Vivaldi might have been more accurate in calling it "The Months" since it's actually four sets of three movements each, giving a total of twelve.

Wait... is this a question like "What color was George Washington's white horse?"

Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" has is made up of how many movements?

In spite of his very Germanic name, Holst was an English composer who composed "The Planets" somewhere between 1914 and 1917 after a conversation with friends about astrology.

Who composed the orchestral suite "The Planets"?

It was based on E.T.A. Hoffman's "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" which was in turn based on a story by Alexandre Dumas of "Three Musketeers" fame.

Performing this standard of the ballet repertoire during the Christmas holiday season is often a requirement of many ballet companies to help them stay afloat financially.

Who composed the famous "Nutcracker Suite"?

Copland was responsible for several incredibly well-known compositions including the famous "Appalacian Spring".

Hint: It wasn't John Williams.

Which American composer created the "Fanfare for the Common Man"?

Liszt was not thrilled to have Wagner marry his daughter, partly because she was 24 years younger that her husband, but he still remained friends with Wagner for years after.

Richard Wagner composed a number of famous operas including "The Ring Cycle" depicting tales from Germanic myth.  But who was his famous musical father-in-law?

Churchill was famous for holding up his fingers to onlookers in a V (nowadays looking like a peace sign) symbolising the "V for victory" campaign.  It also was a kind of middle-finger to his German adversary.

This brilliant piece of musical propaganda undoubtedly upset Hitler to no end as it was one of the Fuehrer's favorites.

What famous piece of German music did Churchill usurp for British use, claiming the opening notes spelled "V for victory" in Morse code?

In spite of German being the composer's native tongue, the opera (like most of the era) was in Italian.

Which of the following operas was composed by Mozart?

The sackbut was basically a forerunner to the modern trombone and is now only heard in performances featuring period instruments.  Okay... it's technically not a question about composers or compositions.  I just liked the question.

A Baroque instrument that has since fallen out of favor is the sackbut.  What kind of instrument is it?

Strauss was from a family of composers, but Johann II was often dubbed "the waltz king" due to such works as "The Blue Danube" and "Tales from the Vienna Woods".

Johann Strauss II was know for his composition of ...

Edward Elgar was an English composer who has contributed the one piece of music essential to any college graduation ceremony: "Pomp and Circumstance".

Which of the following composers was NOT... repeat NOT... American?

Gilbert & Sullivan wrote "The Pirates of Penzance", "HMS Pinafore", and "The Mikado" among others.

The musical team best known for their creation of operettas is...

Lind was the toast of Europe for many years and even gave an American tour promoted by PT Barnum of Barnum & Bailey Circus fame as portrayed in "The Greatest Showman".

The most renown singer of her time, "The Swedish Nightingale" was which singer?

While many of the movements are crowd-pleasers, the cello-featuring "The Swan" is undoubtedly the most famous of the work.

"Carnival of the Animals" is a humorous musical suite of 14 movements composed by ...

The Tocata and Fugue in D Minor is often pictured as the music played by the Phantom in the old black-and-white version of "Phantom of the Opera".

It was used as the first segment in the Disney movie "Fantasia".

JS Bach composed one of the most used pieces of organ music, often used to represent growing danger.  What is is called?

The actual theme for the original Exorcist movie is "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield.  Another bit of irony is that "O Fortuna" is actually in praise of Fortune, not intended to represent anything horrific at all.

In 2009, the BBC ranked this as the most heard classical track of the previous 75 years, used in movies, television and advertisement, often for humorous contrast.

Another ominous composition used in numerous movies is ironically often mistaken as the theme of "The Exorcist".  What is this Carl Orff composition entitled?

Richard Strauss composed this tome poem in the late 19th Century and it was seldom heard outside the classic concert hall for 70 years until Kubrick's movie.

Picture apes gathered around a monolith...

This composition was largely unknown to most until Stanley Kubrick used it for the opening scene of "2001: a Space Odyssey".  Now, everyone knows it.  What it's name?

