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Canary PAU Choir II practice questions

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Question 1Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer wrote the motet 'Ave verum corpus' in D major, K. 618, frequently programmed by church and school choirs?

  1. Anton Bruckner
  2. Franz Schubert
  3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Correct answer.
  4. Joseph Haydn

Explanation

Mozart composed this short Eucharistic motet in 1791, the year of his death, and it remains one of the most accessible pieces in the Classical choral repertoire. Its brief Latin text and homophonic texture make it a standard choice for training choirs.

Question 2Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir director wants a Renaissance polyphonic setting of the Lamentations of Jeremiah by a composer who worked at the papal chapel. Which work fits?

  1. Monteverdi's 'Vespro della Beata Vergine'
  2. Palestrina's 'Lamentationes Jeremiae' Correct answer.
  3. Byrd's 'Mass for Four Voices'
  4. Tallis's 'Spem in alium'

Explanation

Palestrina served in the Cappella Sistina and wrote Lamentations settings for Holy Week that are still performed. The other listed works are not Lamentations settings, though several of them are also sixteenth-century sacred works.

Question 3Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

In a performance of a Baroque oratorio, which convention most typically governs the accompaniment of secco recitative?

  1. Brass choir punctuating each phrase
  2. Full orchestra doubling the vocal line
  3. Continuo alone, with harpsichord and cello Correct answer.
  4. A cappella singing with no instruments

Explanation

Secco recitative is accompanied by basso continuo, typically harpsichord and a low string instrument, supporting the singer's declamation. Accompanied recitative, by contrast, uses the full orchestra to heighten dramatic moments.

Question 4Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which characteristic best distinguishes the motet 'Exsultate, jubilate' by Mozart from a typical Baroque motet?

  1. It is written for double choir in polychoral style
  2. It has a concertante, aria-like structure with solo coloratura Correct answer.
  3. It uses a Lutheran chorale tune as a cantus firmus
  4. It is a strict canon at the fifth

Explanation

Mozart's motet is a solo cantata-like work with aria movements and virtuosic coloratura, closer to opera seria style than to the older motet tradition. Baroque motets more often feature continuous polyphony or chorale treatment.

Question 5Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer is best known for the 'Missa Papae Marcelli', a six-voice Mass often cited in discussions of the Council of Trent and sacred polyphony?

  1. Tomás Luis de Victoria
  2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Correct answer.
  3. William Byrd
  4. Orlande de Lassus

Explanation

Palestrina's 'Missa Papae Marcelli' is a landmark of Renaissance polyphony and is traditionally associated with debates about textual clarity at the Council of Trent. Its clear declamation and balanced counterpoint are frequently studied.

Question 6Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is programming a twentieth-century unaccompanied setting of the Mass Ordinary by a French composer known for harmonic color and organ improvisation. Which work fits best?

  1. Duruflé's 'Requiem'
  2. Langlais's 'Messe solennelle' Correct answer.
  3. Poulenc's 'Gloria'
  4. Fauré's 'Cantique de Jean Racine'

Explanation

Langlais, a French organist and improviser, composed a 'Messe solennelle' for choir and organ that is widely performed. The other works are either not settings of the Mass Ordinary or not by Langlais.

Question 7Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which style period is most associated with the use of basso continuo, terraced dynamics, and ornamented da capo arias in choral-orchestral works?

  1. Classical
  2. Baroque Correct answer.
  3. Renaissance
  4. Romantic

Explanation

Basso continuo, terraced dynamics, and da capo aria form are hallmarks of Baroque practice. Renaissance music generally lacks continuo, while Classical and Romantic styles favor other textures and dynamic approaches.

Question 8Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which feature is typical of Renaissance imitative polyphony in a motet such as those by Josquin des Prez?

  1. Homophonic declamation only
  2. A single melody with chordal accompaniment
  3. A repeated ostinato bass throughout
  4. Each voice entering with the same motive in turn Correct answer.

Explanation

Imitative polyphony is built on successive voice entries that present the same melodic idea, creating overlapping texture. This is a defining technique of Josquin and his contemporaries.

