Fine Arts Quiz Bowl

Giacomo Puccini

Leading Italian opera composer after Verdi, known for his verismo style and operas like La Bohème and Madama Butterfly.

Verismo

An operatic style characterized by realistic portrayals of everyday life and emotional intensity.

La Bohème

A Puccini opera set in Paris, centered on the love story of Mimì and Rodolfo, known for its themes of poverty and fleeting happiness.

Madama Butterfly

A Puccini opera about a Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San, who is abandoned by her American husband, highlighting themes of loyalty and tragedy.

Tosca

A melodramatic opera by Puccini featuring Floria (titular name), Mario Cavaradossi, and Baron Scarpia, noted for its dramatic pacing.

Turandot

Puccini’s final opera, depicting the titular Princess and her suitors, known for the aria 'Nessun dorma'.

Giuseppe Verdi

Towering figure of 19th-century Italian opera, known for his passionate melodies and politically resonant works. Wrote Aida, La Traviata, and Rigoletto

Aida

A Verdi opera about an Ethiopian slave torn between love and loyalty, known for its 'Triumphal March'.

Rigoletto

A Verdi opera focusing on vengeance and fate, featuring memorable arias like 'La donna è mobile'.

La Traviata

A Verdi opera exploring the life of courtesan Violetta Valéry and her love for Alfredo Germont.

Nabucco

An early Verdi opera centered on the Babylonian exile of the Hebrews, famous for the chorus 'Va, pensiero'.

Gioachino Rossini

Prolific composer known for operas with sparkling orchestration and rapid-fire patter songs. Wrote William Tell and The Barber of Seville

The Barber of Seville

A comic opera by Rossini featuring Figaro, known for the famous aria 'Largo al factotum'.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Composer who revolutionized opera with psychological realism and ensemble writing. Wrote the Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro.

The Magic Flute

A Mozart singspiel that combines fairy-tale adventure with symbolism and Masonic allegory.

The Marriage of Figaro

A Mozart opera in which the main character outwits his master, the Count in a satire on class and desire.

Richard Wagner

Composer who transformed opera into music drama, emphasizing leitmotifs and continuous melody. Composed The Ring Cycle, The Flying Dutchman & Tannhauser, and Tristan und Isolde

The Ring Cycle

Wagner's four-opera saga based on Norse myth, exploring themes of power and greed.

Gaetano Donizetti

Composer who bridged Rossini’s style and Verdi’s emotion, known for his bel canto operas. Wrote L'elisir d'amore and Lucia di Lammermoor.

Lucia di Lammermoor

A tragic opera by Donizetti featuring the famous 'Mad Scene'.

Georges Bizet

French composer known for the opera Carmen, which depicts obsessive love and tragic realism.

Carmen

A French opera by Bizet that tells the story of a love affair between a soldier and a fiery gypsy, leading to jealousy and betrayal. Known for the Habanera and Toreador Song

Claudio Monteverdi

Pioneering composer of early opera, transitioning from Renaissance to Baroque drama. Composed L’Orfeo and L’incoronazione di Poppea

L’Orfeo

Monteverdi's opera often considered the first great opera, retelling the myth of Orpheus.

Benjamin Britten

20th-century composer known for revitalizing English opera with emotional directness. Composed Peter Grimes, The Turn of the Screw, and Billy Budd

Philip Glass

Leading minimalist composer of the late 20th century. Composed Einstein on the Beach, Akhnaten, and Satyagraha

Richard Strauss

Pushed late Romanticism to psychological extremes. Operas known for lush orchestration. Composed Salome, Der Rosenkavalier, and Elektra

Salome

Based on Oscar Wilde’s play. The titular character demands the head of John the Baptist and performs the Dance of the Seven Veils

George Gershwin

His folk opera style blends African American spirituals and Broadway stylings. He composed Porgy and Bess

Porgy and Bess

A folk opera by Gershwin that blends African American spirituals with classical music.

Gilbert and Sullivan

Victorian duo known for their comic operettas that satirized society. Composed The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and HMS Pinafore

The Pirates of Penzance

A comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan dealing with themes of duty and humor.

John Adams

Contemporary composer known for blending minimalism with dramatic realism in his operas. Composed Nixon in China and The Death of Klinghoffer

Nixon in China

An opera by Adams depicting President Nixon’s historical visit to China.

The Death of Klinghoffer

An opera by Adams about the Achille Lauro hijacking, focusing on themes of terrorism and morality.

Claudio Monteverdi

Italian composer credited with developing opera, notably ‘L’Orfeo’.

Heinrich Schütz

German composer known for early Baroque sacred music and influence on Bach. Wrote works such as St. John Passion and Weihnachts-Oratorium.

Arcangelo Corelli

Italian composer and violin virtuoso who developed the concerto grosso form. Composed works such as "Christmas Concerto" and several Sonatas.

Johann Sebastian Bach

German composer regarded as the unmatched master of counterpoint and fugues. Composed works such as The Well-Tempered Clavier and Brandenburg Concertos.

