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Quiz about Twentieth Century Classical Music

Twentieth Century Classical Music Quiz

A variety of questions on classical music and musicians in the twentieth century.

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

Author
Frideswide

Time
3 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
102,800

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
6 / 10

Plays
1234

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. When was Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' completed? Hint

1914

1912

1913

1911

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Question 2 of 10

2. What nationality was composer Jean Sibelius? Hint

Finnish

Danish

Swedish

German

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Question 3 of 10

3. True or false: Dmitri Shostakovich wrote more symphonies than Gustav Mahler.

True

False

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Question 4 of 10

4. 'Music for 18 Musicians' is by which minimalist composer? Hint

Michael Nyman

John Adams

Steve Reich

Philip Glass

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which country had a famous 'musical renaissance' at the beginning of the twentieth century? Hint

France

Belgium

Germany

England

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Question 6 of 10

6. Olivier Messiaen's 'Quartet for the End of Time' was written for which combination of instruments? Hint

Trumpet Cornet Viola Cello

Violin Viola Cello Piano

Violin Cello Clarinet Piano

Flute Clarinet Bassoon Piano

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Question 7 of 10

7. Which of these pieces by John Tavener was performed at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997? Hint

De Profundis

Pari Intervallo

The Protecting Veil

Song for Athene

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Question 8 of 10

8. Complete the title of Penderecki's famous piece: 'Threnody for the Victims of...' Hint

Auschwitz

Hiroshima

Chernobyl

Treblinka

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Question 9 of 10

9. True or false: Darius Milhaud was a Spanish composer.

True

False

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Question 10 of 10

10. What does Arnold Schoenberg's name actually translate as? Hint

Sleepy village

Sleepy mountain

Beautiful mountain

Tall tree

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. When was Stravinsky's 'Rite of Spring' completed?

Answer: 1913

Stravinsky's ballet score 'The Rite of Spring' premiered to a shocked audience in Paris on May 29, 1913. The first night has become notorious for the audience's angry reaction to the music, booing and protesting whilst the dancers tried to continue with their moves.

2. What nationality was composer Jean Sibelius?

Answer: Finnish

Finland's most famous composer, Jean Sibelius, wrote seven symphonies and a violin concerto, which is considered to be one of the most difficult to play.

3. True or false: Dmitri Shostakovich wrote more symphonies than Gustav Mahler.

Answer: True

Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies in all, whilst Mahler composed only 10 numbered symphonies.

4. 'Music for 18 Musicians' is by which minimalist composer?

Answer: Steve Reich

Steve Reich's catchy 'Music for 18 Musicians' was written in 1976, for an ensemble including singers, percussion, and traditional orchestral instruments.

5. Which country had a famous 'musical renaissance' at the beginning of the twentieth century?

Answer: England

Spearheaded by composers like Vaughan Williams, Butterworth, Elgar, and Finzi, the English musical renaissance drew on traditional folk-song resources to build up a national school of classical music.

6. Olivier Messiaen's 'Quartet for the End of Time' was written for which combination of instruments?

Answer: Violin Cello Clarinet Piano

Messiaen wrote this atmospheric piece whilst incarcerated in a prisoner-of-war camp for French soldiers during World War II.

7. Which of these pieces by John Tavener was performed at Princess Diana's funeral in 1997?

Answer: Song for Athene

The 'Song for Athene' was originally written for a friend of Tavener's, tragically killed in a cycling accident. The piece uses text from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' interspersed with Alleluias.

8. Complete the title of Penderecki's famous piece: 'Threnody for the Victims of...'

Answer: Hiroshima

This terrifying piece features an orchestral simulation of the sound of an aeroplane, representing the American aircraft that dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima at the end of World War II.

9. True or false: Darius Milhaud was a Spanish composer.

Answer: False

Milhaud was in fact a patriotic Jewish-French composer, who lived in Provence and took great pride in his cultural background.

10. What does Arnold Schoenberg's name actually translate as?

Answer: Beautiful mountain

Arnold Schoenberg was one of the most important composers of the early part of the twentieth century. His method of 'composing with twelve tones' took Wagnerian chromaticism to a new level and is seen as one of the boldest moves within modernist art music.

Source: Author Frideswide

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