Claude Debussy Quiz Questions and Answers

Q1. In which year was Claude Debussy born?
A. 1862
B. 1870
C. 1855
D. 1880
Answer: A. 1862

Q2. What is the primary musical style associated with Claude Debussy?
A. Baroque
B. Classical
C. Impressionism
D. Romanticism
Answer: C. Impressionism

Q3. Which of Debussy’s compositions is considered one of the most iconic works for solo piano?
A. La Mer
B. Clair de Lune
C. Prelude a l’apres-midi d’un faune
D. Pelleas et Melisande
Answer: B. Clair de Lune

Q4. Debussy’s only completed opera is titled:
A. Carmen
B. La Boheme
C. Pelleas et Melisande
D. The Marriage of Figaro
Answer: C. Pelleas et Melisande

Q5. Which artistic movement influenced Debussy’s compositional style?
A. Cubism
B. Symbolism
C. Realism
D. Surrealism
Answer: B. Symbolism

Q6. What instrument did Debussy primarily compose for?
A. Piano
B. Violin
C. Flute
D. Organ
Answer: A. Piano

Q7. Which of Debussy’s orchestral works is inspired by the sea?
A. Nocturnes
B. La Mer
C. Images
D. Jeux
Answer: B. La Mer

Q8. In which city was Debussy born?
A. Paris
B. Lyon
C. Saint-Germain-en-Laye
D. Nice
Answer: C. Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Q9. What is the name of Debussy’s set of piano pieces inspired by childhood games?
A. Children’s Corner
B. Suite Bergamasque
C. Estampes
D. Preludes
Answer: A. Children’s Corner

Q10. Which composer was a significant influence on Debussy’s early musical development?
A. Ludwig van Beethoven
B. Richard Wagner
C. Johann Sebastian Bach
D. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Answer: B. Richard Wagner

Q11. What is the title of Debussy’s symphonic poem premiered in 1894?
A. La Mer
B. Nocturnes
C. Prelude e l’apres-midi d’un faune
D. Images
Answer: C. Prelude e l’apres-midi d’un faune

Q12. Which of Debussy’s works is a set of three orchestral pieces titled “Nuages,” “Fetes,” and “Sirenes”?
A. La Mer
B. Images
C. Nocturnes
D. Jeux
Answer: C. Nocturnes

Q13. What was the name of Debussy’s daughter, for whom he composed “Children’s Corner”?
A. Emma
B. Claude-Emma
C. Marie
D. Sophie
Answer: B. Claude-Emma

Q14. Which French poet’s work inspired Debussy’s “Prelude e l’apres-midi d’un faune”?
A. Charles Baudelaire
B. Paul Verlaine
C. Stephane Mallarme
D. Arthur Rimbaud
Answer: C. Stephane Mallarme

Q15. Debussy’s music is often described as evoking what kind of imagery?
A. Mathematical precision
B. Vivid, atmospheric scenes
C. Strict formal structures
D. Heavy, dramatic emotions
Answer: B. Vivid, atmospheric scenes

Q16. In which year did Debussy pass away?
A. 1918
B. 1920
C. 1925
D. 1905
Answer: A. 1918

Q17. What was the name of Debussy’s first wife?
A. Emma Bardac
B. Rosalie Texier
C. Marie Vasnier
D. Gabrielle Dupont
Answer: B. Rosalie Texier

Q18. Which of Debussy’s piano works includes a movement titled “Pagodes”?
A. Estampes
B. Suite Bergamasque
C. Preludes
D. Images
Answer: A. Estampes

Q19. What term did Debussy dislike being applied to his music, despite its common use?
A. Romantic
B. Classical
C. Impressionist
D. Modernist
Answer: C. Impressionist

Q20. Which of Debussy’s works was composed for a ballet about a tennis game?
A. Jeux
B. La Mer
C. Nocturnes
D. Images
Answer: A. Jeux

Q21. Which instrument features prominently in Debussy’s “Syrinx”?
A. Piano
B. Flute
C. Violin
D. Clarinet
Answer: B. Flute

Q22. What is the name of Debussy’s collection of 24 piano pieces divided into two books?
A. Preludes
B. Etudes
C. Images
D. Suite Bergamasque
Answer: A. Preludes

Q23. Which of the following composers was a contemporary of Debussy?
A. Maurice Ravel
B. Johann Sebastian Bach
C. Franz Liszt
D. Antonio Vivaldi
Answer: A. Maurice Ravel

Q24. Which of Debussy’s piano works includes a piece titled “Golliwogg’s Cakewalk”?
A. Suite Bergamasque
B. Children’s Corner
C. Estampes
D. Préludes
Answer: B. Children’s Corner

Q25. What is the name of the Parisian music school where Debussy studied?
A. Paris Conservatoire
B. Ecole Normale de Musique
C. Schola Cantorum
D. Sorbonne University
Answer: A. Paris Conservatoire