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Music History 101 | 25 Question Music Multiple Choice Quiz

Remember your 'Music Appreciation' classes in high school and college.

A multiple-choice quiz by loyalty80. Estimated time: 5 mins.

Author
loyalty80

Time
5 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
86,217

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
25

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
17 / 25

Plays
1341

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

1. Which composer was known as a teacher, mentor, and leader of the Russian Five? Hint

Tchaikovsky

Balakirev

Cui

Glinka

NEXT>

2. Who was the chemistry student/chemist of the Russian Five, and among the first to advocate the admission of women to the medical profession in Russia? Hint

Balakirev

Borodin

Cui

Mussorgsky

NEXT>

3. A military officer and civil servant, this composer of the Russian Five was known to be very 'modest'. Which composer is it? Hint

Liszt

Mussorgsky

Borodin

Rimsky-Korsakov

NEXT>

4. Which one of these is NOT part of the life of Rimsky-Korsakov? Hint

naval officer

member of the Russian 5

teacher of Prokofiev and Stravinsky

'Father of Opera'

NEXT>

5. Which of these composers wrote two sets of 'Slavonic Dances'? Hint

Smetana

Verdi

Brahms

Dvorak

NEXT>

6. This Czecholovakian Nationalist was known as the 'Father of Czechoslovakian Opera' and wrote 8 operas, including 'The Bartered Bride'. Which composer was it? Hint

Dvorak

Smetana

Brahms

Bruckner

NEXT>

7. Whose exposure to music was restricted to Russian folk songs until he heard operas and Haydn and Mozart symphonies? Hint

Glinka

Grieg

Verdi

Borodin

NEXT>

8. Who was a piano player as well as Norway's most important nationalist-Romantic composer? Hint

Dvorak

Sibelius

Grieg

Bruckner

NEXT>

9. This Austrian composer was a great symphonist who wrote 9 symphonies. Which composer was it? Hint

Verdi

Glinka

Borodin

Bruckner

NEXT>

10. This Italian conservative composer of opera had others to write his libretti. Which composer was it? Hint

Sibelius

Verdi

Borodin

Glinka

NEXT>

11. Brahms and Clara Wieck Schumann were not only great friends, but lovers as well and married several years after the death of her first husband, Robert.

True

False

NEXT>

12. Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, teacher, and virtuoso pianist who wrote many Hungarian Rhapsodies.

True

False

NEXT>

13. Gustav Mahler, the Austrian conducter of operas, was appointed principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and then conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra a year later.

True

False

NEXT>

14. Aaron Copland studied with Nadia Boulanger.

True

False

NEXT>

15. Who wrote "Appalachian Spring"? Hint

Mahler

Boulanger

Copland

Brahms

NEXT>

16. Who were the Gershwin brothers? Hint

George and Ira

Tommy and Ira

George and Tommy

they were not really brothers

NEXT>

17. Which of these compositions is not by Igor Stravinsky? Hint

"The Rite of Spring"

"The Firebird"

"Romeo and Juliet"

"Petrushka"

NEXT>

18. Who wrote "Carmina Burana"? Hint

Carl Orff

Gustav Mahler

Franz Listz

Edgard Varese

NEXT>

19. Who wrote "Peter and the Wolf"? Hint

Carl Orff

Sergi Prokofiev

Bela Bartok

Charles Ives

NEXT>

20. In "Peter and the Wolf" every character has an instrument that is an example of that character.

True

False

NEXT>

21. What kind of music did John Coltrane perform? Hint

piano

drums and guitar

Broadway

jazz

NEXT>

22. George Gershwin was best known for playing the Tenor Sax.

True

False

NEXT>

23. Which of these composers reformed opera? Hint

Mozart

Gluck

Beethoven

Goethe

NEXT>

24. Fanny is the name of Felix Mendelssohn's sister.

True

False

NEXT>

25. Who wrote the modern opera "Orfeo", which is based on the mythology of "Orpheus"? ("Orfeo" is Italian for "Orpheus"). Hint

Mozart

Clara & Robert Schumann

Liszt

Monteverdi

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Most Recent Scores

May 16 2025 : gumman: 22/25
Apr 05 2025 : jeremygilbert: 14/25

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Which composer was known as a teacher, mentor, and leader of the Russian Five?

Answer: Balakirev

The Russian Five were also known as Big 5, Mighty Handful, and Mighty Fist. The five were: Balakirev, Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov.

2. Who was the chemistry student/chemist of the Russian Five, and among the first to advocate the admission of women to the medical profession in Russia?

Answer: Borodin

Balakirev was a composer and teacher/mentor; Cui was an army engineer and self-taught composer; and Mussorgsky was a civil servant.

