The "D" Composers Trivia Quiz

Answer: Claude DEBUSSY

Claude Achille Debussy was born in St. Germain-en-Laye in 1862. He had little formal education as a child, eventually entering the Paris Conservatoire in 1873. He won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1884 for his cantata "LEnfant prodigue." Debussy's music has come to be termed 'Impressionistic' because of his association and collaboration with those French artists from the Impressionist movement (the poet Paul Verlaine, for example). He became more associated with the 'Symbolists' in his later years, leading to his composing 'l'après-midi' (after a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé) and the opera 'Pelléas' with Belgian Symbolist Maeterlinck as the librettist. Vocally speaking, Debussy did not make much of a contribution to opera, but is known for his numerous mélodies, 26 of which were dedicated to his 'muse' Madame Vasnier, a light soprano patroness. This self-acclaimed 'musicien français' died in Paris in 1918.

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.

Answer: Léo DELIBES

Léo (né Clément Philibert) Delibes was born in St. Germain-du-Val near Le Mans, in 1836. The composer and organist studied at the Paris Conservatoire 1848-52. He then became the Théatre Lyrique's accompanist in 1853. He became 2nd chorusmaster at L'Opéra Comique in 1865, so it is surprising that his only contribution to the operatic genre was "Lakmé".

He had also written the 5-act opera "Kassya," which was completed by Jules Massenet and staged in 1893. "Coppélia" is one of his most well-known ballets, while "Les filles de Cadix" is the most famous of his 15 songs.

He bit the dust in Paris in 1891.

Answer: Antonín DVORAK

Antonín Dvořak was born in 1841 in Nelahozeves, Bohemia of the former Czechoslovakia. Son of the village butcher, Dvořak helped in the shop and also showed some talent as a violinist when he was a child. He studied the viola, organ, piano, and counterpoint when he was sent to live with relatives in Zlonice at 14. He eventually played viola in the Prague National Theatre under Bedrich Smetana's baton (1866-73). Though he is most famous for his opera "Rusalka" (and its hauntingly beautiful 'Song to the Moon') composed in 1900, his first opera was "Alfred," (1870). Not only did he compose operas, but he also composed many symphonies (the 'New World' being the most famous); orchestral works (also with soloists); choral, chamber, and piano music, as well as songs.

Dvořak was accorded an honorary Doctor of Music from Cambridge in 1891. A year later, he came to New York as director of the National Conservatory of Music after accepting its founder - Jeanette Thurber's - invitation. He remained for 3 years, composing some of his finest works, including the 'New World' Symphony, which is based upon the Negro spiritual "Goin' Home". As a matter of fact, the composer loved 'Negro' music so much, that he publicly suggested that this type of music is (and should be adopted as) American folk music. Unfortunately for him, this controversial comment was eventually the reason why he returned to Prague in 1895. He became the director of the Prague Conservatory in 1901, dying there in 1904.

Answer: Alexander DHARGOMYZHSKY

Russian composer Alexander Dhargomyzhsky was born in Tula in 1813. Though he studied music in his youth, he was a civil servant until 1843. He did, however, begin to seriously compose music after meeting Glinka in 1834. His first opera, "Esmeralda," based on Hugo's 'Hunchback,' was composed in 1840, but not produced until 1847, when it was deemed a failure. The next one, "Rusalka," based on Pushkin, was produced successfully in 1856. He began another, "The Stone Guest" (based on the old Don Juan legend), in the 1860's that was later finished by Cui and orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov. Dhargomyzhsky died in St. Petersburg in 1869, having also composed nearly 100 songs.

Answer: Luigi DENZA

Luigi Denza was born in Castellamare du Stabia in Naples, Italy in 1846. Though he wrote opera and 600 popular songs, he is best known for the tarantella "Funiculì, Funiculà". The song was composed in 1880 for the opening of the Naples funicular railway. Denza died in London in 1922.

Answer: Charles DIBDIN

Charles Dibdin was born in Southampton, England, in 1745. Not only was he a composer, but also an impresario, and singer, having been a choirboy at the Winchester Cathedral (1756-9). He began 'table entertainments' in 1789, at which he sang his own songs. These two most popular, 'Aberdovey', is from a 1785 Drury Lane production of "Liberty Hall", and "Tom Bowling" is from the 1789 Lyceum Theatre production of "The Oddities". He died in London in 1814.

Answer: Luigi DALLAPICCOLA

Italian composer and pianist Luigi Dallapiccola was born in Pisino d'Istria in 1904. At the time of his birth, Pisino d'Istria was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, being transferred to Italy in 1918 (now in Yugoslavia). Because Dallapiccola's father was suspected of Italian nationalism in 1917, the whole family was forcibly moved to Graz, where the young composer learned to love opera.

He entered the Conservatorio Cherubini in 1922 in Florence. He is known as the principal composer to adopt 12-tone methods, although he did not adopt dodecaphony until he was almost 40. (Having seen a production of Schoenberg's "Pierrot Lunaire" in 1924 was indubitably a major influence). Dodecaphony and latent Italian lyricism are wonderfully combined in "Canti di prigionia", composed 1938-41.

The opera "Il prigionero", composed from 1944-8, uses his own brand of serialism. In addition to opera, Dallapiccola was also known for his songs and many orchestral works. He died in Florence in 1975.

