Producers & Composers Musical Composers 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which composer wrote the opera 'The Magic Flute' (Die Zauberflöte)?
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Correct answer)
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Franz Schubert
- Joseph Haydn
Correct answer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart composed The Magic Flute in 1791, the same year he died, as one of his final works.
Question 2: Aaron Copland's 'Appalachian Spring' was originally composed as a ballet for which dancer?
- Martha Graham (Correct answer)
- Isadora Duncan
- Agnes de Mille
- Ruth St. Denis
Correct answer: Martha Graham
Copland composed Appalachian Spring in 1944 for choreographer and dancer Martha Graham.
Question 3: Which Romantic composer wrote the 'Symphonie fantastique,' depicting an artist's opium dream?
- Hector Berlioz (Correct answer)
- Franz Liszt
- Richard Wagner
- Frédéric Chopin
Correct answer: Hector Berlioz
Hector Berlioz composed Symphonie fantastique in 1830, pioneering the use of a recurring theme (idée fixe).
Question 4: What nationality was composer Antonín Dvořák, known for the 'New World Symphony'?
- Czech (Correct answer)
- Austrian
- Hungarian
- Polish
Correct answer: Czech
Dvořák was Czech and composed his Symphony No. 9 'From the New World' during his time in America in the 1890s.
Question 5: Which composer is credited with establishing the string quartet as a major musical form?
- Joseph Haydn (Correct answer)
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Franz Schubert
Correct answer: Joseph Haydn
Joseph Haydn wrote 68 string quartets and is considered the 'father of the string quartet.'
Question 6: George Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' premiered in 1924 at a concert organized by which bandleader?
- Paul Whiteman (Correct answer)
- Benny Goodman
- Glenn Miller
- Tommy Dorsey
Correct answer: Paul Whiteman
Paul Whiteman organized the 'An Experiment in Modern Music' concert where Gershwin premiered Rhapsody in Blue.
Question 7: Which 20th-century American composer wrote 'Four Minutes and Thirty-Three Seconds,' a piece of deliberate silence?
- John Cage (Correct answer)
- Philip Glass
- Steve Reich
- Elliott Carter
Correct answer: John Cage
John Cage's 4'33" (1952) instructs performers to make no intentional sounds for exactly four minutes and thirty-three seconds.
Producers & Composers Musical Composers 2
Which composer wrote the opera 'The Magic Flute' (Die Zauberflöte)?