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Twentieth Century Composers Trivia Quiz

A fairly difficult quiz on 20th century classical composers, most of whom are not household names. In this quiz you will match the composer to their compositions. Good luck!

A multiple-choice quiz by Akhnaten. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Akhnaten

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
14,019

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
10 / 15

Plays
2560

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

This quiz has 2 formats: you can play it as a or as shown below.
Scroll down to the bottom for the answer key.

1. The 'Rite of Spring'? Hint

Charles Ives

Sergei Prokofiev

Igor Stravinsky

Dmitri Shostakovich

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2. 'A Lincoln Portrait' and 'Fanfare For The Common Man'? Hint

Leonard Bernstein

Aaron Copland

Benjamin Britten

Elliott Carter

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3. 'West Side Story' and 'Candide'? Hint

Leonard Bernstein

Marvin Hamlisch

Andrew Lloyd Webber

Philip Glass

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4. 'Wozzeck' and 'Lulu'? Hint

Arnold Schoenberg

Alban Berg

Anton Webern

Iannis Xenakis

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5. 'The Alabama Song'? Hint

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht

Aaron Copland

The Doors

Leonard Bernstein

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6. 'The Miraculous Mandarin' and 'Bluebeard's Castle'? Hint

Bela Bartok

Luciano Berio

Karlheinz Stockhausen

Igor Stravinsky

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7. 'Babi Yar' and 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District'? Hint

Dmitri Shostakovich

Sergei Prokofiev

Igor Stravinsky

Sergei Rachmaninov

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8. 'Pierrot Lunaire' and 'Moses und Aron'? Hint

Arnold Schoenberg

Jean Sibelius

Alban Berg

Erik Satie

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9. 'Quartet For The End Of Time' and 'Turangalila Symphony'? Hint

Olivier Messiaen

George Crumb

Philip Glass

George Gershwin

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10. 'Rhapsody In Blue' and 'An American In Paris'? Hint

Aaron Copland

John Cage

Leonard Bernstein

George Gershwin

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11. 'Akhnaten' and 'Satyagraha'? Hint

Harry Partch

Philip Glass

John Cage

Benjamin Britten

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12. 'Peter Grimes' and 'Death In Venice'? Hint

Benjamin Britten

Luciano Berio

Bela Bartok

Luigi Nono

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13. 'Silver Apples Of The Moon' and 'Sidewinder'? Hint

Iannis Xenakis

Terry Riley

Morton Subotnik

John Cage

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14. 'Poeme Electronique', 'Ionisation', and 'Ameriques'? Hint

Edgard Varese

John Cage

Iannis Xenakis

Wendy Carlos

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15. 'The Unanswered Question' and 'Three Places In New England'? Hint

Leonard Bernstein

Aaron Copland

Milton Babbitt

Charles Ives

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Most Recent Scores

Sep 13 2023 : Guest 86: 8/15
Aug 22 2023 : Guest 98: 9/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. The 'Rite of Spring'?

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.

2. 'A Lincoln Portrait' and 'Fanfare For The Common Man'?

Answer: Aaron Copland

The American composer, Joan Tower, wrote five versions of a composition entitled 'Fanfare For The Uncommon Woman' inspired by the title of Copland's 'Fanfare For The Common Man'. Copland's music frequently appears in television commercials.

3. 'West Side Story' and 'Candide'?

Answer: Leonard Bernstein

Leonard Bernstein, like Mahler, was well-regarded as both a conductor and composer.

4. 'Wozzeck' and 'Lulu'?

Answer: Alban Berg

Alban Berg (1885-1935) did not complete the music for Act III of 'Lulu' which ends with a dastardly deed at the hands of Jack the Ripper.

5. 'The Alabama Song'?

Answer: Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht

'The Alabama Song' was part of the 1929 opera 'The Rise And Fall Of the City of Mahagonny' by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht. The song was also recorded by the Doors on their debut album in the late 1960's.

6. 'The Miraculous Mandarin' and 'Bluebeard's Castle'?

Answer: Bela Bartok

Bela Bartok (1881-1945) is known for incorporating Hungarian folk melodies into his compositions.

7. 'Babi Yar' and 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District'?

Answer: Dmitri Shostakovich

The opera 'Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District' incurred the wrath of Joseph Stalin and inspired a scathing article in the January 28, 1936 edition of Pravda entitled 'Chaos Instead of Music'. Shostakovich later wrote a more politically correct version called 'Katerina Ismailova'.

8. 'Pierrot Lunaire' and 'Moses und Aron'?

Answer: Arnold Schoenberg

Schoenberg had not finished the music for Act III of 'Moses und Aron' due to his death in 1951. The work is usually performed in two acts, although some productions include a spoken word version of Act III.

9. 'Quartet For The End Of Time' and 'Turangalila Symphony'?

Answer: Olivier Messiaen

'Quartet for the End of Time' was written and first performed in January 1941 by Messiaen, who had joined the French armed forces during World War II, and three fellow prisoners in Stalag VIII-A at Gorlitz.

10. 'Rhapsody In Blue' and 'An American In Paris'?

Answer: George Gershwin

Prior to 'Rhapsody in Blue' (1924), George Gershwin had been exclusively a composer of popular songs.

11. 'Akhnaten' and 'Satyagraha'?

Answer: Philip Glass

Philip Glass appeared as a character for a few seconds on a South Park episode, inciting an immediate riot at a politically correct holiday pageant after playing a few notes on his synthesizer.

12. 'Peter Grimes' and 'Death In Venice'?

Answer: Benjamin Britten

'Peter Grimes' by Benjamin Britten premiered on the occasion of the reopening of the Sadler's Wells Theater in London just one month after the German surrender in 1945 and resulted in Britten being lauded as the most important English opera composer since Purcell.

13. 'Silver Apples Of The Moon' and 'Sidewinder'?

Answer: Morton Subotnik

'Silver Apples of the Moon' (1966) by Morton Subotnik was the first electronic composition commissioned by a record company (Nonesuch).

14. 'Poeme Electronique', 'Ionisation', and 'Ameriques'?

Answer: Edgard Varese

Several of the early Frank Zappa albums contain the quote from Edgard Varese 'The present day composer refuses to die!' Prior to becoming a composer, Varese studied mathematics and engineering.

15. 'The Unanswered Question' and 'Three Places In New England'?

Answer: Charles Ives

Charles Ives (1874-1954) was no starving artist. Although he studied music at Yale, Ives became a highly successful life insurance executive who pursued music strictly as an avocation.

Source: Author Akhnaten

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