Sergei Rachmaninoff Quiz Questions and Answers
Q1. In which year was Sergei Rachmaninoff born?
A. 1863
B. 1873
C. 1883
D. 1893
Answer: B. 1873
Q2. What is the nationality of Sergei Rachmaninoff?
A. Austrian
B. German
C. Russian
D. French
Answer: C. Russian
Q3. Which instrument was Rachmaninoff most renowned for playing?
A. Violin
B. Piano
C. Cello
D. Flute
Answer: B. Piano
Q4. Which of Rachmaninoff’s compositions is known as his Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor?
A. Opus 18
B. Opus 23
C. Opus 30
D. Opus 40
Answer: A. Opus 18
Q5. What inspired Rachmaninoff to compose his Piano Concerto No. 2?
A. A trip to Italy
B. Recovery from depression
C. A commission from the Tsar
D. A romantic relationship
Answer: B. Recovery from depression
Q6. Which of Rachmaninoff’s works is a choral symphony based on a poem by Edgar Allan Poe?
A. The Isle of the Dead
B. The Rock
C. The Bells
D. Vocalise
Answer: C. The Bells
Q7. In which city did Rachmaninoff study at the Conservatory?
A. St. Petersburg
B. Moscow
C. Vienna
D. Paris
Answer: B. Moscow
Q8. What is the name of Rachmaninoff’s famous orchestral tone poem inspired by a painting by Arnold Böcklin?
A. The Isle of the Dead
B. The Rock
C. Symphonic Dances
D. Spring
Answer: A. The Isle of the Dead
Q9. Which of Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos is considered the most technically demanding?
A. Piano Concerto No. 1
B. Piano Concerto No. 2
C. Piano Concerto No. 3
D. Piano Concerto No. 4
Answer: C. Piano Concerto No. 3
Q10. What was the title of Rachmaninoff’s first opera, premiered in 1892?
A. Aleko
B. The Miserly Knight
C. Francesca da Rimini
D. The Tsar’s Bride
Answer: A. Aleko
Q11. Which composer was a significant influence on Rachmaninoff’s early compositional style?
A. Ludwig van Beethoven
B. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
C. Johannes Brahms
D. Richard Wagner
Answer: B. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Q12. What is the opus number of Rachmaninoff’s famous Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini?
A. Opus 33
B. Opus 39
C. Opus 43
D. Opus 47
Answer: C. Opus 43
Q13. In which country did Rachmaninoff spend much of his later life after leaving Russia?
A. France
B. United States
C. Switzerland
D. England
Answer: B. United States
Q14. What is the name of the vocal piece by Rachmaninoff that is often performed without words?
A. Vocalise
B. The Bells
C. Spring Cantata
D. All-Night Vigil
Answer: A. Vocalise
Q15. Which of Rachmaninoff’s works is a set of piano pieces inspired by Russian Orthodox chants?
A. Études-Tableaux
B. All-Night Vigil
C. Preludes
D. Moments Musicaux
Answer: B. All-Night Vigil
Q16. In which year did Rachmaninoff emigrate from Russia due to the Russian Revolution?
A. 1917
B. 1914
C. 1920
D. 1923
Answer: A. 1917
Q17. Which of Rachmaninoff’s works was his final major composition, completed in 1940?
A. Piano Concerto No. 4
B. Symphonic Dances
C. Symphony No. 3
D. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Answer: B. Symphonic Dances
Q18. Which Russian composer was Rachmaninoff’s teacher at the Moscow Conservatory?
A. Anton Arensky
B. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
C. Alexander Scriabin
D. Dmitri Shostakovich
Answer: A. Anton Arensky
Q19. Which of Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos was dedicated to his physician, Dr. Alexander Dahl?
A. Piano Concerto No. 1
B. Piano Concerto No. 2
C. Piano Concerto No. 3
D. Piano Concerto No. 4
Answer: B. Piano Concerto No. 2
Q20. In which city did Rachmaninoff give his final public performance?
A. New York
B. London
C. Knoxville
D. Paris
Answer: C. Knoxville
Q21. Which of Rachmaninoff’s compositions is a set of 17 piano pieces divided into two sets, Opus 33 and Opus 39?
A. Preludes
B. Etudes-Tableaux
C. Moments Musicaux
D. Variations on a Theme of Chopin
Answer: B. Etudes-Tableaux
Q22. What was the profession of Rachmaninoff’s father, Vasily?
A. Military officer
B. Lawyer
C. Musician
D. Merchant
Answer: A. Military officer
Q23. Which of Rachmaninoff’s works was inspired by a theme from Niccolò Paganini’s Caprice No. 24?
A. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
B. Variations on a Theme of Corelli
C. Piano Concerto No. 3
D. Symphonic Dances
Answer: A. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Q24. What is the name of the estate where Rachmaninoff spent his summers composing in Russia?
A. Yasnaya Polyana
B. Ivanovka
C. Klin
D. Tiflis
Answer: B. Ivanovka
Q25. Which of Rachmaninoff’s symphonies was poorly received at its premiere, leading to a period of compositional silence?
A. Symphony No. 1
B. Symphony No. 2
C. Symphony No. 3
D. Symphony No. 4
Answer: A. Symphony No. 1