Twentieth Century Classical Favourites Quiz

Answer: Claude Debussy

Described by Debussy as "three symphonic sketches", "La Mer" was first performed in Paris in 1905. Though later part of the standard orchestral repertoire, it was initially poorly received. In composing the piece Debussy was possibly influenced by JMW Turner's paintings or by Japanese art. Hokusai's woodblock print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" appeared on the cover of the original printed score.

Answer: Igor Stravinsky

Composed for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes, "The Firebird", choreographed by Michel Fokine and danced by Tamara Karsavina and Vaslav Nijinsky, premiered in Paris in 1910 to great acclaim. The music subsequently became a popular orchestral concert piece. The band Yes used the ballet's finale as walk-on music for their concerts.

Answer: Ralph Vaughan-Williams

Inspired by a poem by George Meredith and dedicated to violinist Marie Hall, "The Lark Ascending" was composed shortly before World War 1 broke out, but not publicly performed until 1920. Consisting of a single movement and subtitled "A Romance" it is particularly loved in Britain and has frequently topped UK radio station Classic FM's Hall of Fame.

Answer: Maurice Ravel

"Bolero" was initially composed as a ballet commissioned by dancer Ida Rubenstein and premiered in Paris in 1928. Requiring a large orchestra, the piece is based on an unchanging rhythm played 169 times on the snare drum. Giving its name to a 1934 film starring George Raft and Carol Lombard, "Bolero" later achieved huge popularity when it featured in the 1979 movie "10" starring Dudley Moore and Bo Derek.

Answer: Edward Elgar

Elgar composed five "Pomp and Circumstance" marches and a sixth was compiled after his death, but the first march, premiered in 1901, is the most famous. The song "Land of Hope and Glory" was added to the middle trio of the piece for Edward VII's coronation in 1902 and is sung every year at the Last Night of the Proms. Played when Elgar received an honorary Doctorate of Music from Yale in 1905, the march was so well received that it was gradually adopted for graduation ceremonies at colleges and high schools throughout the United States.

Answer: Sergei Prokofiev

Described by Prokofiev as a "symphonic fairytale for children", with the instruments of the orchestra representing the different characters, "Peter and the Wolf" was first performed in 1936 in Moscow for an audience of Young Pioneers. Prokofiev conducted its American premiere in Boston in 1938 and played it for Walt Disney, whose animated version was included in the 1946 film "Make Mine Music".

Answer: Aaron Copland

The ballet "Appalachian Spring" was commissioned for Martha Graham and premiered in Washington in 1944. It won Copland the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1945. The ballet was originally scored for a chamber ensemble but Copland subsequently rearranged the piece as an orchestral suite.

Answer: Joaquin Rodrigo

This cornerstone of the classical guitar repertoire was first performed in Barcelona in 1940 and takes its name from the gardens of the Palacio Real de Aranjuez, home of the Bourbon kings of Spain. Blind following childhood diphtheria, Rodrigo never himself mastered the guitar.

The famous theme from the second movement featured in the British film "Brassed Off" and in 1976 (very) briefly topped the UK singles chart in a version by Manuel and His Music of the Mountains. When in 1991 Rodrigo was ennobled by King Juan Carlos of Spain, he took the title Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez.

Answer: Carl Orff

"Carmina Burana" consisted originally of a collection of hedonistic medieval songs published in German in the nineteenth century. Carl Orff used 24 of these to create a "scenic cantata", for soloists, choruses and orchestra, which debuted in Frankfurt in 1937. The introduction "O Fortuna!" has been widely used in films and advertisements.

Answer: Ottorino Respighi

The second of a set of three tone poems composed by Respighi, "Pines of Rome" had its first performance in Rome in 1924. Its four movements represent a tour around the city's perimeter and through Roman history. The score is notable for the inclusion of a recording of a nightingale. An edited version of the piece was used to accompany footage of humpback whales in the film "Fantasia 2001".