Answer: Frederick DELIUS

Though Frederick Delius was born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1862, his musical style can hardly be generalized as 'English.' Eclectic or worldly would probably be a better choice. His parents were German immigrants who were well-to-do wool merchants. He spent some time in the U.S: in Florida, he grew oranges, but mostly concentrated on music, even teaching in Jacksonville, and later Virginia, as well as a short stint in New York.

He went to the Leipzig Conservatory for further work in 1887, eventually settled in France, and married artist Jelka Rosen. Both he and his wife spoke English, German, French, and some Scandinavian languages.

His songs are in Norwegian, Danish, as well as the three mentioned previously. His most famous opera was "A Village Romeo and Juliet", composed 1900-01; his most famous orchestral piece the "Florida Suite" (1886-7), and composed several songs for voice and orchestra as well as voice and piano (the 'Norwegian Songs' being composed 1889-90).

He also composed concertos, chamber music, and solo piano music. Delius died in 1934 in Grez-sur-Loing, a French city near Fontainebleu, where he and his wife had settled.

Answer: Paul DUKAS

Paul Dukas was born in Paris in 1865, having studied at the Paris Conservatoire from 1882 to 1889; he won second prize in the prestigious Prix de Rome competition in 1888. His early works were influenced by Wagner. His first major success was with "L'Apprenti Sorcier" in 1897, an orchestral scherzo. Perhaps his finest and most famous work is the opera "Ariane et Barbe-Bleu" in 1907, based on a Maeterlinck play and musically and symbolically compared with Debussy's "Pelléas et Mélisande", also based on a Maeterlinck play.

Another well-known work is the ballet "La Péri" with its accompanying orchestral suite composed in 1912. He also composed piano solo music and chamber music, as well as criticism. After 1920, Dukas destroyed his unpublished works before he died in Paris in 1935.

Answer: Henri DUPARC

Henri (Fouques), né Marie Eugène, Duparc, was born in Paris in 1848. He intended to study law, but ended up studying the piano and composition with César Franck. He was extremely self-critical, destroying most of his early works. This is perhaps the reason that he composed only 16 (although very beautiful) songs, or mélodies. The three most famous of these were listed in the question. He also wrote two orchestral pieces, one piece for piano, and a motet for 3 voices. He died in 1933 in Mont-de-Marson.

Answer: Ernö DOHNANYI

Hungarian Ernö (Ernst von) Dohnanyí was born in Pressburg, now Pozsony, in 1877. This composer also studied piano and conducting at the Budapest Academy. He was a concert panist of international renown from 1897 through 1908, when he became professor of the piano at the Berlin Hochschule.

He then became director of the Budapest Conservatory (1919) and Hungarian Radio (1931) He eventually settled in the U.S. at Florida State College in 1949 as professor of piano and composition. His principal works were the operas "Tante Simona" (1912) and "The Tenor" (1929, his third and last); and "Variations on a Nursery Song" for piano and orchestra (1913).

He also composed chamber music and piano solo music. Dohnanyí died in New York in 1960.

Answer: John DOWLAND

John Dowland, often considered the first great English composer, was born in London in 1563. He was a virtuoso lutenist, gaining the patronage of King Christian IV of Denmark and later the Duke of Wolgast of Pomerania. He traveled extensively throughout the continent, and his performances there were highly acclaimed.

He was a gifted melodist, having published four collections of songs (totaling 87). Dowland's most famous song is "Come Again Sweet Love" (1597), a song that utilizes the lute and the voice in such a way as to comment on the sexual overtones of the poetry. "Fine Knacks for Ladies" (1600) is a livelier song , while "Flow My Tears" is as sad as it sounds.

He died in London in 1626.

Answer: Guillaume DUFAY

Franco-Flemish composer and singer Guillaume Dufay was born circa 1400 in Hainault. He was a chorister in the Cambrai Cathedral and in the Papal Choir of Rome (1428-33). He then became canon of the church and was in the service of the Duke of Bergundy after 1442. He was also a teacher of note, one of his pupils being Jean Ockeghem, one of the greatest masters of the early Flemish polyphonic school. Dufay's works understandably include church masses, motets, as well as secular music. He died in 1474 in Cambrai.

***A quick note about masses: From the 14th to 18th centuries, the majority of masses were composed over a cantus firmus (plainchant monody or song from the Catholic liturgy or secular music), as was this Dufay example. Dufay is still considered the composer because he is the one who supplied the polyphony (the rest of the voices) to make it a cohesive musical work. Another example of this, though not based upon Catholicism, is J.S. Bach's. His chorales were based on choral tunes (a simple 3-line theme consisting of 2 similar or repeated parts, then a chorus: Stollen, Stollen, Abgesang) mostly attributed to Martin Luther and composer Heinrich Isaac.

Answer: Thomas DUNHILL

Thomas (Frederick) Dunhill was born in 1877 in London. He was a writer as well as a composer, having studied at the Royal College of Music. He was assistant music master at Eton College (1899-1908). His compositions include symphonies, chamber music, an operetta ('Tantivy '- 1931), and the "Elegiac Variations" for orchestra. He has written several books about Mozart's string quartets, Elgar, and chamber music in general. Dunhill died in 1946 in Scunthorpe.