Music M401
History and Literature of Music I:
Antiquity to 1750

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music

Fall 2007

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Review Guide For First Examination

Before you begin to study, review the course objectives. These explain the philosophy behind the course and the examination. The examination is based on the expectation that you have read the assigned readings, listened to (or sung or played through) each of the works on the listening list at least three times, worked through the study questions, attended class consistently, and reviewed your class notes and handouts.

The exam will be held in Recital Hall, on Wednesday, September 19 during the regularly scheduled time for class. The test will be graded by your section instructor, in consultation with the other instructors and Prof. Burkholder.

STRATEGIC TIP: Make a Time Line! We have covered almost four thousand years of history, from the Sumerians (2500 B.C.E.) to the late thirteenth century. Making a time line will help you to review the dates of compositions, composers, and important events and to see the chronological relationship of different types of music and schools of composition.

The following paragraphs describe the types of questions you may encounter. Note that some types of questions may not appear on every test.

Known Listening Identification

You will be given the titles of several pieces on the listening list and asked to supply the composer, genre, and approximate date of composition for each piece. Then brief excerpts (ca. 30-60 seconds) from some of these pieces will be played, identified only by number. You will be asked to match the number of each excerpt with the correct title of the piece.

The question will look like this:

Number			Composer	Genre		Date

___ A chantar		_____________	_________	_______

___ Epitaph of Seikilos	_____________	_________	_______

___ Robins m'aime	_____________	_________	_______ 

Most works on the listening list are fair game for this type of question. However, works marked with a plus sign (+) will not be tested in this way.

The composer's name should be given in full. If the name is not known, write "anonymous." When we do not have an exact date for a piece, give the date as a range (e.g., "second half of 12th century" for A chantar) or an approximate date (e.g., "ca. 1284" for Adam de la Halle's Robins m'aime). Be as specific as you can be given the dating information in the textbooks and on the listening list. When a reasonably exact date is given in NAWM or on the listening list, your answer will be judged correct if it is within ten years either way (if you give a date) or in the right quarter-century (if you give a date range).

Known Score or Listening Identification

You will be played or shown short pieces or excerpts drawn from the items on the listening list (except for those marked with a plus sign) and asked a series of short-answer questions, including composer, genre, date, and questions that demonstrate your ability to apply terms and concepts from class or the readings to music you see or hear. For instance, we might play the stasimon chorus from Orestes (NAWM 2) and ask these questions:

Composer (1 point):
Genre (1 point):
Date (1 point):
How would this piece have been performed, and by whom? (3 points)
Which of the three genera is or are used in this piece? What intervals are used in the music that help you to answer this question? (3 points)

Unknown Score or Listening Identification

You will be played or shown short pieces or excerpts that you have not studied but which are similar in significant ways to pieces on the listening list, including those marked with a plus sign (+). These unknown examples will be labeled as such. For these, you may be asked to identify the likely composer (or school of composition), genre, and date, then asked several short-answer questions that demonstrate your ability to apply terms and concepts from class or the readings to music you see or hear. For instance, we might show you a piece of Notre Dame organum or discant and ask questions such as these:

What genre is this piece? (2 points)
About when was this written? (2 points)
Who is the likely composer? (2 points)
Where did this composer work? (2 points)
Notice the rhythmic organization of the upper parts. What is this kind of rhythmic patterning called? (3 points)
Using eighths, quarters, and dotted quarters, write out the most prevalent rhythmic pattern in the first system. (1 point)
In the system of rhythmic patterning you named above, what is the name for this particular rhythmic pattern? (1 point)
What do the horizontal brackets above the notes indicate about the original notation? What is the significance of this? (3 points)

Likely genre (2 points):
Likely date (2 points):
Likely composer (2 points):
Stylistic trait no. 1 (4 points):
Stylistic trait no. 2 (4 points):

Short Answers

You will be asked short answer questions on material covered in class sessions and the readings. These will draw on the study questions, but will not necessarily be phrased in the same way.

For example, this question appeared on the 1996 exam:

Give the name, final, tenor, and range for each of the following church 
modes.

Number		Name		Final		Tenor		Range

1	_________________	____		____		__________

4	_________________	____		____		__________

8	_________________	____		____		__________

Weiss-Taruskin Readings

Some short answer questions will draw upon the readings in Weiss-Taruskin. In reviewing Weiss-Taruskin, focus particularly on these readings: Plato (WT 3), Aristotle (WT 4), Egeria (WT 7), Boethius in WT 10, Guido of Arezzo in WT 14, the story of Raimbaut de Vaqueiras in WT 15, and Anonymous IV in WT 16. Be prepared to identify a short passage drawn from these readings by who wrote it (or who it is about) and about when it was written, and to discuss the issues addressed in the passage and the significance for music history.

Terms and Names

You will be given a list of terms and names and will be asked to identify some number of them (for example, three from a list of five). For each of the items you choose, identify and describe it as fully as you can in the time you have, providing a date or dates as appropriate and explaining why it is important. You will have about three minutes for each item. The list of terms and names on the examination will be drawn from the terms and names listed in the back of each chapter of the Study and Listening Guide, or covered in the study questions on Weiss-Taruskin.

Strategic tip: There are a lot of terms and names in the readings and class sessions. Study them in conjunction with reviewing the listening, rereading your notes, and preparing for the essay questions. It will be easier to remember the individual terms and names and to understand what is important about each if you learn them in the context of the broader issues treated in class and in the texts and connect them to the music you know. You will also write a better essay and be able to discuss the music better if you know and can apply the relevant terms.

Essay

Your essay should be set in a historical context (including dates) and should include, as appropriate, references to specific pieces of music, composers or musical figures, and any other details that will make your treatment as precise as possible. None of the topics could be exhausted in the time allowed; the essay should therefore attempt to treat only the most important matters in the topic.

A list of topics to guide your preparation follows.

Topics for Review

The following topics are designed as a guide for organizing your review of music during the period we have studied. The essay question will be drawn from these topics, though the phrasing of the question is likely to differ from that given here, and topics may be divided or combined. Organizing what you know in terms of these large themes and categories should help you prepare for the listening, short answer, and essay portions of the examination as well. In addition, see the Review Questions at the end of each chapter of the Study and Listening Guide.

For any of these topics, ask yourself:

what pieces do I know that relate to this topic? what do I know about them? how do they illustrate these concepts?
what terms, concepts, names, and people do I know that relate to this topic?
how do these details fit together to make a larger picture?

1. The theoretical tradition, from the Greeks to the thirteenth century. This would include not only music theory per se, but also writings about the place of music and its effects, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Boethius.
   
2. The development of notation and its relation to musical style, from early chant notation through the end of the thirteenth century.
   
3. The development of the Mass from its origins to AD 1014, and the various types, classes, and forms of chant and how they are used in the Mass for Christmas Day.
   
4. Monophonic secular song and instrumental music from the Goliards through the Minnesinger, including instruments and the role of instruments in the Middle Ages.
   
5. The development of notated polyphony from its origins through Pérotin.
   
6. The development of the motet from its origins to the end of the thirteenth century.

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Last updated: 27 August 2007
URL: http://www.music.indiana.edu/som/courses/m401/Exam1.html
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