Orlando de Lassus Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In which city was Orlando de Lassus born around 1532?
A. Munich, Bavaria
B. Antwerp, Low Countries
C. Mons, Hainaut
D. Rome, Italy
Answer: C. Mons, Hainaut
Q2. What was Orlando de Lassus’s preferred Italianate name used professionally?
A. Roland de Lattre
B. Orlando di Lasso
C. Orlandus Lassus
D. Orlande de Lassus
Answer: B. Orlando di Lasso
Q3. Orlando de Lassus died on June 14, 1594, in which city after serving there for nearly four decades?
A. Naples
B. Rome
C. Antwerp
D. Munich
Answer: D. Munich
Q4. As a young choirboy in Mons, how many times was de Lassus reportedly kidnapped due to his exceptional singing voice?
A. Once
B. Twice
C. Three times
D. Four times
Answer: C. Three times
Q5. At around age 12, de Lassus began his travels by joining the service of which nobleman in 1544?
A. Cosimo I de’ Medici
B. Albrecht V of Bavaria
C. Ferrante Gonzaga
D. Ludwig Daser
Answer: C. Ferrante Gonzaga
Q6. In the early 1550s, de Lassus worked as a singer and composer for which employer in Naples?
A. Vincenzo Gonzaga
B. Costantino Castrioto
C. Maximilian II
D. Charles IX of France
Answer: B. Costantino Castrioto
Q7. From 1551 to 1554, de Lassus served as maestro di cappella at which prestigious Roman basilica?
A. St. Peter’s Basilica
B. Basilica of St. John Lateran
C. Santa Maria Maggiore
D. St. Paul’s Outside the Walls
Answer: B. Basilica of St. John Lateran
Q8. In what year did de Lassus permanently join the court of Duke Albrecht V of Bavaria in Munich?
A. 1544
B. 1553
C. 1556
D. 1563
Answer: C. 1556
Q9. Who was de Lassus’s primary lifelong patron, under whom he became Kapellmeister around 1563?
A. Cosimo I de’ Medici
B. Albrecht V of Bavaria
C. Wilhelm V of Bavaria
D. Pope Gregory XIII
Answer: B. Albrecht V of Bavaria
Q10. In 1558, de Lassus married which woman, the daughter of a maid of honor at the Bavarian court?
A. Regina Wackinger
B. Maria Gonzaga
C. Anna de’ Medici
D. Clara Castrioto
Answer: A. Regina Wackinger
Q11. How many sons did de Lassus have who became composers themselves?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two
Q12. In 1570, which Holy Roman Emperor ennobled de Lassus, a rare honor for a musician?
A. Charles V
B. Rudolf II
C. Maximilian II
D. Ferdinand I
Answer: C. Maximilian II
Q13. What prestigious knighthood did Pope Gregory XIII bestow on de Lassus around 1571?
A. Order of the Golden Fleece
B. Knights of the Golden Spur
C. Teutonic Order
D. Order of St. John
Answer: B. Knights of the Golden Spur
Q14. Approximately how many works did de Lassus compose over his lifetime?
A. 500
B. 1,000
C. Over 2,000
D. 3,500
Answer: C. Over 2,000
Q15. In how many languages did de Lassus compose vocal music?
A. Two
B. Four
C. Five
D. Six
Answer: B. Four
Q16. What is de Lassus’s final major work, a cycle of 21 spiritual madrigals dedicated to Pope Clement VIII?
A. Prophetiae Sibyllarum
B. Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales
C. Lagrime di San Pietro
D. Missa osculetur me
Answer: C. Lagrime di San Pietro
Q17. De Lassus composed over 500 works in which sacred genre, his most numerous output?
A. Motets
B. Magnificats
C. Masses
D. Passions
Answer: A. Motets
Q18. Which cycle of 12 motets features bold chromaticism, anticipating later composers like Gesualdo?
A. Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales
B. Infelix ego
C. Prophetiae Sibyllarum
D. Super flumina Babylonis
Answer: C. Prophetiae Sibyllarum
Q19. De Lassus set the seven Penitential Psalms in a famous 1584 collection noted for its emotional depth. What is its title?
A. Lagrime di San Pietro
B. Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales
C. De profundis clamavi
D. Infelix ego
Answer: B. Psalmi Davidis poenitentiales
Q20. Which humorous Italian madrigal by de Lassus features a mock Spanish dialogue and remains popular today?
A. Osculetur me
B. Il bianco e dolce cigno
C. Matona mia cara
D. Susanne un jour
Answer: B. Matona mia cara
Q21. How many complete Passion settings did de Lassus compose, one for each Gospel?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: D. Four
Q22. De Lassus composed over 100 settings of which canticle, reflecting his devotion to the Virgin Mary?
A. Te Deum
B. Nunc dimittis
C. Magnificat
D. Benedictus
Answer: C. Magnificat
Q23. To which king’s court did de Lassus briefly return in 1555-1556, where his early works were published?
A. France
B. Low Countries
C. England
D. Spain
Answer: B. Low Countries
Q24. In what year was de Lassus’s first book of motets published, cementing his reputation?
A. 1554
B. 1555
C. 1556
D. 1584
Answer: C. 1556
Q25. De Lassus belonged to which school of composition, known for mature polyphony?
A. Venetian School
B. Franco-Flemish School
C. Roman School
D. English Madrigal School
Answer: B. Franco-Flemish School