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Part VI - The Romantic Period
Part VI
The Romantic Period
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Romanticism, as a stylistic period in western music, encompassed the years

A. 1450-1600
B. 1600-1750
C. 1750-1820
D. 1820-1900
The romantic period in music extended from about 1820 to 1900.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recall artistic expression in the Romantic Era
2. Which of the following is not characteristic of romanticism?

A. A fascination with fantasy
B. An emphasis on balance and clarity of structures
C. An enthusiasm for the culture of the Middle Ages
D. An interest in exoticism and the past
Whereas in classical music, composers focused on balance and clarity, in romantic music,
forms showed greater tension and less emphasis on balance and resolution.
Bloom's: Understand
6-1
Copyright © 2015 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of
McGraw-Hill Education.
3. Which of the following is not a characteristic aspect of romanticism in literature and

painting?
A. Emotional restraint
B. Emotional subjectivity
C. Exoticism
D. Fantasy
Romantic music encompasses many characteristics, but emotional restraint is not one of them.
Indeed, romantic music is associated with emotional intensity and expression.
Bloom's: Understand
4. Of all the inspirations for romantic art, none was more important than
A. the aristocracy.
B. ancient Greek art and culture.
C. nature.
D. the church.
All aspects of nature attracted romantic musicians. It makes an appearance in countless

compositions of the romantic period.
Bloom's: Understand
5. Which of the following composers is not associated with the romantic period?
A. Giuseppe Verdi
B. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C. Robert Schumann
D. Frédéric Chopin
Mozart is known as a classical composer, not romantic. He lived in the eighteenth century,
before the romantic period even began.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Know characteristics of romantic music
6-2
6. Drawing creative inspiration from cultures of lands foreign to the composer is known as
A. exoticism.
B. nationalism.
C. program music.
D. verismo.
Exoticism in romantic music describes the use of melodic and rhythmic elements derived
from the music of non-European countries.
Bloom's: Remember
7. Program music is
A. music that depicts aspects of nature.
B. vocal music that tells a story.
C. instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
D. All answers are correct.
Program music is instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene. The
nonmusical element is usually specified by a title or by explanatory comments called a
program.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Define program music
8. Which of the following statements is not true?

A. Romantic music puts unprecedented emphasis on self-expression and individuality of style.
B. Fascination with the melodies, rhythms, and colorful materials from distant lands is a
romantic trend known as musical nationalism.
C. Romantic composers relied upon a more prominent use of chromatic harmony, or the use
of chords containing tones not found in the prevailing major or minor scale.
D. A romantic composition tends to have a wide variety of keys and rapid modulations.
The fascination with non-European music and the inclusion of musical elements from those
cultures into romantic compositions is known as exoticism.
Bloom's: Understand
6-3
9. The deliberate intent to draw creative inspiration from the composer's own homeland is
known as
A. exoticism.
B. individualism.
C. nationalism.
D. verismo.
Musical nationalism was expressed when romantic composers deliberately created music with
a specific national identity, using the folk songs, dances, legends, and history of their
homelands.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Define nationalism in 19th-century music
10. Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by

A. using the rhythms of the dances of their homelands.
B. using their national legends as subject matter.
C. basing their music on the folk songs of their country.
Musical nationalism was expressed when romantic composers deliberately created music with
a specific national identity, using the folk songs, dances, legends, and history of their
homelands.
Bloom's: Understand
6-4
11. An orchestra toward the end of the romantic period might include close to ______
musicians.
A. 24
B. 40
C. 60
D. 100
In order to get extreme contrasts of dynamics, texture, and orchestration, composers in the late
romantic period used orchestras that could include close to a hundred musicians.
Bloom's: Remember
12. The orchestra in the romantic period

A. was basically the same as in the classical period.
B. ranged from twenty to sixty players.
C. was larger and more varied in tone color than the classical orchestra.
D. had a limited dynamic range due to the primitive nature of the brass instruments.
In order to accommodate the extreme desires of composers, such as great dynamic variety,
unusual tonal colors, and overall density of sound, the orchestra of the romantic period grew
greatly in size from that of the classical period.
Bloom's: Remember
13. The 1844 Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration that signaled the
recognition of orchestration as an art in itself was written by
A. Franz Liszt.
B. Robert Schumann.
C. Hector Berlioz.
D. Bedřich Smetana.
In 1844, Hector Berlioz published the Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and

Orchestration, which established orchestration as an art in itself.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize the characteristics of Berlioz's program music
6-5
14. Which of the following statements is not true of the piano in the early romantic period?
A. A cast-iron frame was introduced to hold the strings under greater tension.
B. The use of the damper pedal allowed a sonorous blend of tones from all registers of the
piano.
C. The piano's range remained basically the same as in the classical period.
D. The piano's hammers were covered with felt.
The piano was vastly improved during the 1820s and 1830s. A cast-iron frame was introduced
to hold the strings under greater tension, and the hammers were covered with felt. Its range
was extended and the use of the damper pedal was common.
Bloom's: Remember
15. A slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo in music is known as

A. ritardando.
B. rubato.
C. accelerando.
D. fermata.
Rubato is the slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo, a favorite technique of
romantic composers and performers. Ritardanos (slowing down) and accelerandos (speeding
up) each modify the tempo in only one direction. A fermata indicates a pause in the music.
Bloom's: Remember
6-6
16. Altering the character of a melody by changes in dynamics, orchestration, or rhythm is a

romantic technique known as
A. thematic transformation.
B. melodic evolution.
C. rubato.
D. development.
Thematic transformation is a technique in which a melody's character is transformed as it

returns in later movements or sections of a romantic work. It can be changed in various ways,
through dynamics, orchestration, or rhythm.
Bloom's: Remember

A. Romantic composers rejected the basic forms of the classical period and preferred to
develop new forms of their own.
B. Hector Berlioz's Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and Orchestration, published in
1844, signaled the recognition of orchestration as an art in itself.
C. Musical nationalism was expressed when romantic composers deliberately created music
with a specific national identity.
D. To intensify the expression of the music, romantic performers made use of rubato, the
slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo.
Rather than reject the past, romantic composers built upon the styles of the classical period.
Romantic composers continued to write symphonies, sonatas, string quartets, concertos,
operas, and choral works, but their individual movements tended to be longer than Haydn's
and Mozart's.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Describe the relationship between romantic composers and their public
6-7
18. Because of the French Revolution and the __________________, many aristocrats could
no longer afford to maintain private opera houses, orchestras, and "composers in residence."
A. American Revolution
B. Napoleonic Wars
C. French and Indian War
D. wages of skilled performers
The French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars caused much economic strife in Europe,
causing aristocrats, as well as artists, to lose income and luxury possessions.
Bloom's: Remember

A. Romantic composers wrote primarily for a middle-class audience whose size and
prosperity had increased because of the industrial revolution.
B. Romantic musicians often composed to execute a commission or meet the demands of an
aristocratic or church patron.
C. Music conservatories were founded in Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, Oberlin, and
Philadelphia during the 1860s.
D. The nineteenth-century public was captivated by virtuosity.
Romantic musicians often composed to meet an inner need rather than fulfill a commission
from a noble or church patron. They were inspired by the image of Beethoven as a "free
artist" and created extended works with no immediate prospects for performance.
Bloom's: Understand
6-8
20. The composer whose career was a model for many romantic composers was
A. Ludwig van Beethoven.
B. Joseph Haydn.
C. Johann Sebastian Bach.
D. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The image of Beethoven as a "free artist" inspired romantic musicians, who often composed
to meet an inner need rather than fulfill a commission.
Bloom's: Remember
21. All of the following romantic composers were also virtuoso instrumentalists giving solo
recitals except
A. Clara Wieck Schumann.
B. Franz Liszt.
C. Niccolò Paganini.
D. Hector Berlioz.
Berlioz was an advanced composer and orchestrator but did not achieve virtuosity in
instrumental performance.
Bloom's: Remember
22. A romantic composer who earned his living as a touring virtuoso was
A. Franz Liszt.
B. Hector Berlioz.
C. Frédéric Chopin.
D. Franz Schubert.
Franz Liszt practiced hard to become a piano virtuoso, who drove audiences to frenzy. He
toured Europe tirelessly between 1839 and 1847.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Liszt
6-9
23. A composer who earned his/her living as a violin virtuoso was

A. Clara Schumann.
B. Niccolò Paganini.
C. Robert Schumann.
D. Frédéric Chopin.
Niccolò Paganini the great violinist, amazed audiences with virtuosic playing and made his
living through touring.
Bloom's: Remember
24. The rise of the urban middle class led to the

A. piano becoming a fixture in every middle-class home.
B. formation of many orchestras and opera groups.
C. development of regular subscription concerts.
The new urban middle class led to the formation of many orchestras and opera groups during
the romantic era. Public concerts had developed during the eighteenth century, and in the
nineteenth century regular subscription concerts became common. With new, disposable
income, many middle-class homes had pianos in them.
Bloom's: Remember
6-10
25. When music conservatories were founded, women

A. were admitted only as vocalists.
B. were at first accepted only as students of performance, but by the late 1800s could study
musical composition.
C. could only study musical composition, since performance was considered undignified.
D. were not admitted.
With the rise of conservatories, more young men and women than ever before studied to be
professional musicians. At first women were accepted into conservatories only as students of
performance, but by the late 1800s they could study musical composition as well.
Bloom's: Remember
26. A very important musical part of every middle-class home during the romantic period was
the
A. resident composer/performer.
B. piano.
C. violin.
D. flute.
As private music making increased during the romantic era, the piano became a fixture in
every middle-class home. There was great demand for songs and solo piano pieces as well as
transcriptions of operas and orchestral works.
Bloom's: Remember
6-11
27. One of the few composers fortunate enough to be supported by private patrons was
A. Franz Liszt.
B. Franz Schubert.
C. Hector Berlioz.
D. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky.
In 1877, Tchaikovsky acquired a wealthy benefactress, Nadezhda von Meck, with whom he
had a curious but intimate friendship—they corresponded but did not meet. She gave him an
annuity that allowed him to quit his conservatory position and devote himself to composition.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize the characteristics of program music in works by the romantic composer Tchaikovsky
28. Music criticism was a source of income for both Hector Berlioz and
A. Robert Schumann.
B. Franz Liszt.
C. Niccolò Paganini.
D. Giuseppe Verdi.
Writing music criticism was one way that a freelance musician could make a steady income.
Both Berlioz and Schumann engaged work in this capacity.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Schumann
29. An art song is a musical composition for

A. solo voice and piano.
B. solo voice and orchestra.
C. multiple voices.
A prominent genre in the romantic period, art songs were works written for solo voice and
piano.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Describe the functions of the art song
6-12
30. The word ___________ is commonly used for a romantic art song with a German text.
A. lied
B. durchkomponiert
C. chanson
D. ballade
The German word, lied, means song, and was used to describe German romantic art songs.
Bloom's: Remember
31. The German composers of art songs favored, among others, the lyric poetry of Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe and
A. Heinrich Heine.
B. Victor Hugo.
C. William Wordsworth.
D. Walt Whitman.
Many German or Austrian composers—Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, for example—set

poems in their native language. Among the poets favored by these composers were Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) and Heinrich Heine (1797-1856).
Bloom's: Remember
6-13
32. Which of the following statements is not true of the romantic art song?
A. The art song is restricted to strophic form.
B. A song cycle is a set of romantic art songs that may be unified by a story line that runs
through the poems, or by musical ideas linking the songs.
C. Through-composed, a translation of the German term durchkomponiert, is a song form that
allows music to reflect a poem's changing moods.
D. The accompaniment of a romantic art song is an integral part of the composer's conception,
and it serves as an interpretive partner to the voice.
The art song is an extremely flexible form (one reason for its popularity) and was not
restricted to strophic form; many of the great art songs were written in through-composed
form.
Bloom's: Understand
33. The mood of an art song is often set by a brief piano introduction and summed up at the
end by a piano section called a
A. conclusion.
B. postlude.
C. song cycle.
D. finale.
The mood of an art song is often summed up at the end by a concluding piano section called a
postlude.
Bloom's: Remember
6-14
34. When the same music is repeated for two or more stanzas of a poem, leading to new
music for other stanzas, the form is known as
A. song form.
B. modified strophic.
C. through-composed.
D. repetitious.
Modified strophic form is a song form in which two or more stanzas of poetry are set to the
same music while other stanzas have new music.
Bloom's: Remember
35. Which of the following forms was not used in composing art songs?
A. Strophic
B. Modified-strophic.
C. Through-composed.
D. Concerto
A concerto describes a type of composition that involves an orchestra; it is not a form.
Bloom's: Understand
36. Schubert's primary source of income came from his

A. position as music director to a noble court.
B. touring as a virtuoso performer.
C. performing as church organist.
D. musical compositions.
Schubert never held an official position and was neither a conductor nor a virtuoso. His
income came entirely from musical composition.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Analyze characteristics of dramatic narrative in works by the romantic composer Schubert
6-15
37. Schubert wrote a number of symphonies and chamber works that are comparable in power
and emotional intensity to those of his idol,
A. Beethoven.
B. Berlioz.
C. Mozart.
D. Haydn.
Many of Schubert's symphonies, especially the Unfinished Symphony (1822) and the Great C
Major Symphony (1825-1826), are comparable in power and intensity to those of his idol,
Beethoven.
Bloom's: Remember
38. Schubert
A. was widely acknowledged as a composer in his lifetime.
B. was very self-critical, which accounts for his meager output.
C. produced his greatest works after the age of forty.
D. was the first great master of the romantic art song.
The career of Schubert was short and mostly unrecognized (although his output was large),
but he is now thought of as the earliest master of the romantic art song.
Bloom's: Remember
6-16

A. Franz Schubert led a bohemian existence, living with friends because he had no money to
rent a room of his own.
B. Schubert labored at great length over each of his compositions, which accounts for his
small output.
C. At the time of his death, Schubert's reputation was mainly that of a fine song composer.
D. In addition to symphonies, operas, string quartets and other chamber works, Schubert
composed over six hundred songs.
Schubert's output was large: along with over 600 songs, he composed symphonies, string
quartets, chamber music for piano and strings, piano sonatas, short piano pieces for two and
four hands, masses, and operatic compositions. He composed quickly and feverishly; in one
year he wrote 179 works.
Bloom's: Remember
40. Schubert's songs number more than

A. 50.
B. 100.
C. 250.
D. 600.
Schubert composed songs incessantly throughout his career, producing over 600.
Bloom's: Remember
6-17
41. Schubert's song Die Forelle is an example of __________ form.

