Parts of a Whole Trivia Quiz

Answer: "Messiah" by Handel

"Messiah" premiered in Dublin in 1742. The piece is in three parts. Part 1 covers prophecies about Jesus' birth and the story of that event. Part 2 covers Jesus' death and resurrection, including "The Hallelujah Chorus," which is probably the most famous piece in the oratorio. Part 3 reflects on the act of redemption and anticipates Christ's second coming. "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" is a beautiful soprano aria at the beginning of Part III.

Answer: "The Planets" by Holst

Holst wrote the 7-movement suite between 1914 and 1916. Each movement is named after one of the planets and is supposed to embody the main characteristics of that planet: Mars (the bringer of war), Venus (the bringer of peace), Mercury (the winged messenger), Jupiter (the bringer of jollity), Saturn (the bringer of old age), Uranus (the magician), and Neptune (the mystic).

Answer: "Porgy and Bess" by Gershwin

"Porgy and Bess" is a folk opera composed by George Gershwin, with "Summertime" opening Act 1. According to Wikipedia, as of 20917 the song has been covered by more than 33,000 groups or solo performers.

Answer: "Il Trovatore" by Verdi

The chorus is also referred to as the gypsy chorus or "Vedi! le fosche notturne spoglie." The music is from Act 2, Scene 1 of "Il Trovatore" and depicts Spanish gypsies striking their anvils at dawn. In the Marx brothers' movie "The Cocoanuts," Harpo and Chico play the piece on a cash register.

Answer: "The Nutcracker" by Tchaikovsky

"The Nutcracker" is a favorite ballet around Christmas. Clara is given a nutcracker for Christmas. He turns into a Prince and they take a fantastic journey. Other famous pieces from the work are "March of the Toy Soldiers" and "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Answer: "Pictures at an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky

"Pictures at an Exhibition" is a series of 10 pieces inspired the the artwork of Mussorgsky's good friend Viktor Hartmann, who died at age 39. "The Bogatyr Gates" is the final piece and is based on Hartmann's design for the city gates at Kiev in honor of Tsar Alexander II. The gates were never built.

Answer: "Lucia di Lammermoor" by Donizetti

"Lucia di Lammermoor" is a Romeo-and-Juliet story set in Scotland written in Italian. Lucia looses her sanity when she is separated from her lover and forced to marry another nobleman. The mad scene (officially titled "Il dolce suono") is a technically demanding work that has been recordeed by many famous opera singers, including Joan Sutherland and Maria Callas.

Answer: Symphony No. 9 in D minor by Beethoven

Beethoven's Ninth is also called the "Choral Symphony" because it was the first symphony to incorporate a chorus of voices. "Ode to Joy" is found in the final movement of the symphony. It is based on a poem written by Friedrich Schiller. In 1907, Presbyterian minister Henry van Dyke wrote the hymn "Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee," which is sung to the same melody.

Answer: "Carmen" by Bizet

The "Toreador Song" is the popular name for "Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre." It appears in Act 2 of the opera, as Escamillo, a bullfigher, enters and introduces himself.

Answer: Requiem in D minor, Op. 48 by Faure

"Requiem" is based on the Catholic funeral mass. "In Paradisum" is the final chorus and celebrates the entrance into heaven. The beautiful music expresses the attitude Faure said he wished to convey in the piece: "It is thus that I see death: as a happy deliverance, an aspiration towards happiness above, rather than as a painful experience."