Academic Team Music Composer Questions

American composer of Lincoln Portrait and Rodeo.

Copland

Wrote "There's no business like show business" and "anything you can do." He also wrote "White Christmas"

Berlin

Composer of the Ring cycle which includes "three dramas" and "prelude

Wagner

often religious musical composition, like Handel's Messiah. This genre was dominated by Mendelssohn

Oratorio

American composer of "Embraceable you" "summertime" and Rhapsody in Blue.

Gershwin

American minimalist composer of Shaker Loops, Nixon in China, and On the Transmigration of Souls

Adams

an orchestral piece at the beginning of an opera, suite, play, oratorio, or other extended competition. A famous one you will recognize is the William Tell Overture

Overtures

Musical period that included composers Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin de Prez, and Palestrina.

Renaissance

A type of composition whose name is Italian for "joke.”

Scherzo

French impressionist composer of Pelleas and Melisande and "Claire de Lune"

Debussy

A musical period including Schumann, Brahms, and Wagner

Romanticism

Musical style associated with Terry Riley, Steve Reich, and Philip Glass

Minimalism

Mozart work and also a Sondheim musical.

A Little Night Music

Hungarian composer of Bluebeard's Castle, Mikrokosmos, and "A Game of Pairs"

Bartok

Romantic composer who wrote "Little C Major", a four movement Wangerer Fantasy, and an unfinished Eighth Symphony

Schubert

There is an instrument named after this composer, the sousaphone. He composed The Stars and Stripes Forever

Sousa

Composer of Symphony of a Thousand, and Kindertotenlieder (Songs on the Death of Children)

Mahler

A group of Russian composers including Mussorgsky and Rimsky

The Mighty Five

Russian pianist who composed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Rachmaninoff

Includes the work of Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart. Known for the sturm und drang substyle.

Classical

Composer of On the Waterfront and West Side Story. Also the conductor of the New York Philharmonic

Bernstein

Jazz pianist known for Mood Indigo and Take the A Train.

Ellington

Renaissance vocal works that are basically poems set to music. Composers include Cipriano de Rore, Adrian Willaert, and Carlo Gesualdo.

Madrigals

Which one of the following four pairs of composers were contemporaries?

1. Bach, Puccini
2. Verdi, Copland
3. Mozart, Haydn
4. Brahms, Vivaldi

3

Match each of the following four composers to his composition.

Composers:

A. Beethoven

B. Puccini

C. Wagner

D. Schubert

Compositions:

1. Siegfried

2. Unfinished Symphony

3. Madama Butterfly

4. Eroica Symphony

A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2

Match each of the following four composers to his style period.

Composers:

A. Handel

B. Debussy

C. Chopin

D. Haydn

Style Periods:

1. Romantic

2. Baroque

3. Classical

4. Impressionism

A-2, B-4, C-1, D-3

Which one or ones of the following four clefs are C clefs?

1. treble
2. alto
3. bass
4. tenor

2 and 4

Identify the composer of the official state song of Florida.

Foster

Which one of the following four songs was written during the US Civil War?

1. Over There
2. Yankee Doodle
3. When Johnny Comes Marching Home
   4.Tennessee Waltz

3

Identify both the composer and stylistic period of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

Mozart, Classical

Which one of the following four composers was not active during the Baroque period?

1. Antonio Vivaldi
2. Georg Frederic Handel
3. Franz Schubert
4. Georg Philipp Telemann

3

Match each of the following four composers to his opera.

Composers:

A. Mozart

B. Beethoven

C. Verdi

D. Wagner

Operas:

1. Das Rheingold

2. Aïda

3. Fidelio

4. Così Fan Tutte

A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

Identify the composer of Fanfare for the Common Man

Copland

Identify the composer of The Well-Tempered Clavier.

Bach

Identify the composer of Peter and the Wolf.

Prokofiev

Match each of the following four composers to his composition.