A. modified strophic
B. through-composed
C. AABA
D. strophic
Die Forelle is in modified strophic form: A (stanza 1)—A (stanza 2)—BA'(stanza 3), a song
form in which two or more stanzas of poetry are set to the same music while other stanzas
have new music.
Bloom's: Remember
42. Schubert wrote compositions in every musical genre except

A. string quartets.
B. piano concertos.
C. symphonies.
D. operas.
Schubert wrote string quartets, symphonies, songs, and operatic compositions, but never a
piano concerto.
Bloom's: Remember
43. Schubert was eighteen years old when he composed the song Erlkönig, set to a poem by
A. Schubert himself.
B. Heinrich Heine.
C. Victor Hugo.
D. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Schubert's song Erlkönig (The Erlking) is a musical setting of a narrative ballad of the
supernatural by Goethe.
Bloom's: Remember
6-18
44. The form of The Erlking is

A. strophic.
B. modified strophic.
C. through-composed.
D. None of these.
In The Erlking, Schubert uses a through-composed setting to capture the mounting excitement
of the poem.
Bloom's: Apply
45. The instrumentation of Schubert's Trout Quintet is unusual because of the inclusion of
a(n)
A. double bass.
B. second violin.
C. additional viola.
D. oboe.
This quintet is scored for the unusual combination of piano, violin, viola, cello, and double
bass.
Bloom's: Apply
46. The Erlking, in Schubert's song of that name, is a romantic personification of

A. ghosts.
B. death.
C. a galloping horse.
D. nature.
Goethe's ballad tells of a father riding on horseback through a storm with his sick child in his
arms. The delirious boy has visions of the legendary Erlking, the king of the elves, who
symbolizes death.
Bloom's: Apply
6-19
47. The piano's relentless rhythm in Erlkönig(The Erlking) unifies the episodes of the song
and suggests the
A. galloping horse.
B. joy of the child.
C. steadiness of the father.
D. approach of death.
The piano's relentless triplet rhythm unifies the episodes of the song and suggests the horse's
gallop.
Bloom's: Apply
48. Which of the following is not true of Robert Schumann's works?

A. They are intensely autobiographical.
B. They are usually linked with descriptive titles, texts, or programs.
C. They are frequently lyrical in nature.
D. They are all written for the piano.
Although many of Schumann's early works were solely for piano, after 1840, he turned to
symphonies and chamber music.
Bloom's: Remember
49. Clara Wieck was

A. the daughter of Schumann's piano teacher.
B. a virtuoso pianist.
C. Schumann's wife.
Wieck was Schumann's daughter, prized pupil, and eventual virtuoso concert pianist. She later
became Schumann's wife.
Bloom's: Remember
6-20
50. During the first ten years of his creative life, Schumann published only
A. songs.
B. piano pieces.
C. symphonies.
D. musical criticism.
During the first ten years of his creative life, Schumann published only piano pieces, and his
musical style seemed to grow out of piano improvisation.
Bloom's: Remember
51. Robert Schumann founded and edited the New Journal of Music in order to
A. promote musical originality and combat the commercial trash that flooded the market.
B. promote his own music.
C. encourage the composition of works for piano.
D. promote the recording of music.
During his twenties, too, Schumann founded and edited the twice-weekly New Journal of
Music to promote musical originality and combat the commercial trash that flooded the
market.
Bloom's: Remember
52. Robert Schumann's Carnaval is a(n)

A. etude for piano students.
B. song cycle.
C. composition for orchestra.
D. cycle of piano pieces.
Carnaval is a cycle of twenty-one brief pieces for piano, with descriptive titles evoking a
festive masked ball, with its varied characters, moods, and activities.
Bloom's: Remember
6-21
53. Johannes Brahms

A. was an admirer of Robert Schumann, but never met him.
B. was a violinist who performed Clara Schumann's compositions.
C. was a close friend of Clara and Robert Schumann.
D. married Clara Schumann after her husband died.
The relationships between Brahms and Robert and Clara Schumann was complicated. Brahms
admired both as musicians and all three became close friends. Although he and Clara became
intimate after Robert died, they never married. They remained close friends, however, and
Clara would often perform his pieces.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize and analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Brahms
54. Clara Schumann was a

A. virtuoso pianist.
B. composer.
C. touring performer.
D. All of the above are correct.
Clara Schumann was an extraordinary talent: a composer, virtuoso pianist, and mother. She
was married to Robert Schumann and often performed his pieces.
Bloom's: Remember
55. The cimbalom is

A. a form of primitive cymbal, struck with a stick.
B. the baton a European conductor uses to beat time.
C. a Hungarian instrument in which strings are struck by handheld hammers.
D. an end-blown ethnic flute.
Cimbalom is a Hungarian instrument in which strings are struck by hammers held in the hand.
Bloom's: Remember
6-22
56. A leading pianist of the nineteenth century, Clara Schumann

A. never composed any music.
B. did some composing, but considered herself primarily a performer.
C. was discovered to have composed some works for Brahms.
D. performed only the music of her husband Robert.
Clara Schumann was primarily a pianist in her time, but she also composed several works.
Bloom's: Remember
57. In the 1830s, Paris was

A. a center of romanticism.
B. the artistic capital of Europe.
C. the home of Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, and Heinrich Heine.
In the 1830s, Paris, home to many artists such as Victor Hugo, Balzac, Heine, Delacroix, was
the center of romanticism and the artistic capital of Europe.
Bloom's: Remember
58. Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and

A. polkas.
B. folk songs.
C. waltzes.
D. mazurkas.
Chopin expressed his love for Poland by composing mazurkas and the polonaises, stylized
dances that capture a Polish spirit.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Chopin
6-23
59. While in Paris, Chopin

A. married the famous writer Aurore Dudevant.
B. earned a good living by teaching piano to the daughters of the rich.
C. gave a great number of successful public concerts.
In Paris, Chopin earned a good living by teaching piano to the daughters of the rich, and lived
in luxury. Although he had an affair with Aurore Dudevant, they never married. He was an
extraordinary pianist, but preferred to give small, intimate concerts in salons over public
performances in large venues.
Bloom's: Remember
60. Most of Chopin's pieces

A. are exquisite miniatures.
B. are for a wide range of media.
C. have a limited variety of moods.
D. have literary programs or titles.
Most of Chopin's pieces are exquisite miniatures; they evoke an infinite variety of moods and
are always elegant, graceful, and melodic. Unlike Schumann, Chopin did not attach literary
programs or titles to his pieces.
Bloom's: Remember
61. A slow, lyrical, intimate composition for piano, associated with evening and nighttime, is
the
A. etude.
B. mazurka.
C. waltz.
D. nocturne.
A nocturne, or night piece, is a slow, lyrical, intimate composition for piano.
Bloom's: Remember
6-24
62. Chopin's Revolutionary Étude develops the pianist's left hand because
A. the left hand must play rapid passages throughout.
B. it is played only by the left hand.
C. it takes nearly an hour to perform.
D. the left hand plays the main melody.
The Revolutionary Étude, develops speed and endurance in the pianist's left hand, which must
play rapid passages of accompaniment throughout.
Bloom's: Understand
63. A study piece, designed to help a performer master specific technical difficulties, is
known as
A. a nocturne.
B. an etude.
C. a polonaise.
D. ein lied.
An étude is a study piece designed to help a performer master specific technical difficulties.
Bloom's: Remember

A. In the 1830s Paris was a center of romanticism and the artistic capital of Europe.
B. Chopin was a shy, reserved man who disliked crowds and preferred to play in salons rather
than in public concert halls.
C. Many of Chopin's most poetic effects come from the sensitive exploitation of the piano's
pedals.
D. Chopin's piano études, compositions designed to help a performer master specific technical
difficulties, are primarily technical exercises without much musical value.
Although Chopin's études work on specific technical issues, they also reach beyond mere
exercises to become masterpieces of music, exciting to hear as well as to master.
Bloom's: Remember
6-25
65. The ___________ is a dance in triple meter that originated as a stately processional for the
Polish nobility.
A. polka
B. mazurka
C. waltz
D. polonaise
The polonaise, a piece in triple meter, originated as a stately processional dance for the Polish
nobility.
Bloom's: Remember

A. To display his incomparable piano mastery, Liszt composed his Transcendental Etudes
and made piano transcriptions of Paganini's violin pieces.
B. During the last years of his life, Liszt settled in Rome and devoted himself solely to his
religious duties.
C. As a stupendous performer, innovative composer, and charismatic personality, Franz Liszt
typified the romantic movement.
D. The literary works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe were among Franz Liszt's favorite
inspirations.
Although Liszt went to Rome to pursue religious studies and take minor holy orders, he
continued to compose oratorios and masses and, during his last years, traveled between Rome,
Weimar, and Budapest, where he was president of the new Academy of Music.
Bloom's: Remember
6-26
67. As a youth, Franz Liszt was influenced by the performances of

A. Richard Wagner.
B. Hector Berlioz.
C. Robert Schumann.
D. Niccolò Paganini.
When he was nineteen and already acclaimed as a brilliant pianist, Liszt was awed by the
great violinist Paganini, who drove audiences into a frenzy and was half suspected of being in
league with the devil.
Bloom's: Remember
68. During his teens and twenties, Franz Liszt lived in

A. Rome.
B. Weimar.
C. Paris.
D. Budapest.
During his teens and twenties, he lived in Paris, a city where romanticism flourished and a
mecca for virtuosos.
Bloom's: Remember
69. Until the age of thirty-six, Franz Liszt toured Europe as a virtuoso
A. pianist.
B. conductor.
C. cellist.
Franz Liszt was a virtuoso pianist, who toured all over Europe, amazing audiences wherever
he played.
Bloom's: Remember
6-27
70. Liszt abandoned his career as a traveling virtuoso to become court conductor at
__________, where he championed works by contemporary composers.
A. Rome
B. Weimar
C. Paris
D. Budapest
At thirty-six, Listz abandoned his career as a traveling virtuoso to become court conductor for
the grand duke in Weimar. Weimar had become a center for modern music, and Liszt
conducted works by such contemporaries as Berlioz, Schumann, and Wagner.
Bloom's: Remember
71. Liszt's piano works are characterized by

A. an unprecedented range of dynamics.
B. rapid octaves and daring leaps.
C. arpeggios.
Liszt found new ways to exploit the piano; his melodies are sometimes surrounded by
arpeggios that create the impression of three hands playing. His piano works contain daring
leaps, rapid octaves and runs, and an unprecedented range of dynamics.
Bloom's: Understand
72. The writer whose literary works greatly inspired Franz Liszt was
A. William Shakespeare.
B. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
C. Robert Schumann.
D. Marie d'Agoult.
Among Liszt's favorite inspirations were the works of Goethe (on which he based his Faust
Symphony, 1854).
Bloom's: Remember
6-28
73. In many of his works, Liszt unified contrasting moods by a process known as
A. motivic repetition.
B. thematic transformation.
C. sequential restatement.
D. cohesive unification.
In his symphonic poems and other works, Liszt unified contrasting moods through thematic
transformation: a single musical idea recurs throughout a work but is varied so that its
character is transformed.
Bloom's: Remember
74. Liszt typified the romantic movement because he

A. had a charismatic personality.
B. was a stupendous performer.
C. was an innovative composer.
As a stupendous performer, innovative composer, and charismatic personality, Liszt

embodied many of the most important qualities of the romantic period.
Bloom's: Remember
75. Liszt created the ______________, a one-movement orchestral composition based to

some extent on a literary or pictorial idea.
A. concert overture
B. symphonic poem
C. piano concerto
D. sonata
Breaking away from classical sonata form and the standard four-movement symphony, Liszt
created the symphonic poem, or tone poem, a one-movement orchestral composition based to
some extent on literary or pictorial ideas.
Bloom's: Remember
6-29
76. By the age of thirteen, Mendelssohn had written ____________ of astounding quality.
A. vocal works.
B. sonatas
C. symphonies and concertos
Nurtured from an early age as a prodigy, Mendelssohn had written symphonies, concertos,
sonatas, and vocal works of astounding quality by the age of thirteen.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize characteristics of music in works by the romantic composers Mendelssohn
77. Mendelssohn is known as the man who rekindled an interest in the music of
A. Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina.
B. Johann Sebastian Bach.
C. George Frideric Handel.
D. Franz Schubert.
In 1829, at twenty, he conducted Bach's St. Matthew Passion in its first performance since the
composer's death. This historic concert rekindled interest in Bach's music and earned
Mendelssohn an international reputation.
Bloom's: Remember
78. The high point of Mendelssohn's career was the triumphant premiere of his oratorio
_____________ in England.
A. Elijah
B. Hebrides
C. A Midsummer Night's Dream
D. Fingal's Cave
A high point in his career was the triumphant premiere of his oratorio Elijah in Birmingham,
England, in 1846.
Bloom's: Remember
6-30
79. Mendelssohn wrote in all musical forms except

A. symphonies.
B. operas.
C. string quartets.
D. oratorios.
Mendelssohn was a prolific and varied composer, but never wrote an opera.
Bloom's: Remember
80. The three movements of Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin

A. are unified by the process of thematic transformation.
B. are all in the same key.
C. all have separate cadenzas.
D. are played without pause.
The concerto's three movements are played without pause, in a characteristic linking
technique used by romantic composers.
Bloom's: Remember
81. Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin in E Minor opens with a(n)

