Composers Mixture Trivia

61. Which prolific Baroque composer, best known for his keyboard works, left us six sonatas and partitas for solo violin?

From Quiz Various Vacancies: Violin Virtuosi

Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was the most famous composer in a very gifted musical family. His grandfather Christoph Bach and father Johann Ambrosius Bach, as well as his cousins Johann Christoph Bach, Johann Michael Bach, Johann Nicolaus Bach, Johann Bernhard Bach and Johann Ludwig Bach were talented musicians, and also Johann Sebastian's sons Carl Philip Emmanuel Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Johann Christian Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach and Wilhelm Friedrich Ernst Bach pursued a musical career. Johann Sebastian Bach left us more than one thousand compositions. He himself thought "Das Wohltemperierte Klavier" the pinnacle of his musical career. This work contains 48 preludes and fugues for keyboard (especially harpsichord), two in each major and minor key. Nowadays the most played compositions by J.S. Bach include the Matthäuspassion (BWV 244), the Toccata and Fuga in D Minor (BWV 565), the Brandenburg Concerti (BWV 1046-1051) and the Orchestral Suite number 3 (BWV 1068). Bach's Sonatas and Partitas for solo violin (BWV 1001-1006) were composed between 1703 and 1720. The most famous part is the Ciaccona, the final movement in Partita number 2 in D minor (BWV 1004). Cesarina Ricci de Tingoli (1573-1594?) was an Early Baroque composer. Only fourteen of her madrigals and one dialogue are extant. Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) was a Venetian opera composer. César Franck (1822-1890) was a pianist, organist and composer of the Romantic Era.

From Quiz Notes From a Small Island

Answer: Thomas Arne

The poem was written by James Thompson and exhort the country to become dominant. The words from the poem are 'Rule, Britannia! rule the waves; Britons never will be slaves'. The words are a call to do the best, not a boast that has already been achieved. The first performance of the musical version was in 1740 as part of a masque named 'Alfred', about King Alfred the Great, performed for the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. The song is now an almost permanent fixture in the programme for the annual 'Last Night of the Proms'.

From Quiz Empedocles Goes Classic - Earth

Answer: Antonin Dvorak

A little remark on the orthography of these names. Most of these names use diacritic marks such as the hacek (a little symbol which you can compare to a minuscule v in superscript), which are not always adequately rendered on screen. So I've left out all diacritics - not only in the options, but in this information section too. "From the New World" (I'll spare you the Czech title) is nowadays known as Symphony number 9 in E minor, and is by far the most popular symphony by Antonin Dvorak. It has been called Symphony number 8 by Dvorak himself, while it was the fifth published symphony of his (hence it is sometimes also called Symphony number 5). Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) was a Czech composer famous for his symphonies (especially "From the New World") and the "Slavonic Dances". He also left us a dozen operas. Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869) was a Russian composer. "The Stone Guest" is the highlight of his six operas. Erno Dohnanyi (1877-1960) chose to Germanise his name to Ernst von Dohnanyi. This pianist, conductor and composer is best known for his "Variations on a Nursery Tune". Ivan Dzerzhinsky (1909-1978) was a Russian composer. The pinnacle of his productions was the opera "Quiet Flows the Don".

From Quiz Empedocles Goes Classic - Water

Answer: Odette

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikowsky (1840-1893) was a famous Russian composer. He left us about a dozen operas, three ballets, eight symphonies, orchestral suites, a well known piano concerto, and so on. The ballet "Swan Lake" (1877) relates to an enchanted princess, Odette. An evil magician has put a spell on Odette, so she can only be human at night and will have to spend all day as a white swan. One night Odette meets Siegfried, a beautiful prince, and they fall in love. Odile, the daughter of the evil wizard, stirs up some trouble and seduces Siegfried. Odile is usually called "the black swan", as she resembles Odette very closely - only wearing black instead of white. The other first names were not picked at random. Pierina (Legnani, 1863-1930) and Matilda (Kschessinskaya, 1872-1971) were two of the most famous ballerinas having played the roles of Odile and Odette. Natalie (Portman, born 1981) played a ballerina performing the role of Odette in the movie "Black Swan" by Darren Aronofsky.

From Quiz Empedocles Goes Classic - Air

Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach

The name for this movement fits wonderfully well in this quiz, but it doesn't refer in itself to something above the Earth's surface. 'Air' is simply the English word for the Italian 'aria', which is used to indicate any expressive melody - and usually the most popular pieces of classical music. Suite number 3 in D major was composed for three trumpets, timpani, two oboes, two violins, viola and basso continuo. As the basso continuo is outdated, August Wilhelmj made another arrangement for the "Air" on violin and piano. The BWV indication is typical of the Bach collection. In fact, the letters BWV stand for "Bach Werke Verzeignis" - which can be translated as "List of Bach's works". Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) was a prolific German Baroque composer. If you have the opportunity, go and listen to the "Toccata and Fugue in D minor" in a baroque church. Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835) was an Italian opera composer. One of his best known works is "Norma". Anton Bruckner (1824-1896) was an Austrian composer who left us at least nine symphonies. Arrigo Boito (1842-1918) did compose one opera ("Mefistofele"), but he is better known as the librettist for operas by Alfredo Catalani, Amilcare Ponchielli and Giuseppe Verdi.