The Peer Gynt Suite also include the equally famous "Hall of the Mountain King".

"Morning Song" by Edvard Grieg was used numerous times in animated features, logically enough to represent morning.  What larger work is "Morning Song" from?

Who would think an Italian opera about a Swiss archer would end up as soundtrack for "HI-YO-SILVER!"?

"The William Tell Overture", better known to Americans as the theme for "The Lone Ranger", was composed by which Italian opera master?

The story line follows the Bard's play fairly closely but changes by not killing off Juliet's counterpart to give the story a less tragic ending.

Leonard Bernstein composed "West Side Story" which is a modern musical re-telling of which Shakespeare play?

Bernstein's musical was one of the biggest musicals of the late 1950s, moving from Broadway to the cinema and giving EGOT-winner Rita Moreno her Oscar.

And speaking of Leonard Bernstein, what was his job when he wasn't composing music?

This opera has such iconic songs as "Summertime", the most covered song ever recorded, yet is seldom performed today because of how it portrays African Americans of the era.

George Gershwin wrote such iconic music as "Rhapsody in Blue", but many people don't remember that he wrote an opera.  What was it's title?

While Boccelli is probably the most prominent Italian operatic singer currently active, he was never a member of the Three Tenors.

The Three Tenors brought opera to millions who had never enjoyed opera before.  Which of these singers was NOT one of the Three Tenors?

As an opera, Turandot is virtually carried by the big aria "Nessun Dorma".  Otherwise, most of the opera is largely overlooked.

On the topic of Italian opera, Luciano Pavarotti helped opera break through to millions when he performed "Nessun Dorma" before the 1990 FIFA soccer championship.  What opera was it from?

Pachelbel's Canon is often the most requested piece of music on classical radio.

Pachelbel is not a well-known name to non-classical fans, yet one piece he composed is often the most requested music for weddings.  What is it called?

Shubert's "Ave Maria" is heard by most people every Christmas and is another piece that was part of Disney's animated music feature Fantasia.

One of the most beloved pieces of religion music composed of the early 1800s is "Ave Maria".  While several composers wrote works of the same name, which composer's is most famous?

While some may not know its title, virtually everyone who hears the piece will exclaim, "Oh!  That one!  I love that!"

Claude Debussy composed many notable pieces, but one piece forever established his reputation among composers.  What is it?

While the names would suggest "Girl of the Golden West" is the odd-man-out of this group, Puccini actually did compose this tale set in the California Gold Rush.

Giacomo Puccini is recognized as one of the great composers of Italian opera.  Which of the following is NOT by Puccini?

It's really too bad that this ballet by Stravinsky has been linked to dying dinosaurs by Disney animators, but the music is still undeniably memorable.

Stravinsky came to the US after first moving to France, only to continue to the other side of the Atlantic to escape World War II.

Many Russian composers gravitated to the United States to escape the repressive censorship of the Soviet Union, among them Igor Stravinsky.  Which of these was composed by Stravinsky?

Yes, the same composer who gave the world the graceful "Swan Lake" also gave us the "1812 Overture" with it's cannon finale.

And speaking of famous Russian composers, which was responsible for the impressively bombastic "1812 Overture"?

"Peter and the Wolf" is undoubtedly one of the most beloved compositions of Sergei Prokofiev because of the story being ideal for young audiences.

Classical music has been a mainstay of animation from the beginning.  This is yet another piece taken to the animated screen by Disney.

Continuing with Russians, which famous composer gave us "Peter and the Wolf"?

Classical music is much more than just background for movies about the French Revolution.  Most of us grow up being exposed to classical music in dozens of ways each day, but we're so used to hearing it, we don't give it much through unless we're listening to a radio.  (Yes, radios still exist.  They don't just grow in automobile dashboards.)  Test what you know about the music of Beethoven, Bach, and Berlioz in this melodic quiz.