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Debussy Trivia Quiz

Composer Claude Debussy was in the forefront of early 20th Century composers who took music into the modern age.

A multiple-choice quiz by tjoebigham. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
tjoebigham

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
36,299

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
1268

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. When was Debussy born? Hint

1847

1880

1890

1862

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Question 2 of 15

2. What was the instrument he played and wrote for primarily? Hint

trombone

clarinet

piano

tuba

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Question 3 of 15

3. What piano piece was inspired by an old Breton legend? Hint

'Masques'

'Clouds'

'Sirens'

'The Engulfed Cathedral'

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Question 4 of 15

4. What piano suite of Debussy's includes a piece inspired by American minstrel shows and the 'golliwog' doll? Hint

'Images'

'Jewel Box'

'Children's Corner'

'Nocturnes'

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Question 5 of 15

5. Who wrote the poem that inspired Debussy's best known work, 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun'? Hint

Stephane Mallarme

Paul Verlaine

Arthur Rimbaud

Paul Valery

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Question 6 of 15

6. What famed dancer choreographed Debussy's work? Hint

Anna Pavlova

Vaclav Nijinsky

Isadora Duncan

Ruth St. Denis

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Question 7 of 15

7. What German composer was an early influence on Debussy? Hint

Brahms

Bach

Beethoven

Wagner

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Question 8 of 15

8. Name Debussy's only opera. (Please type the English name, and use no accents.)

Answer: (Three Words)

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Question 9 of 15

9. What Christian martyr inspired Debussy to write a Cantata? Hint

Stephen

Joan of Arc

Peter

Sebastian

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Question 10 of 15

10. What orchestral piece utilized women's wordless voices? Hint

Sarabande

Sirens

Gigues

Printemps

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Question 11 of 15

11. Besides 'Prelude', name the other well known large-scale orchestral work by Debussy. Hint

'Bolero'

'La Mer'

'La Valse'

'Daphnis and Chloe'

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Question 12 of 15

12. Another Greek myth inspired this work for solo flute. Name it.

Answer: (One Word)

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Question 13 of 15

13. One of his last works for orchestra, Debussy wrote this ballet for Sergei Diaghilev: Hint

'Parade'

'The Firebird'

'Jeux'

'The Three-Cornered Hat'

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Question 14 of 15

14. What piano works by another French composer did Debussy orchestrate? Hint

'Gaspard de la Nuit'

'Gymnop�dies'

'Marche Joyeux'

'Pavane'

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Question 15 of 15

15. When did Debussy die? Hint

1916

1922

1918

1909

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Dec 11 2024 : Guest 172: 7/15
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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When was Debussy born?

Answer: 1862

Debussy's benchmark efforts actually began in the 1890s.

2. What was the instrument he played and wrote for primarily?

Answer: piano

Though best known for his orchestral music, Debussy first made his name with his piano scores.

3. What piano piece was inspired by an old Breton legend?

Answer: 'The Engulfed Cathedral'

Lalo wrote an opera on the legend, but Debussy's piece, one of the most beautiful ever written, is the one best known today.

4. What piano suite of Debussy's includes a piece inspired by American minstrel shows and the 'golliwog' doll?

Answer: 'Children's Corner'

It was 'Golliwog's Cake Walk', and the doll belonged to Debussy's daughter. He also wrote another piece on the subject, 'Minstrels'.

5. Who wrote the poem that inspired Debussy's best known work, 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun'?

Answer: Stephane Mallarme

The poem has been overshadowed by the music, as Bizet's opera has overshadowed Merimee's original 'Carmen'.

6. What famed dancer choreographed Debussy's work?

Answer: Vaclav Nijinsky

The great Nijinsky created a ballet for 'Prelude' before his shocking 'Rite Of Spring' (set to Stravinsky's earth-shaking score). Jerome Robbins of 'West Side Story' fame also did a ballet to 'Prelude'.

7. What German composer was an early influence on Debussy?

Answer: Wagner

Wagner's 'Tristan and Isolde' also experimented with atonality; Debussy, though, shook off the influence. He did quote a bit from 'Tristan' in 'Golliwog'.

8. Name Debussy's only opera. (Please type the English name, and use no accents.)

Answer: Pelleas et Melisande

The Greek myth has inspired many a composer, including Debussy's fellow composer Faure.

9. What Christian martyr inspired Debussy to write a Cantata?

Answer: Sebastian

It was 'The Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian', recorded by Leonard Bernstein in its' debut on disc.

10. What orchestral piece utilized women's wordless voices?

Answer: Sirens

Based on the Greek myth of the Sirens, it was the third piece of Debussy's 'Nocturnes', and inspired Gustav Holst's 'Neptune' from his 'Planets' suite.

11. Besides 'Prelude', name the other well known large-scale orchestral work by Debussy.

Answer: 'La Mer'

The other three are by Ravel!

12. Another Greek myth inspired this work for solo flute. Name it.

Answer: Syrinx

From the myth of the nymph Syrinx whose sisters turned her into a reed to escape Pan's pursuit.

13. One of his last works for orchestra, Debussy wrote this ballet for Sergei Diaghilev:

Answer: 'Jeux'

'Jeux' took the form of a tennis game (the others were composed by Stravinsky, De Falla and Satie).

14. What piano works by another French composer did Debussy orchestrate?

Answer: 'Gymnop�dies'

Debussy orchestrated Erik Satie's first and third Gymnop�dies (not the Ravel, Chabrier and Faure works).

15. When did Debussy die?

Answer: 1918

He died when World War One was raging, but his work would leave a mark on music for years to come.

Source: Author tjoebigham

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