From Quiz Empedocles Goes Classic - Fire

Answer: Joan of Arc

All of these have inspired opera composers. But only one of these young women died on a pyre, namely Joan of Arc. The Swiss Arthur Honegger (1892-1955) composed the cantata "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" ("Joan of Arc on the Pyre") in 1935. He also created at least seven operas (including "Antigone") and at least three operettas. The Russian Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) is famous for his three ballets "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker". His opera "Orleanska Demja" ("The Lady of Orleans") relates the life and death of Joan of Arc. Besides these four works, he left us at least ten other operas, symphonic music and a famous overture. The Irish composer Michael Balfe (1808-1870) completed at least 30 operas, including "Joan of Arc" (1837). Rusalka is a water nymph or water sprite that inspired Antonin Dvorak (1841-1904) and Alexander Dargomyzhsky (1813-1869). Antigone, the Greek daughter of Oedipus, inspired composers such as Carl Orff (1895-1982) and Mikis Theodorakis (born 1925). Violetta Valery is the heroin in Giuseppe Verdi's opera "La Traviata" (1853). The same heroine appears under her original name Marguerite Gautier in the ballet by Frederick Ashton (1904-1988).

From Quiz Boom Bang-A-Bang

Answer: The Tempest

The Piano Sonata No. 17, composed in 1801/02, is usually referred to as "The Tempest". This comes from a claim by Anton Schindler that the sonata was inspired by Shakespeare's play. There is no evidence to support this theory, and Beethoven himself never referred to the piece as "The Tempest". The sonata itself consists of three movements and takes around twenty five minutes to perform.

From Quiz Hear, Again?

Answer: Academic Festival Overture, op. 80

Brahms (1833-1897) quite often used and acknowledged material from other composers as well as traditional and folk sources in his works. "The Academic Festival Overture" op. 80 was a musical way of saying "thank you" to the University of Breslau which had awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1879. This overture is completely based on traditional student drinking songs, including "Fuchslied", "Alt Heidelberg", "Wir hatten gebauet ein stattliches Haus" and culminating in the triumphant "Gaudeamus Igitur". In a single movement lasting approximately ten minutes, Brahms evolves and intertwines these songs into an orchestral expression of joy and triumph and the work is quite often performed at European university graduation ceremonies where it takes the same place as Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstances" march has in American ceremonies.

From Quiz Panis Angelicus

Answer: Cesar Franck

First of all, I want to explain the orthography of some of the names stated in the options. When playing in Flash mode style, you might notice that your computer encounters difficulties in rendering diacritic marks (accents, the cedilla, the umlaut or diaeresis, the hacek). So I've left all these marks out of the questions: only the interesting info section shows the correct orthography. Maurice Maeterlinck (1862-1949) was not a composer, but an author. He wrote poems, essays and theatre plays. Several of his plays were set to music by famous twentieth century composers. Let's mention only the best known: Claude Debussy's opera "Pelléas et Mélisande". Eugène Ysaÿe (1858-1931) was a Belgian violinist, composer and music teacher. His "6 Sonatas for Solo Violin" were probably his masterwork. Besides his sonatas, he also composed some poems for violin and orchestra and completed one opera, "Piére li houyeû" in the Walloon language (a Belgian dialect of French). André Grétry (1741-1813) was a Belgian composer of operas comiques (comic operas). Some titles: "Le Huron" based upon a play by Voltaire, "Zémire et Azor" and "Richard Coeur-de-Lion" ("Richard the Lionhearted"). "Panis Angelicus" is a composition by César Franck (1822-1890). César Franck was born in Liège, Belgium, and had Belgian nationality, but stayed most of his life in France. His works include the operas "Hulda" and "Ghiselle" (the latter not to be confused with the better known ballet by Adolphe Adam), the Symphony in D minor, the symphonic poem "Le chasseur maudit" ("The Doomed Hunter") and the motet "Panis Angelicus". "Panis Angelicus" refers to the Transubstantiation in the Holy Eucharist (in the Roman-Catholic view), but has been recorded several times on CD's dedicated to Christmas Carols. The first verse of the lyrics can be translated as "The angelic bread becomes the bread of men".

From Quiz More Classical Composers

Answer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

The pianist in "Shine" is David Helfgott, played by Geoffrey Rush. "Piano Concerto No.3" was first performed by Rachmaninoff himself in New York City in 1909.

From Quiz Music, Maestro!

Answer: Mozart

Not uncommon for that period of time, scatological humour is the most extreme form of lavatorial humour. The magnificent Mozart even wrote at least one piece of music along that vein, the English translation of which would not be suitable for this site.

