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Quiz about The Man Behind the Music
Quiz about The Man Behind the Music

The Man Behind the Music. Trivia Quiz


You know their names, but what do you know about the real man behind the music.... I'll give you some clues, you choose the right man.. easy!

A multiple-choice quiz by fringe. Estimated time: 5 mins.
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Author
fringe
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
129,252
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
3340
Awards
Top 10% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. This Italian composer was born on the 29th February. He had his first major success at the age of 21 with "Tancredi" and, 38 operas later, at the age of 37, virtually gave up his professional career. He had immense faith in his talent, saying "Give me a laundry list and I will set it to music." Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. This German composer wrote all his own texts in red, green, and black ink as he worked at his desk, wearing one of his two dozen silk and fur dressing-gowns. His work did not always find instant acclaim. Mark Twain joked that his "music is better than it sounds." Having started the famous theatre at Bayreuth, his body was returned there when he died and buried in the garden of his house. Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. At the age of 22 this Russian gave up studying law to take up music, becoming widely acclaimed as both a composer and conductor. Mentally unstable, he would conduct with his right hand whilst holding his chin with his left, so as to ensure that his head didn't roll off his shoulders! He was appointed an Honorary Doctor of Music at Cambridge University in 1893. Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. A child prodigy, this Polish composer was an accomplished pianist, giving his first public performance at the age of eight, and was still at school when his first work was published. He was of frail disposition, suffering from tuberculosis and rheumatism, and would take sugar lumps laced with opium, prompting Berlioz to observe "He was dying all his life." Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. Although Italian, this composer spoke and wrote in French. Following a dream of his mother's in which she was told by an angel that her son would become a famous violinist, his father taught him the mandolin at the age of five and the violin at seven. A year later he wrote his first sonata. He became as well known for his affairs as his music, and spent a week in prison following the rape and abduction of a pregnant prostitute. Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. This German composer turned down an honorary doctorate from England's Cambridge University, accepting one from Breslau University a year later, composing "The Academic Festival Overture" in recognition of the honour. Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. This multi-talented German composer was taught to play the piano at the age of seven in Paris by a Madame Bigot, and subsequently played for Queen Victoria, whose verdict was that he was "a wonderful genius .. so pleasing and amiable." He is probably most widely known for his "Wedding March" from the "Midsummer Night's Dream" overture. Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Another child prodigy, this Hungarian composer and pianist was very religious, becoming a Franciscan Abbé in later life. Having eloped in his early twenties with the author 'Daniel Stern', he had three children, one of whom married Richard Wagner. Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This Austrian had more than 600 compositions to his name, penning his first minuet at the age of six, and his first opera at 11. He worked very fast, mainly at night, and was often commissioned by royal or noble patrons. His last great (unfinished) work, the "Requiem Mass", sparked some controversy as to who actually paid for it; some suggested it may have been a jealous rival wishing to pass if off as his own. Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Due to an accident to his right hand whilst using a finger-strengthening machine, this German was forced to concentrate on composing rather than playing. He took much of his inspiration from literature, one of his first songs was the "Fool's Song" in 'Twelfth Night'. However, following his marriage to Clara he turned more to orchestral composition. Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. This Italian composer was born on the 29th February. He had his first major success at the age of 21 with "Tancredi" and, 38 operas later, at the age of 37, virtually gave up his professional career. He had immense faith in his talent, saying "Give me a laundry list and I will set it to music."

Answer: Gioacchino Antonio Rossini

A handsome man, Rossini nonetheless resorted to wearing wigs to hide his baldness, and although he was a hypochrondriac, did actually suffer from a variety of diseases for many years, including urinary diseases, throat complaints, and neurathesnia. He was also very superstitious, and died on Friday 13th November 1868 of complications following an operation on a rectal fistula.
2. This German composer wrote all his own texts in red, green, and black ink as he worked at his desk, wearing one of his two dozen silk and fur dressing-gowns. His work did not always find instant acclaim. Mark Twain joked that his "music is better than it sounds." Having started the famous theatre at Bayreuth, his body was returned there when he died and buried in the garden of his house.

