Edward Elgar Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In what year was Edward Elgar born?
A. 1847
B. 1857
C. 1867
D. 1877
Answer: B. 1857
Q2. What was Edward Elgar’s father’s profession, which greatly influenced his early musical exposure?
A. Piano tuner and violinist
B. Composer
C. Choir director
D. Music teacher at a conservatory
Answer: A. Piano tuner and violinist
Q3. How many siblings did Edward Elgar have, making him the fourth child in the family?
A. Three
B. Five
C. Six
D. Seven
Answer: C. Six
Q4. At what age did Elgar leave formal schooling to pursue other interests?
A. 12
B. 15
C. 18
D. 20
Answer: B. 15
Q5. What unusual position did Elgar hold from 1879 to 1884 that helped him gain practical orchestral experience?
A. Conductor of an asylum band
B. Music director at a theater
C. Violinist in a royal orchestra
D. Teacher at a music academy
Answer: A. Conductor of the asylum band
Q6. Which city did Elgar briefly move to in 1889 with his new wife, hoping to establish his composing career?
A. Birmingham
B. London
C. Manchester
D. Liverpool
Answer: B. London
Q7. What was Elgar’s breakthrough work in 1899 that established him as a major composer?
A. Pomp and Circumstance Marches
B. The Dream of Gerontius
C. Enigma Variations
D. Symphony No. 1
Answer: C. Enigma Variations
Q8. In what year did Elgar compose The Dream of Gerontius, his choral masterpiece based on John Henry Newman’s poem?
A. 1898
B. 1899
C. 1900
D. 1901
Answer: C. 1900
Q9. Who was the dedicatee of Elgar’s Violin Concerto in B minor, Op. 61?
A. Pablo Casals
B. Fritz Kreisler
C. Yehudi Menuhin
D. Jascha Heifetz
Answer: B. Fritz Kreisler
Q10. What is the key and opus number of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, composed in 1919?
A. E minor, Op. 85
B. A minor, Op. 75
C. D major, Op. 95
D. G major, Op. 65
Answer: A. E minor, Op. 85
Q11. Which of Elgar’s marches became famous for its trio section, later adapted as “Land of Hope and Glory”?
A. March No. 1
B. March No. 3
C. March No. 4
D. March No. 5
Answer: A. March No. 1
Q12. What was the premiere year of Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major?
A. 1905
B. 1908
C. 1910
D. 1911
Answer: B. 1908
Q13. Elgar’s Falstaff, a symphonic study based on Shakespeare’s character, was composed in what year?
A. 1908
B. 1910
C. 1911
D. 1913
Answer: D. 1913
Q14. Which early choral work by Elgar, composed in 1896, draws from a Norwegian saga?
A. The Black Knight
B. Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf
C. The Light of Life
D. Caractacus
Answer: B. Scenes from the Saga of King Olaf
Q15. What was the title of Elgar’s oratorio composed in 1903, following The Dream of Gerontius?
A. The Apostles
B. The Kingdom
C. The Music Makers
D. The Banner of St George
Answer: A. The Apostles
Q16. In what year did Elgar marry Caroline Alice Roberts, who became a key supporter of his career?
A. 1885
B. 1887
C. 1889
D. 1891
Answer: C. 1889
Q17. How many children did Elgar and his wife have?
A. None
B. One daughter
C. One son
D. Two daughters
Answer: B. One daughter
Q18. Which hobby did Elgar enjoy that influenced his love of the English countryside and even led to a patented invention?
A. Painting
B. Birdwatching
C. Cycling
D. Gardening
Answer: C. Cycling
Q19. What position did Elgar hold from 1924 until his death, involving ceremonial duties for the British monarchy?
A. Poet Laureate
B. Master of the King’s Musick
C. Principal Conductor of the BBC Symphony
D. Director of the Royal Opera House
Answer: B. Master of the King’s Musick
Q20. Elgar was knighted in what year, marking his recognition as a leading British composer?
A. 1904
B. 1905
C. 1908
D. 1911
Answer: A. 1904
Q21. What unusual wartime role did Elgar take during World War I?
A. Military band leader
B. Special constable
C. Propaganda composer only
D. Diplomatic envoy
Answer: B. Special constable
Q22. Which of Elgar’s works from 1892 is a light orchestral piece often performed by string orchestras?
A. Froissart overture
B. Cockaigne
C. Serenade for Strings
D. In the South
Answer: C. Serenade for Strings
Q23. Elgar’s Sea Pictures, a song cycle for contralto and orchestra, was composed in what year?
A. 1897
B. 1899
C. 1901
D. 1903
Answer: B. 1899
Q24. What was the original dedication of Elgar’s Salut d’Amour, composed in 1889?
A. To his wife
B. To a friend
C. To a patron
D. To the Queen
Answer: A. To his wife
Q25. In what year did Elgar’s wife, Caroline Alice, pass away, profoundly affecting his compositional output?
A. 1916
B. 1918
C. 1920
D. 1922
Answer: C. 1920