Various Vacancies - Hearing Harps Humours Her Quiz

Answer: Ludwig van Beethoven

"Six Variations on a Swiss Song" (opus 34) was composed for pianoforte or harp solo. Beethoven (1770-1827) created this composition around 1790.
Beethoven has composed over four hundred works, including nine symphonies, several piano works (for example "Für Elise" and "Mondschein Sonate") and one opera ("Fidelio").
Beethoven's compositions for harp are quite rare. The "Six Variations on a Swiss Song" might have been first developed for pianoforte and later rearranged for harp, or the other way round - no one is sure. Furthermore there is some incidental music for "Leonore Prohaska" (with glass harmonica, harp, two flutes, timpani, two clarinets, four horns, strings and two bassoons - quite a strange instrumentation).
By the way, don't get fooled by the name of opus 74 (the "Harp Quartet"): it is a regular string quartet, but some accords are played in a harp-like arpeggio.
Mozart (1756-1791) was an Austrian prolific composer. So was Hummel (1778-1831), although Hummel's fame did not last until the Twentieth or Twenty-First Century.
Paisiello (1740-1816) was a prolific Neapolitan composer. He left us 96 operas and many other compositions.

Answer: Les pecheurs de perles

First of all, I want to explain the correct answer has to be written with an accent circonflexe (pêcheurs). Likewise, the option "L'arlésienne" should contain an accent aigu. But in flash mode, this might cause very weird renderings, so I usually omit any diacritic marks in the answer options.
Georges Bizet (1838-1875) was a French opera composer. He left us at least 15 operas, one operetta and incidental music.
The story of "Les pêcheurs de perles" is set in Sri Lanka, in an ancient Hindu community. The tenor Nadir is one of the pearl divers, while Zurga (a baritone) is head of the community (to be compared with a mayor). Zurga and Nadir are close friends, up till the moment they discover they both are in love with Leia, a girl chosen to be the priestess of Brahma and thus forsaking all profane relationships.
The duet "Au fond du temple saint" is sung by Zurga and Nadir when Leia arrives at the community to take up her position. Neither Zurga nor Nadir recognize her at that moment.
"Carmen" is Bizet's final opera, and perhaps his most famous one.
"L'arlesienne" is incidental music composed by Bizet to accompany a theatre play.
"Le docteur miracle" is one of the operettas created by Bizet.

Answer: Yes

Hindemith (1895-1963) was a composer, violinist and conductor. Most of his solo works were written for violin, viola, cello or piano, but he also ventured into compositions for solo flute, clarinet, oboe or English horn.
Hindemith is best known for his inventive music style, in which every note has its full rights, and is not limited to the key in which classical music typically is played.
More to the point of this specific question, is the "Harp Sonata" composed in 1939. This sonata in three movements tells about the last wish of a dying harpist: to leave the harp as a memento in church behind the altar, hoping that the instrument will sound at nightfall of its own accord.

Answer: Quatre sonates non difficiles

Jean-Baptiste Krumpholz (1742-1790) was a Czech harpist and composer, who lived for many years in Paris. He left us over 50 sonatas for harp and various other music in which the harp is the main instrument.
"Quatre sonates non difficiles" (opus 12) translates to "Four Sonatas Not Too Hard".
"Rondo alla turca" is a piano concerto by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791).
"Die Forelle" is a quintet for piano, violin, viola, cello and double bass composed by Franz Schubert (1797-1828).
"Ochi Chornyie" ("Black Eyes") is a traditional Russian song. Typical accompaniment is the balalaika, but all sorts of instruments have been used.

Answer: Jules Massenet

"Thaïs" is an opera named after a priestess of Venus living in the Third Century. A Christian monk tries to convert her, and his efforts finally succeed after her "Méditation". But then they have to flee the wrath of the pagans, and the flight consumes too much energy from Thaïs. She dies while the monk forsakes his vows.
Jules Massenet (1842-1912) was a French composer who left us at least seven oratorios and cantatas, at least four ballets, a dozen orchestral compositions, more than eighty songs, and above all between thirty and forty operas. His best known operas are "Manon", "Werther" and the aforesaid "Thaïs".
Casals (1876-1973) was a Spanish cellist and composer.
Wieniawski (1835-1880) was a Polish violinist and composer.
CPE Bach (1714-1788), son of Johann Sebastian, was a prolific German composer, especially for keyboards.
Neither Casals, nor Wieniawski, nor CPE Bach, has left us any opera.

