Musical Mastery: 20 Questions on Music History and Theory
Question 1: Who composed the Brandenburg Concertos?
A) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B) Johann Sebastian Bach
C) Ludwig van Beethoven
Question 2: What is the term for the speed of a piece of music?
A) Pitch
B) Tempo
C) Dynamics
Question 3: In which period did the harpsichord become a prominent instrument?
A) Classical
B) Baroque
C) Romantic
Question 4: Which scale consists entirely of half steps?
A) Major Scale
B) Chromatic Scale
C) Pentatonic Scale
Question 5: Who is known as the “Father of the Symphony”?
A) Franz Joseph Haydn
B) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C) Ludwig van Beethoven
Question 6: What is the term for a chord where the notes are played in succession rather than simultaneously?
A) Arpeggio
B) Staccato
C) Legato
Question 7: Which composer is associated with the beginning of the Romantic era in music?
A) Richard Wagner
B) Ludwig van Beethoven
C) Johannes Brahms
Question 8: What is the name of the highest female singing voice?
A) Alto
B) Soprano
C) Mezzo-soprano
Question 9: Which of these musical notations indicates to gradually slow down the tempo?
A) Accelerando
B) Ritardando
C) A tempo
Question 10: What is the term for the distance between two pitches?
A) Interval
B) Octave
C) Scale
Question 11: Which instrument is NOT a member of the brass family?
A) Trombone
B) Saxophone
C) Trumpet
Question 12: What is the name of the text of an opera?
A) Libretto
B) Cantata
C) Sonata
Question 13: Who composed “The Four Seasons”?
A) Antonio Vivaldi
B) Johann Pachelbel
C) George Frideric Handel
Question 14: What is the musical term for “loud”?
A) Piano
B) Forte
C) Mezzo
Question 15: Which of these is a double-reed instrument?
A) Clarinet
B) Oboe
C) Flute
Question 16: What is the name of the smallest interval in Western music?
A) Whole step
B) Half step
C) Quarter step
Question 17: Which composer wrote the opera “Carmen”?
A) Giuseppe Verdi
B) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C) Georges Bizet
Question 18: What is the term for a musical form that features a recurring theme alternating with different sections called episodes?
A) Rondo
B) Sonata
C) Symphony
Question 19: Which composer is famous for his 9 symphonies and 32 piano sonatas?
A) Franz Schubert
B) Ludwig van Beethoven
C) Felix Mendelssohn
Question 20: What is the name of the scale that is based on five notes per octave?
A) Major Scale
B) Chromatic Scale
C) Pentatonic Scale