Question 9Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

In Bach's 'Magnificat' BWV 243, which movement structure is most characteristic of the opening?

  1. A festive chorus with trumpets and timpani Correct answer.
  2. A chorale fantasia on a Lutheran tune
  3. A recitative for bass and continuo
  4. A solo aria with continuo only

Explanation

The opening 'Magnificat anima mea' is a brilliant choral movement with trumpets, timpani, and full orchestra. Its festive scoring sets the tone for the whole work.

Question 10Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer wrote the Requiem in D minor, Op. 48, noted for its restrained orchestration and use of the 'Pie Jesu' and 'In paradisum'?

  1. Johannes Brahms
  2. Giuseppe Verdi
  3. Hector Berlioz
  4. Gabriel Fauré Correct answer.

Explanation

Fauré's Requiem, Op. 48, is known for its gentle character and includes movements such as the 'Pie Jesu' and 'In paradisum'. It is a staple of the French sacred choral repertoire.

Question 11Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor rehearsing a work marked 'alla breve' should interpret the beat as which of the following?

  1. Three beats per bar, with the dotted half as the beat
  2. Four beats per bar, with the quarter note as the beat
  3. Two beats per bar, with the half note as the beat Correct answer.
  4. Six beats per bar, with the eighth note as the beat

Explanation

Alla breve, or cut time, is indicated by the C with a vertical stroke and takes the half note as the beat, giving two beats per bar in common time. This affects tempo feel and articulation in choral works.

Question 12Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which twentieth-century work is a setting of the Latin Requiem by a British composer and includes the movement 'Sanctus' with a prominent soprano solo?

  1. Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony'
  2. Britten's 'War Requiem' Correct answer.
  3. Elgar's 'The Dream of Gerontius'
  4. Walton's 'Belshazzar's Feast'

Explanation

Britten's 'War Requiem' sets the Latin Requiem alongside Wilfred Owen's poems and includes substantial solo writing. The other works are not Latin Requiem settings.

Question 13Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which stylistic trait most clearly marks a choral work as belonging to the Ars Nova period rather than the earlier Ars Antiqua?

  1. Reliance on basso continuo
  2. Strictly homophonic texture throughout
  3. Exclusive use of Gregorian chant without notation
  4. Use of isorhythmic motets and more complex rhythmic notation Correct answer.

Explanation

Ars Nova composers such as Machaut developed isorhythm and more precise rhythmic notation, enabling greater complexity than Ars Antiqua practice. Basso continuo belongs to the Baroque era.

Question 14Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which of these is the standard Latin text opening of the Requiem Mass?

  1. Gloria in excelsis Deo
  2. Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine Correct answer.
  3. Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison
  4. Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi

Explanation

The Requiem Mass opens with 'Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine', asking eternal rest for the dead. The other texts belong to the Ordinary of the Mass rather than the Requiem's opening.

Question 15Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir wishes to perform a setting of the 'Stabat Mater' by a composer of the Italian Baroque known for sacred dramatic works. Which composer is the strongest match?

  1. Antonio Vivaldi
  2. Claudio Monteverdi
  3. Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Correct answer.
  4. Johann Sebastian Bach

Explanation

Pergolesi's 'Stabat Mater' is one of the most famous Baroque settings of the sequence, scored for soprano, alto, strings, and continuo. It remains widely performed.

Question 16Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which technique describes the alternation of a solo group with the full choir in Baroque sacred music?

  1. Polychoral antiphony
  2. Continuo realization
  3. Cori spezzati Correct answer.
  4. Falsobordone

Explanation

Cori spezzati, meaning divided choirs, refers to spatially separated choirs alternating or combining, a hallmark of Venetian polychoral practice. Falsobordone is a recitation formula, and continuo realization is keyboard accompaniment.

Question 17Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which of the following best describes the role of the 'cantus firmus' in a Renaissance Mass?

  1. A spoken prayer intoned by the priest
  2. A continuo bass line with figures
  3. A solo improvisation over chords
  4. A pre-existing melody used as a structural foundation Correct answer.