A. orchestral exposition typical in concertos.
B. soloist, who presents the main theme.
C. slow introduction by the orchestra.
D. single bassoon tone.
Traditionally, the opening movement of a concerto began with an extended section for
orchestra. But Mendelssohn's first movement begins with the soloist, who presents the main
theme.
Bloom's: Remember
6-31
82. Mendelssohn earned an international reputation, and rekindled an interest in the earlier
composer's music, by conducting the first performance since the composer's death of
A. Josquin's Ave Maria.
B. Bach's St. Matthew Passion.
C. Handel's Messiah.
D. Schubert's Mass in C.
In 1829, at twenty, Mendelssohn conducted Bach's St. Matthew Passion in its first
performance since the composer's death. This historic concert rekindled interest in Bach's
music and earned Mendelssohn an international reputation.
Bloom's: Remember
83. In the first movement of Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin, the cadenza
A. is left to the performer to improvise.
B. appears at the end of the recapitulation, as is common in classical concertos.
C. is frequently omitted in performance.
D. appears at the end of the development section as a transition to the recapitulation.
In another alteration to classical form, Mendelssohn wrote the cadenza out and placed it at the
end of the development section as a transition to the recapitulation. Typically in classical
concertos, the cadenza was improvised by the soloist and played near the end of the
movement. Here, Mendelssohn wanted the cadenza to be an integral part of the movement,
not merely something tacked on to display the soloist's virtuosity.
Bloom's: Understand
6-32
84. The first movement of Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin is linked to the introduction of
the second movement by a(n)
A. violin cadenza.
B. single bassoon tone.
C. orchestral tutti.
D. wind fanfare.
The first two movements are connected by a sustained solo bassoon note.
Bloom's: Remember
85. The second movement of Mendelssohn's Concerto for Violin is in _____ form.
A. ABA'
B. theme and variations
C. rondo
D. sonata
The second movement andante is a songlike, intimate piece in A B A' form.
Bloom's: Apply
86. Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto was inspired by

A. his friendship the famous violinist Ferdinand David.
B. Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Europe.
C. Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.
D. a performance of the great violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini.
Ferdinand David worked closely with Mendelssohn on his violin concerto and premiered the
piece.
Bloom's: Remember
6-33
87. Instrumental music associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene, popular during the
romantic period, is called
A. absolute music.
B. opera.
C. program music.
D. symphony.
Romantic composers were particularly attracted to program music—instrumental music

associated with a story, poem, idea, or scene.
Bloom's: Remember
88. The work referred to by Beethoven as an "expression of feeling rather than painting" was
his
A. Symphony No. 5.
B. Fidelio Overture.
C. Eroica Symphony.
D. Pastoral Symphony (No. 6.)
Beethoven, referred to his Pastoral Symphony (his Symphony No. 6) as "an expression of
feeling rather than painting."
Bloom's: Remember
6-34

A. Musicians and audiences in the romantic period liked to read stories into all music,
whether intended by the composer or not.
B. The romantic concert overture was modeled after the opera overture, but the concert
overture is not intended to usher in a stage work, being instead an independent composition.
C. The symphonic poem, or tone poem, is a two-movement composition in sonata-allegro
form.
D. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet is an example of program music.
The symphonic poem, or tone poem, is a one-movement orchestral composition based to

some extent on literary or pictorial ideas. It does not have to be in sonata-allegro form.
Bloom's: Understand
90. Nonprogram music is also known as _____________ music.

A. pure
B. absolute
C. concert
D. symphonic
Music that has no explicit extramusical meaning (a story, poem, etc.) but instead serves a
purely musical function is known as absolute music.
Bloom's: Remember
6-35
91. A ____________ is an instrumental composition in several movements based to some

extent on a literary or pictorial idea.
A. nocturne
B. program symphony
C. polonaise
D. concert overture
A program symphony is a composition in several movements. As its name implies, it is a

symphony with a program, or explanatory comments. Usually, each movement has a
descriptive title.
Bloom's: Remember
92. A ________________ is a one-movement orchestral composition based to some extent on

a literary or pictorial idea.
A. mazurka
B. program symphony
C. symphonic poem
D. nocturne
The symphonic poem, or tone poem, is a one-movement orchestral composition based to

some extent on literary or pictorial ideas.
Bloom's: Remember
93. The composer who developed the symphonic poem was

A. Franz Liszt.
B. Ludwig van Beethoven.
C. Franz Schubert.
D. Richard Strauss.
Breaking away from classical sonata form and the standard four-movement symphony, Franz
Liszt created the symphonic poem.
Bloom's: Remember
6-36
94. Music intended to be performed before and during a play to set the mood for scenes or
highlight dramatic action is known as
A. music drama.
B. incidental music.
C. absolute music.
D. play music.
Incidental music is music to be performed before and during a play. It is "incidental" to the
staged drama, but it sets the mood for certain scenes. Interludes, background music, marches,
and dances are all incidental music (as are today's movie scores).
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize the characteristics of program music
95. Today's movie scores may be regarded as examples of

A. pure music.
B. incidental music.
C. folk music.
D. absolute music.
Movie scores can be considered incidental music because it is of secondary (or incidental) to
the visual drama and spoken dialogue.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize the characteristics of program music
96. In 1830 Berlioz was awarded

A. a graduate fellowship.
B. a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory.
C. an Oscar.
D. the Prix de Rome.
In 1830, Berlioz won the Prix de Rome (Rome Prize), subsidizing two years' study in Rome.
Bloom's: Remember
6-37
97. The writer whose works had the greatest impact on the young Berlioz was
A. Victor Hugo.
B. William Shakespeare.
C. Honoré de Balzac.
D. Heinrich Heine.
When he was twenty-three, Berlioz was overwhelmed by the works of Shakespeare

(appropriately also falling madly in love with a Shakespearean actress, Harriet Smithson). He
would use Shakespeare's works as inspiration in his own music, such as in his Romeo and
Julietsymphony.
Bloom's: Remember
98. The Fantastic Symphony reflects Berlioz's

A. intense nationalism.
B. experiences in Rome.
C. love for the actress Harriet Smithson.
D. interest in composing for small, intimate ensembles.
The Symphonie fantastique (Fantastic Symphony) is a romantic manifesto. Both the

symphony and Berlioz's program reflect the twenty-six-year-old composer's unrequited
passion for the actress Harriet Smithson.
Bloom's: Understand
99. The fourth movement of Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony depicts a

A. march to the scaffold.
B. ball.
C. dream of a witches' Sabbath.
D. scene in the country.
The fourth movement of Symphonie fantastique depicts a march to the scaffold and is, as
Berlioz himself put it, "fifty times more frightening than I expected."
Bloom's: Remember
6-38
100. The liturgical melody quoted in the last movement of Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony is
the
A. Ave Maria.
B. alleluia.
C. benedictus.
D. Dies irae.
The melody in the final movement is the medieval chant Dies irae (Day of wrath),
traditionally sung in the mass for the dead. Berlioz quotes it here as a symbol of eternal
damnation.
Bloom's: Remember
101. Parisians were startled by Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony because of its

A. sensationally autobiographical program.
B. amazingly novel orchestration.
C. vivid description of the weird and diabolical.
Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique was innovative in many ways, and startled Parisians by its
sensationally autobiographical program, its amazingly novel orchestration, and its vivid
depiction of the weird and diabolical.
Bloom's: Understand
6-39

A. Berlioz was an extraordinarily imaginative and innovative orchestrator.
B. All of Berlioz's major works are dramatic in nature and relate either to a literary program
or to a text.
C. In 1830 Berlioz won the Paris Conservatory's Prix de Rome which granted him two years'
subsidized study in Rome.
D. Berlioz's reputation outside France was even lower than it was in his homeland.
Although well-known, Berlioz and his music caused much controversy and was not
universally loved, especially in France. Outside France, however, Berlioz's was appreciated
and admired. After 1840, he was in demand throughout Europe, conducting his own and
others' music.
Bloom's: Remember
103. In order to support his family, Schumann turned to

A. medicine.
B. musical journalism.
C. arranging concerts.
D. teaching.
Like many of his peers, Schumann could not make a living solely based on his music and
turned to music journalism as a way to provide for his family.
Bloom's: Remember
6-40
104. Outside France, Berlioz enjoyed a great career as a(n)

A. conductor.
B. concert pianist.
C. singer.
D. impresario.
Berlioz was one of the first great conductors and he influenced a whole generation of
musicians.
Bloom's: Remember
105. Berlioz was extraordinarily imaginative in treating the orchestra, creating ____________
never before heard.
A. tone colors
B. rhythms
C. harmonies
D. forms
The art of composing and the art of orchestration can be considered two sides of the same
coin. Working with forms, rhythms, and harmonies is part of composition; creating tone
colors is part of orchestration, at which Berlioz was a master.
Bloom's: Remember
6-41
106. The contrasting episodes of Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony are unified by the recurrence
of a theme known as the
A. subject.
B. Smithson theme.
C. leitmotif.
D. idée fixe.
A single melody, which Berlioz called the idée fixe, or fixed idea, is used to represent the
beloved. It appears in all five movements and unifies the contrasting episodes of the
symphony.
Bloom's: Apply
107. Which of the following instruments is not part of the orchestra for Symphonie
fantastique?
A. Organ
B. Cello
C. Cornet
D. Bells
The orchestra for Symphony fantastique is quite large, involving many instruments. However,
there is no music in the piece written for the organ.
Bloom's: Apply
6-42
108. The fourth movement of Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony depicts a

A. march to the scaffold.
B. ball.
C. dream of a witches' Sabbath.
D. scene in the country.
The fourth movement of Symphonie fantastique is titled March to the Scaffold. From the
program notes: [The hero] dreams that he has murdered his beloved, that he has been
condemned to death and is being led to the scaffold. The procession moves forward to the
sounds of a march that is now somber and fierce, now brilliant and solemn, in which the
muffled sounds of heavy steps give way without transition to the noisiest outbursts.
Bloom's: Remember
109. The citizen's sense of national identity and patriotic feelings were intensified by
A. romanticism, which glorified love for one's national heritage.
B. common bonds of language, culture, and history.
C. military resistance to Napoleon.
As a wider sense of the world developed, and in response to Napoleon's attempt at unifying
Europe, citizens of individual countries bonded over a common heritage and culture.
Romanticism, in art and music, celebrated these feelings of nationalism.
Bloom's: Remember
6-43
110. The folk music of Russia sounds different from that of western Europe because it is often
based on
A. ancient church modes.
B. pentatonic scales.
C. minor scales.
D. hexatonic scales.
The folk music of Russia sounds different from that of western Europe. It is often based on
ancient church modes, rather than on major or minor scales. (Although church modes, like
major and minor scales, consist of eight tones within an octave, they have different patterns of
whole and half steps.) Also, Russian folk tunes also tend to be irregular in meter.
Bloom's: Remember

A. During the nineteenth century, Europeans felt strongly that their homelands merited loyalty
and self-sacrifice.
B. In the romantic era, it was felt that the "national spirit" of a people resided in the "folk," the
peasantry.
C. Composers used folk tunes in their serious compositions to give their works a national
identity.
D. The strongest impact of musical nationalism was felt in Italy, France, Germany, and
Austria.
The strongest impact of nationalism in music was in countries other than Italy, France,
Germany, or Austria. These countries already had a strong national flavor in their music.
Countries that had been influenced by these nations, now turned to their own culture for
inspiration. Example of leading musical nationalists were Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov,
and Borodin from Russia; Smetana and Dvořák from Bohemia; Edvard Grieg (1843-1907)
from Norway; Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) from Finland; and Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) from
Spain.
Bloom's: Understand
6-44
112. The strongest impact of musical nationalism was felt in

A. Russia.
B. the Scandinavian countries.
C. Poland and Bohemia.
The strongest impact of nationalism was felt in lands whose own musical heritage had been
dominated by the music of Italy, France, Germany, or Austria. Among the leading musical
nationalists were Mussorgsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, and Borodin from Russia; Smetana and
Dvořák from Bohemia; Edvard Grieg (1843-1907) from Norway; Jean Sibelius (1865-1957)
from Finland; and Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) from Spain.
Bloom's: Remember
113. Who laid the groundwork for a nationlist style in Russian music?
A. Mily Balakirev
B. Modest Mussorgsky
C. Mikhail Glinka
D. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857), laid the groundwork for a national style in Russia, paving the
way for the Russian Five.
Bloom's: Remember
114. The opera that laid the groundwork for a Russian national style, A Life for the Tsar, was
composed by
A. Modest Mussorgsky.
B. César Cui.
C. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
D. Mikhail Glinka.
Mikhail Glinka wrote A Life for the Tsar, which laid the groundwork for a national style.
Bloom's: Remember
6-45
115. The founder of Czech national music was

A. César Cui.
B. Antonin Dvořák.
C. Bedřich Smetana.
D. Boris Godunov.
Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884) was the founder of Czech national music. His works are
steeped in the folk music and legends of his native Bohemia.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Infer from Smetana's classical compositions the nationalistic feelings that dominated the nineteenth century
116. Smetana grew up when Bohemia was under ____________ domination.