George Frideric Handel

German-English composer famous for his operas and oratorios, especially ‘Messiah’.

Antonio Vivaldi

Italian composer renowned for his violin concertos, particularly ‘The Four Seasons’.

Domenico Scarlatti

Italian composer known for his keyboard sonatas and harpsichord innovations.

Jean-Baptiste Lully

French composer who shaped French Baroque opera and ballet for Louis XIV.

Joseph Haydn

Austrian composer known as the ‘Father of the Symphony’ and ‘Father of the String Quartet.’

Ludwig van Beethoven

German composer and pianist who bridged Classical and Romantic music. Composed works such as Symphony No. 5 and Moonlight Sonata.

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach

German composer and son of J.S. Bach, pioneer of expressive keyboard music.

Christoph Willibald Gluck

German composer known for opera reform and dramatic realism in music. Composed works such as "Orfeo ed Euridice" and "Alceste".

Franz Schubert

Austrian composer celebrated for his emotional art songs (lieder) and symphonies. Composed works such as "Ave Maria" and "Unfinished Symphony."

Felix Mendelssohn

German composer who integrated romantic and classical musical styles. Wrote works such as "The Wedding March" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" overture.

Robert Schumann

German composer known for his piano works and emotional expressiveness. Composed works such as "Carnaval" and "Dichterliebe."

Frédéric Chopin

Polish composer famous for his piano miniatures and nocturnes. Composed works such as the Ballade No. 1 and Prelude in E minor.

Franz Liszt

Hungarian composer and piano virtuoso who revolutionized piano technique. Composed works such as "Hungarian Rhapsodies" and "Piano Concerto No. 1."

Hector Berlioz

French composer known for ‘Symphonie fantastique’ and innovative orchestration.

Johannes Brahms

German composer known for symphonies and concertos, master of traditional forms. Composed works such as the "Hungarian Dances" and "A German Requiem."

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Russian composer renowned for ballets like ‘Nutcracker’ and ‘Swan Lake.’

Giuseppe Verdi

Italian composer famous for operas such as ‘La Traviata’ and ‘Aida.’

Aaron Copland

American composer known as the ‘Dean of American Music’ for works like ‘Fanfare for the Common Man.’

Gustav Mahler

Austro-Bohemian composer famous for his symphonies and songs. Wrote the Symphony of a Thousand

Claude Debussy

French composer known for his innovative works like ‘Clair de Lune.’

George Gershwin

American composer noted for works such as ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘Porgy and Bess.’

Maurice Ravel

French composer recognized for ‘Boléro’ and orchestral works.

Jean Sibelius

Finnish composer known for ‘Finlandia’ and orchestral pieces.

Francis Scott Key

American poet known for writing ‘The Star-Spangled Banner.’

Leonardo da Vinci

An influential artist of the Renaissance known for works like the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Michelangelo

A prominent Renaissance sculptor and painter known for David and the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Raphael

An artist of the High Renaissance known for The School of Athens and Sistine Madonna.

Sandro Botticelli

An Early Renaissance painter known for The Birth of Venus and Primavera.

Albrecht Dürer

A Northern Renaissance artist known for Melencolia I and Self-Portrait.

Titian

A Venetian Renaissance painter known for Venus of Urbino and Assumption of the Virgin.

Hieronymus Bosch

A Northern Renaissance painter known for The Garden of Earthly Delights.

El Greco

A Mannerist artist known for View of Toledo and The Burial of the Count of Orgaz.

Jan van Eyck

A Northern Renaissance master known for Arnolfini Portrait and Ghent Altarpiece.

Donatello

An Early Renaissance sculptor known for the bronze David and Gattamelata.

Caravaggio

A Baroque painter known for dramatic works like The Calling of Saint Matthew.

Peter Paul Rubens

A Baroque artist known for The Elevation of the Cross and The Judgment of Paris.

Rembrandt van Rijn

A Dutch Baroque painter known for The Night Watch and The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp.

Diego Velázquez

A Spanish Baroque artist known for Las Meninas and The Triumph of Bacchus.

Nicolas Poussin

A French Baroque Classicism painter known for Et in Arcadia Ego.

Jean-Honoré Fragonard

A Rococo artist known for The Swing and The Progress of Love.

Jacques-Louis David

A Neoclassical painter known for The Death of Marat and Oath of the Horatii.

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun

A Rococo/Neoclassical artist known for portraits of Marie Antoinette.

Francisco Goya

A Romantic artist known for The Third of May 1808 and Saturn Devouring His Son.

Eugène Delacroix

A prominent Romantic artist known for Liberty Leading the People.

J.M.W. Turner

A Romantic painter recognized for his landscapes like The Slave Ship.

Caspar David Friedrich

A Romantic artist known for his landscapes, including Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog.

Jean-François Millet

A Realism painter known for The Gleaners and The Angelus.

Édouard Manet

An artist who is a precursor to Impressionism known for Olympia.

Vincent van Gogh

A Post-Impressionism painter known for Starry Night and Sunflowers.