Question 1

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

Accepted Answer

12 - 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.

Question 2

Who composed the orchestral suite "The Planets"?

Accepted Answer

Gustav Holst - 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.

Question 3

Who composed the famous "Nutcracker Suite"?

Accepted Answer

Tchaikovsky - 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.

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 5

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?

Accepted Answer

Franz Liszt - 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.

Question 6

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

Accepted Answer

Beethoven's "Fifth Symphony" - 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.

Question 7

Which of the following operas was composed by Mozart?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

Brass - 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.

Question 9

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

Accepted Answer

waltzes - 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".

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

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

Accepted Answer

Jenny Lind - 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".

Question 13

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

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

Accepted Answer

Tocata and Fugue in D Minor - 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".

Question 15

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

Accepted Answer

Carmina Burana: "O Fortuna" - 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.

Question 16

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?

Accepted Answer

Also Sprach Zarathustra - 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.

Question 17

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 19

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

Accepted Answer

Romeo & Juliet - 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.

Question 20

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

Accepted Answer

Conductor - 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.

Question 21

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?

Accepted Answer

Porgy and Bess - 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.

Question 22

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 23

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 24

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?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 25

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?

Accepted Answer

Schubert - 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.

Question 26

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 27

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

Accepted Answer

Aida - 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.

Question 28

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?

Accepted Answer

Rite of Spring - 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.

Question 29

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 30

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

Accepted Answer

Prokofiev - "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 & Composers Trivia: It's Not Just for Elevators

2) Who composed the orchestral suite "The Planets"?

3) Who composed the famous "Nutcracker Suite"?

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

5) 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?

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

7) Which of the following operas was composed by Mozart?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

16) 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?

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

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

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

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

21) 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?

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

23) 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?

24) 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?

25) 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?

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

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

28) 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?

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

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