Course questions for the 1998/99 academic year. This is a translation of the historical study material, including its later annotations; it is not a statement of the current syllabus.
- What is opera? When and where did it originate?
- Who is the best-known Italian opera composer? In which century did he work? Name some of his famous operas.
- Name the first two Latvian classical operas, their composers and dates of composition.
- What is polyphony? Which musical form is most characteristic of imitative polyphony?
- Which composer is the outstanding master of polyphony? When did he work?
- What is a concerto? When and where did the genre originate? Describe its structure.
- What is a symphony? With which composer and when did the classical symphony develop? Describe its structure.
- What is a sonata? With which composer and when did the classical sonata develop? Describe its structure.
- Which composers are called the Viennese Classics, and why? When were they active?
- Name the principal genres of Classicism. What do they share, and how do they differ?
- What was the leading style in 19th-century art? What did it introduce into music in content, form and genre?
- Name well-known Western European composers of the characteristic 19th-century style.
- Name composers of the emerging national cultures who gained international prominence in the 19th century.
- When and with which composer did the classical period of Russian music begin? Name some of his works.
- When did The Mighty Handful begin its activities? Who were its members?
- Who is the most popular 19th-century Russian composer worldwide? Name some of his works.
- Describe Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s activities, genres and major works. Which Latvian composers studied with him?
- When and where were Russia’s first conservatoires founded? After whom are they named?
- When was the Latvian Conservatoire, now the Academy of Music, founded? After whom is it named, and why?
- Who wrote the music and words of Latvia’s national anthem?
- When did professional music begin to develop in Latvia? What was its first genre? Name the early figures in Latvian musical culture.
- When and with which composers did the classical period of Latvian professional music begin?
- What was the first symphonic work in Latvian music? Who composed it, and when?
- Who is the outstanding master of the symphonic genre in Latvian music? How many symphonies did he compose?
- Who founded the Latvian piano music tradition? Name some of his works.
- When was the first General Latvian Song Festival held? Who were its chief conductors? Which composers provided its Latvian repertoire?
- How many General Latvian Song Festivals have taken place? When was the most recent one? Name well-known chief conductors.
- Name contemporary Latvian composers.
- Name prominent Latvian musical families.
- What were the major events in Latvian musical life during the 1998/99 academic year?
1. What is opera? When and where did it originate?
Opera is a vocal and instrumental work intended for theatrical performance. It originated in Italy around the turn of the 17th century.
2. Who is the best-known Italian opera composer? In which century did he work? Name some of his famous operas.
Giuseppe Verdi is the best-known Italian opera composer. His works belong to the 19th century. His best-known operas include Nabucco, La traviata, Aida, Don Carlos, Otello and Rigoletto.
3. Name the first two Latvian classical operas, their composers and dates of composition.
Baņuta is the first Latvian classical opera, composed by Alfrēds Kalniņš in 1919. Uguns un nakts is the second, composed by Jānis Mediņš in 1920.
4. What is polyphony? Which musical form is most characteristic of imitative polyphony?
Polyphony is a texture in which the voices have independent, equally important and expressive melodies. The fugue is the most characteristic form of imitative polyphony.
5. Which composer is the outstanding master of polyphony? When did he work?
Bach is the outstanding master of polyphony. His works belong to the first half of the 18th century.
6. What is a concerto? When and where did the genre originate? Describe its structure.
A concerto is a cyclic work in several movements for one or more solo instruments and orchestra. The genre originated in Italy around the turn of the 18th century. A concerto usually has three separate movements: the first and third are fast, and the second is slow.
7. What is a symphony? With which composer and when did the classical symphony develop? Describe its structure.
A symphony is a cyclic work in several movements for symphony orchestra. The classical symphony developed in Joseph Haydn’s work in the second half of the 18th century. Its four movements are: I — fast, in sonata form; II — slow, in any form; III — a moderately fast minuet in 3/4 and ternary form; IV — a fast finale in rondo or sonata form.
8. What is a sonata? With which composer and when did the classical sonata develop? Describe its structure.
A sonata is a cyclic work in several movements for piano. The classical sonata developed in Mozart’s work in the second half of the 18th century. Its structure is: I — fast, in sonata form; II — slow, in binary or ternary form and a different key; III — fast, in rondo form.
9. Which composers are called the Viennese Classics, and why? When were they active?
Ludwig van Beethoven, Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are called the Viennese Classics. They represented Classicism, and their major contributions to music were made while living in Vienna. They were active in the second half of the 18th and the early 19th centuries.
10. Name the principal genres of Classicism. What do they share, and how do they differ?
The principal genres are the symphony, sonata and string quartet. They are all cyclic works in several movements, but use different performing forces.
11. What was the leading style in 19th-century art? What did it introduce into music in content, form and genre?
The leading style was Romanticism. Romantic composers also wrote concertos, sonatas and other established genres, but their content differed. Works became shorter, and miniature forms such as solo songs became fashionable. The human voice became the principal performer.
12. Name well-known Western European composers of the characteristic 19th-century style.
Well-known Western European Romantic composers include Richard Wagner — Germany; Franz Schubert — Austria; and Robert Schumann — Germany.
13. Name composers of the emerging national cultures who gained international prominence in the 19th century.
Frédéric Chopin — Poland; Franz Liszt — Hungary; Antonín Dvořák — the Czech lands; Edvard Grieg — Norway; Mikhail Glinka, Alexander Borodin, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and Modest Mussorgsky — Russia; Jāzeps Vītols — Latvia, in the 1880s.
