When you think of classical music, a few of the greats come to mind: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Frederic Chopin, to name a few (and they all have such long, dramatic names, don’t they?). We all know famous tunes like “Fur Elise,” “Symphony No. 5,” and “Ride of the Valkyries.” But only a true expert can master this classical music quiz.
Lovers of classic rock, jazz, and even hip-hop claim certain songs and artists as timeless, but no other music has been around since the early 1700s but classical. Sure, some people find it boring. But fans can appreciate the pure skill, careful technique, and beautiful sounds of pianos, violins, flutes, and horns coming together to form a complex piece. With these classical music questions and answers, you can prove your love for this masterful period in music history.
Need more trivia in your life? Check out our classic rock, country music, and 80’s music trivia quizzes as well as some general music trivia questions and answers.
Vannesa-Mae found fame playing which musical instrument?
Guitar
Piano
Flute
Violin
Which composer once claimed to have poisoned Mozart?
Bach
Beethoven
Haydn
Salieri
In what century did Tchaikovsky live?
17th
20th
19th
18th
Which is the lowest of the male voices?
Alto
Baritone
Tenor
Bass
Which of these periods of classical music came first?
Classical
Renaissance
Baroque
Romantic
What was the first name of prolific Opera composer Puccini?
Franz
Guiseppe
Giacomo
Beppe
The March of the Toreadors’ comes from an Opera by which composer?
Bizet
Verdi
Puccini
Mozart
The Fairy Queen’ is a work by which composer?
Vaughn-Williams
Britten
Purcell
Elgar
To what year did Tchaikovsky dedicate a famous overture?
1812
1912
1712
1612
What is the nickanme of Beethovens 5th Piano Concerto?
King
Ruler
Emperor
Lord
Itzhak Perlman was a virtuoso on which instrument?
Piano
Violin
Oboe
Guitar
Who composed the Tritsch-Tratsch Polka?
Elliott Carter
Johann Strauss II
Paul Dukas
Henry Purcell
Ludwig Van Kochel made catalogued which composers works?
Mozart
Haydn
Bach
Beethoven
Bolero’ was the work of which composer?
Grieg
Wagner
Bach
Ravel
Who composed the ‘Funeral March’?
Claude Debussy
Alban Berg
Frederic Chopin
Franz Liszt
In what century did Johannes Brahms live?
17th
20th
18th
19th
What opera contains the famous ‘Casta Diva’ aria?
William Tell
The Barber Of Seville
The Magic Flute
Norma
Bach’s ‘Brandenburg Concertos’ were composed during what era?
Baroque
Classical
Futuristic
Early Romantic
Which of these terms describes the fastest style of playing?
Adagio
Grave
Legato
Allegro
Air on a G String’ is by which composer?
Bach
Chopin
Beethoven
Brahms
Which of these periods of classical music came latest?
Baroque
Romantic
Classical
Renaissance
What is the nickanme of Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto?
King
Ruler
Emperor
Lord
James Galway found fame playing which instrument?
Clarinet
Oboe
Piano
Flute
Rallentando refers to what?
Decrease in Volume
Increase in volume
Increase in Speed
Decrease in Speed
Prokofiev produced a work entitled ‘The Love For Three…..’?
Apples
Oranges
Onions
Pears
What nationality was the composer Carl Weber?
German
Dutch
Austrian
Spanish
How many instruments will be involved in a ‘Cadenza’?
4
1
The whole orchestra
0
Lied is the German word for what?
Play
Dance
Song
Bow
Fingals Cave’ is a work by which composer?
Wagner
Mendelssohn
Weber
Mussorgsky
Who composed ‘Revolutionary’ Etude?
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Richard Wagner
Frederic Chopin
Liszt’s ‘Hungarian Rhapsodies’ were composed during what era?
Late Romantic
Early Romantic
Middle Romantic
Too Romantic
Who wrote ‘O Fortuna’?
Carl Orff
Igor Stravinsky
Serge Prokofiev
Charles Gounod
Pablo Casals is famed for playing which instrument?
Cello
Piano
Violin
Flute
Which of these was NOT a German composer?
Weber
Chopin
Teleman
Gluck
The Planets’ is a famous classical work by which composer?
Holst
Mozart
Elgar
Beethoven
Issac Albeniz was born is which country?
Mexico
Spain
Portugal
Italy
Swan Lake’ was a work by which Russian Composer?
Mendelssohn
Prokofiev
Rimsky-Korsakov
Tchaikovsky
Charles Villiers Stanford was born in which country?
America
Canada
New Zealand
Ireland
The Fairy Queen’ is a work by which composer?
Vaughn-Williams
Britten
Purcell
Elgar
The Manaus Opera House lies on which river?
Po
Ganges
Amazon
Nile
What was the surname of the composer known as Adam the Hunchback?
De La Halle
Tallis
Dunstable
Du Fay
How many strings does a Harp have?
206
46
406
16
Who composed ‘Moonlight Sonata, Movement 1’?
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Johannes Brahms
Igor Stravinsky
Samuel Barber
La Scala is an Opera House in which Italian city?
Rome
Milan
Turin
Naples
What opera features a quack named Dulcamara?
Norma
Idomeneo
The Elixir of Love
The Marriage of Figaro
What composer published some of his sister’s compositions under his name due to societal norms that frowned on female composers?
Jules Massenet
Charles Gounod
Felix Mendelssohn
Johannes Brahms
What was the first name of prolific Opera compose Puccini?
Giacomo
Franz
Beppe
Guiseppe
Who composed the ‘Grosse Fugue’?
