Giovanni Battista Pergolesi Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In which year was Giovanni Battista Pergolesi born?
A. 1700
B. 1710
C. 1720
D. 1730
Answer: B. 1710
Q2. What was Pergolesi’s primary musical genre during his short career?
A. Opera and sacred music
B. Symphonic music
C. Chamber music
D. Choral music exclusively
Answer: A. Opera and sacred music
Q3. Which city was Pergolesi’s birthplace?
A. Naples
B. Rome
C. Jesi
D. Venice
Answer: C. Jesi
Q4. What was the primary instrument Pergolesi was trained to play as a young musician?
A. Violin
B. Harpsichord
C. Organ
D. Flute
Answer: A. Violin
Q5. Which conservatory in Naples did Pergolesi attend to study music?
A. Conservatorio di Santa Maria di Loreto
B. Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesu Cristo
C. Conservatorio di Sant’Onofrio
D. Conservatorio della Pietà dei Turchini
Answer: B. Conservatorio dei Poveri di Gesu Cristo
Q6. Which of Pergolesi’s operas is considered a masterpiece of opera buffa?
A. La serva padrona
B. Il prigionier superbo
C. L’Olimpiade
D. Adriano in Siria
Answer: A. La serva padrona
Q7. What is the primary language of Pergolesi’s operas?
A. Latin
B. Italian
C. French
D. German
Answer: B. Italian
Q8. Which of Pergolesi’s sacred works is his most famous?
A. Magnificat
B. Salve Regina
C. Stabat Mater
D. Te Deum
Answer: C. Stabat Mater
Q9. At what age did Pergolesi tragically pass away?
A. 26
B. 30
C. 35
D. 40
Answer: A. 26
Q10. What was the cause of Pergolesi’s death?
A. Plague
B. Tuberculosis
C. Smallpox
D. Heart failure
Answer: B. Tuberculosis
Q11. Which musical era does Pergolesi’s work primarily belong to?
A. Baroque
B. Renaissance
C. Classical
D. Romantic
Answer: A. Baroque
Q12. What type of opera is La serva padrona classified as?
A. Opera seria
B. Opera buffa
C. Singspiel
D. Grand opera
Answer: B. Opera buffa
Q13. In which year was La serva padrona first performed?
A. 1725
B. 1730
C. 1733
D. 1736
Answer: C. 1733
Q14. How many acts does La serva padrona typically have?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two
Q15. Which of Pergolesi’s operas was based on a libretto by Metastasio?
A. La serva padrona
B. Il prigionier superbo
C. L’Olimpiade
D. Lo frate ’nnamorato
Answer: C. L’Olimpiade
Q16. What role did Pergolesi hold in Naples during his career?
A. Maestro di cappella for aristocratic patrons
B. Organist at the Royal Chapel
C. Court composer for the King
D. Music teacher at the conservatory
Answer: A. Maestro di cappella for aristocratic patrons
Q17. Which instrument is prominently featured in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater?
A. Organ
B. Violin
C. Flute
D. Harpsichord
Answer: B. Violin
Q18. What is the subject matter of Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater?
A. The Resurrection of Christ
B. The Last Supper
C. The Virgin Mary’s sorrow at the Crucifixion
D. The Annunciation
Answer: C. The Virgin Mary’s sorrow at the Crucifixion
Q19. How many voices are primarily featured in Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two
Q20. Which of Pergolesi’s operas was performed in Rome in 1735?
A. L’Olimpiade
B. La serva padrona
C. Il prigionier superbo
D. Lo frate ’nnamorato
Answer: A. L’Olimpiade
Q21. What is the name of Pergolesi’s first opera seria?
A. La Salustia
B. Lo frate ’nnamorato
C. Adriano in Siria
D. Il prigionier superbo
Answer: A. La Salustia
Q22. Which of Pergolesi’s works was originally performed as an intermezzo?
A. L’Olimpiade
B. La serva padrona
C. Stabat Mater
D. Magnificat
Answer: B. La serva padrona
Q23. Which French musical controversy was influenced by Pergolesi’s La serva padrona?
A. The War of the Romantics
B. The Gluck-Piccinni debate
C. The Querelle des Bouffons
D. The Rameau-Lully rivalry
Answer: C. The Querelle des Bouffons
Q24. What was the setting of Pergolesi’s Lo frate ’nnamorato?
A. Ancient Rome
B. Naples
C. Venice
D. Greece
Answer: B. Naples
Q25. Which of Pergolesi’s works is a comic opera written in the Neapolitan dialect?
A. La serva padrona
B. Adriano in Siria
C. L’Olimpiade
D. Lo frate ’nnamorato
Answer: D. Lo frate ’nnamorato