Answer: (Wilhelm) Richard Wagner

Wagner suffered from a disease which made his skin red and sensitive, and he found that silk was the only material he could tolerate; his jackets were lined with fur and wadding to keep him comfortable. Like Rossini he died on Friday 13th, although 15 years later.
3. At the age of 22 this Russian gave up studying law to take up music, becoming widely acclaimed as both a composer and conductor. Mentally unstable, he would conduct with his right hand whilst holding his chin with his left, so as to ensure that his head didn't roll off his shoulders! He was appointed an Honorary Doctor of Music at Cambridge University in 1893.

Answer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Although homosexual, in 1877 Tchaikovsky married one of his pupils, Antonina Milyukova - she had threatened suicide if he didn't go through with it, and they separated within three months. He died at the age of 53, having drunk water infected with cholera - it was widely rumoured that he had committed suicide.
4. A child prodigy, this Polish composer was an accomplished pianist, giving his first public performance at the age of eight, and was still at school when his first work was published. He was of frail disposition, suffering from tuberculosis and rheumatism, and would take sugar lumps laced with opium, prompting Berlioz to observe "He was dying all his life."

Answer: Frederic Chopin

When Chopin died in Paris, aged 39, the scene was recorded by artists and photographers. His dying words were "Play Mozart in memory of me." 3,000 mourners attended his funeral.
5. Although Italian, this composer spoke and wrote in French. Following a dream of his mother's in which she was told by an angel that her son would become a famous violinist, his father taught him the mandolin at the age of five and the violin at seven. A year later he wrote his first sonata. He became as well known for his affairs as his music, and spent a week in prison following the rape and abduction of a pregnant prostitute.

Answer: Niccolo Paganini

A friend of Rossini, Paganini enjoyed practical jokes, and endeared himself to his public by improvising with the insertion of animal sounds, cats, dogs or birds etc. during concerts.
6. This German composer turned down an honorary doctorate from England's Cambridge University, accepting one from Breslau University a year later, composing "The Academic Festival Overture" in recognition of the honour.

Answer: Johannes Brahms

Although he never married, Brahms did have a short engagement in his late twenties, and formed a close attachment to Schumann's wife, Clara, who noted that he had "beautiful hands". Following Schumann's death Brahms supported Clara and her family.
7. This multi-talented German composer was taught to play the piano at the age of seven in Paris by a Madame Bigot, and subsequently played for Queen Victoria, whose verdict was that he was "a wonderful genius .. so pleasing and amiable." He is probably most widely known for his "Wedding March" from the "Midsummer Night's Dream" overture.

Answer: (Jakob Ludwig) Felix Mendelssohn

A popular and good-looking man, "His face is the most beautiful I ever saw", according to Thackeray. Mendelssohn worked long hours and was proud of the fact that he composed only to please himself. He died at the age of 38, following a seizure, probably brought on by a mixture of overwork and distress at the death of his sister, Fanny.
8. Another child prodigy, this Hungarian composer and pianist was very religious, becoming a Franciscan Abbé in later life. Having eloped in his early twenties with the author 'Daniel Stern', he had three children, one of whom married Richard Wagner.

Answer: Franz Liszt

Being passionate about his work, Liszt was very intolerant of interruptions, remarking when Czar Nicholas dared to talk during his performance, "Music herself should be silent when Nicholas speaks." Despite his fondness for cigars and the fact that he drank a bottle of brandy a day Liszt lived into his mid seventies, dying in Bayreuth of pneumonia.
9. This Austrian had more than 600 compositions to his name, penning his first minuet at the age of six, and his first opera at 11. He worked very fast, mainly at night, and was often commissioned by royal or noble patrons. His last great (unfinished) work, the "Requiem Mass", sparked some controversy as to who actually paid for it; some suggested it may have been a jealous rival wishing to pass if off as his own.

Answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Mozart was an extremely gifted child, playing the piano, harpsichord, violin, viola, and spinet, as well and singing and composing. He was also excellent at mathematics and billiards, having his own table at home. From the age of 28 he was a Freemason, joining the same Lodge as Haydn in Vienna.
10. Due to an accident to his right hand whilst using a finger-strengthening machine, this German was forced to concentrate on composing rather than playing. He took much of his inspiration from literature, one of his first songs was the "Fool's Song" in 'Twelfth Night'. However, following his marriage to Clara he turned more to orchestral composition.

Answer: Robert Schumann

The threat of madness had troubled Schumann since his early twenties, and following a suicide attempt when he tried to drown himself in the River Rhine, he was committed (at his own request)to a mental asylum, where he died alone two years later at the age of 46.
Source: Author fringe

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