Ludwig van Beethoven - Quiz
Ludwig van Beethoven
  • 1. In which city was Ludwig van Beethoven born?
A) Paris
B) Vienna
C) Berlin
D) Bonn
  • 2. What instrument did Beethoven primarily play?
A) Piano
B) Cello
C) Violin
D) Flute
  • 3. Which symphony by Beethoven is known as the 'Eroica'?
A) Symphony No. 3
B) Symphony No. 9
C) Symphony No. 7
D) Symphony No. 5
  • 4. Which era of music did Beethoven bridge during his lifetime?
A) Romantic and Modern
B) Classical and Romantic
C) Medieval and Renaissance
D) Baroque and Classical
  • 5. Which of Beethoven's symphonies is famously known for its four-note opening motif?
A) Symphony No. 9
B) Symphony No. 5
C) Symphony No. 3
D) Symphony No. 7
  • 6. Who was Beethoven's famous letter addressed to, in which he revealed his deafness?
A) Immortal Beloved
B) Moonlight Sonata
C) Eroica Symphony
D) Für Elise
  • 7. In which year did Beethoven pass away?
A) 1750
B) 1869
C) 1799
D) 1827
  • 8. What was the title of Beethoven's only opera?
A) The Magic Flute
B) Fidelio
C) Carmen
D) Madama Butterfly
  • 9. What was Beethoven's nationality?
A) Italian
B) Austrian
C) French
D) German
  • 10. Beethoven was often associated with which musical key signature?
A) C minor
B) F sharp major
C) D major
D) A flat minor
  • 11. Which famous French general did Beethoven originally dedicate his third symphony to?
A) Maréchal Ney
B) Louis-Alexandre Berthier
C) Napoleon Bonaparte
D) Joachim Murat
  • 12. Who was Beethoven's first music teacher?
A) Christian Gottlob Neefe
B) Franz Rovantini
C) Johann van Beethoven
D) Joseph Haydn
  • 13. What was the profession of Ludwig van Beethoven's grandfather?
A) Conductor
B) Composer
C) Pianist
D) Kapellmeister (music director)
  • 14. Which city did Beethoven move to at the age of 21?
A) Bonn
B) Vienna
C) Munich
D) Berlin
  • 15. Who was one of Beethoven's patrons in Vienna?
A) Heinrich Keverich
B) Karl Alois, Prince Lichnowsky
C) Clemens August
D) Johann IX Philipp von Walderdorff
  • 16. What was Beethoven's relationship to the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne?
A) Cousin
B) Grandson through his father, who worked at the court
C) Nephew
D) Son
  • 17. Who was Beethoven's mother?
A) Helene von Breuning
B) Maria Magdalena Keverich
C) Nannerl Mozart
D) Julie Guicciardi
  • 18. What was Beethoven's birth date according to the baptism record?
A) 16 December 1770
B) 18 December 1770
C) 15 December 1770
D) 17 December 1770
  • 19. Which Beethoven sonata is dedicated to his pupil Julie Guicciardi?
A) Moonlight Sonata
B) Appassionata Sonata
C) Pathétique Sonata
D) Waldstein Sonata
  • 20. What was Beethoven's age at the time of his death?
A) 56
B) 50
C) 65
D) 60
  • 21. Which of Beethoven's works were published posthumously?
A) Bagatelle "Für Elise"
B) Fifth Symphony
C) Ninth Symphony
D) Eroica Symphony
  • 22. Which period of Beethoven's career is known for his classical style influenced by Haydn and Mozart?
A) Late period (1812–1827)
B) Romantic period
C) First period (up to 1802)
D) Middle period (1802–1812)
  • 23. Which Beethoven work is a pinnacle of the string quartet genre?
A) Ninth Symphony
B) Fifth Symphony
C) Große Fuge
D) Eroica Symphony
  • 24. Who instructed Beethoven on the violin?
A) Johann van Beethoven
B) Court concertmaster Franz Anton Ries
C) Joseph Haydn
D) Christian Gottlob Neefe
  • 25. Which Beethoven work was composed in 1798?
A) Eroica Symphony
B) Pathétique Sonata
C) First Symphony
D) Moonlight Sonata
  • 26. Who was Beethoven's most important teacher in Bonn?
A) Count Ferdinand von Waldstein
B) Christian Gottlob Neefe
C) Franz Wegeler
D) Maximilian Franz
  • 27. What was Beethoven's first published work?
