Composers Mixture Trivia

31. One of this Russian Composer's most famous works is for solo piano but is better known in an orchestration by a different composer. He also wrote a Song Cycle of 4 songs titled 'Songs and Dances of Death'. What is his name?

From Quiz Composers And Their Music

Answer: Mussorgsky

Shostakovich orchestrated these songs but did not write them.

From Quiz Another Musical Alphabet

Answer: Adolph Adam

Adam lived in Paris from 1803 to 1856. He was also a music critic and percussionist.

From Quiz The Russian Music School

Answer: Glinka

The Russian national school was born in the XIX th century, with the major contribution of composer Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka (1804 - 1857). His travels abroad accustomed him to the Western styles and forms of composition, which he adapted according to the Russian melodic tradition. Glinka was a promoter of Russian nationalist music and had a great influence on Balakirev, the guiding spirit of the group of nationalist Russian composers known as "The Five", which also included César Cui, Mussorgsky, Borodin and Rimsky-Korsakov.

From Quiz A Composer By Any Other Name

Answer: Verdi

This is of course Giuseppe (actually Fortunino Francesco) Verdi (Giuseppe=Joseph and Verdi=green [ones]) in Italian. He was born in Le Roncole, near Bussetto, Parma, in 1813, and died in Milan in 1901. Son of a poor innkeeper, he had to be taught by a local organist. A music loving local grocer recognized his musical ability and offered to pay for his studies at the Milan Conservatory, but he was not admitted because of his poor piano skills. He studied privately in Milan for 2 years, then returned to Bussetto to continue his studies, becoming the town's music director. By the way, he married the grocer's daughter. 'Joe Green' is quite famous as an opera composer, having given us "Rigoletto", "Un ballo in maschera", "Nabucco", "Falstaff", "Otello" (thus the Iago in the question), "Macbeth", "Aida", "La traviata", and "il trovatore", among many others. But he also composed several songs, choral works (including a Requiem), and one string quartet (n E Minor).

From Quiz The "D" Composers

Answer: Claude DEBUSSY

Claude Achille Debussy was born in St. Germain-en-Laye in 1862. He had little formal education as a child, eventually entering the Paris Conservatoire in 1873. He won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1884 for his cantata "LEnfant prodigue." Debussy's music has come to be termed 'Impressionistic' because of his association and collaboration with those French artists from the Impressionist movement (the poet Paul Verlaine, for example). He became more associated with the 'Symbolists' in his later years, leading to his composing 'l'après-midi' (after a poem by Stéphane Mallarmé) and the opera 'Pelléas' with Belgian Symbolist Maeterlinck as the librettist. Vocally speaking, Debussy did not make much of a contribution to opera, but is known for his numerous mélodies, 26 of which were dedicated to his 'muse' Madame Vasnier, a light soprano patroness. This self-acclaimed 'musicien français' died in Paris in 1918.

From Quiz Birthplaces of Famous Composers

Answer: Salzburg

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Born: Salzburg, Austria. Mozart is one of the most famous composers. He started composing at the age of 7.

From Quiz The Name Says It All...Or Does It?

Answer: Poland

Were you thinking of the Polonaise? This dance is like a waltz, except that the first beat is accented in a stately dotted rhythm. The word Polonaise literally means Polish in French. Chopin (1810-49) was such a Francophile that he changed his first and middle names from the Polish Fryderyk Franciszek to Frederic Francois. Chopin was a largely self-taught pianist.

From Quiz The Brahms/Wagner Battles

Answer: 20 years

Wagner was born in Leipzig in 1813. Brahms was born in Hamburg in 1833.

From Quiz Classical Composers' Bizarre Deaths

Answer: Purcell caught a cold and later died from it

Purcell lived from 1659 - 1695, and was the greatest English composer of the period.

From Quiz Romantic Composers and Their Works

Answer: Merimee

Prosper Merimee was the French novelist whose work inspired Bizet's opera, although many music historians contend that the true inspiration for the character of Carmen was Bizet's lady friend Celeste Venard.

From Quiz Classical composers

Answer: Holst

'The Planets' only has seven pieces of music in it. When Holst composed the music, Pluto had not been discovered. Earth does not have a piece of music.

From Quiz Matve's Music Quiz No. 2

Answer: Krzysztof Penderecki

It is an extremely harrowing piece, for 50 stringed instruments!

