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American Classical Composers Trivia Quiz

While Europe has the most famous classical composers, the USA has produced many worthy ones. Match the description with the composer.

A matching quiz by madfilkentist. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
madfilkentist

Time
4 mins

Type
Match Quiz

Quiz #
424,096

Updated
May 08 26

# Qns
10

Difficulty
New Game

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
11

Last 3 plays: james1947 (10/10), cardsfan_027 (10/10), Nala2 (3/10).

(a) Drag-and-drop from the right to the left, or (b) click on a right side answer box and then on a left side box to move it.

Questions		Choices
1. A composer of songs and piano music in the Romantic style, he established an artists' residency program near the end of his life.		Amy Beach
2. His best-known piece, part of a string quartet, is often associated with funerals. He also wrote a violin concerto with a very difficult final movement.		William Grant Still
3. This composer wrote music for unusual instruments, such as the radio and the prepared piano, often incorporating an element of chance.		Aaron Copland
4. The music of this composer is often called "minimalist." His works include film music and an opera about a noted physicist.		John Cage
5. He was the first African-American composer to write a symphony and have it performed by a professional orchestra in the US.		Philip Glass
6. While keeping his day job as an insurance executive, he wrote innovative music, often featuring more than one key at once.		Charles Ives
7. Still well-known today, this composer used American folk styles in ballets and film music, often suggesting a cowboy style.		Leonard Bernstein
8. Born in Arkansas, she brought African musical styles into her symphonies and concertos.		Edward MacDowell
9. Best known as a conductor, music educator, and composer of a hit musical, he also wrote symphonies, choral music, chamber music, and ballet scores.		Florence Price
10. She was the first American woman to have a symphony published and performed, though its title suggests Ireland rather than America.		Samuel Barber

Select each answer

1. A composer of songs and piano music in the Romantic style, he established an artists' residency program near the end of his life.

2. His best-known piece, part of a string quartet, is often associated with funerals. He also wrote a violin concerto with a very difficult final movement.

3. This composer wrote music for unusual instruments, such as the radio and the prepared piano, often incorporating an element of chance.

4. The music of this composer is often called "minimalist." His works include film music and an opera about a noted physicist.

5. He was the first African-American composer to write a symphony and have it performed by a professional orchestra in the US.

6. While keeping his day job as an insurance executive, he wrote innovative music, often featuring more than one key at once.

7. Still well-known today, this composer used American folk styles in ballets and film music, often suggesting a cowboy style.

8. Born in Arkansas, she brought African musical styles into her symphonies and concertos.

9. Best known as a conductor, music educator, and composer of a hit musical, he also wrote symphonies, choral music, chamber music, and ballet scores.

10. She was the first American woman to have a symphony published and performed, though its title suggests Ireland rather than America.

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. A composer of songs and piano music in the Romantic style, he established an artists' residency program near the end of his life.

Answer: Edward MacDowell

The music of Edward MacDowell (1860-1908) was well known in the 19th century, though it's relatively obscure today. There was a time when every piano student learned his "To a Wild Rose." The artists' residency program which he set up in New Hampshire in 1907 is still active.

2. His best-known piece, part of a string quartet, is often associated with funerals. He also wrote a violin concerto with a very difficult final movement.

Answer: Samuel Barber

Barber (1910-1981) wrote in a more traditional, accessible style than many other 20th century composers. His "Adagio for Strings," originally the slow movement of a string quartet, has been performed following the deaths of several world leaders. Other well-known works of his include the violin concerto and the overture to "The School for Scandal."

3. This composer wrote music for unusual instruments, such as the radio and the prepared piano, often incorporating an element of chance.

Answer: John Cage

The fame (or infamy) of John Cage, 1912-1992, rests mostly on his "4 Minutes 33 Seconds," a piece that consists entirely of silence. He also wrote for the prepared piano, which has individual strings modified to produce different kinds of sound, and for such "instruments" as radios tuned to random stations, oscillators, and wastebaskets.

4. The music of this composer is often called "minimalist." His works include film music and an opera about a noted physicist.

Answer: Philip Glass

The music of Philip Glass, born in 1937, typically consists of simple elements combined in unexpected ways. Among his works are the operas "Einstein on the Beach" and "Satyagraha," as well as fifteen symphonies.

5. He was the first African-American composer to write a symphony and have it performed by a professional orchestra in the US.

Answer: William Grant Still

Overcoming racial barriers to become nationally known, William Grant Still (1895-1978) incorporated African-American elements into his music. His best-known works include his "Afro-American Symphony" and the opera "Troubled Island."

6. While keeping his day job as an insurance executive, he wrote innovative music, often featuring more than one key at once.

Answer: Charles Ives

The music of Charles Ives (1874-1954) uses non-traditional tonal styles while building on American traditions. His titles include the "Concord Sonata," the "New England Holiday Symphony," and "Variations on 'America.'" His successful career in insurance kept him free from worrying about how well his music sold. Much of it didn't become well-known until after his death.

7. Still well-known today, this composer used American folk styles in ballets and film music, often suggesting a cowboy style.

Answer: Aaron Copland

While some of his music is atonal and hard to grasp, Aaron Copland (1900-1990) is best known for works that use traditional harmony and build on traditional images of American culture. This is obvious in titles such as "Billy the Kid," Rodeo," and "Appalachian Spring."

8. Born in Arkansas, she brought African musical styles into her symphonies and concertos.

Answer: Florence Price

The music of Florence Price (1887-1953) underwent a revival after several of her unpublished scores were discovered in 2009. Her early music shows the influence of Dvořak, but she incorporated African-American elements in most of her music. Her "Piano Concerto in One Movement" has become popular in recent years.

9. Best known as a conductor, music educator, and composer of a hit musical, he also wrote symphonies, choral music, chamber music, and ballet scores.

Answer: Leonard Bernstein

In the middle of the twentieth century, Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was the face of classical music to many Americans. His "Young People's Concerts" were a popular TV item. Many of his works are based on Jewish themes. Aside from writing the music of "West Side Story," his more "classical" works include "Mass" and the "Jeremiah" and "Kaddish" symphonies.

10. She was the first American woman to have a symphony published and performed, though its title suggests Ireland rather than America.

Answer: Amy Beach

The "Gaelic" Symphony is the best-known work by Amy Beach (1867-1944), aka Mrs. H. H. A. Beach. It was the first published symphony by an American woman. Her "Mass in E-flat major" was the first work by a woman to be performed by the orchestra of Boston's Handel and Haydn Society.

She was also a well-known concert pianist, performing her own piano concerto at its premiere in Symphony Hall in Boston.

Source: Author madfilkentist

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