Joseph Haydn Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In what year was Joseph Haydn born?
A. 1720
B. 1732
C. 1740
D. 1758
Answer: B. 1732
Q2. Where was Joseph Haydn born?
A. Vienna, Austria
B. Salzburg, Austria
C. Rohrau, Austria
D. Eisenstadt, Hungary
Answer: C. Rohrau, Austria
Q3. What was Joseph Haydn’s father’s occupation?
A. Composer
B. Wheelwright
C. Choirmaster
D. Nobleman
Answer: B. Wheelwright
Q4. At approximately what age did Haydn leave home to begin musical training with a relative in Hainburg?
A. 6 years old
B. 8 years old
C. 9 years old
D. 12 years old
Answer: A. 6 years old
Q5. In what year did Haydn become a chorister at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna?
A. 1730
B. 1740
C. 1750
D. 1760
Answer: B. 1740
Q6. How long did Haydn serve as a chorister at St. Stephen’s Cathedral?
A. Five years
B. Seven years
C. Nine years
D. Fifteen years
Answer: C. Nine years
Q7. What prank contributed to Haydn’s dismissal from the choir school at St. Stephen’s?
A. Stealing sheet music
B. Snipping a fellow chorister’s pigtail
C. Skipping rehearsals
D. Arguing with the director
Answer: B. Snipping a fellow chorister’s pigtail
Q8. Which composer’s works did Haydn study for self-instruction after leaving the choir school?
A. Johann Sebastian Bach
B. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
C. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
D. George Frideric Handel
Answer: C. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
Q9. For whom did Haydn serve as a valet-accompanist, learning key compositional techniques?
A. Count Morzin
B. Nicola Porpora
C. Prince Esterházy
D. Baron Furnberg
Answer: B. Nicola Porpora
Q10. In what year did Haydn compose his first string quartets?
A. 1750
B. 1755
C. 1757
D. 1760
Answer: C. 1757
Q11. For whom did Haydn write his earliest string quartets?
A. Count Morzin
B. Karl Joseph von Furnberg
C. Prince Pal Antal Esterhazy
D. Johann Peter Salomon
Answer: B. Karl Joseph von Furnberg
Q12. In what year was Haydn appointed Kapellmeister for Count Morzin?
A. 1757
B. 1759
C. 1761
D. 1766
Answer: A. 1757
Q13. When did Haydn compose his first symphony?
A. 1750
B. 1758
C. 1765
D. 1770
Answer: B. 1758
Q14. In what year did Haydn join the Esterházy court as Vice-Kapellmeister?
A. 1757
B. 1759
C. 1761
D. 1790
Answer: C. 1761
Q15. How many works featuring the baryton did Haydn compose for Prince Miklós Esterházy?
A. Over 50
B. Over 100
C. Over 150
D. Over 200
Answer: C. Over 150
Q16. In what year did Haydn marry Maria Anna Theresia Keller?
A. 1755
B. 1760
C. 1765
D. 1770
Answer: B. 1760
Q17. Symphony No. 45 in F-sharp minor is famously known as the:
A. Surprise Symphony
B. Military Symphony
C. Clock Symphony
D. Farewell Symphony
Answer: D. Farewell Symphony
Q18. What unique feature occurs in the finale of Haydn’s Symphony No. 45?
A. A sudden loud chord
B. Musicians gradually leaving the stage
C. A ticking rhythm
D. Prominent horn signals
Answer: B. Musicians gradually leaving the stage
Q19. In what year did Haydn compose his oratorio Il ritorno di Tobia?
A. 1767
B. 1772
C. 1775
D. 1785
Answer: C. 1775
Q20. Which set of Haydn’s string quartets, published in the early 1780s, set a new standard for the genre?
A. Opus 20
B. Opus 33
C. Opus 64
D. Opus 76
Answer: B. Opus 33
Q21. For which city were Haydn’s “Paris” symphonies (Nos. 82–87) commissioned in the mid-1780s?
A. London
B. Vienna
C. Paris
D. Eisenstadt
Answer: C. Paris
Q22. Which composer dedicated a set of six string quartets to Haydn in mutual admiration?
A. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
B. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
C. Ludwig van Beethoven
D. Johann Christian Bach
Answer: A. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Q23. In what years did Haydn make his first visit to London?
A. 1785–1786
B. 1791–1792
C. 1794–1795
D. 1800–1801
Answer: B. 1791–1792
Q24. What honorary degree did Haydn receive from Oxford University during his first London visit?
A. Bachelor of Music
B. Master of Arts
C. Doctor of Music
D. Knight of the Arts
Answer: C. Doctor of Music
Q25. Which of Haydn’s symphonies is nicknamed “Surprise” for its sudden loud chord in the slow movement?
A. No. 82
B. No. 94
C. No. 100
D. No. 104
Answer: B. No. 94