All Those Other Composers Quiz / Test | Classical Music

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The son of one of the greatest composers ever, yet more famous in his lifetime than the father

Answer: C. P. E. Bach

Johann Sebastian Bach had several musically prominent sons, with Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach being the most famous. When people talked about "Bach" in the middle of the 18th century, they usually meant the son. His music covered the transition from the Baroque to the Classical eras.

2. An Italian composer, best known today for being falsely accused of murder

Answer: Antonio Salieri

Salieri was a well-known composer in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and his students included Beethoven and Schubert. Groundless rumors spread that he had poisoned Mozart, and his music mostly fell out of the repertoire.

3. Creator of an orchestral cycle of six pieces celebrating his country, a river, and a castle in Prague

Answer: Bedrich Smetana

Smetana is known outside his Czech homeland mostly for a few works, principally the set of tone poems called "Ma Vlast" (my country). The one called "Vltava" or "The Moldau" (two names for the same river) is his most famous piece, depicting the river's course. The opening piece of the cycle, "Vysehrad," portrays a medieval castle overlooking the river.

4. One of the most famous concert pianists of the 19th century, known for her youthful piano concerto

Answer: Clara Schumann

The wife of composer Robert Schumann, Clara might have been better known for her music if women composers were taken more seriously in her time. Having eight children and a husband suffering from mental illness also got in the way. She still managed a successful career as a pianist, often playing Robert's works.

5. A twentieth-century female composer incorporating African-American influences

Answer: Florence Price

Florence Price overcame the double handicap of being black and female to get her works performed. Her music was largely neglected after her death but has enjoyed a revival in the 21st century. Her "Concerto in One Movement" is one of her most-performed pieces. (Personal note: Today as I'm creating this quiz I heard her "Symphony No. 1" for the first time, in a concert, and liked it a lot.)

6. A 19th century German composer once famed for his violin concertos and symphonies

Answer: Louis Spohr

In the 19th century, Louis Spohr was famous enough that Gilbert and Sullivan mentioned him between Bach and Beethoven. His music came to be considered old-fashioned, and today it's undeservedly obscure. He's also known for popularizing the use of the baton when conducting.

7. Just one piece by this Baroque composer - a canon - is part of the musical canon today

Answer: Johan Pachelbel

Though he was well known in the 17th century for his organ works, today Pachelbel's only claim to fame is the Canon in D. An album was released in 1984 consisting entirely of arrangements of the Canon, called "Pachelbel's Greatest Hit."

8. Composer of a piece about magic brooms that Mickey Mouse made famous

Answer: Paul Dukas

The French composer Paul Dukas's chief claim to musical fame is his orchestral piece "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," which is well known mostly because it was featured in the Disney movie "Fantasia." The piece is based on a poem by Goethe, which predicted the infinite loop long before computers were invented.

9. Living in his brother's shadow, wrote a symphony taken to be one of Mozart's

Answer: Michael Haydn

Michael was the less famous brother of Joseph Haydn, called "the father of the symphony." His work was good enough that one of his symphonies was formerly listed as Mozart's 37th symphony. The error occurred because a copy existed in Mozart's writing, which Mozart had made for use in one of his concerts.

10. A master of counterpoint, sometimes called the "Czech Bach"

Answer: Jan Dismas Zelenka

Living about the same time as J. S. Bach, Zelenka was known for his church works and ensemble pieces. His music was largely forgotten after his death but now has devoted admirers.

11. Composer of the opera "Medea," admired by his contemporary Beethoven

Answer: Luigi Cherubini

It wasn't easy for contemporaries of Beethoven to keep a place in musical history, but Beethoven had the highest regard for Cherubini, who was born before Ludwig and lived on after his death. His opera "Medea" is still occasionally staged, and his "Requiem in C minor" was performed at Beethoven's funeral.

12. Best known for a piece for strings often played at funerals

Answer: Samuel Barber

The chief claim to fame of the 20th century American composer Samuel Barber, at least in the general public's eye, is his "Adagio for Strings," an orchestral arrangement of the slow movement from his string quartet. It has been played when observing the deaths of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, and Barber himself. Barber's "School for Scandal" overture is also performed regularly.

13. An unassuming composer, one of whose operas is still good enough to perform

Answer: Modest Mussorgsky

Mussorgsky is known for a handful of works, including "Pictures at an Exhibition," "Night on Bald Mountain," and the opera "Boris Godenov." His instrumental music is often heard in orchestral arrangements by other composers.

14. Not to be confused with a famous poet, he wrote music inspired by "Hiawatha"

Answer: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor

The African-English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor had a similar name to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge, but it was Longfellow's "Song of Hiawatha" that inspired some of his best known work. He wrote three cantatas based on the Hiawatha story. He could have achieved more if he hadn't died at the age of 37.

15. An English impressionist who gave us spring's first cuckoo

Answer: Frederick Delius

Frederick Delius's career extended from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. His style has been compared to Debussy. Among his best-known works are "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" and "A Mass of Life."

Source: Author madfilkentist

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All Those Other Composers Trivia Quiz

It seems as if a dozen or so composers wrote almost half the music in classical concerts. There are a lot of others worth listening to. Can you match their descriptions with their names?

Questions		Choices
1. The son of one of the greatest composers ever, yet more famous in his lifetime than the father		Johan Pachelbel
2. An Italian composer, best known today for being falsely accused of murder		Louis Spohr
3. Creator of an orchestral cycle of six pieces celebrating his country, a river, and a castle in Prague		Antonio Salieri
4. One of the most famous concert pianists of the 19th century, known for her youthful piano concerto		Clara Schumann
5. A twentieth-century female composer incorporating African-American influences		Samuel Barber
6. A 19th century German composer once famed for his violin concertos and symphonies		Michael Haydn
7. Just one piece by this Baroque composer - a canon - is part of the musical canon today		Frederick Delius
8. Composer of a piece about magic brooms that Mickey Mouse made famous		Jan Dismas Zelenka
9. Living in his brother's shadow, wrote a symphony taken to be one of Mozart's		Bedrich Smetana
10. A master of counterpoint, sometimes called the "Czech Bach"		Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
11. Composer of the opera "Medea," admired by his contemporary Beethoven		C. P. E. Bach
12. Best known for a piece for strings often played at funerals		Modest Mussorgsky
13. An unassuming composer, one of whose operas is still good enough to perform		Florence Price
14. Not to be confused with a famous poet, he wrote music inspired by "Hiawatha"		Paul Dukas
15. An English impressionist who gave us spring's first cuckoo		Luigi Cherubini