From Quiz More Composers Behaving Badly

Answer: Erik Satie

From Quiz Famous Composers

Answer: Haydn

Considered the father of the symphony, Franz Joseph Haydn was Austrian. Telemann is considered the most prolific composer.

From Quiz Brain Buster II

Answer: Giuseppe Verdi

Takes the edge off it don't you think?

From Quiz Five on 'The Russian Five'

Answer: Mily Balakirev

The other three are Twentieth-century composers, following after Balakirev, himself inspired by Glinka.

From Quiz The Dirt on Famous Composers

Answer: Haydn

From Quiz Classical Composer Anecdotes

Answer: George Frideric Handel

Handel composed almost fifty operas while residing in England.

From Quiz Twentieth Century Composers

Answer: Igor Stravinsky

The 'Rite of Spring', which was featured in Disney's animated film 'Fantasia', could barely be heard above the shouting during its premiere in Paris on May 29, 1913.

From Quiz Music By the Numbers

Answer: 32

Beethoven composed 32 sonatas. Some of his most famous ones include his "Moonlight" sonata, his "Appassionata" sonata, his "Pathetique" sonata, his "Waldstein" sonata, and his "Tempest" sonata.

From Quiz Music By the Numbers Part 2

Answer: 13

Four of Wagner's 13 completed operas make up "Der Ring des Nibelungen", which is one of his best compositions. Not-so-Fun Fact: Adolf Hitler liked to inspire the Nazis with the Wagner opera "Rienzi".

From Quiz 'Twas Once Said

Answer: Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner (b.1813 - d.1883) composed a number of operas, including "Ride of the Valkyries" which in my opinion, is the one of the most inspiring pieces of music ever created. Wagner had much difficulty in his life, including ongoing troubles with debt as well as numerous extra marital affairs leading to the dissolution of his first marriage. Despite being in exile for a number of years due to a political ban for his involvement in Dresden May Uprising, Wagner would go on to compose magnificent operas such as "Tannhäuser" (1845), "The Flying Dutchman" (1843) and of course "Der Ring des Nibelungen" which took him almost twenty-five years to complete. Wagner was connected to a number of famous people too. He was courted by Bavarian king, Ludwig II (reputedly the king had a romantic interest), had an illicit affair with the illegitimate daughter of composer Franz Lizt, was close friends with philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche and could even count Queen Victoria as an admirer of his work.

From Quiz Premier Performances

Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

In 1880, Tchaikovsky took just six weeks to compose the '1812', having been persuaded by a friend to compose something for the opening of Moscow's new Cathedral of Christ the Saviour which had been commissioned in 1812 to commemorate the Russian victory over Napoleon.

From Quiz Canadian Composers

Answer: Violet Archer

Many of Archer's early compositions incorporated folk music. In 2005, five years after her death, indie folk-rock band The Violet Archers named themselves in her honour.

From Quiz Composers and their Compositions

Answer: Fidelio

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was a German composer and pianist. Through his compositions of symphonies, concertos, sonatas and quartets he remains one of the greatest composers of all time. His only opera ,"Fidelio" tells the story of Leonore, disguised as a prison guard "Fidelio", who rescues her husband from a political prison. The opera was first performed in 1805 and was revised between 1806-1814. "The Magic Flute" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart premiered in 1791. "Tristan und Isolde" by Richard Wagner premiered in 1865 and "Faust" by Charles Gounod debuted in 1859.

From Quiz Slavic Soul

Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

30 year old Mozart started composing his Symphony No. 38, later called the "Prague Symphony", in 1786, when his popularity in Prague was at a peak because of the recent performance of his opera, "The Marriage of Figaro." Mozart did not write it for the city itself but rather as a token of gratitude towards the city that so generously embraced his talent. The symphony is composed of three parts, Adagio-Allegro, Andante and Finale-Presto.

From Quiz Classical History Mix

Answer: Beethoven

Beethoven went deaf in the early 1800s but wrote his last symphonies, and some of his greatest works, even though he couldn't hear a sound! He conducted his "Ninth Symphony" and had to be turned around to see the standing ovation he was receiving at its debut.

From Quiz Composers

Answer: Handel

Handel wrote his 'Music for the Royal Fireworks' in 1749. This is what it sounds like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuG1t2smdCQ

From Quiz Various Vacancies - Hearing Harps Humours Her

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.

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Last Updated Apr 22 2024 11:03 AM

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