Composers
Guess the Piece
History
Instruments
Miscellaneous
100
Prodigy that composed over 600 works including his final piece Requiem in D minor before dying at the age of 35.
a) Johannes Brahms
b) Franz Liszt
c) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
d) Joseph Haydn
c) Who was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?
100
This season is represented in this movement of The Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi.
a) Spring
b) Summer
c) Autumn
d) Winter
b) What is Summer?
100
Musical era lasting from around 1600-1750 was characterized by ornamentation, counterpoint, and composers like Bach and Handel.
a) Medieval
b) Baroque
c) Romantic
d) Classical
b) What is Baroque?
100
This instrument is in charge of tuning an orchestra.
What is an Oboe?
100
A French Baroque composer that famously died after striking his own foot with a heavy wooden conducting staff he used to keep time.
a) Jean-Philippe Rameau
b) Francois Couperin
c) Jean Baptiste Lully
d) It’s fake, nobody died from that.
c) Who was Jean Baptiste Lully?
200
This composer incorporated American folk influences into his Symphony no. 9 titled “From the New World”.
a) Bedrich Smetana
b) Antonin Dvorak
c) Edward Elgar
d) Ludwig Van Beethoven
b) Who was Antonin Dvorak?
200
Name of the famous orchestral piece by Rossini, iconic for its high energy fanfare and galloping rhythm and well known for its use as the theme song for The Lone Ranger and many other cartoons.
a) 1812 Overture
b) The Barber of Seville Overture
c) A Midsummer Night's Dream Overture
d) William Tell Overture
d) What is William Tell Overture?
200
19th century musical era, famous for intense personal emotion, national pride, dramatic storytelling, and increasing sizes in orchestras.
a) Renaissance
b) Classical
c) Romantic
d) Modernist
c) What is Romantic?
200
A keyboard instrument that was invented in the Baroque era. It generated sound by plucking strings with quills instead of striking them with hammers like a piano.
a) Organ
b) Harpsichord
c) Celesta
d) Accordion
b) What is a Harpsichord?
200
This symphony number was known for a “curse” and is a superstition among Romantic composers that after writing it, you were destined to die soon after. (Hint: Some composers who died after completing this symphony include Beethoven, Schubert, Dvorak, and Bruckner.)
a) 6
b) 8
c) 9
d) 10
c) What is the 9th symphony?
300
Known as the “King of the Waltz”, this composer wrote The Blue Danube.
a) Jacques Offenbach
b) Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
c) Richard Wagner
d) Johann Strauss II
d) Who was Johann Strauss II?
300
Famous Romantic violin concerto that features the soloist playing energetic gypsy-style themes in its final movement.
a) Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto
b) Wieniawski Violin Concerto
c) Sibelius Violin Concerto
d) Mendelssohn Violin Concerto
a) What is Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto?
300
City that served as a major musical capital for the Classical era (around 1750-1820) through balance, clarity, and structured forms in music.
a) London
b) Paris
c) Vienna
d) Venice
c) Where is Vienna?
300
In Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 6, this massive wooden percussion instrument is struck twice on the stage to symbolize three tragic blows of fate
a) Timpani
b) Bass drum
c) Hammer
d) Gong
c) What is a Hammer?
300
The number of numbered symphonies Mozart composed officially.
a) 26
b) 41
c) 67
d) 104
b) What are 41 symphonies?
400
Polish virtuoso pianist who wrote almost exclusively for solo piano, including nocturnes, mazurkas, and etudes.
Who was Frederic Chopin?
400
Written by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky with respect to his favorite Classical Composer, Mozart, this is the name of the famous cello concerto for solo cello and orchestra. (hint: Emma's favorite piece!!!)
What is Variations on a Rococo Theme?
400
Known for his sharp rhythms and a style often called "Neoclassicism", this is the musical era that the composer of Romeo and Juliet and Peter and the Wolf, Sergei Prokofiev, represent.
What is the 20th Century? (accept “Modernist” or “Soviet Era" too)
400
4-stringed instrument
What is a Viola?
400
The first to use the major 19th century invention, called the “metronome”. This allowed the composer to assign the exact tempo to his compositions.
Who was Ludwig Van Beethoven?
500
This Russian composer is famous for composing pieces like Flight of the Bumblebee, Scheherazade, and Capriccio Espagnole.
Who was Nikolai Rimsky Korsakov?
500
The name of this composition, and the composer of the composition.
What is 4'33"?
and
Who is John Cage?
500
An artistic movement, led by French composers such as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, focused on atmosphere, mood, and fluid harmonies over traditional tonality in the 20th century.
What is Impressionism?
500
Traditional two stringed Chinese bowed instrument featuring a small resonator box typically covered in snake skin (hint: it’s often called the “Chinese Violin”)
What is an Erhu?
500
Beethoven originally dedicated his Symphony No. 3 “Eroica” to this European leader, only to angrily scratch out the name on the title page after hearing he had been declared Emperor.
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
