Vincenzo Bellini Quiz Questions and Answers

Q1. In which city was Vincenzo Bellini born?
A. Naples
B. Milan
C. Catania
D. Venice
Answer: C. Catania

Q2. What year was Vincenzo Bellini born?
A. 1792
B. 1801
C. 1810
D. 1820
Answer: B. 1801

Q3. Bellini was considered a child prodigy; at what age did he reportedly compose his first pieces?
A. Three
B. Five
C. Six
D. Twelve
Answer: C. Six

Q4. Where did Bellini receive his formal musical education?
A. Conservatorio di San Pietro a Majella in Naples
B. Real Collegio di Musica di San Sebastiano in Naples
C. Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome
D. Milan Conservatory
Answer: B. Real Collegio di Musica di San Sebastiano in Naples

Q5. Who was one of Bellini’s key teachers at the conservatory who advised him to make his compositions “sing”?
A. Giovanni Furno
B. Giacomo Tritto
C. Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli
D. Saverio Mercadante
Answer: C. Niccolo Antonio Zingarelli

Q6. What was the title of Bellini’s first opera, composed as a student work?
A. Il pirata
B. Adelson e Salvini
C. La sonnambula
D. Norma
Answer: B. Adelson e Salvini

Q7. In which year did Bellini’s opera Norma premiere?
A. 1827
B. 1830
C. 1831
D. 1835
Answer: C. 1831

Q8. Where did I puritani, Bellini’s last opera, have its premiere?
A. Theatre-Italien, Paris
B. La Fenice, Venice
C. La Scala, Milan
D. Teatro San Carlo, Naples
Answer: A. Theatre-Italien, Paris

Q9. Which of Bellini’s operas was initially titled Bianca e Gernando before being revised?
A. Bianca e Fernando
B. La straniera
C. Zaira
D. Beatrice di Tenda
Answer: A. Bianca e Fernando

Q10. How many acts are in Bellini’s opera La sonnambula?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four
Answer: B. Two

Q11. With which librettist did Bellini collaborate on the most operas, including Il pirata and Norma?
A. Domenico Gilardoni
B. Carlo Pepoli
C. Felice Romani
D. Andrea Leone Tottola
Answer: C. Felice Romani

Q12. For which singer did Bellini tailor roles in operas like La sonnambula and Norma?
A. Giulia Grisi
B. Giuditta Pasta
C. Henriette Méric-Lalande
D. Maria Malibran
Answer: B. Giuditta Pasta

Q13. Which impresario commissioned Bellini for his early professional works in Naples and Milan?
A. Domenico Barbaja
B. Alessandro Lanari
C. Pierre-François Laporte
D. Francesco Florimo
Answer: A. Domenico Barbaja

Q14. Bellini’s close friend and biographer, with whom he maintained lifelong correspondence, was:
A. Saverio Mercadante
B. Gaetano Donizetti
C. Francesco Florimo
D. Gioachino Rossini
Answer: C. Francesco Florimo

Q15. Which librettist worked with Bellini on I puritani after his fallout with Felice Romani?
A. Domenico Gilardoni
B. Carlo Pepoli
C. Andrea Leone Tottola
D. Emanuele Bidera
Answer: B. Carlo Pepoli

Q16. Bellini’s musical style is primarily associated with which operatic tradition?
A. Bel canto
B. Verismo
C. Grand opera
D. Opera buffa
Answer: A. Bel canto

Q17. What characteristic feature of Bellini’s compositions was praised for being long and graceful?
A. Orchestration
B. Harmonies
C. Melodies
D. Rhythms
Answer: C. Melodies

Q18. Which composer greatly influenced Bellini, and whose operas he attended during his studies?
A. Giuseppe Verdi
B. Gioachino Rossini
C. Richard Wagner
D. Franz Liszt
Answer: B. Gioachino Rossini

Q19. Bellini often integrated music with which element to enhance dramatic truth and emotion?
A. Poetry and text
B. Dance sequences
C. Visual effects
D. Instrumental solos
Answer: A. Poetry and text

Q20. In addition to operas, what type of music did Bellini compose early in his career, such as Masses and Salve Regina settings?
A. Symphonies
B. Concertos
C. Sacred music
D. Chamber music
Answer: C. Sacred music

Q21. Bellini never married, but he had a significant romantic relationship with which married woman?
A. Maddalena Fumaroli
B. Giuditta Turina
C. Giuditta Pasta
D. Giulia Grisi
Answer: B. Giuditta Turina

Q22. What was the cause of Bellini’s death at age 33?
A. Acute inflammation of the colon and liver abscess
B. Tuberculosis
C. Heart failure
D. Pneumonia
Answer: A. Acute inflammation of the colon and liver abscess

Q23. In which country did Bellini die?
A. Italy
B. France
C. England
D. Austria
Answer: B. France

Q24. Bellini was superstitious and horrified by a prediction of his premature death made by which writer?
A. Victor Hugo
B. Alexandre Dumas
C. Heinrich Heine
D. George Sand
Answer: C. Heinrich Heine

Q25. What secret society did Bellini and his friend Francesco Florimo join in 1820?
A. Freemasons
B. Carboneria
C. Illuminati
D. Rosicrucians
Answer: B. Carboneria