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Music Knowledge Quiz

Total questions: 50

Worksheet time: 25mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which Middle Classical era composer established the symphony and the four-part string quartet?

a)

Luigi Cherubini

b)

Jab Ladislav Dussek

c)

Franz Joseph Haydn

d)

Antonio Salieri

e)

Samuel Wesley

2.

What additional accessory(ies) does a musician need in order to play the koto?

a)

three ivory picks for the right hand

b)

two drum sticks made of all natural materials

c)

a tuner

d)

a reed made of a synthetic material

e)

this simple instrument needs no other supplies

3.

Which instrument has two parallel pipes joined together, each with its own single reed, and in which the player's fingers can cover two holes at a time, one on each pipe?

a)

the Ethiopian krar

b)

the Brazilian berimbau

c)

the German shawm

d)

the Mongolian surnai

e)

the Egyptian zummara

4.

What language is used in old style Irish melodies?

a)

Amharic

b)

Celtic

c)

Gaelic

d)

Olde English

e)

All of the above

5.

How many operas did George Frideric Handel write?

a)

12

b)

27

c)

40

d)

65

e)

over 90 that music historians know of, but it is believed he wrote more

6.

Which father and son company set up a prestigious piano company in 1853?

a)

Steinway and Sons

b)

Stradivari Family Instruments

c)

Amati and Sons

d)

Stainer

e)

Fender and Family

7.

What are some of the instruments used in early Chinese music?

a)

bronze bells, tuneful stone slabs, and pottery flutes

b)

gayageum and the koto

c)

the Asian harp, the gong, and the erhu

d)

the dizi and the gong

e)

the shamisen and the veena

8.

Although some yidakis can be 10 feet long, most are between _____ and _____ feet.

a)

1 and 2

b)

12 and 15

c)

2 and 7

d)

4 and 5

e)

8 and 9

9.

During which historical period did the violin begin to be included in orchestras and chamber music?

a)

Romantic

b)

Classical

c)

Medieval

d)

Baroque

e)

Post-Modern

10.

What operatic composer wrote Rusalka, which partly followed the plot of Hans Chrstian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid?

a)

Antonín Dvořák

b)

Claudio Monteverdi

c)

Richard Strauss

d)

George Frideric Handel

e)

Gioachino Rossini

11.

Who originally performed Gregorian Chants?

a)

cloistered nuns

b)

gospel choirs

c)

monks throughout Europe

d)

classically trained tenors

e)

only priests and bishops were allowed to sings these chants

12.

When was the piano invented?

a)

in the late 1200s

b)

around 1512

c)

around 1709

d)

in the late 1800s

e)

in the early 1920s

13.

What is the single continuous note produced by bagpipes known as?

a)

a breath

b)

a drone

c)

a hold

d)

continu

e)

forte

14.

What is the name of the hollow body over which the strings are stretched across on most stringed instruments?

a)

gourd

b)

echo chamber

c)

synthesizer

d)

resonator

e)

cylindrus

15.

How many octaves is a trumpet range?

a)

one high octave

b)

1 ½ octaves

c)

over 3 octaves

d)

up to 7 octaves

e)

any amount of octaves that a musician can achieve, as it is based on the talent of the musician

16.

What German court organist is known for his keyboard and chamber music, as well as developing canons and fugues?

a)

Johann Pachelbel

b)

George Frideric Handel

c)

Ludwig van Beethoven

d)

Richard Strauss

e)

Johann Sebastian Bach

17.

What inspiration did Claude Debussy owe much of his early success to?

a)

Romantic composers

b)

Indonesian orchestra

c)

Impressionist composers

d)

Australia's First Native Peoples

e)

All of the above

18.

Having great admiration for William Shakespeare's work, which musician composed music to accompany the play A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream at the young age of 17?

a)

Franz Liszt

b)

Anton Bruckner

c)

Felix Mendelssohn

d)

Emilie Mayer

e)

Richard Strauss

19.

What Irish dance show was a worldwide hit in the 1990s, where dancers hold their upper bodies still, while moving their legs and feet rapidly?

a)

Rhythm of the Dance

b)

Lord of the Dance

c)

The Irish Polka

d)

Riverdance

e)

The Royal Irish Ballet

20.

Which is the title of Mozart’s opera in which the plot revolves about the quest of a prince and a companion to rescue the ladies they love, helped by their musical instruments?

a)

Dido and Aeneas

b)

The Magic Music

c)

Fantastic Flute

d)

Bastien und Bastienne

e)

The Magic Flute

21.

What is a conductor’s job in an orchestra?

a)

help musicians convey the right feelings to an audience

b)

keep musicians in time

c)

leads rehearsals

d)

make sure musicians play when they should

e)

All of the Above

22.

How many sets of strings does a sitar have?

a)

one

b)

three

c)

between seven and ten

d)

over 12 sets

e)

a sitar does not have strings

23.

Which of the following was NOT a child prodigy violinist?

a)

Felix Mendelssohn

b)

Joseph Joachim

c)

Maxim Vengerov

d)

Niccoló Paganini

e)

Sarah Chang

24.

What was composer Samuel Wesley’s nickname?

a)

Handel of the Hymnal

b)

The Teacher of Prodigy

c)

The English Mozart

d)

The Big Man of the Big Band

e)

Beethoven of France

25.

