Francis Poulenc Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In which year was Francis Poulenc born?
A. 1899
B. 1905
C. 1885
D. 1912
Answer: A. 1899
Q2. Which musical group was Francis Poulenc associated with in the 1920s?
A. The Impressionists
B. Les Six
C. The Vienna School
D. The Futurists
Answer: B. Les Six
Q3. What is the primary genre of music for which Poulenc is best known?
A. Symphonic music
B. Chamber music
C. Opera
D. Electronic music
Answer: B. Chamber music
Q4. Which of Poulenc’s operas is based on a play by Jean Cocteau?
A. Dialogues des Carmelites
B. Les Mamelles de Tiresias
C. La Voix Humaine
D. Gloria
Answer: C. La Voix Humaine
Q5. What instrument was Francis Poulenc primarily known for playing?
A. Violin
B. Piano
C. Flute
D. Clarinet
Answer: B. Piano
Q6. What stylistic characteristic is most associated with Poulenc’s music?
A. Atonality
B. Minimalism
C. Melodic lyricism and wit
D. Serialism
Answer: C. Melodic lyricism and wit
Q7. Which of Poulenc’s ballets was premiered by the Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo?
A. Les Biches
B. Aubade
C. Les Animaux Modeles
D. Pastourelle
Answer: A. Les Biches
Q8. In which city was Francis Poulenc born and spent much of his life?
A. Lyon
B. Paris
C. Marseille
D. Nice
Answer: B. Paris
Q9. Which of Poulenc’s works is a concerto for a single instrument and orchestra?
A. Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani
B. Concerto for Two Pianos
C. Concerto for Harp
D. Concerto for Clarinet
Answer: A. Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani
Q10. What inspired Poulenc to compose his opera Dialogues des Carmélites?
A. A historical novel
B. A religious pilgrimage
C. A play by Georges Bernanos
D. A poem by Paul Verlaine
Answer: C. A play by Georges Bernanos
Q11. Which of the following composers was NOT a member of Les Six alongside Poulenc?
A. Darius Milhaud
B. Arthur Honegger
C. Erik Satie
D. Germaine Tailleferre
Answer: C. Erik Satie
Q12. What is the title of Poulenc’s song cycle for voice and piano based on poems by Paul Éluard?
A. Tel Jour, Telle Nuit
B. Fiançailles pour Rire
C. Banalites
D. Le Travail du Peintre
Answer: A. Tel Jour, Telle Nuit
Q13. Which of Poulenc’s works is a comic opera with a surrealist tone?
A. La Voix Humaine
B. Les Mamelles de Tiresias
C. Dialogues des Carmelites
D. Gloria
Answer: B. Les Mamelles de Tiresias
Q14. Which of Poulenc’s compositions is a setting of the Catholic Mass?
A. Gloria
B. Stabat Mater
C. Litanies a la Vierge Noire
D. Mass in G Major
Answer: D. Mass in G Major
Q15. What is the instrumentation of Poulenc’s Sonata for Flute and Piano?
A. Flute and piano
B. Flute, piano, and cello
C. Flute and orchestra
D. Flute and string quartet
Answer: A. Flute and piano
Q16. Which French poet’s works did Poulenc frequently set to music?
A. Charles Baudelaire
B. Arthur Rimbaud
C. Paul Eluard
D. Stephane Mallarme
Answer: C. Paul Eluard
Q17. Which of Poulenc’s works is a ballet inspired by animals?
A. Les Biches
B. Les Animaux Modeles
C. Aubade
D. Pastourelle
Answer: B. Les Animaux Modeles
Q18. What is the primary language of the libretto in Poulenc’s opera Dialogues des Carmélites?
A. French
B. Italian
C. Latin
D. English
Answer: A. French
Q19. In which decade did Poulenc compose most of his sacred choral works?
A. 1920s
B. 1930s
C. 1940s
D. 1950s
Answer: B. 1930s
Q20. Which of Poulenc’s works is a monodrama for a single female voice?
A. Les Mamelles de Tirésias
B. La Voix Humaine
C. Dialogues des Carmélites
D. Gloria
Answer: B. La Voix Humaine
Q21. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of Poulenc’s compositional style?
A. Lyrical melodies
B. Neoclassical elements
C. Exaggerated dissonance
D. Playful humor
Answer: C. Exaggerated dissonance
Q22. Which of Poulenc’s works was composed as a tribute to the painter Marc Chagall?
A. Le Travail du Peintre
B. Banalites
C. Tel Jour, Telle Nuit
D. Fiançailles pour Rire
Answer: A. Le Travail du Peintre
Q23. What is the setting of Poulenc’s opera Les Mamelles de Tirésias?
A. A convent during the French Revolution
B. A surreal town called Zanzibar
C. A modern-day Paris apartment
D. A mythical Greek island
Answer: B. A surreal town called Zanzibar
Q24. Which of Poulenc’s compositions is a short piano piece often used as an encore?
A. Trois Mouvements Perpetuels
B. Sonata for Two Pianos
C. Improvisations
D. Nocturnes
Answer: A. Trois Mouvements Perpetuels
Q25. In which year did Francis Poulenc pass away?
A. 1955
B. 1963
C. 1970
D. 1948
Answer: B. 1963