Composers:

A. Beethoven

B. Puccini

C. Wagner

D. Schubert

Compositions:

1. Lohengrin

2. Unfinished Symphony

3. La Bohème

4. Moonlight Sonata

A-4, B-3, C-1, D-2

Who am I? I was born in Votkinsk in Russia in 1840. I was groomed for a career in the civil service, but followed my passion for music by studying at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Some of my most performed works today are my symphonies; my ballets The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty; and the 1812 Overture.

Tchaikovsky

Identify the composer of "I Dream of Jeanie", "Old Folks at Home" and "My Old Kentucky Home".

Foster

Arrange the following four woodwind instruments in order from that sounding the lowest
pitch to that sounding the highest.

1. bassoon
2. alto saxophone
3. clarinet
4. contrabassoon

4, 1, 2, 3

During which one of the following four musical style periods was sonata-allegro form an important characteristic?

1. Renaissance
2. Baroque
3. Classical
4. Romantic

3

Identify the composer of Flight of the Bumble Bee.

Rimsky-Korsakov

Identify the three main sections in sonata-allegro form.

exposition, development, recap

Identify the composer of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Dukas

Which one of the following four compositions was not written by Aaron Copland?

1. Appalachian Spring

2. An American in Paris

3. Rodeo

4. 4.Quiet City

2

Who am I? At the age of six, I was sent away from home to study music and soon learned to play the harpsichord and violin. However, it was my singing that impressed the music director at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and I served nine years there in the choir. Eventually, I learned to conduct and compose music. My compositions include numerous piano works, string quartets, and more than 100 symphonies. Perhaps my most popular work heard today is the Surprise Symphony.

Haydn

Identify the composer of Phantom of the Opera.

Webber

Identify the composer of the 1812 Overture.

Tchaikovsky

Match each of the following four instruments to the clef most commonly associated with it. One clef will be used twice.

Instruments:

A. flute

B. viola

C. trombone

D. violin

Clefs:

1. alto

2. bass

3. treble

A-3, B-1, C-2, D-3

Match each of the following four instrument families to its member.

Families:

A. brass

B. percussion

C. string

D. woodwind

Members:

1. celesta

2. cello

3. English horn

4. French horn

A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3

Match each of the following four composers to the opera he composed.

Composers:

A. Strauss

B. Beethoven

C. Mozart

D. Puccini

Operas:

1. Marriage of Figaro

2. Fidelio

3. Tosca

4. Salome

A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3

Identify the composer of Für Elise.

Beethoven

Match each of the following five countries to the dance uniquely associated with it.

Countries:

A. Argentina

B. Austria

C. Brazil

D. France

E. Israel

Dances:

1. Can-Can

2. Hora

3. Samba

4. Tango

5. Waltz

A-4, B-5, C-3, D-1, E-2

Match each of the following four composers to his composition.

Composers:

A. Felix Mendelssohn

B. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

C. Georg Frederic Handel

D. Maurice Ravel

Compositions:

1. Hebrides Overture

2. Bolero

3. Eine kleine Nachtmusik

4. Water Music

A-1, B-3, C-4, D-2

Name the composition written by Sir Edward Elgar often heard annually by high school seniors.

Pomp and Circumstance

Identify the composer of Brandenburg Concerto No. 2

Bach

Who am I? I was born in Eisenach, the capital of the duchy of Saxe-Eisenachin in 1685 and became an organist and composer. My career culminated in my appointment as Thomaskantor, Cantor of the Thomasschule at the Thomaskirche (St. Thomas Church) in Leipzig, which provided music for four churches in the city. I am remembered as a prolific composer of hundreds of cantatas, numerous works for chamber and orchestral groups, keyboard music, and much more. My works include my Christmas Oratorio, St. Matthew Passion, and Brandenburg Concerti.

Bach

Match each of the following four composers to his musical composition.

Composers:

A. W. A. Mozart

B. J. S. Bach

C. Felix Mendelssohn

D. Richard Strauss

Compositions:

1. Italian Symphony

2. Brandenburg Concerto #1

3. Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

4. Jupiter Symphony

A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3

Who am I? I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1900. At age 15 I decided to become a composer. After studying with Ruben Goldmark, I went to Paris and became a student of Nadia Boulanger. I am remembered for my many compositions including Rodeo, Fanfare for the Common Man and Appalachian Spring.