A. German
B. Austrian
C. Polish
D. Russian
Smetana grew up when Bohemia was under Austrian domination, and in this repressive
atmosphere, his musical nationalism could make little headway.
Bloom's: Remember
117. Even though Smetana was deaf at the time, he composed a musical work depicting
Bohemia's main river as it flows through the countryside. The name of the river, and the
musical composition, is the
A. Moldau.
B. Seine.
C. Danube.
D. Thames.
Smetana's famous symphonic poem The Moldau, which depicts Bohemia's main river as it
flows through the countryside, was written in three weeks, shortly after Smetana became deaf.
Bloom's: Remember
6-46
118. The German master _____________ recommended Dvořák's music to his own publisher,
resulting in a rapid spread of Dvořák's fame.
A. Joseph Haydn
B. Richard Wagner
C. Franz Liszt
D. Johannes Brahms
Dvořák was little known as a composer until his works came to the attention of the German
master Brahms, who recommended Dvořák to his own publisher.
Bloom's: Remember
119. Antonin Dvořák's music was first promoted by

A. Hector Berlioz.
B. Richard Wagner.
C. Johannes Brahms.
D. Franz Liszt.
Dvořák was little known as a composer until his works came to the attention of the German
master Brahms, who recommended Dvořák to his own publisher. After this, his fame spread
rapidly.
Bloom's: Remember
120. Dvořák "found a secure basis for a new national [American] musical school" in
A. the music of New York.
B. African American spirituals.
C. western art music as taught at the National Conservatory of Music.
D. the traditional folk music of European immigrants.
Dvořák told a reporter from the New York Herald that in African American spirituals he had
"found a secure basis for a new national musical school. America can have her own music, a
fine music growing up from her own soil and having its own character—the natural voice of a
free and great nation."
Bloom's: Remember
6-47
121. In 1892, Dvořák went to ___________, where he spent almost three years as director of
the National Conservatory of Music.
A. London
B. Prague
C. New York
D. Leipzig
In 1892, Dvořák went to New York, where he was to spend almost three years as director of
the National Conservatory of Music.
Bloom's: Remember
122. Antonin Dvořák's Symphony No. 9

A. is his most famous work.
B. is subtitled From the New World.
C. glorifies both the Czech and the American folk spirit.
Dvořák wrote his New World Symphony (Symphony No. 9), during his first year in the
United States. One of the best-known of all symphonies, it glorifies the American and the
Czech folk spirit.
Bloom's: Understand
123. In the second movement of Dvořák's New World Symphony, the nostalgic quality of the
melody of the famous largo movement is heightened by the timbre of the
A. french horn.
B. muted violins.
C. english horn.
D. cellos.
In the second movement of his New World Symphony, we hear a largo melody, which has a
nostalgic quality heightened by the timbre of the English horn.
Bloom's: Remember
6-48
124. In the first movement of the New World Symphony, Dvořák

A. used the form of the scherzo.
B. quoted the black spiritual Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
C. composed a theme that resembles Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.
D. began the symphony with an allegro first theme.
Dvořák's New World Symphony, begins the first movement with a slow introduction, leading
into a sonata-allegro form. The third theme from this movement was inspired by the spiritual
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, but does not quote it directly.
Bloom's: Apply
125. The popular character of the New World Symphony can be traced to the composer's use
of ___________ often found in folk music.
A. syncopations
B. pentatonic scales
C. modal scales
D. All of these
The New World symphony has a popular quality, which grows out of Dvořák's use of
syncopations, pentatonic (five-note) scales, and modal scales often found in folk music.
Bloom's: Understand
6-49

A. Tchaikovsky's progress in music was so rapid that after graduating from the St. Petersburg
Conservatory he became professor of harmony at the new Moscow Conservatory.
B. Tchaikovsky was a happily-married family man with a cheerful, self-confident outlook.
C. Tchaikovsky, while not a member of the "Russian five," considered himself Russian, in the
fullest sense of the word.
D. Tchaikovsky, with elements of French, Italian, and German music as well as Russian folk
songs, fused national and international elements to produce intensely subjective and
passionate music.
After graduating from the St. Petersburg Conservatory, Tchaikovsky became professor of
harmony at the new Moscow Conservatory, and composed furiously. He did marry, but it was
disastrous and apparently was an attempt to conceal his homosexuality; he attempted suicide
two weeks later, and had a nervous collapse. Tchaikovsky thought of himself as "Russian in
the fullest sense of the word," but his style was influenced by French, Italian, and German
music as well as Russian folk song, creating a highly unique style independent of his
contemporaries, The Russian five.
Bloom's: Remember
127. Mussorgsky's piano composition Pictures at an Exhibition is best known today in its
brilliant orchestral arrangement by
A. Edvard Grieg.
B. Maurice Ravel.
C. Mikhail Glinka.
D. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
Today, Pictures at an Exhibition is best-known in its brilliant orchestral arrangement by the

French composer Maurice Ravel.
Bloom's: Remember
6-50
128. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

A. was a child prodigy, learning music at an early age.
B. preferred his government position to music.
C. studied music theory and violin as a teenager.
D. began to study music theory at the age of twenty-one.
Tchaikovsky started his career as a government clerk and began to study music theory at the
relatively late age of twenty-one.
Bloom's: Remember
129. Nadezhda von Meck was

A. one of Tchaikovsky's lovers.
B. a wealthy benefactress who provided Tchaikovsky with an annuity.
C. Tchaikovsky's wife.
D. the inspiration for his Romeo and Juliet.
Nadezhda von Meck was a wealthy benefactress, who gave Tchaikovsky an annuity that
allowed him to quit his conservatory position and devote himself to composition.
Bloom's: Remember
130. Tchaikovsky participated as a conductor in a concert inaugurating

A. Carnegie Hall in New York.
B. the Leipzig Gewandhaus.
C. the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow.
D. the Leningrad Concert Hall.
In 1891 Tchaikovsky was invited to the United States, where he participated in four concerts
inaugurating Carnegie Hall in New York.
Bloom's: Remember
6-51
131. Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony

A. is in the usual four-movement form.
B. was left unfinished by the composer.
C. has five movements.
D. ends with a slow, despairing finale.
Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique), ends unconventionally with a slow, despairing

finale. The music mirrored the unhappy end of his own life; he died at fifty-three, nine days
after the premiere of this work.
Bloom's: Apply

A. Bedřich Smetana was active in Prague as a composer, pianist, conductor, teacher, and
tireless propagandist for Czech musical nationalism.
B. Smetana passed the last few years of his life teaching and conducting in Prague.
C. The Moldau is one of the six symphonic poems in Smetana's cycle Má Vlast (My Country),
a romantic representation of nature and a display of Czech nationalism.
D. A peasant wedding is suggested in Smetana's The Moldau by a rustic polka.
The last years of Smetana are tragic ones. He passed his last ten years in acute physical and
mental torment caused by syphilis. He died in an insane asylum at age sixty.
Bloom's: Remember
133. Which of the following was not a member of the Russian five?
A. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
B. Modest Mussorgsky
C. César Cu
D. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Tchaikovsky was not part of the Russian Five. His works are much more in the western
tradition than those of that group.
Bloom's: Remember
6-52
134. At its premiere in 1870, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Overture was
A. a tremendous success.
B. a dismal failure.
C. performed by a chamber orchestra, with continuo.
D. enthusiastically applauded by the tsar.
Although it is now one of Tchaikovsky's best-loved works, Romeo and Juliet was a dismal
failure at its premiere in 1870.
Bloom's: Remember
135. Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet is

A. a ballet based on Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
B. a medley of popular melodies taken from his opera of that name.
C. an early programmatic symphony inspired by the characters in Shakespeare's play.
D. a concert overture consisting of a slow introduction and a fast movement in sonata form.
Romeo and Juliet is a concert overture consisting of one movement in sonata form, preceded
by a slow introduction. It is not a symphony, as that would imply multiple movements.
Bloom's: Understand
136. The course of Brahms's artistic and personal life was shaped by the influence of the
composer
A. Antonin Dvořák.
B. Robert Schumann and his wife Clara.
C. Franz Liszt.
D. Richard Wagner.
On his first concert tour, when he was twenty, Brahms met Robert Schumann and Schumann's
wife Clara, who were to shape the course of Brahms's artistic and personal life. The
Schumanns listened enthusiastically to Brahms's music, and Robert published an article
hailing young Brahms as a musical messiah.
Bloom's: Remember
6-53
137. In Vienna, Johannes Brahms

A. conducted a Viennese musical society.
B. edited baroque and classical compositions.
C. collected music manuscripts.
After settling in Vienna, Brahms conducted a Viennese musical society and introduced many
forgotten masterpieces by Bach, Handel, and Mozart to the public. He had a wide knowledge
of older music; he edited baroque and classical compositions, and he was an ardent collector
of music manuscripts.
Bloom's: Remember
138. Music critics of the day pitted Brahms's fondness for traditional forms against
A. the nationalism of Dvořák.
B. Wagner's innovative music dramas.
C. Liszt's personal freedom and thematic transformation.
In 1879, an honorary doctoral degree from Breslau University calling Brahms "the first
among today's masters" provoked a venomous attack from Richard Wagner, who sneered,
"Compose, compose, even if you don't have the slightest of ideas!" Music critics of the time
pitted Brahms's fondness for traditional forms against Wagner's innovative music dramas.
Actually, their musical paths hardly ever crossed; Brahms never ventured into opera,
Wagner's special territory.
Bloom's: Understand
Learning Objective: Recognize and analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Wagner
6-54
139. Which of the following was not composed by Tchaikovsky?

A. Romeo and Juliet
B. Pictures at an Exhibition
C. Swan Lake
D. Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique)
Tchaikovsky composed Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, and Symphony No. 6 (Pathétique).
Pictures at an Exhibition was composed by Modest Mussorgsky.
Bloom's: Remember
140. Brahms wrote masterpieces in many musical forms, but never any
A. art songs.
B. operas.
C. choral works.
D. chamber music.
Brahms wrote in many genres, including art songs, chamber music, and choral works, but
never in opera.
Bloom's: Remember
141. Brahms's works, though very personal in style, are rooted in the music of
A. Joseph Haydn.
B. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
C. Ludwig van Beethoven.
Brahms studied and was inspired by the great masters of European music, including Haydn,
Mozart, and Beethoven. He conducted a Viennese musical society and introduced many
forgotten works of Bach, Handel, and Mozart.
Bloom's: Remember
6-55
142. Brahms's musical trademarks included

A. bombastic flamboyance.
B. the use of two notes against three.
C. the use of da capo arias.
Brahms often used contrasting patterns and syncopations (the use of "2 against 3"—one
instrument playing two even notes to a beat while another plays three—is one of his
trademarks). His music is considered more restrained than bombastic, and he never wrote
arias, which are part of operas.
Bloom's: Understand

A. One of Brahms's musical trademarks is his exotic orchestration.
B. When he was thirteen, Brahms studied piano, music theory, and composition during the
day, and played dance music for prostitutes and their clients in waterfront bars at night.
C. Brahms was a romantic who breathed new life into classical forms.
D. As conductor of a Viennese musical society, Brahms introduced many forgotten works of
Bach, Handel, and Mozart.
Contrary to many of his contemporaries who explored new forms and instrumentation,
Brahms's works, though very personal in style, are rooted deeply in the music of Haydn,
Mozart, and Beethoven. His music was very structured and controlled, and avoided anything
too outrageous in style.
Bloom's: Remember
6-56
144. Verdi studied music in _________, the city where Italy's most important opera house, La
Scala, is located.
A. Rome
B. Florence
C. Venice
D. Milan
Verdi was born in a tiny Italian village, but went on to study music in Milan.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Examine the development of opera by Verdi during the romantic era
145. Verdi's first great success, an opera with strong political overtones, was
A. Oberto.
B. Aïda.
C. Nabucco.
D. La Traviata.
Verdi's first success was Nabucco, an opera that had strong nationalist undertones. Verdi was
an ardent nationalist who yearned for a free and unified Italy and saw the Jews (the subject of
Nabucco's libretto) as a symbol of the oppressed Italians.
Bloom's: Remember
146. Critics were often scandalized by the subject matter of Verdi's operas because they
A. symbolized a free and unified Italy.
B. commemorated the Suez canal, which was not even in Europe.
C. were based on Shakespearean plays.
D. seemed to condone rape, suicide, and free love.
Although the public loved Verdi's operas, critics were often scandalized by their subject
matter. Rigoletto seemed to condone rape and suicide, and La Traviata apparently glorified
free love.
Bloom's: Understand
6-57
147. Which of the following operas is not by Verdi?

A. La Traviata
B. Turandot
C. Il Trovatore
D. Otello
La Traviata, Il Trovatore, and Otello are all operas by Verdi. Turandot is by Giacomo
Puccini.
Bloom's: Remember
148. Giuseppe Verdi mainly composed his operas

A. for the Italian musical elite.
B. to glorify the singers.
C. for his fellow composers.
D. to entertain a mass public.
Verdi composed not for the musical elite, but for a mass public whose main entertainment
was opera. He wanted subjects that were "original, interesting . . . and passionate; passions
above all!"
Bloom's: Remember
6-58

A. Giuseppe Verdi, the most popular of all opera composers, was born to a poor family in a
tiny Italian village.
B. The soul of a Verdi opera is its expressive vocal melody.
C. Verdi composed primarily for the Italian musical elite, those who would best appreciate his
talents.
D. In the course of his long life, Verdi's style became less conventional, more subtle and
flexible, with more imaginative orchestrations and richer accompaniments.
Verdi was a populist composer, and wrote music for a mass public whose main entertainment
was opera, not for the elite.
Bloom's: Remember
150. The soul of a Verdi opera is

A. extensive thematic development.
B. expressive vocal melody.
C. the situation comedy.
D. atmospheric orchestral parts.
Expressive vocal melody is the soul of a Verdi opera and his arias are still widely performed.
Bloom's: Understand
151. Verdi's great comic masterpiece, written when he was seventy-nine, is

A. Il Trovatore.
B. Otello.
C. Falstaff.
D. Aïda.
Remarkably, at the age of seventy-nine, Verdi completed Falstaff, his only comedy since the
failure of his second opera fifty years earlier.
Bloom's: Remember
6-59
152. Verdi's later operas differ from his earlier ones in that they have
A. less difference between aria and recitative.
B. greater musical continuity.
C. more imaginative orchestrations.
Verdi's style became more varied and unconventional as he grew older. Verdi's later works
have greater musical continuity, less difference between aria and recitative, and more
imaginative orchestration and richer accompaniments.
Bloom's: Understand
Learning Objective: Recognize and analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Verdi
153. Rigoletto, the title role in Giuseppe Verdi's opera, is all of the following except
A. a hunchback.
B. a court jester to the Duke of Mantua.
C. the father of Gilda.
D. the romantic lover.
Verdi created an operatic hero out of a hunchbacked court jester—Rigoletto— whose only
redeeming quality is an intense love for his daughter, Gilda. Rigoletto's master was the
licentious Duke of Mantua, who was the lover in the story, not Rigoletto.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize and analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Verdi
154. The famous aria La donna è mobile is taken from Verdi's opera
A. Rigoletto.
B. Aïda.
C. Falstaff.
D. Il Trovatore.
La donna è mobile, which you studied in your text, is from Rigoletto.
Bloom's: Remember
6-60
155. Giacomo Puccini's first successful opera was

A. Madame Butterfly.
B. La Bohème.
C. Manon Lescaut.
D. Turandot.
In 1893, Puccini became well known throughout Italy for his opera Manon Lescaut.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Examine the development of opera by Puccini during the romantic era
156. Which of the following operas was not composed by Giacomo Puccini?
A. Madame Butterfly
B. Tosca
C. Turandot
D. Falstaff
Puccini wrote all of these operas, except Falstaff, which was written by Verdi.
Bloom's: Remember
157. An artistic trend of the 1890s, in which operas dealt with ordinary people and true-to-life
situations, was known as
A. opera seria.
B. verismo.
C. exoticism.
D. Cavalleria rusticana.
Verismo—realism, or the quality of being "true to life"—was an artistic trend in the 1890s.
Puccini's opera Tosca is an example of this style.
Bloom's: Remember
6-61
158. The movement in opera known as verismo is best exemplified by