A) Three piano sonatas (WoO 47)
B) Ballet Musik zu einem Ritterballett (WoO 1)
C) A set of keyboard variations (WoO 63)
D) Cantata for the death of Joseph II (WoO 87)
  • 28. What nickname were Beethoven's first three piano sonatas sometimes known by?
A) Haydn
B) Kurfürst
C) Waldstein
D) Breuning
  • 29. Who became a 'second mother' to Beethoven and taught him refined manners?
A) Maximilian Franz's wife
B) Helene von Breuning
C) Anna von Schaden
D) Johann van Beethoven
  • 30. Who commissioned Beethoven's first work for the stage?
A) Franz Wegeler
B) Christian Gottlob Neefe
C) Maximilian Franz
D) Count Ferdinand von Waldstein
  • 31. What ballet did Beethoven compose in 1791?
A) Fidelio
B) Musik zu einem Ritterballett (WoO 1)
C) Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus
D) Leonore
  • 32. When did Beethoven's mother die?
A) July 1787
B) 1785
C) 1792
D) 1789
  • 33. Which composer's spirit did Waldstein hope Beethoven would receive from Haydn?
A) Mozart
B) Paisiello
C) Beethoven
D) Gluck
  • 34. When was Beethoven first introduced to Joseph Haydn?
A) Late 1790
B) 1792
C) 1785
D) 1789
  • 35. In which year did Beethoven leave Bonn for Vienna?
A) 1789
B) 1792
C) 1794
D) 1801
  • 36. Who was the composer that Beethoven studied under to master counterpoint?
A) Salieri
B) Haydn
C) Albrechtsberger
D) Mozart
  • 37. Which instrument did Ignaz Schuppanzigh teach Beethoven?
A) Piano
B) Cello
C) Flute
D) Violin
  • 38. Who was Beethoven's brother that helped him with business dealings?
A) Kaspar
B) Carl
C) Joseph
D) Ferdinand
  • 39. Who did Beethoven have a piano 'duel' with in 1799?
A) Ferdinand Ries
B) Daniel Steibelt
C) Joseph Wölfl
D) Ignaz Moscheles
  • 40. What was the reaction to Beethoven's concert at Burgtheater on April 2, 1800?
A) The players ignored the soloist entirely
B) It was universally praised without criticism
C) Beethoven's works were not well received
D) It was called 'the most interesting concert in a long time' by the Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung
  • 41. What was the financial outcome of Beethoven's subscription concert in April 1803?
A) It was a financial success
B) Beethoven had to refund all the tickets
C) The concert was cancelled due to poor ticket sales
D) It resulted in significant losses for Beethoven
  • 42. Who was the composer that Beethoven studied under for Italian vocal composition style?
A) Joseph Haydn
B) Ignaz Schuppanzigh
C) Johann Albrechtsberger
D) Antonio Salieri
  • 43. In which year did Beethoven begin experiencing hearing loss?
A) 1798
B) 1815
C) 1802
D) 1824
  • 44. What condition is believed to have caused Beethoven's hearing loss?
A) Neural degeneration
B) Auricular infection
C) Tinnitus
D) Otosclerosis
  • 45. Where did Beethoven move in 1802 to cope with his hearing loss?
A) Leipzig
B) Cassel
C) Vienna
D) Heiligenstadt
  • 46. Who originally suggested the idea of a symphony based on Napoleon?
A) General Bernadotte
B) Archduke Rudolf
C) Czerny
D) E. T. A. Hoffmann
  • 47. Which work did Beethoven dedicate to Archduke Rudolf?
A) Mass in C, Op. 86
B) Violin Concerto
C) Fidelio
D) Archduke Trio Op. 97
  • 48. For which play did Beethoven write incidental music commissioned by Goethe in 1810?
A) Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt
B) King Stephen
C) Egmont
D) The Ruins of Athens
  • 49. What did Beethoven call the F minor String Quartet, Op. 95?
A) Dramatic Quartet
B) Quartetto serioso
C) Tragic Quartet
D) Heroic Quartet
  • 50. In which city did Beethoven meet Goethe in 1812?
A) Teplitz (now Teplice)
B) Munich
C) Berlin
D) Vienna
  • 51. To whom did Beethoven write that he cherished admiration, love, and esteem since his youth?
A) Bettina Brentano
B) Goethe
C) Rudolph
D) Antonie Brentano
  • 52. Who did Beethoven propose to in 1810?
