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Quiz about Musical Flowers
Quiz about Musical Flowers

Musical Flowers Trivia Quiz


Fans of cryptic crosswords will know that the word "flower" in a clue usually refers to a river - i.e. something that flows. So, taking a sideways look at Jazmee27's Author Challenge, here's a quiz about rivers in classical music.

A multiple-choice quiz by stedman. Estimated time: 3 mins.
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Author
stedman
Time
3 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
340,594
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Easy
Avg Score
8 / 10
Plays
832
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 71 (7/10), bgjd (7/10), Guest 175 (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The prelude to the first of the four operas that make up Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" depicts which river, home to the three maidens Woglinde, Wellgunde and Flosshilde? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. The 1911 orchestral miniature "Summer Night on the River" is the first of this English composer's two "Pieces for small orchestra", the first being "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring". What is his name? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Bedrich Smetana (1824-84) wrote a series of six symphonic poems that are collectively known as "Ma Vlast" or "My Country". Four of them are named below - but which of these is named after a river that flows through Czechoslovakia? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Handel's "Water Music" was written to be performed by musicians on a barge floating on which famous English river? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. The "Yellow River Concerto", based on the "Yellow River Cantata" by the Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, is composed for which solo instrument and orchestra? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. "The Rio Grande" by the English composer Constant Lambert is based on a poem by Sacheverell Sitwell, about a river of that name. Is this the famous Rio Grande that flows from Colorado to Mexico?


Question 7 of 10
7. The first of Benjamin Britten's three one-act operas known as "Church Parables" is named after a fictional river which shares its name with a breed of bird. What is the name of the piece? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. The American composer Florence Price (1887-1953) wrote a suite named after which United States river, well known for its appearances in the literary works of Mark Twain? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. Which English composer wrote the "Severn Suite" for brass band, named after the UK's longest river? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Which large European river flows through the Austrian capital city of Vienna, and was celebrated in a famous waltz composed by Johann Strauss II? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Nov 27 2024 : Guest 71: 7/10
Nov 22 2024 : bgjd: 7/10
Nov 16 2024 : Guest 175: 4/10
Oct 08 2024 : Guest 213: 8/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The prelude to the first of the four operas that make up Richard Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" depicts which river, home to the three maidens Woglinde, Wellgunde and Flosshilde?

Answer: Rhine

The opera in question is "Das Rheingold", and the ladies in question are the three Rhine-maidens, guardians of the Rhine-gold itself. By the end of Scene 1 the gold has been stolen from the river by the dwarf Alberich, and it is not until the closing bars of the fourth opera, "Gotterdammerung", that it is returned to the river from whence it came.
2. The 1911 orchestral miniature "Summer Night on the River" is the first of this English composer's two "Pieces for small orchestra", the first being "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring". What is his name?

Answer: Frederick Delius

Although "Summer Night on the River" sounds quintessentially English, it was in fact written in France, while Delius (1862-1934) was staying in a villa near Grez, on the River Loing. While best-known for his evocative orchestral pieces, he also wrote several operas and a large choral work, "A Mass of Life" (1905).
3. Bedrich Smetana (1824-84) wrote a series of six symphonic poems that are collectively known as "Ma Vlast" or "My Country". Four of them are named below - but which of these is named after a river that flows through Czechoslovakia?

Answer: Vltava

"Vltava" describes the course of the river of that name (also known in German as the Moldau) from its source to the point at which it joins the River Elbe. "Vysehrad" is a castle in Prague, "Sárka" is a legendary female warrior, and "Blaník" is a mountain.

The other two works in the set are "From Bohemia's Woods and Fields", which describes the Czech countryside, and "Tábor", which is named after a city.
4. Handel's "Water Music" was written to be performed by musicians on a barge floating on which famous English river?

Answer: Thames

George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) wrote his orchestral "Water Music" at the request of the English King George I, who wanted to hold a concert on the River Thames for himself and members of his court. The concert took place in on 17th July 1717, with the King and his friends sitting in the official Royal Barge while the musicians played on another vessel nearby.

The "Water Music" was subsequently published as a three separate suites, in F major, D major and G major.
5. The "Yellow River Concerto", based on the "Yellow River Cantata" by the Chinese composer Xian Xinghai, is composed for which solo instrument and orchestra?

Answer: Piano

The "Yellow River Concerto" is unusual in that its composition was a collaborative effort, put together by a committee of musicians apparently at the specific request of Madame Mao. It had its premiere in 1969 during the Chinese "Cultural Revolution" at a time when performances of most western classical music were strictly forbidden. Musically, it is derivative of such romantic composers as Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky.
6. "The Rio Grande" by the English composer Constant Lambert is based on a poem by Sacheverell Sitwell, about a river of that name. Is this the famous Rio Grande that flows from Colorado to Mexico?

Answer: No

One of three artistic Sitwell siblings (the others being Edith and Osbert), in his poem Sacheverell twice refers to "the soft Brazilian air", making clear that he is referring to the Grande River that rises just north of Rio de Janeiro and flows due west before joining the Paranaiba River. The more famous Rio Grande flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, for part of its length forming part of the border between the USA and Mexico.

Constant Lambert's lively musical setting is for the unusual combination of piano, alto singer, choir and orchestra of strings, brass and percussion.
7. The first of Benjamin Britten's three one-act operas known as "Church Parables" is named after a fictional river which shares its name with a breed of bird. What is the name of the piece?

Answer: Curlew River

"Curlew River" is based on the Japanese Noh play Sumidagawa (Sumida River) by Juro Motomasa (1395-1431), and was first performed in Orford Church, Suffolk, in 1964. Although "Curlew River" transforms the story into a Christian parable, the setting follows such Noh theatre practices as having all the characters played by males, including its main protagonist, the Madwoman.
8. The American composer Florence Price (1887-1953) wrote a suite named after which United States river, well known for its appearances in the literary works of Mark Twain?

Answer: Mississippi

Florence Price was one of the first US women to achieve recognition as an orchestral composer, and completed four symphonies and three concertos. She composed her orchestral "Mississippi River Suite" in 1934, in which she uses a selection of familiar folk songs and spirituals to evoke the atmosphere of the river and those who live along its banks.
9. Which English composer wrote the "Severn Suite" for brass band, named after the UK's longest river?

Answer: Edward Elgar

The "Severn Suite" is one of Elgar's last completed works, and was written for the 1930 UK National Brass Band Championship. The composer also arranged it for symphony orchestra, and it is also well known in an arrangement for organ by Ivor Atkins that has been published as Elgar's Second Organ Sonata.
10. Which large European river flows through the Austrian capital city of Vienna, and was celebrated in a famous waltz composed by Johann Strauss II?

Answer: Danube

"Waltz King" Johann Strauss II wrote his waltz "An der schönen blauen Donau", ("At the Beautiful Blue Danube"), in 1866. It was originally written as a choral piece, with words by one Joseph Wey, but it was the version which Strauss later made for orchestra alone that became one of his most popular and successful works.
Source: Author stedman

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor kyleisalive before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
Related Quizzes
This quiz is part of series Stedman's Classical Music Quizzes (2):

A second potpourri from my classical music quizzes

  1. Bells and Whistles Average
  2. Musical Flowers Easier
  3. Ten Great Pianists Average
  4. Are We in the Right Ballet? Easier
  5. Concert Halls of London Average

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