A. Claudio Monteverdi.
B. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
C. Giacomo Puccini.
D. Richard Wagner.
Verismo was an artistic style that strove to capture real-life situations and was popular during
the 1890s. Puccini was known for writing operas, such as Tosca and Madame Butterfly, in this
style. Monteverdi and Mozart were not alive at this time. Wagner was known for his fantasy-
based operas that dealt with gods and ancient times.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Recognize and analyze characteristics of music in works by the romantic composer Puccini
159. Some of Puccini's operas feature exoticism, as in his use of melodic and rhythmic
elements derived from Japanese and Chinese music in his operas
A. Turandot and Manon Lescaut.
B. La Bohème and Madame Butterfly.
C. Madame Butterfly and Turandot.
D. Tosca and Turandot.
Madame Butterfly, set in Japan and Turandot, set in China, both have melodic and rhythmic
elements derived from the music of those countries. This influence was known at the time as
exoticism.
Bloom's: Remember
160. Giacomo Puccini's opera La Bohème takes place in

A. Seville.
B. Milan.
C. Rome.
D. Paris.
La Bohème (Bohemian Life) takes place in the Latin Quarter of Paris around 1830.
Bloom's: Remember
6-62
161. Giacomo Puccini, in his operas,

A. achieved unity and continuity by using the same material in different acts.
B. used the orchestra to reinforce the vocal melody and to suggest mood.
C. composed melodies that have short memorable phrases and are intensely emotional.
Puccini's marvelous sense of theater has given his operas lasting appeal. He knew just when to
introduce new musical material or a moment of silence, and he was able to provide smooth
transitions from one scene or mood to another. His melodies have short, easily remembered
phrases and are intensely emotional. He used the orchestra to reinforce the vocal melody and
to suggest atmosphere, landscape, and mood.
Bloom's: Understand
162. In Puccini's La Bohème, Rodolfo is a young

A. painter.
B. poet.
C. philosopher.
D. musician.
In La Bohème, the hero is Rodolfo, a young poet.
Bloom's: Remember
163. Mimi and Rodolfo meet for the first time in La Bohème because she has come to his door
to ask for a
A. light for her candle.
B. drink of wine.
C. dinner date.
D. cup of sugar.
On a cold Christmas eve, Mimi comes up to Rodolfo's apartment; her candle has blown out,
and she knocks on his door asking for a light.
Bloom's: Remember
6-63
164. Who sings the aria Che gelida manina (What a cold little hand) in La Bohème?
A. Mimi
B. Schaunard
C. Rodolfo
D. Marcello
As Rodolfo and Mimi are searching in the dark for Mimi's lost key, Rodolfo sings the aria
Che gelida manina (How cold your little hand is!).
Bloom's: Remember
165. Wagner's preeminence was such that an opera house of his own design was built in
_________________, solely for performances of his music dramas.
A. Paris, France
B. Geneva, Switzerland
C. Leipzig, Germany
D. Bayreuth, Germany
Wagner's life was full of ups and downs, but eventually his preeminence grew to such an
extent that an opera house of his own design was built in Bayreuth, Germany, solely for
performances of his music dramas.
Bloom's: Remember
Learning Objective: Examine the development of opera by Wagner during the romantic era
166. Wagner had an opera house built to his own specifications in

A. Munich.
B. Weimar.
C. Dresden.
D. Bayreuth.
King Ludwig of Bavaria, a fanatical Wagnerian put all the resources of the Munich Opera at
Wagner's disposal, including building an specially-designed opera house at Bayreuth.
Bloom's: Remember
6-64
167. The composer who had an overwhelming influence on the young Wagner was
A. Johann Sebastian Bach.
B. Ludwig van Beethoven.
C. Johannes Brahms.
D. Hector Berlioz.
Wagner's boyhood dream was to be a poet and playwright, but at fifteen he was overwhelmed
by Beethoven's music and he decided to become a composer.
Bloom's: Remember
168. Wagner was a virtuoso on the

A. piano.
B. violin.
C. clarinet.
D. None of these are correct.
Although Wagner taught himself composition by studying scores and had almost three years
of formal training in music theory, he never mastered an instrument.
Bloom's: Remember
6-65

A. As a young man, Wagner spent many years studying music theory and developing a
virtuosic piano technique.
B. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, Wagner's operas and artistic philosophy
influenced not only musicians, but poets, painters, and playwrights as well.
C. Wagner revolutionized opera by shifting the focus from the voice to the orchestra and
treating the orchestra symphonically.
D. Wagner used leitmotifs, or short musical ideas associated with a person, object, or thought,
to unify his greatly extended music dramas.
A great composer in his later years, Wagner was almost entirely self-taught. He never tried to
master an instrument, though he did have almost three years of formal training in music
theory.
Bloom's: Remember
170. Wagner was appointed conductor of the Dresden opera mainly because of the success of
his first opera
A. The Ring of the Nibelung.
B. Die Götterdämmerung.
C. Parsifal.
D. Rienzi.
With the success of his opera Rienzi, Wagner was appointed conductor of the Dresden Opera.
He spent six years at this post, becoming famous both as an opera composer and as a
conductor.
Bloom's: Remember
6-66
171. During Wagner's time in Paris, he

A. conducted the famous premiere of his opera, Rienzi.
B. was unable to get an opera performed and was reduced to musical hackwork.
C. finished his masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
D. built an opera house according to his specifications.
In 1839 he and his wife Minna decided to try their luck in Paris, then the center of grand
opera. They spent two miserable years there, during which he was unable to get an opera
performed and was reduced to musical hackwork.
Bloom's: Remember
172. Which of the following operas was not composed by Richard Wagner?
A. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
B. Tristan and Isolde
C. Fidelio
D. Parsifal
All of these operas were composed by Wagner except for Fidelio, which was by Beethoven.
Bloom's: Remember
173. The librettos to The Ring of the Nibelung were written by

A. Arrigo Boito.
B. Richard Wagner
C. King Ludwig of Bavaria.
D. Hans von Bülow.
Wagner himself completed the librettos to Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the
Nibelung), a set of four operas based on Nordic myth.
Bloom's: Remember
6-67
174. Richard Wagner's last opera was

A. Die Götterdämmerung.
B. Tannhäuser.
C. Rienzi.
D. Parsifal.
A year after completing Parsifal(1877-1882), his last opera, Wagner died in Venice, at age
sixty-nine.
Bloom's: Remember
175. A short musical idea associated with a person, object, or thought, used by Richard
Wagner in his operas, is called
A. leitmotif.
B. lied.
C. unending melody.
D. speech-song.
Wagner made extensive use of leitmotifs, short musical ideas associated with a person, an
object, or a thought in the drama. Every time the listener hears a certain leitmotif, it is because
that person, object, or thought is present in the scene.
Bloom's: Remember
176. The orchestration in Wagner's operas is

A. light and simple.
B. full and colorful.
C. subservient to the singers.
D. limited to only the string section.
In orchestrating his operas, Wagner expanded the orchestra to an even greater size, creating a
full sound, saturated with color. He treated the orchestra symphonically and often the sound
was so huge that only the very most powerful singers could cut through it.
Bloom's: Understand
6-68
177. Valhalla, in Wagner's Ring cycle, is

A. a city in New York State.
B. Wotan's castle.
C. the home of Siegfried.
D. the magic ring.
In Wagner's story, Valhalla is Wotan's castle.
Bloom's: Remember
178. Siegmund, in Wagner's opera DieWalküre, is

A. Sieglinde's brother, then wife.
B. Wotan's son by a mortal woman.
C. Siegfried's father.
Siegmund, brother to Sieglinde, was born from the union between Wotan and a mortal
woman. Eventually, Siegmund and Sieglinde fall in love, unaware they are related, and have a
child, Siegfried.
Bloom's: Remember
179. At the end of the first act of Wagner's opera Die Walküre,
A. Sieglinde recognizes the stranger as her brother and renames him Siegmund.
B. Siegmund draws the magical sword Notung from the tree.
C. Siegmund embraces Sieglinde with passionate fervor.
At the end of the first act, Siegmund and Sieglinde gradually become aware of their amazing
resemblance to each other and finally realize that they are brother and sister. Since her
beloved no longer wants to be called Wehwalt, Sieglinde renames him Siegmund. With a
powerful effort, Siegmund withdraws the sword, Notung, from the tree and the lovers
rapturously embrace.
Bloom's: Remember
6-69
180. While Wagner's Ring cycle features fantastical elements such as gods, giants, and magic,
the opera is really about
A. the Renaissance.
B. nineteenth-century society and culture.
C. his family lineage.
D. the colonisation of Africa.
Despite its gods, giants, dwarfs, and magic fire, the Ring is really about Wagner's view of
nineteenth-century society. He uses Nordic mythology to warn that society destroys itself
through lust for money and power. It is fitting that Wagner first sketched the plot of the Ring
in 1848, the year that brought Marx's Communist Manifesto and revolutions throughout
Europe.
Bloom's: Understand
181. Mahler began his professional musical life as a

A. concert pianist in Budapest.
B. conductor of musical comedies.
C. director of the Vienna Opera.
D. director of a military band.
At twenty, Mahler began his conducting career, directing musical comedies at a summer
resort.
Bloom's: Remember
6-70
182. By supervising every aspect of its performances, Mahler brought the ____________ to
new heights of excellence.
A. Vienna Opera
B. Vienna Conservatory
C. Vienna Ballet
D. Budapest Philharmonic
In 1897, at thirty-seven, he became director of the Vienna Opera, a position he held for ten
years. Mahler brought the Vienna Opera to new heights of excellence, supervising every
aspect of its performances: music, acting, costumes, and scenery. He was uncompromising in
artistic matters, with the result that many performers regarded him as a tyrant.
Bloom's: Remember
183. By the age of twenty-eight, Mahler was director of the

A. Vienna Opera.
B. Budapest Opera.
C. Vienna Conservatory.
D. New York Philharmonic.
By the time he was twenty-eight, Mahler was director of the Budapest Opera.
Bloom's: Remember
184. The major portion of Mahler's creative output consists of

A. symphonies.
B. operas.
C. concertos.
D. chamber music.
Mahler's output consists basically of nine symphonies (plus an unfinished Tenth Symphony
that is also performed) and several song cycles for voice and orchestra. "The symphony is the
world!" Mahler once explained. "The symphony must embrace everything."
Bloom's: Remember
6-71
185. Mahler's experiences in New York were not happy because

A. he aroused the dislike of many of his players.
B. he was unable to get along with the socialites who supported the New York Philharmonic
orchestra.
C. his own works were received coolly.
Mahler's experiences in New York were not happy. His own works were received coolly, he
aroused the dislike of many of his players, and he was unable to get along with the socialites
who supported the orchestra.
Bloom's: Remember
186. Mahler's Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer) is a

A. song cycle.
B. programmatic symphony.
C. set of piano pieces.
D. dramatic opera.
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen (Songs of a Wayfarer, 1883-1885), is song cycle for voice
and orchestra.
Bloom's: Remember
6-72
Another random document with
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elles si bien closes, que je ne pourrais me les faire ouvrir: ce motif,
bien plus que la crainte, me détermina à rester à l’hôtel.
Les soirées commençaient à être froides; j’entrai dans le salon
du maître de poste, tandis qu’on me préparait une chambre. Alors
l’hôtesse, pour ne me laisser aucun regret sur la résolution que
j’avais prise et le retard qui en était la suite, me raconta tout ce qui
se passait dans le pays depuis quinze jours ou trois semaines; la
terreur était à son comble: on n’osait pas faire un quart de lieue hors
de la ville, dès que le soleil était couché.
Je passai une nuit affreuse; à mesure que j’approchais du
château, je perdais de mon assurance; le comte avait peut-être eu
d’autres motifs de s’éloigner de moi que ceux qu’il m’avait dits,
comment alors accueillerait-il ma présence? Mon arrivée subite et
inattendue était une désobéissance à ses ordres, une infraction à
son autorité; ce geste d’impatience qu’il n’avait pu retenir, et qui était
le premier et le seul qu’il eût jamais laissé échapper, n’indiquait-il
pas une détermination irrévocablement prise? J’eus un instant
l’envie de lui écrire que j’étais à Caen, et d’attendre qu’il vînt m’y
chercher; mais toutes ces craintes, inspirées et entretenues par ma
veille fiévreuse, se dissipèrent lorsque j’eus dormi quelques heures
et que le jour vint éclairer mon appartement. Je repris donc tout mon
courage, et je demandai des chevaux. Dix minutes après, je repartis.
Il était neuf heures du matin, lorsqu’à deux lieues du Buisson, le
postillon s’arrêta et me montra le château de Burcy, dont on
apercevait le parc, qui s’avance jusqu’à deux cents pas de la grande
route. Un chemin de traverse conduisait à une grille. Il me demanda
si c’était bien à ce château que j’allais: je répondis affirmativement,
et nous nous engageâmes dans les terres.
Nous trouvâmes la porte fermée: nous sonnâmes à plusieurs
reprises sans que l’on répondît. Je commençais à me repentir de ne
point avoir annoncé mon arrivée. Le comte et ses amis pouvaient
être allés à quelque partie de chasse: en ce cas, qu’allais-je devenir
dans ce château solitaire, dont je ne pourrais peut-être même pas
me faire ouvrir les portes? Me faudrait-il attendre dans une
misérable auberge de village qu’ils fussent revenus? C’était
impossible. Enfin, dans mon impatience, je descendis de voiture et
sonnai moi-même avec force. Un être vivant apparut alors à travers
le feuillage des arbres, au tournant d’une allée; je reconnus le
Malais, je lui fis signe de se hâter, il vint m’ouvrir.
Je ne pris pas la peine de remonter en voiture, je suivis en
courant l’allée par laquelle je l’avais vu venir; bientôt j’aperçus le
château: au premier coup-d’œil, il me parut en assez bon état; je
m’élançai vers le perron, j’entrai dans l’antichambre, j’entendis
parler, je poussai une porte, et je me trouvai dans la salle à manger,
en face d’Horace, qui déjeunait avec Henri; chacun d’eux avait à sa
droite une paire de pistolets sur la table.
Le comte, en m’apercevant, se leva tout debout et devint pâle à
croire qu’il allait se trouver mal. Quant à moi, j’étais si tremblante
que je n’eus que la force de lui tendre les bras; j’allais tomber,
lorsqu’il accourut à moi et me retint.
—Horace, lui dis-je, pardonnez-moi; je n’ai pas pu rester loin de
vous... j’étais trop malheureuse, trop inquiète... je vous ai désobéi.
—Et vous avez eu tort, dit le comte d’une voix sourde.
—Oh! si vous voulez, m’écriai-je effrayée de son accent, je
repartirai à l’instant même... Je vous ai revu... c’est tout ce qu’il me
faut...
—Non, dit le comte, non; puisque vous voilà, restez... restez, et
soyez la bienvenue.
A ces mots, il m’embrassa, et, faisant un effort sur lui-même, il
reprit immédiatement cette apparence calme qui parfois m’effrayait
davantage que n’eût pu le faire le visage le plus irrité.
XI.
Cependant peu à peu ce voile de glace que le comte semblait

