You’ve probably heard of the three “B’s” in classical music – Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. Well, here’s a little matching quiz about the three “Bs” and other “B” composers too. Each answer is used once. The answers are shown at the bottom. Share your score in the comments section – or send it to me at mwimmer@wned.org.
a. Boulanger b. Bruckner c. Beethoven d. Berlioz e. Brahms
f. Barber g. Bartok h. Bach i. Bernstein j. Bologne
1 _____ This composer’s Symphony No. 5 is perhaps the world’s most famous piece of classical music.
2 _____ This composer only lived to be 24 years old.
3 _____ This composer is better-known as Chevalier de Saint-Georges and was a champion fencer.
4 _____ This composer’s Adagio for Strings was featured in the films Platoon and The Elephant Man.
5 _____ This composer played piano in taverns, dance halls, and brothels to make money.
6 _____ This composer was also a famous conductor and wrote the musical West Side Story.
7 _____ This composer was one of the original three “B’s,’ but was replaced with Brahms.
8 _____ This composer married twice and fathered 20 children.
9 _____ This composer was buried in America, but his remains were later moved to his native Hungary.
10 ____ This composer lived with what we now call OCD and was obsessed with death.
ANSWERS
1 c
2 a
3 j
4 f
5 e
6 i
7 d
8 h
9 g
10 b
