Arnold Schoenberg Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In which city was Arnold Schoenberg born on 13 September 1874?
A. Berlin, Germany
B. Vienna, Austria-Hungary
C. Prague, Bohemia
D. Budapest, Hungary
Answer: B. Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Q2. Arnold Schoenberg died on 13 July 1951 in which American city?
A. New York City, New York
B. Chicago, Illinois
C. Los Angeles, California
D. Boston, Massachusetts
Answer: C. Los Angeles, California
Q3. Besides composing, what other roles did Arnold Schoenberg prominently hold?
A. Conductor and performer
B. Music theorist, teacher, and writer
C. Instrument maker and publisher
D. Librettist and stage director
Answer: B. Music theorist, teacher, and writer
Q4. Arnold Schoenberg was a central figure in which musical school of thought?
A. First Viennese School
B. Berlin Modernists
C. Second Viennese School
D. Darmstadt School
Answer: C. Second Viennese School
Q5. In what year did Arnold Schoenberg compose his early string sextet Verklarte Nacht?
A. 1895
B. 1899
C. 1905
D. 1910
Answer: B. 1899
Q6. Who provided Arnold Schoenberg with his only formal counterpoint lessons around 1894?
A. Gustav Mahler
B. Richard Strauss
C. Alexander Zemlinsky
D. Anton Webern
Answer: C. Alexander Zemlinsky
Q7. What was the profession of Arnold Schoenberg’s father?
A. Musician
B. Shoe-shopkeeper
C. Banker
D. Teacher
Answer: B. Shoe-shopkeeper
Q8. From which city was Arnold Schoenberg’s mother originally?
A. Vienna
B. Berlin
C. Prague
D. Munich
Answer: C. Prague
Q9. In what year did Arnold Schoenberg convert to Lutheran Christianity?
A. 1890
B. 1898
C. 1905
D. 1912
Answer: B. 1898
Q10. Which composer mentored Arnold Schoenberg after hearing his early works and became a key supporter?
A. Richard Strauss
B. Johannes Brahms
C. Gustav Mahler
D. Alban Berg
Answer: C. Gustav Mahler
Q11. In what year did Arnold Schoenberg marry Mathilde Zemlinsky?
A. 1899
B. 1901
C. 1908
D. 1923
Answer: B. 1901
Q12. What was the name of Arnold Schoenberg’s first child with Mathilde, born in 1902?
A. Georg
B. Nuria
C. Gertrud
D. Ronald
Answer: C. Gertrud
Q13. In 1908, Mathilde left Arnold Schoenberg briefly for which artist?
A. Wassily Kandinsky
B. Richard Gerstl
C. Alban Berg
D. Egon Schiele
Answer: B. Richard Gerstl
Q14. In what years was Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 10, composed?
A. 1907–1908
B. 1910–1911
C. 1915–1916
D. 1917–1918
Answer: A. 1907–1908
Q15. What innovative vocal technique did Arnold Schoenberg introduce in Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21?
A. Falsetto singing
B. Sprechstimme
C. Yodeling
D. Bel canto
Answer: B. Sprechstimme
Q16. In what year did Arnold Schoenberg compose Pierrot lunaire, Op. 21?
A. 1909
B. 1910
C. 1912
D. 1918
Answer: C. 1912
Q17. Whose poetry, in German translation, inspired the texts of Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire?
A. Stefan George
B. Albert Giraud
C. Rainer Maria Rilke
D. Paul Verlaine
Answer: B. Albert Giraud
Q18. What chamber ensemble is primarily associated with Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot lunaire?
A. String quartet and harp
B. Brass quintet
C. Flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano
D. Woodwind octet
Answer: C. Flute, clarinet, violin, cello, and piano (the Pierrot ensemble)
Q19. In what year was Arnold Schoenberg’s influential book Harmonielehre first published?
A. 1905
B. 1911
C. 1922
D. 1930
Answer: B. 1911
Q20. During World War I, at age 42, in which military did Arnold Schoenberg serve?
A. Austrian army
B. German army
C. French army
D. British army
Answer: A. Austrian army
Q21. What organization did Arnold Schoenberg found in 1918 to promote modern music without applause or conductors?
A. International Society for Contemporary Music
B. Society for Private Musical Performances
C. Vienna Philharmonic Society
D. New Music Ensemble
Answer: B. Society for Private Musical Performances
Q22. How many performances did Arnold Schoenberg’s Society for Private Musical Performances present before its dissolution?
A. 150
B. 200
C. 353
D. 700
Answer: C. 353
Q23. In what year did Arnold Schoenberg develop his revolutionary twelve-tone technique?
A. 1923
B. 1925
C. 1928
D. 1933
Answer: B. 1923
Q24. Which pair of composers formed the core students of Arnold Schoenberg, establishing the Second Viennese School?
A. Alban Berg and Anton Webern
B. Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss
C. Hanns Eisler and John Cage
D. Karlheinz Stockhausen and Pierre Boulez
Answer: A. Alban Berg and Anton Webern
Q25. In what year did Mathilde Zemlinsky, Arnold Schoenberg’s first wife, pass away?
A. 1918
B. 1923
C. 1930
D. 1940
Answer: B. 1923