From Quiz Classical Composers

Answer: Mussorgsky

This piece was never performed in public during his life time. In 1940, Disney Studios included it in their "Fantasia"--it is one of the film's most popular segments.

From Quiz Birthplaces of Composers

Answer: Germany

Mendelssohn was a composer of the early Romantic period. He completed 5 symphonies and perhaps his most recognizable work is the Wedding March from "A Midsummer Night's Dream."

From Quiz Classical Music: Name the Composer 2

Answer: Johann Sebastian Bach

Born in 1685, Bach was also well known for many religous works including "St. Matthew Passion", and "Easter Oratorio".

From Quiz Classical Composers - Odd One Out

Answer: John Adams

This time the three who belong together are from Britain, and the American John Adams is the odd man out. The 1987 opera "Nixon in China," a dramatization of President Nixon's 1972 diplomatic visit to China, is one of Adams' best-known works. The libretto was written by by Alice Goodman. Adams visited my alma mater in 1997 or thereabouts while I was a music student. (The local orchestra performed his "Slonimsky's Earbox" while he was in town.) If I recall correctly, he said that he considers himself a "post-minimalist." If you want to learn more about Adams' music, I recommend listening to "John's Book of Alleged Dances" as performed by the Kronos String Quartet - it's an excellent piece.

From Quiz Classical Music: Name the Composer 1

Answer: Joseph Haydn

Born in 1732, this classical period composer wrote several symphonys, and was the Kappellmeister for the Esterhazy court in the Hungarian portion of the Habsburg Empire.

From Quiz Ninth Symphonies

Answer: Vaughan Williams

His seventh has an evocative title also: "Sinfonia Antarctica". Vaughan Williams is largely thought of as being an adherent to the British 'pastoral' tradition and much of his music supports this pigeon-holing ("A Pastoral Symphony", "The Lark Ascending", "Fantasia on Greensleeves" etc.). However, some of his symphonies--notably the fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth--show a different, more serious, introspective and exploring side of his personality.

From Quiz Various Composers

Answer: Equal temperament

Equal temperament was in fact discovered by Pythagoras.

From Quiz Which Composer?

Answer: Wagner

Born in 1813, he decided to become a composer when he heard Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony". Franz Liszt conducted the first performance of "Lohengrin" at the Wiemar in 1850. He died in 1883.

From Quiz Well Known Classical Composers

Answer: Tchaikovsky

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky is probably most famous for his "white" ballets: "Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty", and his least favorite "The Nutcracker".

From Quiz Lesser-Known Classical Composers

Answer: Frederic Delius

His wealthy Prussian parents settled in England where he was born. Even though he studied in Leipzig and Paris and traveled Europe after his marriage, he wrote numerous pieces based on British themes.

From Quiz About the Composers and their Works

Answer: Appalachian Spring

Aaron Copland wrote "Ballet for Martha" whilst in Mexico; it was only when he returned from there to drop into rehearsals that he found out that Martha Graham had renamed it "Appalachian Spring."

From Quiz Quotations By And About Composers No. 2

Answer: Mahler

Mahler conducted the New York Philharmonic and The Metropolitan Opera when he was in New York.

From Quiz Quotations By And About Composers No. 1

Answer: Chopin

Liszt was a great admirer of Chopin's music, but the feeling was not reciprocated by Chopin.

From Quiz Composers And Their Music

Answer: Paderewski

Paderewski also wrote many pieces for piano, a piano concerto, and opera.

From Quiz Another Musical Alphabet

Answer: Leonard Bernstein

Bernstein wrote the score, and some of the lyrics, to "West Side Story", as well as musicals, several symphonies, choral works, and the ballet "Fancy Free". He died in 1990.

From Quiz The "D" Composers

Answer: Gaetano DONIZETTI

Gaetano Donizetti was born in Bergamo in 1797. He principally composed operas, though he also composed some art songs, church music, 12 string quartets, and some orchestral works. Because his parents were opposed to him having a musical career, Donizetti entered the Austrian (!) army and composed when he was off-duty. From 1818 to 1844, this soldier composed over 60 operas! He died in Bergamo in 1848.

From Quiz Birthplaces of Famous Composers

Answer: Warsaw

Frederic François Chopin (1810-1849). Born: Warsaw, Poland. Chopin was born on Feburary 22. All of his great works were composed in only 39 years. He died October 17, 1849.

From Quiz The Brahms/Wagner Battles

Answer: Franz Liszt

The nicest thing Wagner ever said about anyone was in a note to Liszt after the Hungarian composer had premiered his opera 'Lohengrin'. Wagner said: "If you hadn't played that piece I would probably have taken my own life." Then he thanked Liszt profusely.

From Quiz Nasty Quotes About Composers

Answer: Richard Wagner

Wagner's music was quite revolutionary in its time and met with a great deal of rebuke. Another favorite quote of mine came from Rossini, who said that "One cannot judge Wagner's 'Lohengrin' after a first hearing, and I certainly don't intend hearing it a second time."

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