avoir tiré sur son visage se fondit; il m’avait conduite dans
l’appartement qu’il me destinait: c’était une chambre entièrement
meublée dans le goût Louis XV.
—Oui, je la connais, interrompis-je, c’est celle où je suis entré. O
mon Dieu, mon Dieu, je commence à tout comprendre!...
—Là, reprit Pauline, il me demanda pardon de la manière dont il
m’avait reçue; mais la surprise que lui avait causée mon arrivée
inattendue, la crainte des privations que j’allais éprouver en passant
deux mois dans cette vieille masure, avaient été plus fortes que lui.
Cependant, puisque j’avais tout bravé, c’était bien, et il tâcherait de
me rendre le séjour du château le moins désagréable qu’il serait
possible; malheureusement il avait, pour le jour même ou le
lendemain, une partie de chasse arrêtée, et il serait peut-être obligé
de me quitter pour un ou deux jours; mais il ne contracterait plus de
nouvelles obligations de ce genre, et je lui serais un prétexte pour
les refuser. Je lui répondis qu’il était parfaitement libre et que je
n’étais pas venue pour gêner ses plaisirs, mais bien pour rassurer
mon cœur effrayé du bruit de tous ces assassinats. Le comte sourit.
J’étais fatiguée du voyage, je me couchai et je m’endormis. A
deux heures, le comte entra dans ma chambre et me demanda si je
voulais faire une promenade sur mer: la journée était superbe,
j’acceptai.
Nous descendîmes dans le parc, l’Orne le traversait. Sur une des
rives de ce petit fleuve une charmante barque était amarrée; sa
forme était longue et étrange; j’en demandai la cause. Horace me dit
qu’elle était taillée sur le modèle des barques javanaises, et que ce
genre de construction augmentait de beaucoup sa vitesse. Nous y
descendîmes, Horace, Henri et moi; le Malais se mit à la rame, et
nous avançâmes rapidement, aidés par le courant. En entrant dans
la mer, Horace et Henri déroulèrent la longue voile triangulaire qui
était liée autour du mât, et, sans le secours des rames, nous
marchâmes avec une rapidité extraordinaire.
C’était la première fois que je voyais l’Océan: ce spectacle
magnifique m’absorba tellement, que je ne m’aperçus pas que nous
gouvernions vers une petite barque qui nous avait fait des signaux.
Je ne fus tirée de ma rêverie que par la voix d’Horace, qui héla un
des hommes de la barque.
—Holà! hé! monsieur le marinier, lui cria-t-il, qu’avons-nous de
nouveau au Havre?
—Ma foi, pas grand’chose, répondit une voix qui m’était connue;
et à Burcy?
—Tu le vois, un compagnon inattendu qui nous est arrivé, une
ancienne connaissance à toi: madame Horace de Beuzeval, ma
femme.
—Comment! madame de Beuzeval? s’écria Max, que je
reconnus alors.
—Elle-même; et si tu en doutes, cher ami, viens lui présenter tes
hommages.
La barque s’approcha; Max la montait avec deux matelots: il avait
un costume élégant de marinier, et sur l’épaule un filet qu’il
s’apprêtait à jeter à la mer. Arrivé près de nous, nous échangeâmes
quelques paroles de politesse; puis Max laissa tomber son filet,
monta à bord de notre canot, parla un instant à voix basse avec
Henri, me salua et redescendit dans son embarcation.
—Bonne pêche! lui cria Horace.
—Bon voyage! répondit Max; et la barque et le canot se
séparèrent.
L’heure du dîner s’approchait, nous regagnâmes l’embouchure
de la rivière; mais le flux s’était retiré, il n’y avait plus assez d’eau
pour nous porter jusqu’au parc: nous fûmes obligés de descendre
sur la grève et de remonter par les dunes.
Là, je fis le chemin que vous-même fîtes trois ou quatre nuits
après: je me trouvai sur les galets d’abord, puis dans les grandes
herbes; enfin je gravis la montagne, j’entrai dans l’abbaye, je vis le
cloître et son petit cimetière, je suivis le corridor, et de l’autre côté
d’un massif d’arbres je me retrouvai dans le parc du château.
Le soir se passa sans aucune circonstance remarquable; Horace
fut très gai, il parla pour l’hiver prochain d’embellissemens à faire à
notre hôtel de Paris, et pour le printemps d’un voyage: il voulait
emmener ma mère et moi en Italie, et peut-être acheter à Venise un
de ses vieux palais de marbre, afin d’y aller passer les saisons du
carnaval. Henri était beaucoup moins libre d’esprit, et paraissait
préoccupé et inquiet au moindre bruit. Tous ces petits détails,
auxquels je fis à peine attention dans le moment, se représentèrent
plus tard à mon esprit avec toutes leurs causes qui m’étaient
cachées alors, et que leur résultat me fit comprendre depuis.
Nous nous retirâmes laissant Henri au salon; il avait à veiller pour
écrire, nous dit-il. On lui apporta des plumes et de l’encre: il s’établit
près du feu.
Le lendemain matin, comme nous étions à déjeuner, on entendit
sonner d’une manière particulière à la porte du parc:—Max!... dirent
ensemble Horace et Henri; en effet, celui qu’ils avaient nommé entra
presque aussitôt dans la cour au grand galop de son cheval.
—Ah! te voilà, dit en riant Horace, je suis enchanté de te revoir;
mais une autre fois ménage un peu plus mes chevaux, vois dans
quel état tu as mis ce pauvre Pluton.
—J’avais peur de ne pas arriver à temps, répondit Max; puis,
s’interrompant et se retournant de mon côté:—Madame, me dit-il,
excusez-moi de me présenter ainsi botté et éperonné devant vous;
mais Horace a oublié, et je conçois cela, que nous avons pour
aujourd’hui une partie de chasse à courre, avec des Anglais,
continua-t-il, en appuyant sur ce mot: ils sont arrivés hier soir exprès
par le bateau à vapeur; de sorte qu’il ne faut pas que nous, qui
sommes tout portés, nous nous trouvions en retard en leur
manquant de parole.
—Très bien, dit Horace, nous y serons.
—Cependant, reprit Max en se retournant de mon côté, je ne sais
si maintenant nous pouvons tenir notre promesse; cette chasse est
trop fatiguante pour que madame nous accompagne.
—Oh! tranquillisez-vous, messieurs, m’empressai-je de répondre,
je ne suis pas venue ici pour être une entrave à vos plaisirs: allez, et
en votre absence je garderai la forteresse.
—Tu vois, dit Horace, Pauline est une véritable châtelaine des
temps passés. Il ne lui manque vraiment que des suivantes et des
pages, car elle n’a pas même de femme de chambre; la sienne est
restée en route, et ne sera ici que dans huit jours.
—Au reste, dit Henri, si tu veux demeurer au château, Horace,
nous t’excuserons auprès de nos insulaires: rien de plus facile.
—Non pas, reprit vivement le comte; vous oubliez que c’est moi
qui suis le plus engagé dans le pari: il faut donc que je le soutienne
en personne. Je vous l’ai dit, Pauline nous excusera.
—Parfaitement, repris-je, et, pour vous laisser toute liberté, je
remonte dans ma chambre.
—Je vous y rejoins dans un instant, me dit Horace; et, venant à
moi avec une galanterie charmante, il me conduisit jusqu’à la porte
et me baisa la main.
Je remontai chez moi; au bout de quelques instans, Horace m’y
suivit; il était déjà en costume de chasse, et venait me dire adieu. Je
redescendis avec lui jusqu’au perron, et je pris congé de ces
messieurs; ils insistèrent alors de nouveau pour que Horace restât
près de moi. Mais j’exigeai impérieusement qu’il les accompagnât:
ils partirent enfin en me promettant d’être de retour le lendemain
matin.
Je restai seule au château avec le Malais: cette singulière société
eût peut-être effrayé une autre femme que moi; mais je savais que
cet homme était tout dévoué à Horace depuis le jour où il l’avait vu
avec son poignard aller attaquer la tigresse dans ses roseaux:
subjugué par cette admiration puissante que les natures primitives
ont pour le courage, il l’avait suivi de Bombay en France, et ne l’avait
pas quitté un instant depuis. J’eusse donc été parfaitement
tranquille, si je n’avais eu pour cause d’inquiétude que son air
sauvage et son costume étrange; mais j’étais au milieu d’un pays
qui, depuis quelque temps, était devenu le théâtre des accidens les
plus inouïs, et quoique je n’en eusse entendu parler ni à Horace ni à
Henri qui, en leur qualité d’hommes, méprisaient ou affectaient de
mépriser un semblable danger, ces histoires lamentables et
sanglantes me revinrent à l’esprit dès que je fus seule; cependant,
comme je n’avais rien à craindre pendant le jour, je descendis dans
le parc, et je résolus d’occuper ma matinée à visiter les environs du
château que j’allais habiter pendant deux mois.
Mes pas se dirigèrent naturellement vers la partie que je
connaissais déjà: je visitai de nouveau les ruines de l’abbaye, mais
cette fois en détail. Vous les avez explorées, je n’ai pas besoin de
vous les décrire. Je sortis par le porche ruiné, et j’arrivai bientôt sur
la colline qui domine la mer.
C’était la seconde fois que je voyais ce spectacle: il n’avait donc
encore rien perdu de sa puissance; aussi restai-je deux heures
assise, immobile et les yeux fixes, à le contempler. Au bout de ce
temps, je le quittai à regret; mais je voulais visiter les autres parties
du parc. Je redescendis vers la rivière, j’en suivis quelque temps les
bords; je retrouvai amarrée à sa rive la barque sur laquelle nous
avions fait la veille notre promenade, et qui était appareillée de
manière à ce qu’on pût s’en servir au premier caprice. Elle me
rappela, je ne sais pourquoi, ce cheval toujours sellé dans l’écurie.
Cette idée en éveilla une autre: c’était celle de cette défiance
éternelle qu’avait Horace et que partageaient ses amis, ces pistolets
qui ne quittaient jamais le chevet de son lit, ces pistolets sur la table
quand j’étais arrivée. Tout en paraissant mépriser le danger, ils
prenaient donc des précautions contre lui? Mais alors, si deux
hommes croyaient ne pas pouvoir déjeuner sans armes, comment
me laissaient-ils seule, moi qui n’avais aucune défense? Tout cela
était incompréhensible; mais, par cela même, quelque effort que je
fisse pour chasser ces idées sinistres de mon esprit, elles y
revenaient sans cesse. Au reste, comme tout en songeant je
marchais toujours, je me trouvai bientôt dans le plus touffu du bois.
Là, au milieu d’une véritable forêt de chênes, s’élevait un pavillon
isolé et parfaitement fermé: j’en fis le tour; mais portes et volets
étaient si habilement joints, que je ne pus, malgré ma curiosité, rien
en voir que l’extérieur. Je me promis, la première fois que je sortirais
avec Horace, de diriger la promenade de ce côté; car j’avais déjà, si
le comte ne s’y opposait pas, jeté mon dévolu sur ce pavillon pour
en faire mon cabinet de travail, sa position le rendant parfaitement
apte à cette destination.
Je rentrai au château. Après l’exploration extérieure vint la visite
intérieure: la chambre que j’occupais donnait d’un côté dans un
salon, de l’autre dans la bibliothèque; un corridor régnait d’un bout à
l’autre du bâtiment et le partageait en deux. Mon appartement était
le plus complet; le reste du château était divisé en une douzaine de
petits logemens séparés, composés d’une antichambre, d’une
chambre et d’un cabinet de toilette, le tout fort habitable, quoi que
m’en eût dit et écrit le comte.
Comme la bibliothèque me paraissait le plus sûr contre-poison à
la solitude et à l’ennui qui m’attendaient, je résolus de faire aussitôt
connaissance avec les ressources qu’elle pouvait m’offrir: elle se
composait en grande partie de romans du dix-huitième siècle, qui
annonçaient que les prédécesseurs du comte avaient un goût décidé
pour la littérature de Voltaire, de Crébillon fils et de Marivaux.
Quelques volumes plus nouveaux, et qui paraissaient achetés par le
propriétaire actuel, faisaient tache au milieu de cette collection:
c’étaient des livres de chimie, d’histoire et de voyages: parmi ces
derniers, je remarquai une belle édition anglaise de l’ouvrage de
Daniel, sur l’Inde; je résolus d’en faire le compagnon de ma nuit,
pendant laquelle j’espérais peu dormir. J’en tirai un volume de son
rayon, et je le portai dans ma chambre.
Cinq minutes après, le Malais vint m’annoncer par signes que le
dîner était servi. Je descendis et trouvai la table dressée dans cette
immense salle à manger. Je ne puis vous dire quel sentiment de
crainte et de tristesse s’empara de moi quand je me vis forcée de
dîner ainsi seule, éclairée par deux bougies dont la lumière
n’atteignait pas la profondeur de l’appartement, et permettait à
l’ombre d’y donner aux objets sur lesquels elle s’étendait les formes
les plus bizarres. Ce sentiment pénible s’augmentait encore de la
présence de ce serviteur basané, à qui je ne pouvais communiquer
mes volontés que par des signes auxquels, du reste, il obéissait
avec une promptitude et une intelligence qui donnaient encore
quelque chose de plus fantastique à ce repas étrange. Plusieurs fois
j’eus envie de lui parler, quoique je susse qu’il ne pourrait pas me
comprendre; mais, comme les enfans qui n’osent crier dans les
ténèbres, j’avais peur d’entendre le son de ma propre voix. Lorsqu’il
eut servi le dessert, je lui fis signe d’aller me faire un grand feu dans
ma chambre; la flamme du foyer est la compagnie de ceux qui n’en
ont pas; d’ailleurs, je comptais ne me coucher que le plus tard
possible, car je me sentais une terreur à laquelle je n’avais pas
songé pendant la journée, et qui était venue avec les ténèbres.
Lorsque je me trouvai seule dans cette grande salle à manger,
ma terreur s’augmenta: il me semblait voir s’agiter les rideaux blancs
qui pendaient devant les fenêtres, pareils à des linceuls; cependant
ce n’était pas la crainte des morts qui m’agitait: les moines et les
abbés dont j’avais foulé en passant les tombes dormaient de leur
sommeil béni, les uns dans leur cloître, les autres dans leurs
caveaux; mais tout ce que j’avais lu à la campagne, tout ce qu’on
m’avait raconté à Caen, me revenait à la mémoire, et je tressaillais
au moindre bruit. Le seul qu’on entendît cependant était le
frémissement des feuilles, le murmure lointain de la mer, et ce bruit
monotone et mélancolique du vent qui se brise aux angles des
grands édifices et s’abat dans les cheminées, comme une volée
d’oiseaux de nuit. Je restai ainsi immobile pendant dix minutes à peu
près, n’osant regarder ni à droite ni à gauche, lorsque j’entendis un
léger bruit derrière moi; je me retournai: c’était le Malais. Il croisa les
mains sur sa poitrine et s’inclina: c’était sa manière d’annoncer que
les ordres qu’il avait reçus étaient accomplis. Je me levai; il prit les
bougies et marcha devant moi; mon appartement, du reste, avait été
parfaitement préparé pour la nuit par ma singulière femme de
chambre, qui posa les lumières sur une table et me laissa seule.
Mon désir avait été exécuté à la lettre: un feu immense brûlait
dans la grande cheminée de marbre blanc supportée par des
amours dorés; sa lueur se répandait dans la chambre et lui donnait
un aspect gai, qui contrastait si bien avec ma terreur, qu’elle
commença à se passer. Cette chambre était tendue de damas rouge
à fleurs, et ornée au plafond et aux portes d’une foule d’arabesques
et d’enroulemens plus capricieux les uns que les autres,
représentant des danses de faunes et de satyres dont les masques
grotesques riaient d’un rire d’or au foyer qu’ils reflétaient. Je n’étais
cependant pas rassurée au point de me coucher; d’ailleurs, il était à
peine huit heures du soir. Je substituai donc simplement un peignoir
à ma robe, et, comme j’avais remarqué que le temps était beau, je
voulus ouvrir ma fenêtre afin d’achever de me rassurer par la vue
calme et sereine de la nature endormie; mais, par une précaution
dont je crus pouvoir me rendre compte en l’attribuant à ces bruits
d’assassinats répandus dans les environs, les volets en avaient été
fermés en dedans. Je revins donc m’asseoir près de la table, au coin
de mon feu, m’apprêtant à lire mon voyage dans l’Inde, lorsqu’en
jetant les yeux sur le volume, je m’aperçus que j’avais apporté le
tome second au lieu du tome premier. Je me levai pour aller le
changer, lorsqu’à l’entrée de la bibliothèque ma crainte me reprit.
J’hésitai un instant; enfin je me fis honte à moi-même d’une terreur
aussi enfantine: j’ouvris hardiment la porte, et je m’avançai vers le
panneau où était le reste de l’édition.
En approchant ma bougie des autres tomes pour voir leurs
numéros, mes regards plongèrent dans le vide causé par l’absence
du volume que, par erreur, j’avais pris d’abord, et derrière la tablette
je vis briller un bouton de cuivre pareil à ceux que l’on met aux
serrures, et que cachaient aux yeux les livres rangés sur le devant
du panneau. J’avais souvent vu des portes secrètes dans les
bibliothèques, et dissimulées par de fausses reliures; rien n’était
donc plus naturel qu’une porte du même genre s’ouvrît dans celle-ci.
Cependant la direction dans laquelle elle était placée rendait la
chose presque impossible: les fenêtres de la bibliothèque étaient les
dernières du bâtiment; ce bouton était scellé au lambris en retour de
la seconde fenêtre: une porte pratiquée à cet endroit se serait donc
ouverte sur le mur extérieur.
Je me reculai pour examiner, à l’aide de ma bougie, si je
n’apercevais pas quelque signe qui indiquât une ouverture; mais
j’eus beau regarder, je ne vis rien. Je portai alors la main sur le
bouton, et j’essayai de le faire tourner, mais il résista; je le poussai et
je le sentis fléchir; je le poussai plus fortement, alors une porte
s’échappa avec bruit, renvoyée vers moi par un ressort. Cette porte
donnait sur un petit escalier tournant, pratiqué dans l’épaisseur de la
muraille.
Vous comprenez qu’une pareille découverte n’était point de
nature à calmer mon effroi. J’avançai ma bougie au-dessus de
l’escalier, et je le vis s’enfoncer perpendiculairement. Un instant j’eus
l’intention de m’y engager, je descendis même les deux premières
marches; mais le cœur me manqua. Je rentrai à reculons dans la
bibliothèque, et je repoussai la porte, qui se referma si
hermétiquement, que même, avec la certitude qu’elle existait, je ne
pus découvrir ses jointures. Je replaçai aussitôt le volume, de peur
qu’on ne s’aperçût que j’y avais touché, car je ne savais qui
intéressait ce secret. Je pris au hasard un autre ouvrage, je rentrai
dans ma chambre, je fermai au verrou la porte qui donnait sur la
bibliothèque, et je revins m’asseoir près du feu.
Les événemens inattendus acquièrent ou perdent de leur gravité
selon les dispositions d’esprit tristes ou gaies, ou selon les
circonstances plus ou moins critiques dans lesquelles on se trouve.
Certes, rien de plus naturel qu’une porte cachée dans une
bibliothèque et qu’un escalier tournant pratiqué dans l’épaisseur d’un
mur; mais si l’on découvre cette porte et cet escalier la nuit, dans un
château isolé, qu’on habite seule et sans défense; si ce château
s’élève au milieu d’une contrée qui retentit chaque jour du bruit d’un
vol ou d’un assassinat nouveau, si toute une mystérieuse destinée
vous enveloppe depuis quelque temps, si des pressentimens
sinistres vous ont, vingt fois, fait passer, au milieu d’un bal, un
frisson mortel dans le cœur, tout alors devient, sinon réalité, du
moins spectre et fantôme; et personne n’ignore par expérience que
le danger inconnu est mille fois plus saisissant et plus terrible que le
péril visible et matérialisé.
C’est alors que je regrettai bien vivement ce congé imprudent
que j’avais donné à ma femme de chambre. La terreur est une
chose si peu raisonnée qu’elle s’excite ou se calme sans motifs
plausibles. L’être le plus faible, un chien qui nous caresse, un enfant
qui nous sourit, quoique ni l’un ni l’autre ne puissent nous défendre,
sont, en ce cas, des appuis pour le cœur, sinon des armes pour le
bras. Si j’avais eu près de moi cette fille, qui ne m’avait pas quittée
depuis cinq ans, dont je connaissais le dévoûment et l’amitié, sans
doute que toute crainte eût disparu, tandis que seule comme j’étais,
il me semblait que j’étais dévouée à l’avance, et que rien ne pouvait
me sauver.
Je restai ainsi deux heures immobile, la sueur de l’effroi sur le
front. J’écoutai sonner à ma pendule dix heures, puis onze heures;
et à ce bruit si naturel cependant, je me cramponnais chaque fois au
bras de mon fauteuil. Entre onze heures et onze heures et demie, il
me sembla entendre la détonation lointaine d’un coup de pistolet, je
me soulevai à demi, appuyée sur le chambranle de la cheminée;
puis, tout étant rentré dans le silence, je retombai assise et la tête
renversée sur le dossier de ma bergère. Je restai encore ainsi
quelque temps les yeux fixes et n’osant les détourner du point que je
regardais, de peur qu’ils ne rencontrassent, en se retournant,
quelque cause de crainte réelle. Tout-à-coup il me sembla, au milieu
de ce silence absolu, que la grille qui était en face du perron et qui
séparait le jardin du parc grinçait sur ses gonds. L’idée que Horace
rentrait chassa à l’instant toute ma terreur; je m’élançai à la fenêtre,
oubliant que mes volets étaient clos; je voulus ouvrir la porte du
corridor; soit maladresse, soit précaution, le Malais l’avait fermée en
se retirant: j’étais prisonnière. Je me rappelai alors que les fenêtres
de la bibliothèque donnaient comme les miennes sur le préau, je tirai
le verrou, et, par un de ces mouvemens bizarres qui font succéder le
plus grand courage à la plus grande faiblesse, j’y entrai sans
lumière, car ceux qui venaient à cette heure pouvaient n’être pas
Horace et ses amis, et ma lumière dénonçait que ma chambre était
habitée. Les volets étaient poussés seulement, j’en écartai un, et au
clair de la lune j’aperçus distinctement un homme qui venait d’ouvrir
l’un des battans de la grille et le tenait entrebâillé, tandis que deux
autres, portant un objet que je ne pouvais distinguer, franchissaient
la porte que leur compagnon referma derrière eux. Ces trois
hommes ne s’avançaient pas vers le perron, mais tournaient autour
du château; cependant, comme le chemin qu’ils suivaient les
rapprochait de moi, je commençai à reconnaître la forme du fardeau
qu’ils portaient; c’était un corps enveloppé dans un manteau. Sans
doute, la vue d’une maison qui pouvait être habitée donna quelque
espoir à celui ou à celle qu’on enlevait. Une espèce de lutte
s’engagea sous ma fenêtre; dans cette lutte un bras se dégagea, ce
bras était couvert d’une manche de robe; il n’y avait plus de doute, la
victime était une femme... Mais tout ceci fut rapide comme l’éclair; le
bras, saisi vigoureusement par un des trois hommes, rentra sous le
manteau; l’objet reprit l’apparence informe d’un fardeau quelconque;
puis tout disparut à l’angle du bâtiment et dans l’ombre d’une allée
de marronniers, qui conduisait au petit pavillon fermé que j’avais
découvert la veille au milieu du massif de chênes.
Je n’avais pas pu reconnaître ces hommes; tout ce que j’en avais
distingué, c’est qu’ils étaient vêtus en paysans: mais, s’ils étaient
véritablement ce qu’ils paraissaient être, comment venaient-ils au
château? comment s’étaient-ils procuré une clef de la grille? Était-ce
un rapt? était-ce un assassinat? Je n’en savais rien. Mais
certainement c’était l’un ou l’autre: tout cela, d’ailleurs, était si
incompréhensible et si étrange, que parfois je me demandais si je
n’étais pas sous l’empire d’un rêve; au reste, on n’entendait aucun
bruit, la nuit poursuivait son cours calme et tranquille, et moi j’étais
restée debout à la fenêtre, immobile de terreur, n’osant quitter ma
place, de peur que le bruit de mes pas n’éveillât le danger, s’il en
était qui me menaçât. Tout-à-coup je me rappelai cette porte
dérobée, cet escalier mystérieux; il me sembla entendre un bruit
sourd de ce côté; je m’élançai dans ma chambre, refermai et
verrouillai la porte; puis j’allai retomber dans mon fauteuil sans
remarquer que, pendant mon absence, une des deux bougies s’était
éteinte.
Cette fois ce n’était plus une crainte vague et sans cause qui
m’agitait, c’était quelque crime bien réel qui rôdait autour de moi et
dont j’avais de mes yeux distingué les agens. Il me semblait à tout
moment que j’allais voir s’ouvrir une porte cachée, ou entendre
glisser quelque panneau inaperçu, tous ces petits bruits si distincts
pendant la nuit et que cause un meuble qui craque ou un parquet qui
se disjoint, me faisaient bondir d’effroi, et j’entendais, dans le
silence, mon cœur battre à l’unisson du balancier de la pendule. A
ce moment, la flamme de ma bougie consumée atteignit le papier
qui l’entourait, une lueur momentanée se répandit par toute la
chambre, puis s’en alla décroissante; un pétillement se fit entendre
pendant quelques secondes; puis la mèche s’enfonçant dans la
cavité du flambeau, s’éteignit tout-à-coup et me laissa sans autre
lumière que celle du foyer.
Je cherchai des yeux autour de moi si j’avais du bois pour
l’alimenter: je n’en aperçus point. Je rapprochai les tisons les uns
des autres, et pour un moment le feu reprit une nouvelle ardeur;
mais sa flamme tremblante n’était point une lumière propre à me
rassurer: chaque objet était devenu mobile comme la lueur nouvelle
qui l’éclairait, les portes se balançaient, les rideaux semblaient
s’agiter, de longues ombres mouvantes passaient sur le plafond et
sur les tapisseries. Je sentais que j’étais près de me trouver mal, et
je n’étais préservée de l’évanouissement que par la terreur même;
en ce moment, ce petit bruit qui précède le tintement de la pendule
se fit entendre, et minuit sonna.
Cependant je ne pouvais passer la nuit entière dans ce fauteuil;
je sentais le froid me gagner lentement. Je pris la résolution de me
coucher tout habillée, je gagnai le lit sans regarder autour de moi, je
me glissai sous la couverture, et je tirai le drap par-dessus ma tête.
Je restai une heure à peu près ainsi sans songer même à la
possibilité du sommeil. Je me rappellerai cette heure toute ma vie:
une araignée faisait sa toile dans la boiserie de l’alcôve, et j’écoutais
le travail incessant de l’ouvrière nocturne: tout-à-coup il cessa,
interrompu par un autre bruit; il me sembla entendre le petit cri
qu’avait fait, lorsque j’avais poussé le bouton de cuivre, la porte de la
bibliothèque; je sortis vivement ma tête de la couverture, et, le cou
raidi, retenant mon haleine, la main sur mon cœur pour l’empêcher
de battre, j’aspirai le silence, doutant encore; bientôt je ne doutai
plus.
Je ne m’étais pas trompée, le parquet craqua sous le poids d’un
corps; des pas s’approchèrent et heurtèrent une chaise; mais sans
doute celui qui venait craignit d’être entendu, car tout bruit cessa
aussitôt, et le silence le plus absolu lui succéda. L’araignée reprit sa
toile... Oh! tous ces détails, voyez-vous!... tous ces détails, ils sont
présens à ma mémoire comme si j’étais là encore, couchée sur ce lit
et dans l’agonie de la terreur.
J’entendis de nouveau un mouvement dans la bibliothèque, on
se remit en marche en s’approchant de la boiserie à laquelle était
adossé mon lit; une main s’appuya contre la cloison: je n’étais plus
séparée de celui qui venait ainsi que par l’épaisseur d’une planche.
Je crus entendre glisser un panneau. Je me tins immobile et comme
si je dormais: le sommeil était ma seule arme; le voleur, si c’en était
un, comptant que je ne pourrais ni le voir ni l’entendre, m’épargnerait
peut-être, jugeant ma mort inutile; mon visage tourné vers la
tapisserie était dans l’ombre, ce qui me permit de garder les yeux
ouverts. Alors je vis remuer mes rideaux, une main les écarta
lentement; puis, encadrée dans leur draperie rouge, une tête pâle
s’avança; en ce moment la dernière lueur du foyer, tremblante au
fond de l’alcôve, éclaira cette apparition. Je reconnus le comte
Horace, et je fermai les yeux!...
Lorsque je les rouvris, la vision avait disparu; quoique mes
rideaux fussent encore agités, j’entendis le frôlement du panneau qui
se refermait, puis le bruit décroissant des pas, puis le cri de la porte;
enfin tout redevint tranquille et silencieux. Je ne sais combien de
temps je restai ainsi sans haleine et sans mouvement; mais vers le
commencement du jour à peu près, brisée par cette veille
douloureuse, je tombai dans un engourdissement qui ressemblait au
sommeil.
XII.
Je fus réveillée par le Malais, qui frappait à la porte que j’avais

