Op. 17, iii
Schumann, Dichterliebe, Op. 48, No. 1, “Im wunderschonen Monat Mai”
Schumann, “Eusebius” and “Florestan” from Carnaval
Schubert, String Quintet, D. 956, i (exposition only)
Gotttschalk, “Souvenir de Porto Rico,” Op. 31
Clara Schumann, Piano Trio, Op. 17, iii
Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, v (through m. 186)
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Schumann, Symphony No. 4, Op. 120, I (exposition and development only)
Rossini, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Act II, scene 5, “Una voce poco fa”
Verdi, La traviata, Act III, scena and duet
Six or seven audio excerpts will each be accompanied, as on the midterm, by four short-
answer questions.
General preparation
Below is a list of important concepts and broad topics that we will have covered in our
class. You may wish to review these topics to consolidate your knowledge about them
and relevant compositions we have studied.
Characteristics of Romantic harmony, melody, rhythm
Importance and characteristics of songs in the Romantic period
Differences between “program” and “absolute” music
Private and public musical life in the nineteenth century
Special characteristics of Romantic movements, especially German Romanticism
Characteristics of orchestral and chamber music
Orchestration and instrumentation in the 19th century
Types of 19th-century piano compositions
Treatment of tonality and key relationships in 19th-century compositions
Musical forms in 19th-century Italian and German opera
Popular types of operatic plots
The importance of Beethoven for the Romantic period
Innovative treatment of sonata form in the Romantic period
The role of virtuosity in nineteenth-century music
