Producers & Composers Musical Composers 5

Question 1

Which composer wrote the opera cycle 'Der Ring des Nibelungen,' a four-opera epic based on Germanic mythology?

Accepted Answer

Richard Wagner

Answer

Richard Wagner composed the Ring Cycle over about 26 years, completing it in 1874; the full cycle takes roughly 15 hours to perform.

Question 2

Which Renaissance composer is credited with developing the madrigal form in its mature Italian style?

Accepted Answer

Claudio Monteverdi

Answer

Claudio Monteverdi's eight books of madrigals (1587–1638) represent the peak of the form and bridge Renaissance and Baroque styles.

Question 3

Camille Saint-Saëns's 'Danse Macabre' famously features which instrument to represent dancing skeletons?

Accepted Answer

Xylophone

Answer

Saint-Saëns used the xylophone to mimic the rattling of bones in Danse Macabre (1874), one of the instrument's earliest orchestral appearances.

Question 4

Which 20th-century composer wrote 'Appalachian Spring,' 'Rodeo,' and 'Billy the Kid,' all quintessentially American works?

Accepted Answer

Aaron Copland

Answer

Aaron Copland consciously cultivated an American sound using folk melodies and wide open harmonies in these signature works.

Question 5

Which Baroque composer wrote 'The Four Seasons,' a set of four violin concertos depicting the seasons?

Accepted Answer

Antonio Vivaldi

Answer

Antonio Vivaldi composed The Four Seasons around 1720, each concerto accompanied by a sonnet describing the season.

Producers & Composers Practice Test