fermée en dedans; je m’étais couchée tout habillée, comme je vous
l’ai dit; j’allai donc tirer les verrous, le domestique ouvrit mes volets,
et je vis rentrer dans ma chambre le jour et le soleil. Je m’élançai
vers la fenêtre.
C’était une de ces belles matinées d’automne où le ciel, avant de
se couvrir de son voile de nuages, jette un dernier sourire à la terre;
tout était si calme et si tranquille dans ce parc, que je commençai à
douter presque de moi-même. Cependant les événemens de la nuit
étaient demeurés bien vivans dans mon cœur; puis les lieux mêmes
qu’embrassait ma vue me rappelaient leurs moindres détails. Je
revoyais la grille qui s’était ouverte pour donner passage à ces trois
hommes et à cette femme, l’allée qu’ils avaient suivie, les pas dont
l’empreinte était restée sur le sable, plus visibles à l’endroit où la
victime s’était débattue, car ceux qui l’emportaient s’étaient
cramponnés avec force pour maîtriser ses mouvemens; ces pas
suivaient la direction que j’ai déjà indiquée, et disparaissaient sous
l’allée de tilleuls. Je voulus voir alors, pour renforcer encore, s’il était
possible, le témoignage de mes sens, si quelques nouvelles preuves
se joindraient à celle-ci; j’entrai dans la bibliothèque, le volet était à
demi ouvert comme je l’avais laissé, une chaise renversée au milieu
de la chambre était celle que j’avais entendue tomber; je
m’approchai du panneau, et, regardant avec une attention profonde,
je vis la rainure imperceptible sur laquelle il glissait; j’appuyai ma
main sur la moulure, il céda; en ce moment on ouvrit la porte de ma
chambre; je n’eus que le temps de repousser le panneau et de saisir
un livre dans la bibliothèque.
C’était le Malais, il venait me chercher pour déjeuner, je le suivis.
En entrant dans la salle à manger je tressaillis de surprise; je
comptais y trouver Horace, et non-seulement il n’y était pas, mais
encore je ne vis qu’un couvert.—Le comte n’est-il point rentré?
m’écriai-je.
Le Malais me fit signe que non.
—Non! murmurai-je stupéfaite.
—Non, répéta-t-il encore du geste. Je tombai sur ma chaise: le
comte n’était pas rentré!... et cependant je l’avais vu, moi, il était
venu à mon lit, il avait soulevé mes rideaux une heure après que ces
trois hommes... Mais ces trois hommes.., n’étaient-ce pas le comte
et ses deux amis; Horace, Max et Henri, qui enlevaient une
femme!... Eux seuls en effet pouvaient avoir la clef du parc, entrer
ainsi librement sans être vus ni inquiétés; plus de doute, c’était cela.
Voilà pourquoi le comte n’avait pas voulu me laisser venir au
château; voilà pourquoi il m’avait reçue si froidement; voilà pourquoi
il avait prétexté une partie de chasse. L’enlèvement de cette femme
était arrêté avant mon arrivée; l’enlèvement était accompli. Le comte
ne m’aimait plus, il aimait une autre femme, et cette femme était
dans le château: dans le pavillon, sans doute!
Oui; et le comte, pour s’assurer que je n’avais rien vu, rien
entendu, que j’étais enfin sans soupçons, était remonté par l’escalier
de la bibliothèque, avait poussé la boiserie, écarté mes rideaux, et
certain que je dormais, était retourné à ses amours. Tout m’était
expliqué, clair et précis comme si je l’eusse vu. En un instant, ma
jalousie avait percé l’obscurité, abattu les murailles; rien ne me
restait plus à apprendre: je sortis, j’étouffais!
On avait déjà effacé la trace des pas; le râteau avait nivelé le
sable. Je suivis l’allée de tilleuls, je gagnai le massif de chênes, je
vis le pavillon, je tournai autour: il était clos et semblait inhabité,
comme la veille. Je rentrai au château, je montai dans ma chambre,
je me jetai dans cette bergère où la nuit précédente j’avais passé de
si cruelles heures, et je m’étonnai de mon effroi!... C’était l’ombre,
c’étaient les ténèbres, ou plutôt c’était l’absence d’une passion
violente, qui avait ainsi affaibli mon cœur!...
Je passai une partie de la journée à me promener dans ma
chambre, à ouvrir et fermer la fenêtre, attendant le soir avec autant
d’impatience que j’avais, la veille, de crainte de le voir venir. On vint
m’annoncer que le dîner était servi. Je descendis; je vis, comme le
matin, un seul couvert, et près du couvert une lettre. Je reconnus
l’écriture d’Horace, et je brisai vivement le cachet.
Il s’excusait auprès de moi de me laisser deux jours ainsi seule;
mais il n’avait pu revenir, sa parole était engagée avant mon arrivée,
et il avait dû la tenir, quoiqu’il lui en coûtât. Je froissai la lettre entre
mes mains sans l’achever, et je la jetai dans ma cheminée; puis je
m’efforçai de manger pour détourner les soupçons du Malais, et je
remontai dans ma chambre.
Ma recommandation de la veille n’avait pas été oubliée: je trouvai
grand feu; mais ce soir, ce n’était plus cela qui me préoccupait.
J’avais tout un plan à arrêter; je m’assis pour réfléchir. Quant à la
peur de la veille, elle était complétement oubliée!
Le comte Horace et ses amis étaient rentrés par la grille; car ces
hommes, c’étaient bien eux et lui. Ils avaient conduit cette femme au
pavillon; puis le comte était remonté par l’escalier dérobé pour
s’assurer si j’étais bien endormie, et si je n’avais rien vu ni entendu.
Je n’avais donc qu’à suivre l’escalier; à mon tour, je faisais le même
chemin que lui, j’allais là d’où il était venu: j’étais décidée à suivre
l’escalier.
Je regardai la pendule, elle marquait huit heures un quart; j’allai à
mes volets, ils n’étaient pas fermés. Sans doute il n’y avait rien à voir
cette nuit, puisque la précaution de la veille n’avait pas été prise:
j’ouvris la fenêtre.
La nuit était orageuse, j’entendais le tonnerre au loin, et le bruit
de la mer qui se brisait sur la plage venait jusqu’à moi. Il y avait dans
mon cœur une tempête plus terrible que celle de la nature, et mes
pensées se heurtaient dans ma tête plus sombres et plus pressées
que les vagues de l’Océan. Deux heures s’écoulèrent ainsi sans que
je fisse un mouvement, sans que mes yeux quittassent une petite
statue perdue dans un massif d’arbres: il est vrai que je ne la voyais
pas.
Enfin je pensai que le moment était venu: je n’entendais plus
aucun bruit dans le château; cette même pluie qui, pendant cette
même soirée du 27 au 28 septembre, vous fit chercher un abri dans
les ruines, commençait à tomber par torrens: je laissai un instant ma
tête exposée à l’eau du ciel, puis je rentrai, refermant ma fenêtre et
repoussant mes volets.
Je sortis de ma chambre et fis quelques pas dans le corridor.
Aucun bruit ne veillait dans le château; le Malais était couché sans
doute, ou il servait son maître dans une autre partie de l’habitation.
Je rentrai chez moi et je mis les verrous; il était dix heures et demie:
on n’entendait que les plaintes de l’ouragan, dont le bruit me servait
en couvrant celui que je pourrais faire. Je pris une bougie, et je
m’avançai vers la porte de la bibliothèque: elle était fermée à clef!...
On m’y avait vue le matin, on craignait que je ne découvrisse
l’escalier: on m’en avait clos l’issue. Heureusement que le comte
avait pris la peine de m’en indiquer une autre.
Je passai derrière mon lit, je pressai la moulure mobile, la
boiserie glissa, et je me trouvai dans la bibliothèque.
J’allai droit, d’un pas ferme et sans hésiter, à la porte dérobée;
j’enlevai le volume qui cachait le bouton, je poussai le ressort, le
panneau s’ouvrit.
Je m’engageai dans l’escalier; il offrait juste passage à une
personne; je descendis trois étages. A chaque étage j’écoutai, je
n’entendis rien.
Je me trouvai sous une voûte qui s’enfonçait hardiment et en
droite ligne. Je la suivis pendant cinq minutes à peu près; puis je
trouvai une troisième porte; comme la seconde, elle n’opposa
aucune résistance; elle donnait sur un autre escalier pareil à celui de
la bibliothèque, mais qui n’avait que deux étages. De celui-là on
sortait par un panneau de fer carré: en l’entr’ouvrant j’entendis des
voix. J’éteignis ma bougie, je la posai sur la dernière marche; puis je
me glissai par l’ouverture: elle était produite par le déplacement
d’une plaque de cheminée. Je la repoussai doucement, et je me
trouvai dans une espèce de laboratoire de chimiste, très faiblement
éclairé, la lumière de la chambre voisine ne pénétrant dans ce
cabinet qu’au moyen d’une ouverture ronde, placée au haut d’une
porte et voilée par un petit rideau vert. Quant aux fenêtres, elles
étaient si soigneusement fermées, que, même pendant le jour, toute
clarté extérieure devait être interceptée.
Je ne m’étais pas trompée lorsque j’avais cru entendre parler. La
conversation était bruyante dans la chambre attenante: je reconnus
la voix du comte et de ses amis. J’approchai une chaise de la porte,
et je montai sur la chaise; de cette manière j’atteignis jusqu’au
carreau, et ma vue plongea dans l’appartement.
Le comte Horace, Max et Henri étaient à table; pourtant l’orgie
tirait à sa fin. Le Malais les servait, debout derrière le comte. Chacun
des convives était vêtu d’une blouse bleue, portait un couteau de
chasse à la ceinture, et avait une paire de pistolets à portée de sa
main. Horace se leva comme pour s’en aller.
—Déjà? lui dit Max.
—Que voulez-vous que je fasse ici? répondit le comte.
—Bois! dit Henri en levant son verre.
—Le beau plaisir de boire avec vous, reprit le comte; à la
troisième bouteille vous voilà ivres comme des portefaix.
—Jouons!...
—Je ne suis pas un filou pour vous gagner votre argent quand
vous n’êtes pas en état de le défendre, dit le comte en haussant les
épaules et en se tournant à demi.
—Eh bien! alors, fais la cour à notre belle Anglaise; ton
domestique a pris ses précautions pour qu’elle ne soit pas cruelle.
Sur ma parole, voilà un gaillard qui s’y entend. Tiens, mon brave.
Max donna au Malais une poignée d’or.

