Georges Bizet Quiz Questions and Answers

Q1. What was Georges Bizet’s full birth name before he adopted his pseudonym?
A. Adolphe Alexandre Bizet
B. Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet
C. Fromental Halevy Bizet
D. Charles Gounod Bizet
Answer: B. Alexandre Cesar Leopold Bizet

Q2. In which city was Georges Bizet born on October 25, 1838?
A. Rome
B. London
C. Paris
D. Vienna
Answer: C. Paris

Q3. At what remarkably young age did Bizet enter the Paris Conservatoire?
A. 12 years old
B. 9 years old
C. 15 years old
D. 6 years old
Answer: B. 9 years old

Q4. Which prestigious award did Bizet win in 1857 for his cantata Clovis et Clotilde?
A. Prix de Rome
B. Legion of Honour
C. Grand Prix du Disque
D. Cesar Award
Answer: A. Prix de Rome

Q5. Under whom did Bizet primarily study piano at the Paris Conservatoire?
A. Fromental Halevy
B. Antoine Francois Marmontel
C. Charles Gounod
D. Gioachino Rossini
Answer: B. Antoine Francois Marmontel

Q6. What was the profession of Bizet’s father, Adolphe Bizet?
A. Singing teacher and composer
B. Pianist
C. Opera director
D. Violinist
Answer: A. Singing teacher and composer

Q7. Bizet’s mother, Aimee Delsarte, was known for her skills in which instrument?
A. Violin
B. Piano
C. Harp
D. Flute
Answer: B. Piano

Q8. To whom did Bizet marry on June 3, 1869?
A. Marie Reiter
B. Aimee Delsarte
C. Genevieve Halevy
D. Camille Saint-Saens
Answer: C. Genevieve Halevy

Q9. How many legitimate children did Bizet have with his wife Genevieve?
A. None
B. One son, Jacques
C. Two daughters
D. Three sons
Answer: B. One son, Jacques

Q10. During the Franco-Prussian War, in what capacity did Bizet serve?
A. As a diplomat
B. As a music critic
C. In the National Guard
D. As a composer for the army
Answer: C. In the National Guard

Q11. What was Bizet’s first opera, composed in 1857 as a joint winner of a competition?
A. Le docteur Miracle
B. Carmen
C. Les pecheurs de perles
D. Djamileh
Answer: A. Le docteur Miracle

Q12. Which of Bizet’s operas premiered in 1863 and features a duet often performed independently?
A. La jolie fille de Perth
B. Les pecheurs de perles
C. Ivan IV
D. Don Procopio
Answer: B. Les pecheurs de perles

Q13. In which year did Bizet’s opera La jolie fille de Perth premiere at the Theatre Lyrique?
A. 1863
B. 1865
C. 1867
D. 1875
Answer: A. 1867

Q14. Bizet’s one-act opera Djamileh, which premiered in 1872, is set in which location?
A. Ancient Egypt
B. 19th-century Cairo
C. Medieval Scotland
D. Spanish Seville
Answer: B. 19th-century Cairo

Q15. What innovative element did Bizet incorporate into Carmen that was unusual for opéra comique?
A. Spoken dialogue only
B. All-sung format from the start
C. Recitatives instead of spoken dialogue
D. No orchestral interludes
Answer: A.  Spoken dialogue only

Q16. At which theater did Carmen premiere on March 3, 1875?
A. Opera Garnier
B. Theatre Lyrique
C. Opera-Comique
D. Vaudeville Theatre
Answer: C. Opera-Comique

Q17. Which unfinished opera by Bizet was completed as a homage to his teacher Fromental Halevy?
A. Noe
B. La coupe du roi de Thule
C. Don Rodrigue
D. La guzla de l’emir
Answer: A. Noe

Q18. Bizet’s opera Don Procopio, written in 1859, is an example of what genre?
A. Opera seria
B. Opera buffa
C. Grand opera
D. Verismo opera
Answer: B. Opera buffa

Q19. How many initial performances did Carmen have before Bizet’s death, despite mixed reviews?
A. 11
B. 18
C. 36
D. 45
Answer: C. 36

Q20. In Carmen, what is the name of the famous aria sung by the character Micaela?
A. Habanera
B. Toreador Song
C. Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante
D. Seguidilla
Answer: C. Je dis que rien ne m’epouvante

Q21. At what age did Bizet compose his Symphony in C, which remained unpublished until 1933?
A. 17
B. 20
C. 25
D. 30
Answer: A. 17

Q22. Bizet’s Roma Symphony, completed in 1868, originated from which earlier experience?
A. His Prix de Rome stay in Italy
B. A trip to Spain
C. Studies in Germany
D. Collaboration with Gounod
Answer: A. His Prix de Rome stay in Italy

Q23. For which play by Alphonse Daudet did Bizet compose incidental music in 1872?
A. Carmen
B. L’Arlesienne
C. Les pecheurs de perles
D. La jolie fille de Perth
Answer: B. L’Arlesienne

Q24. From the incidental music of L’Arlesienne, how many suites did Bizet or his contemporaries compile?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two

Q25. Bizet’s Jeux d’enfants is primarily written for what ensemble?
A. Full orchestra
B. Solo piano
C. Piano duet
D. String quartet
Answer: C. Piano duet