Great Choral Music Trivia Quiz

Answer: Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina

Palestrina had been appointed director of the "Capella Julianna" in 1551. Upon the issuance of the Pope's statement, he undertook to write a mass which would embody these principles. Sadly, Pope Marcellus never lived to hear the "Missa Papae Marcelli".

His successor, Pope Paul IV, disapproved of married men singing in church services, whereupon Palestrina left his post and succeeded Orlando di Lasso as musical director at St. John Lateran. His massive choral output, most of it sacred, includes numerous masses, Magnificats, a Stabat Mater, hundreds of motets, "spiritual" (as well as secular) madrigals, and a setting of the Biblical "Song of Songs".

Answer: Heinrich Schutz

A pupil of Giovanni Gabrieli, Schutz is regarded as the greatest German composer before Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to the above mentioned works, he composed settings of the Magnificat in both German and Latin, the "Musicalische Exequien" of 1636 which he described as a "concert in the form of a German funeral mass", and the remarkable "Saul, Saul" which describes the conversion of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus.

Answer: Claudio Monteverdi

Monteverdi's "Orfeo" and "L'Incoronazione di Poppea" are generally regarded as the first real operatic masterpeces and are still performed today. As would be true of his successors, Rossini and Verdi, he maintained his operatic style of composition in his sacred music; the "Vespro" and the collection of sacred pieces entitled "Selva Morale e Spirituale" have numerous solos which require considerable virtuosity.

Answer: Matthew and John

The "St. Matthew Passion" features a magnificent eight part opening and closing chorus, the great alto aria "Erbarme Dich, Mein Gott" ("Have Mercy on Me, My God") with its memorable violin solo, the soprano's poignant "Aus Liebe Will Mein Heiland Sterben" ("Of Love My Savior Now is Dying") and numerous settings of the great passion chorale "O Haupt Voll Blut und Wunden" ("O Head Bloodied and Wounded").

The shorter and smaller-scaled "St. John Passion" features the powerful opening chorus "Herr, Unser Herrscher" ("Lord, Our Master") with its striking opening dissonances, the great bass aria "Betrachte, Meine Seele" and alto aria "Es Ist Vollbracht" ("It is Finished"), and the moving final chorus "Ruhe Voll" ("Rest Well").

Answer: Israel in Egypt

"Israel in Egypt" deals with the oppression and enslavement of the Hebrew people in Egypt, the ten plagues, the exodus from Egypt, and the crossing of the Red Sea. The chorus "He Spake the Word" describes the plague of flies and lice, which are depicted by the violins, and of locusts, depicted by the lower strings. Hail and fire are depicted in another chorus by timpani and brass.

This work contains what many musicologists believe to be possibly Handel's greatest chorus: "The People Shall Hear", which musically depicts the "melting away" of the inhabitants of Canaan.

Answer: False

The "Hallelujah" chorus is undoubtedly the best-known and most widely performed piece from "Messiah", but it does not conclude the work. The concluding chorus is the mighty "Worthy is the Lamb", which ends with the great "Amen" fugue. The "Hallelujah" chorus, which proved so stirring at the first performance that King George voluntarily rose to his feet, followed by the audience (a tradition continued today at many performances), concludes the second section of the "Messiah", which deals with the Passion and Resurrection of Christ.

It is not a Christmas piece, though it is often performed as one.

Answer: Chaos

Haydn's oratorio begins with a vivid orchestral depiction of the chaos from which the world was formed. It proceeds to tell the story of creation in music that runs the gamut from pastoral (the soprano aria "In Verdure Clad") to quasi-comedic (the bass aria "Rolling in Foaming Billows") to majestic (the great choruses "Acheived is the Glorious Work" and "The Heavens are Telling").

Answer: The "Lord Nelson" mass

The "Lord Nelson" mass is the work of Haydn, who dedicated it to Admiral Horatio Nelson. Haydn was an admirer of the British military hero and actually met him on one occasion. The other three masses are by Mozart; the "Coronation" mass was performed at the coronation of Francis I in 1792, the "Credo" mass is named for the striking opening of the Credo section, and the "Sparrow" mass, the composer's shortest setting of the mass, is so named for the "birdlike" figure in the string accompaniment of the "Sanctus".

Answer: Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei

When Mozart died, the Requiem was completed, orchestration and all, up to part of the way through the "Lacrymosa" (the last movement of the "Dies Irae"). It was left to his friend and pupil Sussmayer to finish the "Lacrymosa" from Mozart's notes, also to orchestrate the two movements of the "Offertorium" for which Mozart had completed only the vocal parts.

The "Sanctus", "Benedictus", and "Agnus Dei" are generally believed to have been composed entirely by Sussmayer, though he may have drawn inspiration from Mozart's rough sketches.

The "Lux Aeterna" uses music from the beginning of the work (the "Introit" and "Kyrie") to set the text of the final movement of the Requiem.

Answer: Missa Solemnis

This mighty work is generally regarded as the greatest setting of the Mass along with Bach's "Mass in B Minor".