Explanation

A cantus firmus is a borrowed melody, often chant or a secular tune, that provides the structural framework for polyphonic movements. Composers built Mass cycles around such borrowed material.

Question 18Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor wants a choral work that sets a text by Walt Whitman for choir and orchestra. Which work is the most direct match?

  1. Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony' Correct answer.
  2. Britten's 'Simple Symphony'
  3. Elgar's 'Enigma Variations'
  4. Holst's 'The Planets'

Explanation

Vaughan Williams's 'A Sea Symphony' sets Whitman texts for soloists, chorus, and orchestra. The other works are either purely orchestral or not Whitman settings.

Question 19Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which feature is characteristic of the 'seconda pratica' championed by Monteverdi in his choral madrigals?

  1. Prioritizing textual expression over strict contrapuntal rules Correct answer.
  2. Strict adherence to Pythagorean tuning
  3. Subordination of text expression to strict counterpoint rules
  4. Exclusive use of plainchant melodies

Explanation

The seconda pratica allowed composers to bend contrapuntal rules in service of expressing the text, a central idea in Monteverdi's madrigals. The prima pratica prioritized strict polyphonic rules.

Question 20Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer wrote the choral cycle 'Liebeslieder-Walzer', Op. 52, for vocal quartet and piano four hands?

  1. Franz Schubert
  2. Felix Mendelssohn
  3. Johannes Brahms Correct answer.
  4. Robert Schumann

Explanation

Brahms composed the 'Liebeslieder-Walzer', Op. 52, setting Georg Friedrich Daumer's texts for vocal quartet and piano four hands. The work is a staple of the Romantic part-song repertoire.

Question 21Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

In a choral program, a 'chanson' from the Renaissance is best described as which of the following?

  1. An Italian opera aria
  2. A French secular polyphonic song Correct answer.
  3. A Latin liturgical chant
  4. A German Lutheran chorale

Explanation

The Renaissance chanson is a French secular polyphonic song, often with lively rhythm and clear text declamation. It differs from sacred chant, chorales, and opera arias.

Question 22Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which twentieth-century composer is known for choral works using aleatoric and spatial techniques, including 'Stimmung'?

  1. Arvo Pärt
  2. Karlheinz Stockhausen Correct answer.
  3. John Rutter
  4. Eric Whitacre

Explanation

Stockhausen's 'Stimmung' is a landmark of aleatoric vocal writing for six solo voices, exploring overtone singing and text as sound. The other composers are known for tonal or minimalist choral styles.

Question 23Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which of the following best characterizes the 'tintinnabuli' style in choral music?

  1. A twelve-tone serial technique
  2. An improvisational jazz idiom
  3. A drone-based style with simple triadic melodic lines over a tonic triad Correct answer.
  4. A strict canon at the octave

Explanation

Tintinnabuli, developed by Arvo Pärt, pairs a stepwise melodic voice with a second voice outlining the notes of a tonic triad, often over a drone. The result is a quiet, bell-like simplicity.

Question 24Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is preparing a Baroque anthem with a 'verse' section for soloists followed by a full chorus. Which term best describes this structure?

  1. Madrigal
  2. Motet
  3. Cantata
  4. Verse anthem Correct answer.

Explanation

The verse anthem alternates solo or small-ensemble verses with full choral sections, a form cultivated in English Baroque church music. A cantata is a broader multi-movement form, and motets and madrigals do not follow this pattern.

Question 25Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer's 'Missa in Angustiis', often called the 'Nelson Mass', is a well-known Classical setting of the Mass Ordinary?

  1. Franz Schubert
  2. Ludwig van Beethoven
  3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  4. Joseph Haydn Correct answer.

Explanation

Haydn's 'Missa in Angustiis' is popularly known as the 'Nelson Mass' and is one of his late six great Masses. It is a standard Classical choral work.

Question 26Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor is shaping a phrase in a sixteenth-century motet and wants the cadence to feel suspended rather than final. Which Renaissance device delays the expected resolution by having one voice move while another holds?