Answer: England

Parish Alvars (1808-1849) was born in Devonshire, son of a family by the name of Parish. The name Alvars is an alias he chose when studying music in Italy. In 1830 he started several concert tours throughout Europe (including Russia and Turkey). He died in Vienna.
Several compositions by Elias Parish Alvars are fantasias on Italian opera arias. Alvars reworked for the harp scenes from "Norma" by Bellini, from "Moïse in Egitto" by Rossini and from "Lucrezia Borgia" by Donizetti.
Neither Argentina, nor Japan, nor Egypt, have any notorious harp composers from the romantic era. These three countries only have famous classical composers active in the Twentieth Century or later, when the Romantic Era was already finished.

Answer: Piano

Franz Liszt (1811-1886) was a prolific composer. He was born and lived in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, more specifically in the part that is nowadays known as Hungary.
Liszt was very interested in piano and in composition. Besides about 350 original works, he also transcribed some 650 other classical works for piano.
"Liebestraum" is one of a set of three nocturnes inspired by poems written by Ludwig Uhland and Ferdinand Freiligrath. Today only the third nocturne (the one based on Freiligrath's poem) gets frequently recorded.
Henriette Renie (1875-1956) was a French harpist and composer. She was of the opinion that the repertoire for harp music was way too limited, so she developed many original compositions and also rearranged several very popular classic arias which were written for other instruments.
There are only a few works for timpani and orchestra, and most of them were composed in the Twentieth Century or later.
One of the most famous trumpet solos is the "Last Post", but it would not be recognisable if rearranged for harp solo, I'm afraid.
Liszt didn't compose for the synthesizer; that was invented only after his death.

Answer: Joaquin Rodrigo

Rodrigo (1901-1999) was a Spanish composer who will probably always be remembered only for his guitar concerto "Concerto de Aranjuez". But he left us several other compositions, among which at least three pieces for harp: the "Impromptu" (solo for harp), the "Concierto Serenata" (for harp and orchestra) and "Sones en la Giralda" (originally for harp and orchestra, later rearranged for piano).
Grieg (1843-1907) was a Norwegian pianist and composer, best known for his incidental music to accompany Ibsen's theatre play "Peer Gynt".
Vaughn Williams (1872-1958) was an English composer. Highlight of his oeuvre is "Fantasia on Greensleeves", an arrangement of traditional English music.
Verdi (1813-1901) was an Italian opera composer. His operas (such as "Nabucco", "Aida", "Rigoletto") continue to attract large audiences.

Answer: Moise in Egitto

Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868) was a prolific opera composer. Highlights of his oeuvre include "Il Barbiere di Sevilla", "Guglielmo Tell", "La Gazza Ladra" and "La Scala di Seta".
"Moïse in Egitto" (1818) is based upon the Bible story about Moses. In the opera, Moses first tries to convince Pharaoh to free the Hebrews from slavery, and supports his plea with the ten plagues of Egypt. In the third act, Moses leads the Hebrews through the Red Sea. At the end of the fourth act, the aria "Dal tuo stellato soglio" is when Moses and the other Hebrews thank God for rescuing them.
"Judith" (by Alexander Serov, 1820-1871) was a Russian opera based upon an apocryphal Bible book.
"Nabucco" was the title of the first success for Giuseppe Verdi (1813-1901). It tells about the Babylonian exile, an episode described in the Second Book of Kings (2 Kings 25:20 and following).
"Salomé" by Richard Strauss (1864-1949) is based upon the death of John the Baptist as mentioned in the Gospels, although the Bible doesn't mention Salomé by name.

Answer: Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) was a prolific Russian composer. He created three ballets ("Swan Lake", "Sleeping Beauty" and "The Nutcracker"), besides a dozen operas (among which "Eugene Onegin" and "Queen of Spades"), eight symphonies, three piano concerti, and so on.
"Swan Lake" was first staged in 1877. Odette, a beautiful princess, was bewitched by the evil sorcerer von Rotbarth and will have to live on as a white swan. Only at night she can resume her human appearance. One night at the ball Odette meets Prince Siegfried and they fall in love. But von Rotbarth's daughter Odile (who also appears as a swan, albeit a black one) spoils the romance and tempts Siegfried to cheat on Odette.
The main theme of the ballet is introduced in the overture by harp solo. Then gradually the whole orchestra joins the music. Later on the main theme is repeated several times, the last time when Odette dances "The Dying Swan".
Mussorgsky (1839-1881) was another Russian composer, best known for his opera "Boris Godunov", the piano suite "Pictures at an Exhibition" and the symphonic poem "Night on a Bald Mountain".
Khatchaturian (1903-1978) was an Armenian composer. His most famous works are the ballets "Spartacus" and "Gayane" (with the "Sabre Dance").
Stravinsky (1882-1971) was a Russian ballet composer. He caused a revolution in the ballet world with his ballet "Le Sacre du Printemps" .