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