14. When and with which composer did the classical period of Russian music begin? Name some of his works.
It began in the 1830s with Mikhail Glinka. His works include the operas Ivan Susanin and Ruslan and Lyudmila; Waltz-Fantasia, originally for piano and later orchestrated; the orchestral works Jota aragonesa, A Summer Night in Madrid and Kamarinskaya. He also composed about 80 romances.
15. When did The Mighty Handful begin its activities? Who were its members?
The Mighty Handful began its activities in the 1860s. Its members were Mily Balakirev, Alexander Borodin, César Cui, Modest Mussorgsky and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
16. Who is the most popular 19th-century Russian composer worldwide? Name some of his works.
Pyotr Tchaikovsky. His orchestral works include Romeo and Juliet, Francesca da Rimini and Capriccio italien; his ballets include Swan Lake, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. He composed the piano cycle The Seasons, romances, piano concertos and the operas Eugene Onegin, The Queen of Spades and Iolanta.
17. Describe Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s activities, genres and major works. Which Latvian composers studied with him?
He was a composer, teacher, symphony orchestra conductor, collector of Russian folk music and public figure. He wrote operas, concertos, orchestral works, vocal works including 79 romances, and vocal-instrumental works. Major works include Mozart and Salieri, Sadko, Capriccio espagnol and Scheherazade. His Latvian students included Emīls Dārziņš, Andrejs Jurjāns, Emīlis Melngailis, Jāzeps Vītols and Alfrēds Kalniņš.
18. When and where were Russia’s first conservatoires founded? After whom are they named?
Saint Petersburg Conservatoire was founded in 1862 and is named after Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. Moscow Conservatoire was founded in 1866 and is named after Pyotr Tchaikovsky.
19. When was the Latvian Conservatoire, now the Academy of Music, founded? After whom is it named, and why?
The Latvian Conservatoire was founded in 1919. It is named after Jāzeps Vītols because it was founded under his leadership.
20. Who wrote the music and words of Latvia’s national anthem?
Kārlis Baumanis wrote both the music and the words.
21. When did professional music begin to develop in Latvia? What was its first genre? Name the early figures in Latvian musical culture.
Professional music began to develop in Latvia in the 1860s and 1870s, starting with choral music. Early figures included Kārlis Baumanis, Jānis Bētiņš, the Cimze brothers, Indriķis Zīle, Nikolajs Alunāns and Oto Šepskis.
22. When and with which composers did the classical period of Latvian professional music begin?
It began in the 1880s with Andrejs Jurjāns and Jāzeps Vītols.
23. What was the first symphonic work in Latvian music? Who composed it, and when?
Andrejs Jurjāns’ Dziesmusvētku maršs, composed in 1880.
24. Who is the outstanding master of the symphonic genre in Latvian music? How many symphonies did he compose?
Jānis Ivanovs, with 21 symphonies.
25. Who founded the Latvian piano music tradition? Name some of his works.
Jāzeps Vītols. His works include piano arrangements of the folk songs Ej, saulīte, drīz pie Dieva, also used as a theme for piano variations, and Skaisti dziedi, lakstīgala; Viļņu dziesma; sonatas, preludes and études.
26. When was the first General Latvian Song Festival held? Who were its chief conductors? Which composers provided its Latvian repertoire?
The first festival was held in 1873. Its chief conductors were Jānis Bētiņš and Indriķis Zīle. Its Latvian repertoire included works by the Cimze brothers and Kārlis Baumanis.
27. How many General Latvian Song Festivals have taken place? When was the most recent one? Name well-known chief conductors.
The 22nd festival was held in summer 1998. Its well-known chief conductors included Jānis Zirnis, Jānis Dūmiņš, Edmunds Grāvītis, Jānis Ērenštreits, Romāns Vanags, Imants and Gido Kokars, and Terēzija Broka. Honorary chief conductors were Leonīds Vīgners and Haralds Mednis. Later annotations in the source mention the 23rd festival in 2003, the 24th in 2008 and the 25th in 2013.
28. Name contemporary Latvian composers.
The source lists Jānis Kalniņš, Ādolfs Skulte, Tālivaldis Ķeniņš, Raimonds Pauls, Imants Kalniņš, Pēteris Plakidis, Uldis Stabulnieks, Juris Karlsons, Selga Mence, Ilze Arne, Jānis Lūsēns, Zigmars Liepiņš, Rihards Dubra, Pēteris Vasks, and the Zemzars father and son.
29. Name prominent Latvian musical families.
The Jurjāns, Mediņš, Kalniņš, Vīgners and Cimze families.
30. What were the major events in Latvian musical life during the 1998/99 academic year?
The Latvian recording industry’s annual awards on 5 February 1999; the Latvian National Opera’s 80th anniversary; the International Piano Stars Festival on 8–14 March 1999; J. S. Bach Music Week; the 12th International Music Schools Festival; Emīlis Melngailis’ 125th anniversary; the Talants Latvijai competition; the 5th International Accordion Festival; the first Opuss XX International Contemporary Music Festival on 9–18 April 1999; José Carreras’ visit to Riga; the Jāzeps Mediņš Music School Boys’ Choir’s tour of Brazil; and Haralds Mednis receiving Man of the Year recognition in America.