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Quiz about Symphonies by their common titles

Symphonies by their common titles Quiz

There are two or three other quizzes similar to this one (not written by me). I will give you the popular name of the symphony (whether attributed by the public or by the composer), and you give me the composer.

A multiple-choice quiz by carefreeeeee. Estimated time: 3 mins.

Author
carefreeeeee

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
130,029

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Tough

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
548

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Who wrote the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"? Hint

Gorecki

Kodaly

Ligeti

Penderecki

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Question 2 of 10

2. Who wrote the symphony called "And God Created Great Whales"? Hint

Feldman

Cowell

Hovahness

Babbitt

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Question 3 of 10

3. Whose first symphony was called "A Sea Symphony"? Hint

Taylor-Coleridge

Elgar

Vaughan Williams

Stanford

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Question 4 of 10

4. Who wrote "A Low Symphony"? Hint

Glass

Riley

Eno

Grainger

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Question 5 of 10

5. Who wrote "Symphony on a French Mountain Air"? Hint

D'Indy

Dukas

Franck

Grainger

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Question 6 of 10

6. Who wrote the "Baba Yar" symphony? Hint

Gubaidulina

Liadov

Shostakovich

Ippolitov-Ianov

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Question 7 of 10

7. Who called one of his symphonies "Divine Poem"? Hint

Scriabin

Wagner

Mahler

Medtner

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Question 8 of 10

8. Whose fourth symphony is "The Lyrical" and fifth symphony is "The Heroic"? Hint

Glazunov

Balakirev

Grechaninov

Borodin

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Question 9 of 10

9. Who wrote the "Icelandic" symphony? Hint

Varese

Rautavaara

Cowell

Finland

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Question 10 of 10

10. Who wrote the "In The Alps" symphony? Hint

R. Strauss

Hovahness

Reger

Raff

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Who wrote the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"?

Answer: Gorecki

It's his third symphony, and remarkably slow and beautiful. I can recommend the version with Dawn Upshaw singing the soprano part. Some of the text was based on a female prisoner's scratchings on a wall at a WWII concentration camp.

2. Who wrote the symphony called "And God Created Great Whales"?

Answer: Hovahness

Alan Hovahness, prolific composer of well over 100 symphonies, also had symphony titles "Mount St. Helens" and "Eternal Light".

3. Whose first symphony was called "A Sea Symphony"?

Answer: Vaughan Williams

My favorite part is when the chorus first come in: "Behold...... the sea!!!!!!"

4. Who wrote "A Low Symphony"?

Answer: Glass

"Minimalist" Philip Glass (shhhhh! they don't like being called that) wrote this Low Symphony based on themes of David Bowie (off of Bowie's album "Low") and influential rock producer Brian Eno. I don't like it very much.

5. Who wrote "Symphony on a French Mountain Air"?

Answer: D'Indy

Only a French composer would write a symphony based on a French mountain song. This symphony is notable mostly for its scoring of a prominent piano part (more than Saint-Saens' Organ symphony).

6. Who wrote the "Baba Yar" symphony?

Answer: Shostakovich

Besides his famous "Leningrad" symphony, others of Shostakovich's are called "To October", "May Day", "The Year 1905", and "The Year 1917".

7. Who called one of his symphonies "Divine Poem"?

Answer: Scriabin

Scriabin was a kook. Unfortunately, most geniuses are. He envisioned a synthesis of the senses in art on a much grander, spiritual, and personal scale than Wagner did. He almost succeeded - I highly suggest a performance of "Prometheus" that is accompanied by the visual instruments written into the score.

8. Whose fourth symphony is "The Lyrical" and fifth symphony is "The Heroic"?

Answer: Glazunov

9. Who wrote the "Icelandic" symphony?

Answer: Cowell

Very few people know that Cowell was an immensely prolific composer, including 17 symphonies!

10. Who wrote the "In The Alps" symphony?

Answer: Raff

Raff can be viewed as a 'typical' Romantic composer. Very programmatic, loved nature, heavy on the melodic line. He was very successful during his time, but mostly forgotten today. His symphonies 9 through 12 bear the names of each of the seasons.

Source: Author carefreeeeee

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