Copland

Identify the composer of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.

Mozart

Match each of the following four style periods to the composition.

Periods:

A. Baroque

B. Romantic

C. Classical

D. Impressionist

Compositions:

1. Also sprach Zarathustra

2. La Mer

3. Messiah

4. The Clock Symphony

A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

Who am I? I was a friend of Mozart and a teacher of Beethoven. I wrote more than 100 symphonies, numerous string quartets, and other compositions. Perhaps my most performed works today are my Surprise and Clock Symphonies.

Haydn

Identify the composer of the orchestral suite entitled The Planets.

Holst

Identify the simple triple meter in which the quarter note gets the beat.

3/4

Match each of the following four composers to his composition.

Composers:

A. Debussy

B. Tchaikovsky

C. Beethoven

D. Grieg

Compositions

1. Choral Symphony

2. Peer Gynt Suite No. 2

3. Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun

4. 1812 Overture

A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Match each of the following four composers to the opera he composed.

Composers:

A. Verdi

B. Richard Strauss

C. Mozart

D. Wagner

Operas

1. Don Giovanni

2. Salome

3. Rigoletto

4. Tristan and Isolde

A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4

Who am I? I was born in Venice in 1678. My father, who was a barber before becoming a musician, taught me to play the violin. Due to my poor health, I withdrew from my priestly duties to compose and perform music. Among my best-known compositions heard today is my series of violin concerti known as The Four Seasons.

Vivaldi

Three-way matching. Match each of the following three composers to his composition and its genre.

Composers:

A. Richard Strauss

B. Richard Wagner

C. Igor Stravinsky

Compositions:

1. Lohengrin

2. The Firebird

3. Don Juan

Genres:

X. ballet

Y. tone poem

Z. opera

A-3-Y, B-1-Z, C-2-X

Identify the musical style period during which polyphony based on modes and genres such as madrigals and motets are important characteristics.

Renaissance

Which one of the following four pairs of composers were contemporaries?

1. Igor Stravinsky, Hector Berlioz

2. George Gershwin, Felix Mendelssohn

3. Richard Wagner, Johannes Brahms

4. Gustav Holst, Franz Schubert

3

Identify the composer of Bolero.

Ravel

Arrange the following four musical style periods in chronological order.

1. Classical
2. Renaissance
3. Romantic
4. Baroque

2, 4, 1, 3

Match each of the following four musical terms to its description.

Terms:
A. accent
B. fermata
C. slur
D. arco

Descriptions:

1. bow the strings
2. play with emphasis
3. pause or hold
4. play notes in connected manner

A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1

Identify the composer of the Overture to Tannhaüser.

Wagner

Who am I? I was born in Austria in 1732. I wrote numerous string quartets and more than 100 symphonies, some of which have nicknames such as the "Military," "Clock," and, "Surprise."

Haydn

Who am I? I was born in Austria in 1797. I am remembered for composing more than 600 Lieder, symphonies, and many other works. I was not able to finish my symphony #8, but I do not think that is why it is perhaps my most famous one. I died at the age of 31.

Schubert

Match each of the four composers to his composition.

Composers:
A. Gershwin
B. Prokofiev
C. Vivaldi
D. Grieg

Compositions:

1. The Four Seasons
2. Peer Gynt Suite No. 2
3. Rhapsody in Blue
4. Peter and the Wolf

A-3, B-4, C-1, D-2

Identify the composer of the feline themed Broadway musical that ran from 1982 until
2000 based on T.S. Eliot's "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats."

Webber

Which one or ones of the following four composers created music during the Romantic Era?

1. Berlioz
2. Haydn
3. Debussy
4. Wagner

1, 4

Match the following four composers to the genre with which he is most closely associated.

Composers:

A. Chopin

B. Haydn

C. Stravinsky

D. Bach

Genres:

1. cantata

2. ballet

3. symphony

4. etude

A-4, B-3, C-2, D-1

Identify the Italian musical term indicating the notes are to be played or sung smoothly and connected.

legato