Answer: Schiller

Beethoven greatly admired Schiller's lengthy 1785 poem "An die Freude" and had intended to one day set it verse by verse. Eventually, he settled on a somewhat shortened version of the text for his mighty 1823 "Choral" symphony (No. 9). The last of the composer's symphonies, he was almost completely deaf at the time of its premiere.

Answer: Hector Berlioz

Absurd and overblown as all this may sound, Berlioz uses the brasses with great restraint and the two sections in question (the "Domine Jesu" and the "Hostias", which comprise the Offertorium) actually sound far less bizarre than one might think. The reiterated two notes of the "Domine Jesu" are sung over an expressive orchestral fugato.

The orchestration of the "Hostias" for three flutes and eight low trombones achieves a uniquely solemn effect. Berlioz was quite fond of this work and, towards the end of his life, said that "If I were threatened with the destruction of all my works, I would plead for mercy for the 'Messe des Morts'".

Answer: All of these

Brahms used Luther's translation of Biblical texts from both the Old and the New Testaments as the text for this remarkable work. A lifelong agnostic and freethinker, Brahms was disgusted by the rise of anti-Semitism in Austria following the collapse of liberalism in the last years of the nineteenth century.

He wanted the work to have as broad an appeal as possible, even to avoiding passages which mentioned Jesus by name. References to the Last Judgement, which had hitherto formed the heart of most Requiems, are largely absent apart from a reference to the Last Trumpet in the sixth movement. Brahms' mother died in 1865; less than 10 years before the composer had suffered the loss of his dear friend and fellow composer Robert Schumann, who had long struggled with both physical and mental illness.

They were both very much in the forefront of Brahms' mind during this work's composition.

Answer: Rossini and Verdi

Rossini, principally known for his comic operas, used the tragic Latin poem, the "Stabat Mater", for his one major sacred choral work (he also wrote a "Petite Messe Solenelle"). The extensive solo writing in this work is entirely in the operatic style; any of the arias would sound equally at home in "William Tell" or "Semiramide".

There is some powerful choral writing, however, such as the opening chorus and the "Quando Corpus Morietur". The Verdi Requiem began as a single piece he wrote for a projected "Requiem per Rossini" on the occasion of Rossini's death in 1868; this was to have been a collaborative effort on the part of nearly every major composer of the period. Verdi himself contributed the "Libera Me", the final movement. For various reasons, the "Requiem per Rossini" never came about (though it was largely reconstructed for a performance in the 1980's). Upon the death of the great Italian author, Allesandro Manzoni in 1873, Verdi (a great admirer of Manzoni's) expanded upon the "Libera Me" he had already written for Rossini (which contained the germ of the "Dies Irae", the work's central section), wrote the additional sections of the Mass, and presented his "Manzoni Requiem" in 1874. Verdi's other choral music includes the "Quattro Pezzi Sacri" ("Four Sacred Pieces"), which comprises his own setting of the "Stabat Mater", an "Ave Maria" written on a "scala enigmatico" that he had come across in a newspaper, the "Laudi della Beata Vergine" for women's voices with text from Dante's "Paradiso", and a "Te Deum", considered to be one of his finest works.

Answer: Anton Bruckner

Bruckner was a devout Catholic and his religious faith informs his symphonic, as well as his choral music. He was especially proud of his "Te Deum", which he considered his greatest work and dedicated it to God "in gratitude, because my persecutors have not yet managed to finish me off."

Answer: Gustav Mahler

Mahler's second, third, and eighth symphonies utilize chorus and soloists in their final movements. The "Resurrection" symphony, No. 2, uses texts from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" as well as Klopstock's "Resurrection Ode". The Third Symphony ends with a soprano soloist and chorus, again using a text from "Des Knaben Wunderhorn".

The massive Eighth Symphony, called the "Symphony of a Thousand", uses chorus and soloists throughout and uses the text of the Latin hymn "Veni Creator Spiritus", as well as texts from Goethe's "Faust".

Answer: Fortune

The piece opens with the powerful "O Fortuna" chorus, followed by "Fortuna plango vulnera" ("I weep at Fortune's wounds"), which tells of the fickle and uncertain character of fortune. The next section is "Primo Vere" (Spring) which deals with the annual rebirth of nature and the earth, followed by "Uf den Anger" ("On the Green") a series of dances and songs dealing with the awakening of desire. "In Taberna" ("In the Tavern"), the fourth section, includes songs about gambling, a lament sung by a roasting swan (!), and ends with a chorus in which the men drink to the health of everyone and everything imaginable.

The fifth section "Cours D'Amour" ("The Court of Love") is a series of songs extolling the joys, pains, and pleasures of love. A paen to "Blanziflor and Helena" at the end of this section leads to a reprise of "O Fortuna" which ends the work.

The text is from a collection of medieval poems of Italian, French, and German origin from the Benediktbeuern.

Answer: William Walton

This remarkable works relates the story of the ill-fated banquet at which the Babylonian King Belshazzar angered the God of the Hebrews by profaning the gold and silver vessels he had plundered from the temple of Jerusalem. Belshazzar used the vessels, along with his princes, wives, and concubines to toast the Babylonian gods. Shortly afterwards apeared the famous "handwriting on the wall" which presaged the king's impending doom; that night, he would be overthrown and killed by his captives. The piece begins with a quotation of Isaiah's prophecy of the Babylonian captivity, followed by a setting of Psalm 137: "By the waters of Babylon".