  1. A basso continuo realization filling in the harmony
  2. A da capo repeat of the opening section
  3. A suspension prepared on the weak beat and resolved downward by step Correct answer.
  4. A tierce de Picardie added at the final chord

Explanation

The suspension is the signature Renaissance dissonance treatment: a note is prepared as a consonance, held over the change of harmony to become dissonant, then resolves downward by step. This creates the momentary 'suspended' feeling the conductor wants before the cadence settles.

Question 27Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is asked to sing a parody Mass. What does that term describe in Renaissance practice?

  1. A Mass that humorously quotes popular drinking songs throughout
  2. A Mass sung entirely in the vernacular instead of Latin
  3. A Mass whose movements are by several different composers
  4. A Mass built on borrowed polyphonic material from an existing motet or chanson Correct answer.

Explanation

A parody Mass, also called an imitation Mass, takes polyphonic material from a pre-existing model such as a motet or chanson and reworks it across the Mass movements. The borrowing is structural and respectful, not comic.

Question 28Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

When preparing a Bach motet, a conductor notices the texture is largely contrapuntal with a independent instrumental basso continuo part doubling the voices. Which statement best describes the typical scoring of Bach's motets such as 'Jesu, meine Freude'?

  1. Double choir a cappella with continuo colla parte Correct answer.
  2. Solo quartet with obbligato violin and no choir
  3. Choir with obligato organ and no vocal soloists
  4. Choir with full orchestra including trumpets and timpani

Explanation

Bach's motets are typically written for one or two choirs and, in most cases, a continuo part that doubles the vocal lines rather than acting independently. They are essentially a cappella in conception, with continuo support.

Question 29Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A programme note describes a work as a 'chorale cantata'. Which combination of elements most accurately matches that genre?

  1. A single through-composed aria on a free poetic text
  2. A purely instrumental suite of dance movements
  3. Chorale-based movements interspersed with recitatives and arias for soloists Correct answer.
  4. A Latin liturgical drama staged with costumes

Explanation

The chorale cantata builds movements around a Lutheran hymn, typically opening with a large chorale fantasia and including solo recitatives and arias. The hymn tune is thus embedded in a mixed vocal-instrumental structure.

Question 30Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor must decide how to treat the 'Christe eleison' in a Classical Mass setting where the movement is marked 'Adagio' and scored for soloists. What is the most likely expressive intent?

  1. A fast, brilliant showpiece for the full chorus
  2. A purely instrumental interlude
  3. A spoken intonation by the celebrant
  4. A slower, intimate petition contrasting with the surrounding 'Kyrie' Correct answer.

Explanation

In the Mass Ordinary the 'Christe' is the central petition of the Kyrie, and composers frequently set it more slowly and for solo voices to contrast with the fuller 'Kyrie' sections. The marking 'Adagio' and solo scoring reinforce that intimate, pleading character.

Question 31Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which twentieth-century British composer wrote 'A Ceremony of Carols' for treble voices and harp?

  1. William Walton
  2. Ralph Vaughan Williams
  3. Gustav Holst
  4. Benjamin Britten Correct answer.

Explanation

Britten composed 'A Ceremony of Carols' in 1942 for treble choir and harp, setting medieval English texts. Its combination of boys' or treble voices with harp is one of its identifying features.

Question 32Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is preparing a setting of the 'Te Deum'. Which text type is being sung?

  1. A responsory for the Office of the Dead
  2. A sequence for the Feast of Corpus Christi
  3. A penitential psalm sung during Lent
  4. A Latin hymn of praise traditionally sung at Matins and on festive occasions Correct answer.

Explanation

The 'Te Deum laudamus' is an ancient Latin hymn of thanksgiving used at Matins and for special celebrations. Its jubilant, declaratory character has attracted settings from the Renaissance onward.

Question 33Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor wants a Romantic-era unaccompanied choral work with rich chromatic harmony and a secular German text for mixed choir. Which composer's part-songs best fit this description?

  1. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  2. Johannes Brahms Correct answer.
  3. Anton Webern
  4. Jean-Philippe Rameau

Explanation

Brahms wrote numerous secular part-songs for mixed choir with dense, chromatic harmony and German texts, making him a strong fit for this brief. His style bridges Classical clarity and Romantic harmonic richness.