A) Therese Malfatti
B) Josephine Brunsvik
C) Antonie Brentano
D) Julie Guicciardi
  • 53. What was the relationship between Beethoven and Josephine Brunsvik?
A) He had a passionate correspondence with her.
B) They were married.
C) He never wrote to her.
D) She rejected his proposal.
  • 54. Which of Beethoven's works was dedicated in 1822?
A) F minor String Quartet
B) Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt
C) Archduke Trio
D) Egmont Overture
  • 55. Which city did Antonie Brentano move to with her husband?
A) Budapest
B) Berlin
C) Munich
D) Vienna
  • 56. What illness did Beethoven's brother Kaspar suffer from?
A) Tuberculosis
B) Cholera
C) Malaria
D) Pneumonia
  • 57. How much money did Beethoven lend to his brother Kaspar in 1813?
A) 1000 florins
B) 2000 florins
C) 500 florins
D) 1500 florins
  • 58. When did Beethoven's brother Kaspar die?
A) On 8 November 1812
B) In late 1820
C) On 15 November 1815
D) In early 1813
  • 59. Who did Beethoven have a legal dispute with over custody of his nephew Karl?
A) A local magistrate
B) Therese Obermayer
C) Kaspar's widow Johanna
D) His brother Johann
  • 60. In which year did Beethoven regain custody of his nephew Karl?
A) 1818
B) 1816
C) 1822
D) 1820
  • 61. How did Beethoven's nephew Karl perceive his uncle's involvement in his life?
A) As supportive and caring.
B) As minimal and uninvolved.
C) As indifferent and distant.
D) As an overbearing manner.
  • 62. What was particularly popular from the concert on 8 December 1813?
A) Seventh Symphony, Op. 92
B) Wellington's Victory (Op. 91)
C) The Allegretto movement
D) Battle Symphony
  • 63. Who prepared a piano score of Fidelio commissioned by Beethoven's publisher, Artaria?
A) Ludwig Spohr
B) Moscheles
C) Johann Nepomuk Maelzel
D) Duke of Wellington
  • 64. What did Beethoven add to Moscheles' inscription on the piano score of Fidelio?
A) "With God's guidance."
B) "For art and glory."
C) "O Man, help thyself."
D) "To success!"
  • 65. What was the name of the cantata Beethoven composed for the Congress of Vienna?
A) An die Hoffnung
B) Fidelio
C) Wellington's Victory
D) Der glorreiche Augenblick (The Glorious Moment)
  • 66. What illness did Beethoven attribute part of his reduced output between 1815 and 1819 to?
A) Migraine
B) Tuberculosis
C) Inflammatory fever
D) Rheumatism
  • 67. Whose endorsement did Maelzel seek and obtain for his newly developed metronome in 1817?
A) Mozart's
B) Beethoven's
C) Haydn's
D) Schubert's
  • 68. What device did Beethoven use to communicate due to his deteriorating hearing?
A) Conversation books
B) Braille
C) Telegraph
D) Sign language
  • 69. Who was the proprietor of the Stein piano workshop that assisted Beethoven during his illness?
A) Alois Jeitteles
B) Thomas Broadwood
C) Maelzel
D) Nannette Streicher
  • 70. Which company's proprietor presented Beethoven with a piano as a testimonial of esteem in England?
A) Steinway & Sons
B) Broadwood
C) Bechstein
D) Yamaha
  • 71. How much did Beethoven set the price for each of the three string quartets commissioned by Prince Nikolai Galitzin?
A) 75 ducats per quartet.
B) 30 ducats per sonata.
C) 100 ducats per quartet.
D) 50 ducats per quartet.
  • 72. In which year did Ludwig van Beethoven complete the Missa solemnis?
A) 1823
B) 1826
C) 1824
D) 1825
  • 73. To whom did Beethoven present the manuscript of the completed Missa solemnis on 19 March?
A) Rudolph
B) Johann Friedrich Rochlitz
C) Louis XVIII
D) Michael Umlauf
  • 74. Which French monarch sent Beethoven a heavy gold medallion?
A) Napoleon Bonaparte
B) Charles X
C) Louis XVIII
D) François I
  • 75. Who was the conductor during the first performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony?
A) Ludwig van Beethoven
B) Michael Umlauf
C) Anton Schindler
D) Johann Nepomuk Hummel
  • 76. Which publisher did Beethoven persuade to write a new finale for String Quartet No. 13?