A description of the splendors of Babylon follows, with the narrative of the notorious feast, in which the Babylonian gods of silver (represented by flutes, triangle, and glockenspiel), iron (represented by the anvil), wood (xylophone and woodblocks), stone (slapsticks), and brass (double brass choirs) are saluted.

The story of the ghostly handwriting, Belshazzar's overthrow and death follow and the piece ends with an extended anthem of praise.

Answer: Benjamin Britten

Britten was one of the most prolific composers of choral music in the 20th century and possibly the greatest. "Rejoice in the Lamb" is a brief cantata based on the poetry of the brilliant, but mentally unbalanced English poet Christopher Smart. "A Ceremony of Carols" is a setting for treble chorus and harp of several medieval Christmas carol texts.

The "Five Flower Songs", for a capella chorus, are settings of poems describing different flowers by poets as diverse as Robert Herrick and George Crabbe (whose poem "The Borough" provided the plot of Britten's opera "Peter Grimes").

The powerful "War Requiem" was written for the rededication of Coventry Cathedral in 1961 (Coventry Cathedral had been severely damaged during the Second World War). Britten's other choral works include the "Festival Te Deum", the "Hymn to Saint Cecilia", and the Missa Brevis.

Answer: Aaron Copland

"In the Beginning" is a cantata for mixed chorus and mezzo-soprano soloist using the text of the Book of Genesis. The piece is polytonal and uses elements ranging from jazz to traditional American hymnody. Copland's choral works also include three early motets which he wrote under the tutelage of Nadia Boulanger and choral settings of his "American Songs", which include "Simple Gifts", "By the River", "I Bought Me a Cat", and "Ching a Ring Chaw".

Answer: Hebrew

Bernstein's "Chichester Psalms" was commissioned by the Dean of Chichester Cathedral. It was written to be sung, following Anglican tradition, by a men's and boy's choir with male treble soloists; however, the decision to compose the psalms in the original Hebrew was unorthodox and must have been a surprise for the cathedral choir. Bernstein set Psalms 100, 23, 2, and 131.

He begins the work with a quotation from Psalm 108 ("Awake psaltery and harp, I will arouse the dawn!") and ends with a quotation from Psalm 133 ("Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."). Particularly striking is the tranquil setting of Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd") for treble solo and chorus, which is violently interrupted halfway through by an explosive setting of Psalm 2 ("Why do the nations rage").

Answer: Francis Poulenc

Poulenc underwent a religious resurgence in 1936 following a visit to the shrine of Notre Dame de Rocmadour (the "vierge noir" or "black virgin") which was reinforced by the tragic death of his friend Octave Ferround at about the same time. His music, which had previously been predominantly frivolous and rather droll, became more serious and he composed a large body of sacred choral works, as well as the 1957 opera "Dialogues des Carmelites", which deals with the martyrdom of a community of Carmelite nuns during the Reign of Terror. Even his most sacred works, however, retain some intriguing characteristics of his previous demi-mondaine style.

Answer: Sergei Rachmaninoff

Rachmaninoff considered these two pieces to be his finest works, even above his celebrated piano concertos. The "Vespers" were written in 1915 for a post-WWI fundraising concert. Rachmaninoff uses elements of Russian Orthodox chant and folk music. His particular favorite was No. 5, "Now lettest thou thy servant depart in piece", which calls for a considerably low-voiced men's section (typical of Russian church music). Rachmaninoff had wanted this performed at his funeral, which was impossible since it was not a part of the liturgy for the dead. "The Bells", which Rachmaninoff referred to as a "choral symphony", was written two years before the "Vespers" in 1913 in response to an admirer's request that he compose a setting of the Edgar Allen Poe poem. Written to a Russian translation of the text, the work has also been performed in English.

Answer: Dies Irae

The "Dies Irae", whose lengthy text details the terror and despair of the Last Judgement, had been the centerpiece of most settings of the Catholic Requiem mass. Faure's luminous 1893 Requiem omits this section (though the "Dies Irae" text appears briefly in the "Libera Me", which was also set by Durufle); the tone of the work is more an expression of consolation and the promise of celestial peace, which is memorably embodied in the "Pie Jesu", the "Agnus Dei", and the "In paradisum" .

The twentieth century composer Maurice Durufle (a student of Faure)composed his Requiem in the wake of WWII (1947).

The tone and form of the work recalls Faure, however Durufle's work is distinguished by the extensive use of Gregorian Chant melody, which is also true of his "Quatre Motets" and Messe "Cum Jubilo".

Answer: Igor Stravinsky

This work was composed in 1930 and is one of Stravinsky's most admired works, having been immediatedly preceded by "Persephone" and the opera "Oedipus Rex". The piece uses the symphonic three-movement form and comprises settings of Psalms 38, 39, and 150. Stravinsky uses the Latin text from the Vulgate, though the character of his settings strongly recalls the Old Testament.