Question 34Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which term describes the technique in which a choir divides into many independent, freely timed groups in a twentieth-century work?

  1. Ostinato
  2. Aleatory polyphony Correct answer.
  3. Klangfarbenmelodie
  4. Sprechstimme

Explanation

Aleatory polyphony allows performers or groups to coordinate loosely or freely, producing a texture of independent, unsynchronised lines. This is a hallmark of mid-twentieth-century experimental choral writing.

Question 35Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor is studying a Renaissance Mass that uses a single pre-existing melody in long notes in the tenor while other voices weave around it. What is this technique called?

  1. Basso ostinato
  2. Coloratura
  3. Cantus firmus Correct answer.
  4. Falsobordone

Explanation

A cantus firmus is a borrowed melody, often plainchant, placed in long note values in one voice while the other parts move around it. It provides structural unity across the Mass movements.

Question 36Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is preparing a work in which the composer sets the 'Dies irae' with violent rhythmic accents and sudden dynamic contrasts. Which stylistic period does this treatment most strongly suggest?

  1. Renaissance
  2. Baroque
  3. Romantic Correct answer.
  4. Ars Nova

Explanation

Extreme dynamic contrast, dramatic rhythmic violence and vivid text painting in the 'Dies irae' are characteristic of Romantic-era Requiem settings. The emotional intensity and expanded orchestral forces point to that period.

Question 37Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which feature most clearly distinguishes a Baroque 'oratorio' from an opera of the same period?

  1. It uses recitative and aria but is presented without staging as a sacred or moral drama Correct answer.
  2. It is performed only during the Mass
  3. It is always sung in Latin by a choir alone
  4. It contains no solo vocal writing

Explanation

Oratorio shares opera's recitatives, arias and choruses but is presented in concert form, usually on a sacred or moral subject. The absence of staging, costumes and scenery is the defining practical difference.

Question 38Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir sings a work whose text is a German paraphrase of the Latin Mass Ordinary set by a sixteenth-century composer for the Lutheran liturgy. Which genre is this?

  1. Anthem
  2. Motet
  3. Lutheran Mass Correct answer.
  4. Madrigal

Explanation

Lutheran composers adapted the Latin Ordinary into German paraphrases, producing the German or Lutheran Mass. This preserved the Mass structure while making the text accessible to the congregation.

Question 39Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor wants a twentieth-century a cappella work setting a Latin liturgical text with dense, cluster-like harmony and slow, sustained sonorities. Which composer's sacred choral output best matches this description?

  1. Claudio Monteverdi
  2. Krzysztof Penderecki Correct answer.
  3. Thomas Tallis
  4. Joseph Haydn

Explanation

Penderecki's sacred choral works, such as the 'Stabat Mater' and 'Polish Requiem', use dense clusters, sustained textures and dramatic sonorities. This matches the brief for a modern a cappella Latin setting with cluster harmony.

Question 40Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is asked to sing a 'responsory'. How is the text normally delivered?

  1. The congregation sings alone while the choir listens
  2. Two equal choirs alternate complete psalm verses
  3. A soloist sings a verse and the choir responds with a refrain Correct answer.
  4. The choir sings the entire text once through with no refrain

Explanation

A responsory alternates a solo or small-group verse with a choral refrain, creating a call-and-response structure. This pattern is central to the Divine Office and to many choral genres derived from it.

Question 41Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

In a choral work marked 'senza misura' in a passage for solo quartet, what does the marking require?

  1. Singing strictly in the written time signature
  2. Singing with a mute or closed mouth
  3. Singing one octave lower than written
  4. Singing without a fixed metre, following the natural rhythm of the text Correct answer.

Explanation

'Senza misura' means without strict measure or metre, so the performers shape the rhythm freely according to the text. It is common in twentieth-century and contemporary choral writing.

Question 42Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which composer is associated with the 'Missa Papae Marcelli', a six-voice Mass often cited in discussions of the Council of Trent and intelligibility of text?