Who inspired Mily Balakirev of the Mighty Handful?

a)

Mikhail Glinka

b)

Antonín Dvořák

c)

Pyotr Ilyick Tchailkovsky

d)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

e)

Robert Schumann

26.

What component of the organ can the player turn on and off, allowing air only to pass through certain pipes?

a)

pedals

b)

the winds

c)

the springs

d)

stops

e)

couplers

27.

Where was the harmonica invented in the 19th century?

a)

Australia

b)

England

c)

United States of America

d)

Austria

e)

Canada

28.

What did Japanese Buddhist sage Nichiren devise to help express “Secret Laws”in Buddhism?

a)

solos

b)

ritual dance music

c)

call and response

d)

chant

e)

incense and songs

29.

What are the highest-pitched instruments in the woodwind section of a typical orchestra?

a)

flutes

b)

piccolos

c)

clarinets

d)

oboes

e)

English horns

30.

Which infamous leader was a big fan of Richard Wagner’s work?

a)

Adolf Hitler

b)

Napoleon

c)

Joseph Stalin

d)

Mao Zedong

e)

King Leopold II

31.

What Italian monk invented the music staff?

a)

Benedict of Nursia

b)

Guido d’Arezzo

c)

Fra Girolamo

d)

Savonarola

e)

Pietro Parolini

32.

Which of Beethoven’s nine symphonies is considered one of the greatest symphonies ever composed, and combines orchestra with a chorus of singers?

a)

1st Symphony

b)

3rd Symphony

c)

5th Symphony

d)

7th Symphony

e)

9th Symphony

33.

What might a First Nations Australian have used for a drum skin?

a)

kangaroo skin

b)

lizard skin

c)

snake skin

d)

All of the above

e)

Both (B) and (C)

34.

Which Romantic musician was not only a composer, but also a great conductor, writer, and critic, and the winner of the Prix de Rome Scholarship?

a)

Franz Liszt

b)

Hector Berlioz

c)

Frédéric Chopin

d)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

e)

Sergei Rachmaninoff

35.

What military use did trumpets have?

a)

announced arrival on battlefields

b)

roused the troops

c)

frightened the enemies

d)

All of the above

e)

Both (A) and (B)

36.

Which of Carl Maria von Weber’s operas marked the beginning of German Romantic opera?

a)

Oberon

b)

Peter Schmoll und seine Nachbarn

c)

Die Macht der Liebe und des Weins

d)

Der Freischütz

e)

Euryanthe

37.

Which of the following was NOT a type of music Heitor Villa-Lobos wrote?

a)

chamber music and concertos

b)

movie scores

c)

string quartets

d)

ballets, symphonies, and operas

e)

All of the above

38.

What section of the orchestra is typically the largest?

a)

brass section

b)

string section

c)

woodwind section

d)

percussion section

e)

keyboards

39.

What song from George Frideric Handel’s Messiah has become most famous and is heard in many other current media, movies, and shows?

a)

“Comfort ye my People”

b)

“Hallelujah”

c)

“The Trumpet shall Sound”

d)

“Rejoice”

e)

“Behold”

40.

Which instruments are represented in most gamelans?

a)

drums and gongs

b)

metallophones

c)

timpanis

d)

All of the above

e)

Both (A) and (B)

41.

Around what time did The Mighty Handful drift apart?

a)

early 1500's

b)

late 1500s

c)

late 1860s

d)

1950s

e)

They never drifted apart. They were friends and partners until each of their deaths in their respectable times.

42.

Complete the sentence about the instrument: The violin is the smallest and the _______ pitch of the orchestral string instruments.

a)

lowest

b)

simplest

c)

loudest

d)

highest

e)

quietest

43.

What was hydraulis an early form of?

a)

drums

b)

organ

c)

flute

d)

guitar

e)

harmonica

44.

Whose 90th birthday did the Soweto Gospel Choir perform at in 2008 with catchy rhythms and repeated choruses?

a)

Queen Elizabeth

b)

Mahatma Gandhi

c)

King Charles

d)

Elon Musk, as he was born in South Africa

e)

Nelson Mandela

45.

What was the name of the period in the mid-15th century in which Europe embraced great cultural changes including that in the musical world?

a)

Romantic Era

b)

Baroque Period

c)

Pax Romania

d)

The Renaissance

e)

Medieval Era

46.

Who is America's best-known female conductor?

a)

JoAnn Falletta

b)

Xian Zhang

c)

Emilie Mayer

d)

Amy Beach

e)

Marin Alsop

47.

What were piano keys originally made of?

a)

Marble

b)

Ivory

c)

ebony wood

d)

eucalyptus wood

e)

both (B) and (C)

48.

Which of the following musicians inspired Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky?

a)

Robert Schumman

b)

Ludwig van Beethoven

c)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

d)

Both (A) and (B)

e)

Both (A) and (C)

49.

Where is the pipa most likely played?

a)

Middle East

b)

Africa

c)

Japan

d)

China

e)

Australia

50.

Which composer was the first to create every aspect of his music dramas including the music, plot and characters, and all words?

a)

Johann Sebastian Bach

b)

Richard Wagner

c)

Hector Berlioz

d)

Claude Debussy

e)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchailkovsky