Classically Yours Trivia Quiz

Answer: Brahms' Lullaby

The lullaby that has been sung to most babies in the western world was composed by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) in 1868. Its complete name is "Wiegenlied, Op. 49, No. 4", and is, along with his "Hungarian Dances" and his "Waltzes", one of his most famous pieces.

The lyrics of the folk text it was composed on start with "Good evening, And good night, With roses adorned...". And one thing I would like to adzzZZZZzzz...

Answer: The German National Anthem

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was a close friend of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven. He was in fact Austrian. Envious of the British national anthem, he composed this music (on lyrics by Lorenz Leopold Haschka), which became the Austro-Hungarian unofficial anthem in times of strong nationalism, as the French Empire grew more and more threatening.

When the monarchy was abolished and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dismantled in the aftermath of the First World War, the work was seen as a monarchist piece and was abandoned.

Its melody is now that of "Das Lied Der Deutschen", the German National Anthem.

Answer: Mozart's Requiem

Following the death of his 20-year-old wife, Franz Count von Walsegg commissioned a requiem mass to be performed at her funeral. Walsegg asked Mozart, a fellow Freemason, through intermediaries and anonymously. However, Mozart (1756-1791) died before he could finish his work; upon Mozart's wife's request, it was completed by his students Joseph Eybler and, more importantly, Franz Xaver Süßmayr. Even though Mozart composed only two thirds of it, his "Requiem" is one of his most famous and beloved masterpieces.

Answer: Les Troyens

Berlioz (1803-1869), admirer of Roman poet Virgil since childhood, had always wanted to compose an opera based on "The Aeneid", but was discouraged by how difficult it promised to be. In a moment of despair, he confided in Princess Carolyn de Sayn Wittgenstein, who threatened never to see him again if he didn't write it.

This was enough of a motivation for Berlioz, who finished it within four years. He never saw the first part performed in a opera, as the small theater which accepted to play it, scared at the size of the work, was only willing to let the second part be played.

It was not until 1921, 52 years after the composer's death, that "Les Troyens" was performed completely for the first time, at the Grand Opéra in Paris.

Answer: The Minute Waltz

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) certainly had more than one love story in his short life. One of them was the Countess Delphine Potocka, a Polish noblewoman to whom he dedicated his famous "Waltz in D flat major", popularly known as "Minute Waltz", in 1847.

The work is the first of three waltzes, which together form his Opus 64. He originally named it "Valse du petit chien" ("Little Dog Waltz"); as a biographer reported, he found his inspiration watching a small dog chase its own tail, but history decided it would be known otherwise...

Answer: Für Elise

"For Elise", in English. While it is unclear who this Elise is, one theory claims that Beethoven (1770-1827) composed this simple yet extremely popular piece for a woman who turned down his marriage proposal, Therese Malfatti. According to this theory, the name was ill-transcribed.

In October 2009, a musicologist named Luca Chiantore presented his doctoral thesis on Beethoven, in which he concludes that for all we know, the original manuscript may have never existed. Indeed, there seems to be no sound proof of Beethoven having ever composed Für Elise. Considering how simplistic and different it is in comparison to the rest of his work, this theory is currently being examined thoroughly.

Answer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) fell into clinical depression after the very negative reception of his first symphony. He suffered from writer's block for several years and his work was appreciated more and more until his masterpiece, "Piano Concerto No. 2", was acclaimed around the world. He dedicated it to his physician, who had done much to help him recover his self-confidence.

Answer: Franz Liszt

"Funérailles" is the name of this elegy written by Franz Liszt (1811-1886) in response to the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848 by the Austrian Empire. It is part of Liszt's "Harmonies poétiques et religieuses", a cycle of 10 piano pieces. Liszt never saw his country free, as the Austrian Empire disappeared only after World War One.

Answer: The Unfinished Symphony

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was one of the most prolific composers of all time, despite dying at the early age of 31. The Unfinished Symphony has only two complete movements, and given its quality, the reason why Schubert didn't finish it remains a mystery.

He lived on for six years after having written those two movements and died of typhoid fever in 1828. Scarcely known in his lifetime, he rose to fame thanks to later composers, such as Brahms, Liszt and Schumann, and is now considered to be one of the greatest composers who ever lived.

Answer: Bedrich Smetana

"Vltava", or "The Moldau" in English, is dedicated to a main river of Bohemia, where Bedrich Smetana (1824-1884) was born, lived and died. The piece is part of "Ma vlast" ("My Fatherland"), a collection of six symphonic poems each of which honor a different aspect of his homeland.

The music goes up and down in notes, rythm and volume, like the river itself. By the time it gets into the St. John's Rapids, it's a flurry of notes and instruments that join in, and after about 12 minutes of following the river, it disappears into the horizon.