  1. William Byrd
  2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina Correct answer.
  3. Orlande de Lassus
  4. Josquin des Prez

Explanation

Palestrina's 'Missa Papae Marcelli' is the six-voice Mass traditionally linked to debates about textual clarity at the Council of Trent. Its balanced, transparent counterpoint became a model of Renaissance sacred style.

Question 43Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor seeks a twentieth-century choral work that sets the 'Gloria' with syncopated rhythms and jazzy harmonies for choir and orchestra. Which composer's 'Gloria' fits this description?

  1. Giovanni Gabrieli
  2. Anton Bruckner
  3. Francis Poulenc Correct answer.
  4. Gabriel Fauré

Explanation

Poulenc's 'Gloria' (1959) combines bright, syncopated rhythms and jazz-inflected harmony with sacred Latin text. Its extroverted character and orchestral colour make it a distinctive twentieth-century setting.

Question 44Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which type of choral writing places two or more separated choirs in dialogue, exploiting spatial antiphony?

  1. Homorhythmic writing
  2. Polychoral writing Correct answer.
  3. Monophonic writing
  4. Through-composed writing

Explanation

Polychoral writing divides the ensemble into separate choirs, often spatially separated, that answer one another. It is strongly associated with Venetian composers such as Gabrieli.

Question 45Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A choir is preparing a setting of the 'Magnificat' and the conductor points out that the opening is set for full chorus with a bright, declamatory character. In the Latin canticle, which words open the text?

  1. Ave Maria gratia plena
  2. Gloria in excelsis Deo
  3. Kyrie eleison
  4. Magnificat anima mea Dominum Correct answer.

Explanation

The 'Magnificat' opens with Mary's words 'Magnificat anima mea Dominum', meaning 'My soul magnifies the Lord'. Composers often set this opening phrase in a bright, affirmative manner.

Question 46Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor is preparing a Renaissance motet and wants to highlight the way the music expresses the text. What technique should the choir use when the music rises on the word 'ascendit'?

  1. A sudden change to spoken declamation
  2. Word painting through an upward melodic figure Correct answer.
  3. A prolonged silence
  4. A modulation to a remote key

Explanation

Word painting matches musical gesture to textual meaning, so a rising melodic line on 'ascendit' depicts ascent. Renaissance composers used such figures to reinforce the sense of the words.

Question 47Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

Which choral genre is defined by a short sacred text set for choir, usually unaccompanied, in the Anglican tradition?

  1. Anthem Correct answer.
  2. Mottetto
  3. Villancico
  4. Chorale

Explanation

The anthem is the Anglican choral genre, usually setting an English sacred text for choir, with or without organ. It developed after the Reformation as part of English cathedral worship.

Question 48Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A composer sets the 'Sanctus' so that the choir sings 'Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus' on a single repeated chord while soloists add florid lines above. Which texture is this?

  1. Fugal imitation
  2. Homophonic choral declamation with solo embellishment Correct answer.
  3. Ostinato bass
  4. Hocket

Explanation

A repeated chordal choral statement with decorative solo lines above combines homophonic choral texture with melodic embellishment. This clarifies the text while adding contrast.

Question 49Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

A conductor wants a Renaissance setting of the 'Lamentations of Jeremiah' with intense chromaticism and rhetorical text setting. Which composer is the strongest choice?

  1. John Dowland
  2. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
  3. Thomas Weelkes
  4. Orlande de Lassus Correct answer.

Explanation

Lassus's 'Lamentations of Jeremiah' uses expressive chromaticism and careful rhetorical declamation of the Hebrew letters and verses. It is a celebrated example of Renaissance text-sensitive sacred writing.

Question 50Choral repertoire and stylistic periods

In a choral programme, a 'madrigal' from the late sixteenth century is best described as which of the following?

  1. A sacred Latin hymn sung at Matins
  2. A secular polyphonic song setting a vernacular poem, often with word painting Correct answer.
  3. A solo song with continuo and da capo repeat
  4. A multi-movement orchestral dance suite

Explanation

The madrigal is a secular polyphonic setting of a vernacular poem, cultivated especially in Italy and England. Composers used word painting and expressive harmony to heighten the poetry.