Melodies and Motifs: Classical Quiz

Answer: Beethoven - Symphony No. 5

Beethoven started writing his fifth symphony in 1804. The opening notes are the most popular, but the whole piece is more than thirty minutes and is well worth listening to. There was a joke in the 2005 "Simpsons" episode "The Seven-Beer Snitch," in which everyone left the new concert hall after hearing the "important" bit.

Answer: Mozart - "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik"

Mozart wrote this piece in 1787. The title, which translates to "a little night music," was originally just a written note by Mozart. It was not published until 1827, more than thirty years after his death.

Answer: Pachelbel - Canon in D

Canon in D was written during the Baroque period, but its exact date is unknown. Johann Pachelbel lived from 1653 to 1706.

A canon in music is when multiple players play the same part, offset a bit (in Pachelbel's case, by two bars). In modern times, Canon in D is rarely played as an actual canon. In a string quartet the second violin might follow the first two bars later, but the cello often plays the same two bars for the entire piece.

Answer: John Newton - "Amazing Grace"

John Newton only wrote the words for "Amazing Grace," and it was William Walker who set it to the tune of "New Britain." The original composer of "New Britain" is unknown.

John Newton was an English slave trader who renounced his work and wrote "Amazing Grace" as a hymn. The song was (and still is) popular among the African American community, and even became a jazz standard in the 1920s.

Answer: "Scotland the Brave"

The composer and date of "Scotland the Brave" are unknown, but it likely came out at the end of the common practice period. The common practice period is often called "Classical," but this is both broader and more limited than the reality. The common practice period includes the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, but "Classical" can also be a style of music, and was written after the common practice period, too (similar to how jazz started in the early 1900s, but we still see new jazz). After the Romantic period came the Modern period (up to the mid 1900s), followed by the Contemporary period.

These periods did not apply just to music. They were also used when discussing art, poetry, and architecture.

Answer: Handel - "Messiah"

George Handel composed "Messiah" in 1741 (the Baroque period). The whole piece is over two hours long, but this snippet is specifically of the famous "Hallelujah" chorus.

Answer: Strauss - "Blue Danube"

Johann Strauss II composed "Blue Danube" in 1866, in the Romantic period. The original German name is "An der schönen, blauen Donau."

Some may remember hearing this piece in the "Waltz of the Geese," a segment of "A Corny Concerto," a 1943 animated short. In it, a young Daffy Duck tries to join a family of swans. Warner Brothers made the short as a parody in response to Disney's "Fantasia" in 1940.

Answer: Rossini - "William Tell Overture"

Gioachino Rossini wrote the "William Tell Overture" in 1829. The original French title was "Guillaume Tell," because "Guillaume" is the French version of "William."

The fourth and final movement of the "William Tell Overture" was used as the theme for "The Lone Ranger," and has become associated with horses. It was originally about Swiss soldiers who were not even cavalry.

Answer: Holst - "Mars" (from "The Planets" suite)

Gustav Holst wrote "The Planets" in 1914, which puts it in the Modern era. There is one movement for each of the seven planets (Earth was not included, Ceres was already classified as an asteroid, and Pluto would not be discovered until 1930), with "Mars" being the first movement.

"Mars" is often an example of a song with a 5/4 time signature (the other common ones being "Take Five" and the "Mission Impossible" theme). It influenced John Williams when he was writing the music for "Star Wars," and you can hear the similarity in the music right before the Death Star blows up.

Answer: Grieg - "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

Edvard Grieg wrote the music for the play "Peer Gynt" in 1875. "In the Hall of the Mountain King" was the fourth movement of the "Peer Gynt Suite" (the first movement, "Morning Mood," was also very popular). Grieg did not like the piece he wrote and was dismayed when it became so popular.

"In the Hall of the Mountain King" was remixed with "Flight of the Bumblebee" as the theme song for the 1993 "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog" television series. It was also used as the base for the 1983 "Inspector Gadget" theme.