3. A military officer and civil servant, this composer of the Russian Five was known to be very 'modest'. Which composer is it?

Answer: Mussorgsky

Borodin was a chemist and Rimsky-Korsakov was a Naval Officer. As for Liszt, he was not a member of the Russian Five. He was Hungarian, not Russian.

4. Which one of these is NOT part of the life of Rimsky-Korsakov?

Answer: 'Father of Opera'

5. Which of these composers wrote two sets of 'Slavonic Dances'?

Answer: Dvorak

Dvorak's "Cello Concerto" is found in the film "The Witches of Eastwick".

6. This Czecholovakian Nationalist was known as the 'Father of Czechoslovakian Opera' and wrote 8 operas, including 'The Bartered Bride'. Which composer was it?

Answer: Smetana

Dvorak was hired as a violinist in the opera orchestra at the Provisional Theater under Smetana's direction.

7. Whose exposure to music was restricted to Russian folk songs until he heard operas and Haydn and Mozart symphonies?

Answer: Glinka

Mikhail Glinka's exposure to music was restricted to Russian folk songs until 1810.

8. Who was a piano player as well as Norway's most important nationalist-Romantic composer?

Answer: Grieg

Grieg's mother, who was an excellent amateur pianist, gave him his first music lessons.

9. This Austrian composer was a great symphonist who wrote 9 symphonies. Which composer was it?

Answer: Bruckner

In 1867, Bruckner suffered a nervous breakdown. He spent the last years of his life in Vienna, which in those days was "THE" place to be if you were a musician/composer.

10. This Italian conservative composer of opera had others to write his libretti. Which composer was it?

Answer: Verdi

Between 1842 and 1849 Verdi wrote 11 operas, all dealing with heroism.

11. Brahms and Clara Wieck Schumann were not only great friends, but lovers as well and married several years after the death of her first husband, Robert.

Answer: false

Johanns Brahms and Clara Wieck Schumann were the best of friends, but were never lovers and they never married, although it is known that Brahms did love Clara very much.

12. Franz Liszt was a Hungarian composer, teacher, and virtuoso pianist who wrote many Hungarian Rhapsodies.

Answer: true

Listz's teachers were Czerny and Salieri.

13. Gustav Mahler, the Austrian conducter of operas, was appointed principal conductor of the Metropolitan Opera and then conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra a year later.

Answer: true

At age 20, Mahler was a conductor for operas. He's also written at least 9 symphonies with voices.

14. Aaron Copland studied with Nadia Boulanger.

Answer: true

Copland was the first American to study with Boulanger, who is known more as a master teacher than a composer.

15. Who wrote "Appalachian Spring"?

Answer: Copland

Copland wrote a series of ballets. He wrote "Appalachian Spring" in 1943-44 for Martha Graham.

16. Who were the Gershwin brothers?

Answer: George and Ira

17. Which of these compositions is not by Igor Stravinsky?

Answer: "Romeo and Juliet"

"The Firebird", "Petrushka", and "The Rite of Spring" are all Ballets by Stravinsky. "Romeo and Juliet" is an overture-fantasy composed by Peter Tchaikovsky, whose first name is sometimes spelled as Pyotr.

18. Who wrote "Carmina Burana"?

Answer: Carl Orff

The first song in "Carmina Burana", "Oh, Fortuna", has been used in many movies/films as well as background music in commercials for some movies/films. Examples: commercial - "Young Hercules" (movie version with Ian Bohen) and movie/film - "The General's Daughter" and "Excaliber".

19. Who wrote "Peter and the Wolf"?

Answer: Sergi Prokofiev

Disney did a short cartoon of "Peter and the Wolf".

20. In "Peter and the Wolf" every character has an instrument that is an example of that character.

Answer: true

21. What kind of music did John Coltrane perform?

Answer: jazz

John Coltrane is best known for playing Tenor Sax with Miles Davis.

22. George Gershwin was best known for playing the Tenor Sax.

Answer: false

John Coltrane was best known for playing the Tenor Sax. George Gershwin is best known for doing Broadway musicals with his older brother Ira.

23. Which of these composers reformed opera?

Answer: Gluck

In the reformed opera there were the following: an overture fitting the mood of the story, more use of choir, arias (opera solos) suited to the drama, a unified production, and absolutely no castrato (male sopranos).

24. Fanny is the name of Felix Mendelssohn's sister.

Answer: true

Fanny and Felix were not only brother and sister, but close friends as well. Fanny's husband was an artist by the last name of Hensel.

25. Who wrote the modern opera "Orfeo", which is based on the mythology of "Orpheus"? ("Orfeo" is Italian for "Orpheus").

Answer: Monteverdi

Source: Author loyalty80

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bullymom before going online.
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