A) Artaria
B) Cramer
C) Haslinger
D) Schlesinger
  • 77. Who did Beethoven accuse of cheating or mismanaging ticket receipts?
A) Rudolph
B) Karl Holz
C) Michael Umlauf
D) Schindler
  • 78. Which work was inscribed to Beethoven's foremost patron, pupil, and friend?
A) Missa solemnis
B) String Quartet No. 14
C) Ninth Symphony
D) Diabelli Variations
  • 79. What did Beethoven write under the introductory slow chords in the last movement of Op. 135?
A) "Der schwer gefasste Entschluss"
B) "Es muss sein!"
C) "Muss es sein?"
D) "Von Herzen—Möge es wieder—Zu Herzen gehn!"
  • 80. What illness did Beethoven suffer from while writing the String Quartet No. 15?
A) Tuberculosis
B) A sudden illness
C) Migraine
D) Rheumatism
  • 81. Where did Beethoven recuperate after his illness in April 1825?
A) Munich
B) Berlin
C) Baden
D) Vienna
  • 82. Who attended Beethoven until his death in December 1826?
A) Andreas Ignaz Wawruch
B) Schindler
C) Karl
D) Dr. Malfatti
  • 83. What did the Philharmonic Society in London send to Beethoven?
A) £100
B) A portrait of him
C) A lifetime membership
D) A grand piano
  • 84. Which phrase did Beethoven utter on 24 March 1827, indicating the end of his life?
A) "Plaudite, amici, comoedia finita est"
B) "To be or not to be"
C) "Veni, vidi, vici"
D) "Carpe diem"
  • 85. How many people are estimated to have attended Beethoven's funeral procession?
A) 5,000
B) 10,000
C) 20,000
D) 50,000
  • 86. Who read the funeral oration at Beethoven's requiem mass?
A) Joseph Mayseder
B) Anselm Hüttenbrenner
C) Heinrich Anschütz
D) Franz Schubert
  • 87. In which year were Beethoven's remains moved to Vienna's Zentralfriedhof?
A) 1888
B) 1900
C) 1827
D) 1863
  • 88. Which category of Beethoven's compositions fits the three-period categorization most neatly?
A) Concertos
B) The quartets
C) Piano sonatas
D) Symphonies
  • 89. Which works are considered Beethoven's 'late' quartets?
A) Op. 18 quartets
B) Opp. 59, 74 and 95
C) Composed from 1824 onwards
D) Composed between 1806–1814
  • 90. What do later writers seek to identify within Beethoven's generally accepted structure?
A) Sub-periods
B) New compositions
C) A fourth period
D) The influence of other composers
  • 91. What did a review in Johann Nikolaus Forkel's Musikalischer Almanack compare Beethoven's early efforts to?
A) Rank beginners
B) Classical masters
C) Contemporary virtuosos
D) Mature composers
  • 92. Who did Charles Rosen suggest Beethoven's early style was closer to?
A) Schubert and Liszt
B) Hummel or Muzio Clementi
C) Bach and Handel
D) Haydn and Mozart
  • 93. When did Beethoven's late period begin?
A) The decade 1790–1800
B) The decade 1820–1830
C) The decade 1810–1819
D) The decade 1780–1790
  • 94. Which composer did Beethoven consider 'the greatest who ever lived'?
A) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B) Claudio Monteverdi
C) Johann Sebastian Bach
D) George Frideric Handel
  • 95. Which musical period's devices did Beethoven incorporate in his late works?
A) Classical era
B) Baroque-era
C) Romantic era
D) Renaissance era
  • 96. Which institution arose largely as a vehicle for performing Beethoven’s symphonies?
A) The modern piano
B) Recording technology
C) The art of conducting
D) The professional orchestra
  • 97. Since what year has the Beethovenfest in Bonn been organized annually?
A) 1845
B) 2001
C) 2007
D) 1880
  • 98. In which city is the Ira F. Brilliant Center for Beethoven Studies located?
A) San Jose, California
B) St. Louis
C) Vienna
D) Bonn
  • 99. Which building was Beethoven's most enduring residence in Vienna?
A) Beethoven Museum in Probusgasse
B) Pasqualatihaus (Mölker Bastei 8)
C) Beethoven House, Bonn
D) Beethovenhalle
  • 100. When was the Beethoven Monument in Bonn unveiled?
A) 2007
B) August 1845
C) 2001
D) 1880
Created with That Quiz — the site for test creation and grading in math and other subjects.