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Multiple Choice Questions

1. Romanticism, as a stylistic period in western music, encompassed the years

The romantic period in music extended from about 1820 to 1900.

2. Which of the following is not characteristic of romanticism?

3. Which of the following is not a characteristic aspect of romanticism in literature and

All aspects of nature attracted romantic musicians. It makes an appearance in countless

8. Which of the following statements is not true?

10. Composers expressed musical nationalism in their music by

12. The orchestra in the romantic period

In 1844, Hector Berlioz published the Treatise on Modern Instrumentation and

15. A slight holding back or pressing forward of tempo in music is known as

16. Altering the character of a melody by changes in dynamics, orchestration, or rhythm is a

Thematic transformation is a technique in which a melody's character is transformed as it

17. Which of the following statements is not true?

19. Which of the following statements is not true?

23. A composer who earned his/her living as a violin virtuoso was

24. The rise of the urban middle class led to the

25. When music conservatories were founded, women

29. An art song is a musical composition for

Many German or Austrian composers—Schubert, Schumann, and Brahms, for example—set

A concerto describes a type of composition that involves an orchestra; it is not a form.

36. Schubert's primary source of income came from his

39. Which of the following statements is not true?

40. Schubert's songs number more than

41. Schubert's song Die Forelle is an example of __________ form.

42. Schubert wrote compositions in every musical genre except

44. The form of The Erlking is

46. The Erlking, in Schubert's song of that name, is a romantic personification of

48. Which of the following is not true of Robert Schumann's works?

49. Clara Wieck was

52. Robert Schumann's Carnaval is a(n)

53. Johannes Brahms

54. Clara Schumann was a

55. The cimbalom is

56. A leading pianist of the nineteenth century, Clara Schumann

57. In the 1830s, Paris was

58. Chopin expressed his love of Poland by composing polonaises and

59. While in Paris, Chopin

60. Most of Chopin's pieces

A nocturne, or night piece, is a slow, lyrical, intimate composition for piano.

64. Which of the following statements is not true?

66. Which of the following statements is not true?

67. As a youth, Franz Liszt was influenced by the performances of

68. During his teens and twenties, Franz Liszt lived in

71. Liszt's piano works are characterized by

74. Liszt typified the romantic movement because he

As a stupendous performer, innovative composer, and charismatic personality, Liszt

75. Liszt created the ______________, a one-movement orchestral composition based to