Antonio Vivaldi
Richard Wagner
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Belshazzar’s Feast’ was a work by which British composer?
Elgar
Walton
Purcell
Barnes
in which century did Dmitri Shostakovich live?
19th
17th
18th
20th
In what year was Beethoven born?
1770
1790
1750
1810
Peter and the Wolf’ was composed by which Russian?
Mendelssohn
Tchaikovsky
Prokofiev
Rimsky-Korsakov
What was the name of Beethovens only Opera?
Fernilo
Fido
Fidelio
Filo
Who was the founder of Impressionist music?
Bizet
Handel
Rossini
Debussy
Sergei Prokofiev composed a ballet based on what Shakespearian play?
King Lear
Othello
As You Like It
Romeo And Juliet
Clock2 and ‘Surprise’ are common names for symphonies by which composer?
Haydn
Beethoven
Mozart
Schubert
After which European capital is the 104th Symphony by Haydn known?
Paris
Madrid
London
Rome
How is Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony better known?
Summer
Leningrad
Choral
Eroica
The Gamelan is the tradtional orchestra in which country?
Indonesia
Mexico
Japan
Russia
Which of thse was NOT an Italian composer?
Vivaldi
Rossini
Verdi
Liszt
Which of the following means unaccompanied singing?
Alberti
A Cappella
Accent
Aleatory
What composer lost his right arm in WWI and composed left-hand compositions for the piano?
Paul Wittgenstein
Leos Janácek
Dietrich Buxtehude
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Who composed ‘Peter and the Wolf’?
Sergei Prokofiev
Johann Strauss II
Giuseppe Verdi
Henry Purcell
Ave Maria’ was composed by whom?
Schubert
Bizet
Satie
Debussy
Who created ‘The Blue Danube’?
Johannes Brahms
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Strauss II
Johan Strauss
Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6 ‘Pathetique’ was composed during what era?
Late Romantic
Un-Romantic
Early Romantic
Middle Romantic
In what country was Gustav Mahler born?
Austria
Germany
Russia
Italy
Which one of these was NOT a French composer?
Ravel
Debussy
Liszt
Berlioz
What nationality is the composer Kurt Weill?
Dutch
Austrian
German
American
Who composed ‘Finlandia’?
Remo Giazotto
Jean Sibelius
Bedřich Smetana
Luigi Boccherini
Carl Maria von Weber’s ‘Der FreischĂĽtz’ translates to what in English?
The Mischief Maker
The Marksman
The Evil Tyrant
The Honor Guard
In what year was Mozart born?
1726
1826
1756
1796
Mozart’s Symphonies No. 40 and 41 were composed during what era?
Bronze
Late Romantic
Classical
Atonal
Adagio refers to what kind of pace within a piece of music?
Quiet
Slow
Loud
Fast
Berlioz was a famous German composer. But what was his first name?
Giacomo
Johannes
Hector
Franz
How many operas were written by Rimsky-Korsakov?
15
5
100
50
What was the first name of the Russian composer Prokofiev?
Sergei
Sergio
Alexandar
Pitor
Who composed ‘The Thieving Magpie Overture’?
Dmitri Shostakovich
Olivier Messiaen
Maurice Ravel
Gioachino Rossini
How many players are involved in a string quartet?
4
3
9
6
Which composer wrote the famous Brandenburg Concertos?
Schumann
Beethoven
Bach
Schubert
What kind of ‘Concerto’ did Alban Berg compose during the Atonal era?
Cello
Bass
Harpsichord
Violin
What nationality is the composer John Adams?
American
Scottish
Canadian
English
Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis’ ish a work by which British Composer?
Alwyn
Purcell
Elgar
Vaughn Williams
How many Operas were composed by Giacomo Puccini?
24
36
2
12
On which instrument is a Nocturne usually played?
Violin
Piano
Oboe
Flute
In what year did Tchaikovsky die?
1993
1893
1803
1903
Which of these was NOT one of the Three Tenors?
Luciano Pavarotti
Andrea Bocelli
Placido Domingo
Jose Carrera
in which centiry did Henry Purcell live?
16th
17th
15th
19th
Lied’ is the German word for what?
Dance
Song
Play
Bow
Which of the following was buried in an unmarked paupers grave?
Mozart
Chopin
Beethoven
Haydn
Das Rheingold,’ ‘Die WalkĂĽre,’ ‘Siegfried’ and ‘Götterdammerung’ make up what Richard Wagner ‘cycle’?
The Angel Cycle
The Saga Cycle
The Ring Cycle
The Life Cycle
Legato’ is an instruction to play a piece in what style?
Loudly
Quickly
Violently
Smoothly
In which country was Antonio Vivaldi born?
Russia
France
Spain
Italy
Which of these terms describes the slowest style of playing?
Presto
Vivace
Adante
Allegro
What is considered to be Richard Wagner’s only comic opera?
Tristan und Isolde
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
Die Meistersinger von NĂĽrnberg
If something is played ‘Allegro’ how is it place?
Slow
Fast
Medium
Quietly
After which planet is Mozarts Symphony No.41 named?
Saturn
Mars
Jupiter
Uranus
What was the name of Beethoven’s only Opera?
Filo
Fido
Fidelio
Fernilo
In which country was Schubert born?
Austria
Hungary
Poland
Germany
What nationality was the composer Sibelius?
Danish
Norwegian
Swedish
Finnish
Who composed, ‘Carmina Burana’?
Orff
Mascagni
Mozart
Saint-Saens
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